The Big Ticket

Allahabad railway station. A Sunday night.  School vacation time. Big crowd. My colleagues SR and MN, and myself were standing on the station platform. Prayagraj express train was to depart in a few minutes towards New Delhi. Hasty movement of porters, pushing-in passengers, loud send-off families, chattering children, and crying babies - maddening noise. My third colleague, RN was happily inside the 2-tier AC coach shoving his suitcase under the berth, setting his water bottle right, etc. He was happy due to the comfortable travel in AC with a confirmed berth he was going to have that night from Allahabad to Delhi. In addition, his happiness was also due to the fighting success we had attained earlier that afternoon while trying to buy that confirmed AC class ticket. An achievement in itself, given the tough constraints we had when the decision to travel immediately was made all of a sudden just that forenoon.

We had come on an official trip to Allahabad from our office in New Delhi. We were on camp at ITI Naini since the previous 3-4 days. Maintenance support work for the PCB test ATE system was exhausting and my colleagues on trip were a great support with me.

Earlier that forenoon, we received high-priority instruction from our Delhi office for RN to come back right away to attend an important customer call the next morning at Gaziabad. Instantly the issue on our hand was to manage buying a train ticket for him for one of the trains. Per company rules, he was eligible to travel by  2-tier AC. But being a Sunday, that too during school vacation time, we knew very well that it was going to be a challenge. With no online booking facilities in those days (this was ~13 years back, in 1998), tickets could only be purchased in person at the computerized reservation center near the railway station.

About 12 noon. Operation Ticket Purchase. The reservation center was buzzing with tremendous activity. Long serpentine queues. Scorching weather. Unventilated, sweating hall. But 8-9 counters were working, which was the only smile factor we had. To increase the chance of buying a ticket, we decided to split and stand in two lines. SR and myself in one line, MN in another line, apart by about 4 counters. There were 6 or 7 trains running after 7 PM that night towards Delhi. Our plan was to try any class in any train. RN said he will go around and see if there is any other means to buy the ticket. We were also thinking of alternate choices in case the staff says no room.

We were probably 25th or 28th in the queues we were standing in. Minutes passed. The lines moved slow. We were looking at each other from the two queues to see who is racing ahead. More minutes passed. Once in a while we looked around for RN who went elsewhere hunting for ticket. He was not sighted. An hour passed. SR and myself talked various topics. Very little hope for the ticket. RN might have to travel the night by a difficult bus.

Queues moved slowly and we were about 8th or 9th in line. After about 1.5 hours we got our turn to the wicket glass. Chill. The air-conditioned cool air leaking out was very soothing. We wished we were that clerk - enjoying the AC inside. Querying the computer with our request, the clerk's face dulled. Yep, no chance. We tried to negotiate for the VIP quota. Or emergency quota. Or any other quota. He typed in again. And wrinkled. Nope. We requested him to help us somehow. People behind us grew restless. Raised their voice at us. They did not like us wasting their time. We insisted with the clerk. Tried to be adamant. Nothing helped.

Finally we came away from the queue empty handed. We looked at MN's queue. He was just then coming out of the queue after finishing his turn of no-result. All three of us were stifled completely. We had not seen RN for quite some time. Not sure where he disappeared. People in the queues continued to overflow the hall. Choking ambiance that. We decided to get out of the hall to breathe fresh air.

As we wandered, RN suddenly showed up from a distant corner toward us. He looked mashed. What's wrong? Hairs shaggy, shirt creased, face sticky with flooding sweat and stink. He was gasping heavily. But surprisingly his face was gleaming. And...we were stunned to see a ticket on his hand!

He did not waste a second and narrated how much he was crushed among the crowd near the wicket of the counter he stood on. He somehow connected with a tout who was around. Pushed his case heavily. Paid enough service charges that was too much really. He inched and moved to somehow go near the wicket counter. The tout went inside the booking room near the clerk to move his case. And finally got the crumbled ticket tightly held in his hands while pulling out of the counter and came out of the mob, looking like a punctured tube. But top stuff. It was a confirmed 2-tier AC class ticket that he had seized! He was thrilled and happy! So were we too!

The train was about to leave in 3-4 minutes. RN came out of his coach to join us for one last chat with me, RS and MN standing on the platform. Wading passengers wavered around us. Night temperature was still hot. All of us had another round of Frooti. Every 2nd minute, we could not stop repeating the subject about RN's victorious battle that afternoon at the reservation hall. RN kept looking at his ticket on hand, very fondly. Four people's tough effort for near 2 hours, but he won it all alone. We were happy for him.

The engine driver blew the horn again. We wished RN good luck. The green signal was ON. Guard blew his whistle too.

RN got on the train just in time. 2-3 more people got on behind him. He stood there near the exit, and turned back to see us through the gaps. The train softly inched. There were chorus of bye-byes and ta-tas all around. Also a few hand-shakes, take-cares and call-mes. RN's face was just visible amongst the rest of standers near the exit of his coach. The train started moving. We also walked by the train. RN shouted a loud BYE BYE to us, put his hand out through the heads in front of him, and waved at us. The very next second, we heard RN and a couple of people standing in front of him scream Aah and Oh God... as we also saw the ticket he was holding on the waving hand fall down... and... sneak straight through the gap between the moving train and the station platform! Dang! Next few emergency seconds were like hell. We scurried. We stared at each others' frighting faces. We stood rooted in astonishment right where the ticket fell in. MN tried to see if he can put his hand in to the gap. Big risk. By-standing people quickly restrained him. The train was accelerating soon to leave the platform. RN's coach was already far from us. His fading loud shouts were still audible. We tried to hunt for help. Not sure who would pull the chain from inside the train. No one seemed to have acted. We stuttered, bumbled and scuttled on the platform. The train kept moving faster. Seconds later... 50 meters from us... we saw RN jump out from the almost fast-moving train along with his suitcase on to the platform.

An hour later -

RN boarded the unreserved compartment of Poorva Express from Howrah to New Delhi, a passing train through Allahabad. School vacation time. Week-end. He barely sat on the floor near the bathroom of the overflowing crowded coach.

When his train chugged off none of us standing on the platform dared to see each others' faces whatsoever.