Train is running late by 6 hours

It’s 3:30 am and I am sitting in the AC-class waiting room of Allahabad railway station; waiting for my train to Daltonganj (my home town) which was scheduled at 11:08 pm. Train is running late by 6 hours and now expected to come at 5:08 am morning. I and my wife (Deep) are on the way from Pune to Daltonganj (by train) for last 32 hours and journey is expected to take another 9 hours. Am enjoying it; with sleepy eyes, shaken body and heapache (pain in buttock) due to sitting on single heap for last 6 hours in this overcrowded waiting hall. Deep is sleeping on the bench. All the faces around me is tired looking and in semi sleeping state. I already finished a book and then a movie on my laptop, thanks to railway department for providing the sufficient number of power plugs to charge everyone’s mobile phones and laptops. But somehow I am enjoying it; after all journeys is real destination.

Till 10:20 pm there was no announcement of delay, we reached Allahabad exactly on time at 9 pm and settled down in waiting room at platform no. 1. Finished our dinner and were preparing to leave for platform no. 4. Then the recorded voice attracted our attention when it called our train number – “2878 is running late by 4 hours”, after a while it announced for 4 and a half hours and finally 6 hours announcement came. I am not the unluckiest one, a gentleman sitting next to me waiting for his train since morning 11; 12 hours prior to me. Probably tomorrow I will be able to know the reason why almost all the trains are running late, specially the one coming from Delhi, may be fog. But here in Allahabad it is not that cold.

When I was planning my tickets I had multiple options or rather did not have any convenience option to choose from. First there is no direct train from Pune to Daltonganj, for that matter to any place nearby. Second minimum journey time is around 40 hours and may go up to 48 hours depending on route and trains, so the selection of route is very important, also most of trains run once or twice a week, so we have to plan the trip every time. With two days of brain storming along with elder brother Binay, finally I decided to go via Jabalpur; as it was the only route where I had to change the train only once, In all other possible route. Only problem here is there is a gap of 10 hours in the arrival time of our train to Jabalpur (from Pune) and the train to Daltonganj. Train starts at 8:55 pm and reaches Jabalpur by 1:50 pm next day (in 17 hours) and then at 11:40 pm in night we have train to Daltonganj. Still somehow I thought this is the best way. One can imagine if the route which has a gap to 10 hours is the best route then how horrible the other possible options are. Albeit while booking the ticket (on internet) I realise that if I don’t leave the train in Jabalpur and continue to Allahabad, I will reach there by 9 pm and at 11:10 (after 2 hours) we have super fast train to Daltonganj, which will take another 6 hours. I calculated the time again and confirm myself that yes only 32 hours; Eureka. Some where my sixth sense was not allowing me to choose it and instructing me to stick to original plan, as it was familiar to me. But I thought, why not try something new. After all change is the second most beautiful thing in the life (most beautiful thing of life is life itself, no doubt about it). So I decided for eureka.

Believe it or not but in last 48 hours I got multiple hints that I should alter my ticket and should happily stick back to the original plan. But none can change the destiny. And I am here, writing this piece of blog and watching my wife ‘Deep’ in her deep sleep. Girls really look even more beautiful while sleeping, even in discomfort position like one on the bench of waiting hall. But bottom line is I am enjoying it and thanks to God, train is still only 6 hour delayed.