Not fully original, and I must agree, also a bit exaggerated. Inspired from an article I had read in Hyderabad nearly a year ago
I have had very few experiences of traveling alone in a long-distance train but the few that I have had have shaped my opinions about train journeys to a great extent. Like any other novel scientific experiment -from which we have high hopes but aren’t too confident about the results due to its unpredictable nature- railway journeys too can be broken into a series of simple steps
Step 1: Finding your train
Considering that you must have already reserved your berth and therefore know your berth and coach number (you aren’t such a novice after all)..But what you do not know is the platform number. At places like Howrah station where you have different sets of platforms, you might well find yourself shuttling back and forth the kilometer distance between the sets( okay the actual distance may be much less but try walking it through the crowd with all the luggage and you’ll get my point). Some lady does keep announcing the numbers but you really have to be a first class code breaker or have the ears of a dog to understand what she says- for the amplitude of the voice reduces drastically just as the number is announced – “PLATFORM NUMBER two “. Nor is the enquiry office any help for by the time you get to actually cross the queue and pose your question, your train would have reached the next station. Finally, if you are lucky, the electronic boards get updated just in time for you to reach your train in time (by which time your neck has suffered severe crams due to the continued craning at odd angles). In case you do not trust technology --especially when handled by the Govt of India-- its best to ask the info politely of a chaiwaala . In case politeness doesn’t work, you have to spend five whole rupees on a cup of tea you dont even want to have. You might also take the help of a coolie nearby, although, I must warn you, not everybody wearing red clothes is a coolie.
Step 2: Finding your place in the train
Well, contrary to popular (and wise) opinion, train coaches are somehow not always numbered in serial order (at least they never have on the trains I have to get on). You go past S1, S2, S3, and S4 only to find no trace of your coach S5. Finally when you do find your coach, you find that somebody (or that somebody’s luggage) is sitting on your seat. You timidly ask “Sir, I think 44 is my seat, sir” “oh is it then “ and then you wait for five whole minutes for him to get up, probably not being satisfied with only two references to him as “Sir”
Step 3: Finding place for your luggage
Since you are not the first to have arrived in your coach, all the luggage space has already been taken. So you twist and turn all the other baggage to make space for your own. “Handle that case carefully son. There are valuable breakables inside”- the old man orders you, not caring enough to help you out with their own precious articles. Finally you realize that half your luggage has to be kept on your berth and used as a pillow while sleeping. You wonder “cavemen must have used rocks as pillows, right? Well these are just suitcases. I’ll do just fine” and you resign yourself to your fate.
Step 4: Knowing your fellow passengers
Trust me; unless there’s a hot girl around, you had better avoid this step (not that you will be able to do much with a hot girl around anyway). Big families on the train are a big headache. Yes, you do get to swoop in on the numerous eatables they have with them ( that too right from the word GO), but even then it is not worth the pain and agony of long-drawn antaaksharis with 10 year olds and or listening to free advice from unknown 50 year olds. Wodehouse is probably your best companion during those 20-30 odd hours.
Step 6: The nights
Well, do not sleep. Even if the people scold you and plead you to switch off all the lights do not do that. Keep watch on your luggage. Even if you do doze off make sure you have one of your hands, legs or any other body part (subject to availability) covering up your unlocked luggage. Read books and make sure you haven’t eaten enough to have to go for an early morning emergency. That way is the safest.
Also if your train is bound to be travelling through Bihar or UP or MP ( or rather any god damn part of the country), you are bound to have numerous ticketless passengers fly in into your reserved compartment ( so what if you paid a thousand bucks more than these guys just for the tickets). Not only do they drop in like those unwanted “blessings” showered from birds flying over your head, they also demand to be seated and are ready to take up a huge argument with you regarding human rights and the dignity of all human beings if you even so much as grudge the extra space to them. They are however a very short-lasting affair (much unlike Ekta Kapoor’s saas-bahu serials). So just wait till the storm subsides.
Step 7 : The goodbye.
By now, you are desperately longing to step foot into your destination. You leap up with joy when you know it’s time to get off. The train stops at the desired station. You thank God that there have been no derailments, crashes or Maoist attacks (much to the chagrin of the media guys). You step out of the train, breathe in the fresh air of the new city and get ready to face life’s next challenge-
The taxiwaalas!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Life, friendship and economics
Like any other good engineering student graduating from the hallowed walls of IIT, I too have taken up a keen interest in the principles of economics- the tryst begins with it being a relief from ordinary engineering courses only to continue and become the course you like most. Till now, however, I had only considered those principles to be applied to goods, products and markets. Now that I consider its implications on life in general, economics becomes more attractive with a whole new area of fun applications.
Economics 101 : Supply remaining constant, price goes up if demand increases and vice versa.
Well, I never really had much against this rule. True for any profession ( reason why my brother joined commercial pilot training after school, demand was high , supply of pilots wasn’t keeping up) ; in relations too the law holds. Demand being equivalent to the need for companionship, friendship; a person to trust, to speak to, to enjoy with. Supply – the availability of the person in question. During times of sorrow, during bad,harsh,rough times the person closest and most easily available becomes your best friend. The price ( importance of person) goes up.
I must say I have been able to follow eco101 quite well over the years, having been there for my friends during times of need.
Economics 102: Demand remaining constant, price goes down if supply increases and vice versa.
This is the principle which has troubled me the most. You see , its been often that I have made myself freely available that my importance( price) has gone down drastically. Sometimes this excess supply of friendship and care has reached the levels of being nagging or intrusive, thus leading to some friendships to have been almost completely destroyed ( product failure in market due to excess supply and even greater perception of supply). I had previously not believed in applying this dictum in life ( having always believed in being there for the people I care about at every point in time), but now it seems eco102 does hold true. After all , who likes nagging, especially in today’s world where even love and friendship are commodities whose supply needs to be controlled ( excuse me sounding a bit aggressive here. Although I do hold the human values of love and friendship in very high esteem, sometimes-just sometimes-I had been made to think otherwise )
You see , the important thing is to regulate the timing of your production( and hence supply) to coincide with good demand levels. The trick is to make yourself available only when you are welcome , and even more when you are needed.
Here crop up some other familiarities too. Any person with knowledge of eco101 and eco102 would be tempted to suggest that we should reduce supply in days of constant demand in order to raise prices. However, that is not the way to go about it , because of what is called product replacement ( Economics 103) whereby you lose market share to a competitor. A perfect market is where all players play in harmony ( all people are friends and also competitors and benefit one another).
So how do you increase your prices?
Economics 104: Competitive advantage
You must build a niche for yourself in the marketplace, increase your demand and hence your prices. You make yourself so important to your loved ones that they never forget you. You make yourself so valuable in your profession, in your workplace that people cannot ignore you*.
Economics 105: Price correction.
The market may value a product incorrectly now but it will correct the prices at a later point in time
So even if after all your sincere efforts, you don’t think you are valued highly enough, no need to get depressed . You will get your share of importance (prices) sooner or later.
*born out of a discussion with a friend over some wonderful tea and ham sandwich
Disclaimer : the eco principles mentioned ( and especially their order) should not be challenged by any economics expert :P ..i did not, after all, take up any eco courses
Economics 101 : Supply remaining constant, price goes up if demand increases and vice versa.
Well, I never really had much against this rule. True for any profession ( reason why my brother joined commercial pilot training after school, demand was high , supply of pilots wasn’t keeping up) ; in relations too the law holds. Demand being equivalent to the need for companionship, friendship; a person to trust, to speak to, to enjoy with. Supply – the availability of the person in question. During times of sorrow, during bad,harsh,rough times the person closest and most easily available becomes your best friend. The price ( importance of person) goes up.
I must say I have been able to follow eco101 quite well over the years, having been there for my friends during times of need.
Economics 102: Demand remaining constant, price goes down if supply increases and vice versa.
This is the principle which has troubled me the most. You see , its been often that I have made myself freely available that my importance( price) has gone down drastically. Sometimes this excess supply of friendship and care has reached the levels of being nagging or intrusive, thus leading to some friendships to have been almost completely destroyed ( product failure in market due to excess supply and even greater perception of supply). I had previously not believed in applying this dictum in life ( having always believed in being there for the people I care about at every point in time), but now it seems eco102 does hold true. After all , who likes nagging, especially in today’s world where even love and friendship are commodities whose supply needs to be controlled ( excuse me sounding a bit aggressive here. Although I do hold the human values of love and friendship in very high esteem, sometimes-just sometimes-I had been made to think otherwise )
You see , the important thing is to regulate the timing of your production( and hence supply) to coincide with good demand levels. The trick is to make yourself available only when you are welcome , and even more when you are needed.
Here crop up some other familiarities too. Any person with knowledge of eco101 and eco102 would be tempted to suggest that we should reduce supply in days of constant demand in order to raise prices. However, that is not the way to go about it , because of what is called product replacement ( Economics 103) whereby you lose market share to a competitor. A perfect market is where all players play in harmony ( all people are friends and also competitors and benefit one another).
So how do you increase your prices?
Economics 104: Competitive advantage
You must build a niche for yourself in the marketplace, increase your demand and hence your prices. You make yourself so important to your loved ones that they never forget you. You make yourself so valuable in your profession, in your workplace that people cannot ignore you*.
Economics 105: Price correction.
The market may value a product incorrectly now but it will correct the prices at a later point in time
So even if after all your sincere efforts, you don’t think you are valued highly enough, no need to get depressed . You will get your share of importance (prices) sooner or later.
*born out of a discussion with a friend over some wonderful tea and ham sandwich
Disclaimer : the eco principles mentioned ( and especially their order) should not be challenged by any economics expert :P ..i did not, after all, take up any eco courses
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