A Journey in General

After 2 days of stay at Asansol and a couple of trips across the Durgapur-Raniganj-Asansol belt, it was time to go back.

With no confirmed tickets, I decided to board a train with a general ticket.

After all failed attempts of getting into an AC Coach, I got up on the general coach of the train I almost missed.

Nope. No place to sit. Neither did I expect any.

But then I was lucky enough to get sufficient room to stand - it was not as crowded as one would expect.

So I stood there near the door with nothing much to hold onto except for the handle bar of the door. With a poker face, I was mentally preparing myself for a 3.5 hrs journey while standing - worst case scenario.

45 minutes into the journey and a man sitting at a window seat turned around.

"Kothaye namben apni?", he asked in an authoritative tone.

(Where will you get down?)

"Howrah."

"Daariye aachen keno? Ekhane boshe porun", he said as he looked at one of his folks who hurriedly got up and sat on the other side which was already cramped up. (Why are you standing? Come sit here.)

"Thank you dada", I sat down. The poker face now was history.

Sometimes it helps if you look upset, helpless and lost! Or like a foreigner who just lost his tourist guides and maps on an ordinary Indian road.

He got down 2 hours later and the journey started to seem boring. It was the right time for music and the "berth" of this post.

The journey was comfortable. Thanks to the weather and thanks to music. But 'general' has to live up to its name. I guess this is what made the guy, sitting next to me, stink like something I still am looking a name for...

Until I find a name for it..