Express Fracas!!!

Train journeys are quite interesting and always have an exciting story to tell.

After bidding adieu to Pantnagar, I took my train to Chennai from New Delhi on 10th June. It was a hot day and I was drained off my energy as I was carrying a heavy luggage(I must thank my friend, Arun Bhakuni who helped me board UKD Sampark Kranti with my heavy luggage at Lalkuan). It rained slightly in the evening and the cool wind lifted my spirits and I was back to my normal self. 

Due to heavy summer rush, railways introduced the side middle berth which led to shift in berth numbers. I checked out the reservation chart before boarding the GT Express and I found my berth number was shifted from 17 to 19. I felt that I have been shifted to upper berth and I was wondering if Railways could do this even after alloting a lower berth on ticket. But my doubts were cleared as I entered my compartment and found I had retained my lower berth. The shift in numbers was due to the extra side middle berths added to compensate the summer rush. This shift in numbers had caused quite a confusion for many and I politely explained and guided my neighbouring co-passengers to their berths. Except for the change in numbers everyone got their respective berths they were alloted in their tickets.

It had been a tiring day and I dozed off by 10pm. The train stopped around midnight at some station (I think it was Bhopal). I woke up everytime the train stopped and checked on my luggage (I was carrying a heavy luggage, a computer included!!!).

At this station, an extremely large man entered the coach shouting and ranting at someone. He was well above 6 feet and so wide(more than double the size I was and I am not at all exaggerating) that he couldn't walk straight in the coach. He turned his frame a bit and dragged himself to his berth number. His family members were normally sized though. As this man was unaware of the shift in berth numbers, he looked for the number printed on his ticket. But this number was occupied by someone else, an old couple, must be in their late 50s. This large man demanded them to get off his berth and he was extremely rude to them. The old couple tried to explain and reason with him but to no avail. He pointed at the number on his ticket and started to rough them up. The old couple insisted that the berth was theirs and the TTE had allotted that berth to them. The large man started shouting that he would kick the TTE and both of them if they did not get off his berth. The old man said that he did not want a fight but only wanted to travel peacefully. The large man did not relent and he asked them to vacate the berth. The old man and his wife after failing to convince that unreasonable man, vacated the berth and sat on the nearby berth waiting for the TTE. 

As soon as TTE came the old man took up his case with him. The large man again started shouting that the berth was his. The TTE looked at the tickets and asked the large man to move to his allotted berths as he explained about the shift in berth numbers. Even now this man failed to see reason and shouted at the TTE asking him why was he being allotted a different berth number. The TTE was patient in the beginning and explained him that he was allotted the same berths as in the ticket but he soon got frustrated with the man and threatened to call the police. Finally this large man relented and shifted to his allotted berths. As this large man was shifting his luggage, the women with him were still seated on the old couple's berth. Now as the TTE had proved his point, the old man puffed up his chest and started shouting at those women to vacate his berth. It was his turn to take revenge. The large man growled but the old man did not back off and asked them to clear his berth with a stern voice. The TTE oversaw the shift and left smiling. All the passengers around were smiling at the old man's antics and the large man's growls.

Normally trains bring people from different parts of the country together but certainly not this way.