Train memories

Delhi to Chennai train memories.

A distance of 210O km
Two trains.
Tamilnadu express - 30 hrs
G.T. 36 hrs
Yes, I might have traveled more than 20 times between 1982 to 1990.
The ticket booking process itself takes hours
Morning at 8, if you are in the queue, then it may take 3 to 4  hrs minimum to clear 10 people ahead of you sometimes.
As it was on a manual booking process
two separate tickets were issued.
One for the seat.One for the birth.
A mini-trial journey kind of, completed at the booking counter itself.

Tamilnadu Express was the fastest train at that time ..1983 .. later ran at a reduced speed .only limited stops. outside food was not allowed.

But G.T got a lot of stops and we cross four states and enjoy the local food, in addition to hawkers who sell bhelpuri, groundnuts, seasonal fruits, etc.
To mention a few.
1.UP -  Agra .Sweet  - Peta
2.MP -Bhopal - Matka chai.. Jilebi etc .
2 Maharashtra - Nagpur -Oranges&grapes
4.AP - Warangal, and Vijayawada .hot spicy dinner and later hot milk.

During one of the journey, I recall one incident.
I was sitting along with a few south Indians and north Indians.
The train about to start
I was talking in Hindi to a north Indian. after a heavy dinner, was chewing one meeta pan.

Seeing my gestures, two Tamilians thought I belong to the north and started commenting about me in Tamil.


I just kept quiet .train started. I politely introduced myself  in Tamil and said vanakkam (greeting) followed by neenga Soukiyama (how are you both ?)


Their face turned pale. I said good night and slept.


Morning, we got introduced and became the usual train friends.


One of them was enquiring about the luggage carried by me .two foldable chairs .told them,  new design and affordable price.


Immediately one Tamilian seems to be business-minded, started asking more questions, and wanted my help as he wants to start this a wholesale business kind of.


All we three agreed, we will do this business and shared our postal addresses..we dispersed at Chennai, and as you all know we the train friends gel quickly and forget quickly. the developed business interests died at the Chennai platform itself.


Nevertheless, I made a lot of train friends and had fun during these journeys. Topics from  Politics to the cinema, education to marriage life everything discussed,except the flop show business ideas.


Enjoyed thoroughly my bachelor days , extreme climates, food, and the oscillation of our mind along with the train movements.


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