NO “2” FIASCO

This article is about how one man can and could fool the judiciary, oppossion party , the public and the press.
If you are traveling by train I mean Indian Railways then read this or else do some other thing and don’t waste your time on this article.
A number “2” means super fast in Indian railways. What is this super fast? These trains travel at an average speed of 50 kilometers per hour and takes seven to eight hours to cover 400 kilometers (provided it’s running in time).By affixing this Digit “2” railway surcharge you for super fast train and by that makes up the money which would have come from increasing the ticket price. The voters are happy so also the business analyst who never travels by train to comment, that this is a very good railway budget. Instead of 17 compartments now most of the trains have 23 to 25 .Same also true about goods train which instead of 35 have 40 wagons and the loading capacity has been increased to another 15% more. This is for you “how to earn more money from same product” probably that’s the reason why our railway minister was called to give a guest lecture to the new MBA students.
Due to heavy goods traffic load the tracks getting spoiled and are not well maintained as a result of which the so called super fast trains don’t run well at day time and stops in very small stations.The vendors get down before the train reaches a big station by pulling the chain as that saves time for them as their house is near by.
The number of trains are increased every third month to catch more votes, because we are a substandard country and people have no choice and those who should be traveling by train travel by plane. Due to lots concession to railway people, old people, army men, physically handicap and students concession the tree tire and two tire AC compartments are more crowed than the ordinary and tree tire non AC compartments. The food has become horribly bad, day time one has to bear with the daily passengers and hawkers.
My advice to those people who travel by train (Indian Railway)
1: Proceed one or two days early for important functions and meetings.
2. Winter months travel by non AC tree tire.
3. Take your own food and water.
4. Never ask your friend or your relatives to receive you or see you off at the stations.
5. Sleep as much as possible to spend your boring time.
6. Never read in train. (it spoils your eyes)
7. Never be friendly with your co passengers unless you know them.
8. Never accept cold drinks or tea or coffee from your co passengers.
9. Take care of your luggage.
10. Never ask the TT to wake you up at your destination station. He may wake you up 2 hours too early or may not wake you up at all as he had got down before your destination station.
11. If you are above 50 years of age engage one licensed porter or you land up in ICU for saving few rupees, because in the last moment your platform number may change from one to three or five and you have to run with your luggage. The other problem is the AC compartment may be in the rear or in the front. Imagine out of 25 to 27 compartments you have to select yours within 2 or 5 minutes unless it’s the starting station.
12. Never take sleeping pills while traveling in Indian railways unless you are a Railway minister or a VIP with lots of chamcha to take care of you or your luggage.
13.All said and done never criticize Indian Railways, people are there to tell you --this is the largest net work in the world, --maximum people travel every day which is the equal to the population of European countries. It’s a mystery how accidents don’t occur every day and so less number of people die due to railway accidents in India. If you have the time and you are traveling in groups and have enough food stock in your hands, Indian Railways is the best mode of transport in India.

This essay was written by Dr. Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy who had bitter experience in traveling in trains recently with the digit “2”.


Dr. Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy
B/188 sector 18 Rourkela, India.769003