It was 6.30 in the evening when I was at the new Canara bank ATM in IIT Bombay, looking at a receipt which said "Unable to dispense cash. Transaction failed". I had exactly Rs. 260 in my wallet, and a 24hr journey ahead.
After a short auto ride to Kanjurmarg, and 20 minutes of waiting in the queue, I got a ticket to Dadar. The local train ensured that I was at Dadar in the next 20 minutes. At the entrance of platform 8, my luggage was inspected, and the policeman on duty spent almost 3 minutes playing with my Nokia 6300. He seemed to be particularly interested in the albums. I still wonder what he was looking for!
On to platform 8, and I bought a packet of chips (10 bucks, and barely 10 pieces of chips) and boarded the train. There was 1 hour before the train departed, and I busied myself with the chips and Jeffrey Archer.
As the train was reaching Kalyan, I bought a veg palao for dinner (Rs 40!), and I felt thoroughly cheated. The fact that I now had only Rs. 183 left didn't help the cause.
After 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep (even the TTE didn't turn up), I woke up near Belgaum, the land of VTU. I had 2 idlis and 2 vadas for breakfast (Rs. 20), and it was a pleasant break from the usual pav-bhaji - vada-pav of Mumbai. Even the chutney had just the right amount of spice.
By lunch time, I was in Dharwad. I must say, the menu on trains has improved considerably. I had 2 ಜೋಳದ ರೊಟ್ಟಿs, curry, rice, dal and buttermilk for lunch (Rs. 35 only). I started feeling more and more south indian :)
After 200 pages of Jeffrey Archer, the train neared Tumkur. The cool air was refreshing. For the first time in months, my shirt was not sticking to my body - I was dry! What a feeling!
Dad was waiting for me at the railway station. I wonder why home always feels sweet.
8 comments:
IDLI N VADA !!!!!!!!
THAT TOO ON A TRAIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
I WUD KILL ANY1 FOR THAT NOW !!!!!!
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...
lolz :D
Nice description of tarvails of a travel by a student.
Like check ur baggage before leaving a place, please check your Wallet before undertaking a Journey home.
Being a student u r exempted from bringing gifts to family members.
nice description man. nice read :-)
especially the part - "The cool air was refreshing. For the first time in months, my shirt was not sticking to my body - I was dry! What a feeling!" ---- LOL :-)
Thanks Onkar :)
Nice post. I prefer only travelkhana food service. Travel Khana brings the widest range of food choices.You just have to call and your food will be delivered at your seat. You can call them at 8800138811
http://www.travelkhana.com
Hey amrit! i am completely agree with you. Last month, i tried travelkhana for the first time and ordered food. My food was delivered at my seat with good packing. The quality was very good and the price was great. Thanks travelkhana.
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