STRANGE VISUALS FROM AN AC CHAIR CAR OF INDIAN RAILWAYS

Visuals are normally images, photographs or video footage. The title is disruptive, but eminently well suited for the narration of what I had witnessed in a recent train journey.  The identity of the train cannot be revealed in order to protect the privacy of the actors.

The narrative begins from the moment I had boarded the AC Chair car of the train from a very busy station in Kerala.  Soon after I had settled into my seat I had observed a well dressed woman walking quickly out of the compartment. The train was awaiting the signal to proceed.

As the train began to move I did what I always do when I travel be it the train or the aircraft. I had immersed myself in the book I was reading at that point of time. It is not something special. Most of the travellers do it to while away the time.

The Ticket Examiner came to me after around fifteen minutes of travel to verify the ticket. As he was going through the documents a gentleman opened the door of the Chair Car and stood there without closing the door. He was holding high his child and telling the child to enjoy the cold. Bemused the Ticket Examiner told the gentleman to close the door or else air-conditioning in the compartment would dissipate. The Ticket Examiner moved on since he had to verify the documents of   a long list of passengers. The gentleman stood there without giving heed to the instruction of the Ticket Examiner. He kept on holding the child up without closing the door of the compartment. I was in a seat adjacent to the door. After a while I requested him to close the door as hot air was rushing in. He kept on there playing dumb. Later another irate passenger adjacent to the door told him to come inside and close the door. The gentleman complied with the second request. He came in with the child, closed the door and stood there leaning against the door holding aloft the child.  He remained there for around ten minutes and then went out of the compartment. It was obvious he did not have a valid ticket.

Soon after the Ticket Examiner had gone to the next compartment the woman who had walked out of the compartment stepped in and occupied a seat. Unfortunately for her she had to vacate it as the occupant of the seat was another passenger. She stood there in the compartment leaning against a seat for almost half an hour. At the next station when the passengers in the adjacent seats had left and when no one had arrived to occupy the vacant seats the woman had quietly slipped into one of them.

Meanwhile the gentleman mentioned earlier now came inside the compartment without the child and had occupied another vacant seat.  As the train was stopping at different stations and passengers were boarding and departing the Ticket Examiner made another of his rounds.  The gentleman quietly slipped out of the compartment.

The Ticket Examiner stared at the woman. He asked her why she was sitting there without informing him. She immediately handed over her ticket along with money for upgrading her ticket. The Ticket Examiner issued the receipt.

Soon after the Ticket Examiner had left the gentleman came in again with the child to occupy the seat he had left on the arrival of the Ticket Examiner. Unfortunately a Civil Police Officer was sitting there writing something. The gentleman walked through the aisle and went out through the door at the far end. After a while he returned. The Civil Police Officer had finished his job and had left by then. The gentleman occupied the seat with the child once again and sat there for some time.  He left the compartment after a while and did not return.

The woman too left the train when it stopped at another station.

Though I had been immersed in my book I was enjoying the distractions.