I have travelled with
train many times in my life. Most of the time my ticket used to be confirmed,
many times I have travelled with wait-listed ticket also but never ever in my
life I travelled without a ticket. It was the time of October during dussera
when after 25 years my college decided to give 10 days’ holidays after everyone
from first year went on a strike. For the first time in my life I saw so many
people of our college united. And we all were united for a good cause. Dussera
being our festival we wanted to go home and enjoy the festival. It was our
batch which changed the rule of our college. The seniors kept on praising us
and told us you guys have brought something new to this college. In past 25
years the college authority never gave even one day holiday for dussera. But
after we all put up a strike they had to kneel down and announce ten days
holiday. In hurry everyone from my hostel left the same night or booked flight
tickets for next morning. I had no clue what I was gonna do. So I booked my
train ticket online which was wait-listed, took a printout and went to the
station. I boarded the train and took the window seat. The TC came and asked
for my ticket. I showed him my wait-listed ticket. He checked and told me
“Go and check whether
your ticket is confirmed or not. If it is not confirmed then get down because
your ticket will get cancelled.”
I had no clue till then
that if you have booked an e-ticket and it is wait listed then you cannot
travel. It is considered to be as without ticket and you will for that. The
people around me also kept on talking about the same. I was getting nervous as
I had limited cash on myself and no idea what to do. If I get down from this
train then I will have to spend ten days of my vacation here alone. So I
decided to travel and whatever will happen I will handle it. The train started
and so did my heart beat go faster. Every now and then my eye was looking for
the TC. All I had to do was keep hiding from the TC and after 44 hours I will
be in Patna. It was a tough thing to do but I had no other option. Till
Vijaywada no TC came and I was very happy that I am gonna make it. In the bogie
where I was, I had no clue it was booked from Vijayawada. I had no clue it was
under Vijayawada quota. And mostly all the people who had wait-listed ticket
were in that bogie. As soon as Vijaywada station came, a huge crowd boarded the
train. Apart from the people who had confirmed tickets from Vijaywada there
were more than 120 people who had wait-listed ticket. Overall there were easily
more than 200 people in that particular bogie. People here people there people
were everywhere. I found a small place on one corner on the floor and
immediately I sat down. And for the rest of the journey no TC had the courage
to come into that bogie and check others ticket. It was my fate which saved me
from the consequences. Technically I was involved in doing an illegal offence
for which I can even get imprisonment. However I was lucky to board that
particular bogie and reached my hometown without facing any trouble.
I know there are many
people who have done that and they do every day. It is not a big deal but for
me that time it was a big deal. The best part was when I reached home after few
hours I got a message that the money was credited in my account as my ticket
was not confirmed. More than a ticketless journey it was a free journey from
Chennai to Patna.
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