In this post, I am not talking about the priveleged Chair Car, II A/c, I A/c & Unreserved compartments.  These are spared from the hassles I am talking below (Unreserved is next to hell but that is a choice you make and you only have to blame yourself for doing that)

 

Take a typical case of Train journey.   Most of us travel by train and know that if you take up a Sleeper Class or 3rd a/c you more or less have the same compartment model - 3 tiers opposite to each other and 2 in the side.  Now, there is this additiona middlel tier introduced in the side berths as well last year, thanks to our ex Hon. Railway Minister who thought just like how they can accomodate as many buffaloes in a court yard, they can accomodate people as well.   Everytime it is a thrilling experience before you get to know your actual seat number.  Why is this?

 

Scenario 1:  You get a confirmed seat and say the number is 18.  Typically this means that you need to find where is 18 and sit over there.  In normal cases, there would be 3+3 in the normal cabin and 2 in the side cabin and there are around 9 such cabins so totally it makes it to 8 * 9 = 72 seats.    This would mean 18 would be in the 3rd cabin middle seat.

 

Now with the introduction of the side middle berth (literally like stacking up buffaloes, goats), there can be 9 people accomodated so 18 would go to side middle in the 2nd cabin itself, for sleeping.  The reason for this is that, they accomodated the old numbers in the bottom and top of side berths and the additional ones in the middle.  Again, this person has to sit in the normal cabin as a 4th member.  We all know how people behave when it comes to sitting in trains.  They try to expand themselves as much as possible as if otherwise, their ticket charge is not fully utilized.  The reason why the side middle person has to sit here is because, the side berth already can only have 2 people sit comfortably and if a 3rd person comes, not only he has to sit with his leg on the way (not to forget people who carry heavy luggage and dont bother hitting your leg on the way) but also he may be in between the 2 people who usually are from the same family / friends / colleagues, etc.,

 

When it comes to the trains, people want to sleep as early as 7pm which reminds me of my child hood when they ask me to go to bed then.  The funny part is, these people would not go to bed at their homes till 12pm but train, they either want to sit occupying maximum space or sleep.  This would mean that the middle berths have to come down and the side middle person cannot sit. 

 

Scenario 2: You managed to some how sit as the 4th person and anxiously waiting for 8pm to go for sleep.  If you thought that was all, the TTR would come and say, side berth is removed and all your seats are re-arranged.  This is implemented hapazardly in certain trains (Gareeb Rath?) and still not implemented in some trains.  This would mean that not only 18 but everyone from cabin no.2 now has to pack his/ her things and move to next cabin.  Again reshuffling and all the hassles.

 

In certain trains, the TTR gives the middle berth unofficially to the RAC folks for money although middle berth is not there.

 

Needless to say, this can sometimes happen even in the middle of the night.  When it happens to you in 3rd a/c (more so if you booked in tatkal), it really pains.

 

Now isnt this a truly great experience

 

 

Its good to appreciate others.  It always brings in happiness and the momentary adrenalin pump for the person whom you are praising.  While these days praising other person is done as an orchestrated activity (you praise me => I praise you) or done to inherently show that "He/She did help..but you know what, I am the person behind the scenes".

 

In corporate world, it is even more tougher (Refer to the story where two IT professionals go through a forest.  When they see a Tiger, one of them quickly pulls out the sports shoe form his bag.  The other person asks, "Do you think wearing this shoe is going to make you run faster than the Tiger?" and the other person replies "I dont need to run faster than the Tiger.  I just have to run faster than you"). 

 

But, today, I received an endorsement from one of my ex-colleagues (http://www.janakiramm.net/) in Linked In and needless to say it was a selfless one without any hidden agenda.  It was very heartening to see it.  I am putting here below the transcript.