What's a train journey to you David - reprise

For those who have read one of my earlier posts,
http://hardtimekillingfloor.blogspot.com/2005/07/whats-train-journey-to-youdavid.html
this one would hardly come as a surprise.The rest,in order to understand my general sentiments about steel monsters on iron tracks,should go through it once.

Anyway,I mentioned in the above post how I inevitably get bored to death even on my usual 3 hour sojourn from Kanpur to Allahabad.Now since the last two times,the course of events has been slightly different. You see, my usual pick for the usual journey happens to be the Rewa Express,which I board at an insanely and ungodly early morning hour.Thats cos it is seldom late and used to run relatively vacant too.That used to part can be blamed for my most recent experiences.
The first time I took this train to go home,I was accompanied by Nishant,Mandu,Barsaiyan,Dube and Shahi.We were going to participate in the MNNIT quiz fest(yea,right!the venue was Allahabad and all of us buggers just wanted to travel on insti expense while availing the additional advantage of home-cooked food).My Dad told me about this train,and we decided to give it a try.None of us cud wake up at 5 am to catch the insti bus which'd take us to the station,so we had to stay up the entire night.Caught the bus,reached the station,bought the tickets,and waited apprehensively on the platform wondering whether the general bogey would have enough space to even dangle precariously by the gate.But surprise,surprise!Firstly the train arrived exactly on time and secondly,would you believe it,the general bogey was absotively-posilutely empty!We simply couldn't believe our luck,especially me!I had discovered the most painless way to reach home,home again!

Few things haven't changed since then.I still board only the Rewa express to go home.I still stay up the entire night in order to catch the morning bus.I still buy the ticket,I'm still aprehensive about the crowd.But one thing has changed for sure.Its no more emptyville in the general bogey.
Hell there isn't even enough space to step inside.
Actually,maybe I should be more systematic about my experience.This is what happens to me after I reach the legendary Kanpur station:
1.Time:around 6 am.I get off the bus and head towards the ticket counter.Its not really crowded.Of course,not really crowded is a relative term.Its not crowded if you compare it to the same place at a later time of the day,but its still enough to make an Aussie,who has not seen so many people in all the cities of his country combined,faint with shock!

2.Also,the last two times I have been carrying a lot of luggage(lesser visits home and more n more clothes n stuff loaded on the way back).So standing in line for the ticket isn't a particularly elevating experience,what with having to check your luggage every 2 seconds and dragging it along with you as you move ahead,slowly but surely,in the line.

3.Time: 6:15 am.So i get the ticket and head for the platform,more often than not,platform no.6.The train is running right time as usual,and that proves to be the only good news all morning.well,almost!you don't call it running late if its just late by a mere 30 minutes,do u?Anyway,th platform isn't too crowded either,and every single time I congratulate myself for making it awake through another nightout and being able to catch the train.But as you'll see,my jubiliation is short-lived.

4.Time: 6:21 am.So I make an effort and lift my heavy luggage one final time to get to the far-end of the platform where the general bogey is supposed to park.Now is the first time I see people mysteriously making an appearance out of nowhere and crowding around the far-end for the same purpose as me.I put my luggage before some snack shop and observe the crowd while carefully contemplating whether its gonna be another of those sessions to get inside the train between sips of tea.Somehow,I'm always able to assure myself that the crowd hasn't yet assumed threatening proportions and it'll not be that bad.I'm not too wrong either,the crowd at this point does not threaten to cramp me for standing space,which is all I ask really.

5.Time: 6:27 am.Now the time for the train to arrive draws closer.Surprisingly,the announcer always omits to announce the time for my train while she happily announces away all early morning to late noon trains!A conspiracy,naaah probbaly not.Anyway,finally when the train is already late by half-an-hour,she finally announces it'll be there in a short while(read 15 minutes).
And all this while,the crowd continues to pour in from all directions and head towards my end forcing me to pick up my luggage one time more than I bargained for,and head still farther.

6.Time: 6:54 am.I finally see the engine moving towards me at a long distance.I tighten my grip on my bag and suitcase,and so does the rest of the junta(I mean on their respective bags and suitcases).When at last the train reaches within boarding distance,I see the true force of the population explosion.I have no frikkin idea where all these people hide before the actual arrival of the train,but they sure take me by surprise every single time.

7.I scramble for space and try my best to push myself inside the general bogey even as perfectly healthy persons stuff the bogey meant for disabled people and the ones actually physically challenged give up on their quest even befor they start.I stop for a moment to think,"Man!how pathetic is that!".And thats my fatal mistake.I lose my chance in a fraction of a second and suddenly the bogey looke like it would burst.but it doesn't.Much like the country to which it belongs,it seems to have an infinite capacity and generosity.I call it quits and head for the sleeper class bogey,ready to pay the T.T.E whatever he demands.

8.Time: 7:01 am.I manage to get inside without much ado.Of course,there is no place to sit here either.The really intelligent people had headed for the sleeper in the first place and had occupied the seats with more confidence than the people who had reserved berths.I am content with the standing space I manage to get near the washbasin.There are a handful of people crowded around the same place.Its not that bad,I think.When the train starts moving,I'll adjust my luggage slightly and sit on my bag or suitcase.Its only a matter of 3 hours,after all.

9.Time: 7:09 am.And then the train does start moving.Its time for the grand finale.Just as mysteriously as the happenings at the platform,from nowhere,a sea of people enters the bogey.Where the fuck were they sitting earlier,I think??Then I realize,oh fuck!they weren't sitting!So now the standing space becomes more cramped than the general bogey(ok thats a slight exaggeration,but the effect is necessary).Phew!I look at my watch.3 hours like this?

10.No wait,there's more.It's morning time,folks!Time for nature's calls and other ablutions.And where am I standing?Oh in the path leading to the toilet obviously.I'll not elaborate any further....

But then,the train strangely enough never gets delayed between Kanpur to Allahabad and invariably makes it in a good half-an-hour less than the scheduled time.

All's well that ends well,that's what they say,don't they?
Well that's exactly why I hate them!

Back to the lab again

For those of you who might be interested,my Floyd blog is on the verge of revival. I haven't prayed in a long time and having watched the documentary Making of Dark side of the Moon only recently,I decided I had ignored the Gods long enough.

Achtung,baby!