रेलफैनों को आता है ज़िन्दगी का मज़ा लेना

PART II
As the clock ticked and it was 2220 , I suddenly realised that the 16041 Allepey-Chennai Express which was to precede the Island Express was yet to arrive and any delay of this train will have a chain reaction on ours . I then enquired of a passing vendor in TAMIL if the Chennai Exp had come and gone and he answered in the negative . On hearing this , one of the Bengali boys remarked " Uncle, being a Bengali , you have picked up TAMIL very well and are quite fluent in it ." And once again I had to correct their misconception that the TRUTH WAS THE OTHER WAY AROUND and as a matter of fact I...
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WAS A TAMIL WHO HAD PICKED UP BENGALI VERY WELL .
Meanwhile PF4 had been vacated by the now empty rake of the Mayiladuthurai JS only to make way for the incoming ICE from Tirupati . And we WERE BACK TO SQUARE ONE with the anxiety of the tourists once again striking an upward graph . They were to board B1 while I was booked in S5 . After 16041 came and left at 2240, I understood that coach B1 of Island Express would be right in front of the PF just a couple of bogies behind the loco. I escorted the TOURIST family to a vantage point and returned to occupy a seat in the middle portion of the PF close to S5 .
Suddenly around 2250 my tired eyes spotted a fresh-looking PRS ticket neatly folded inwards into 2 lying close to my feet . Out of curiosity I picked it up and examined it only to find that it was a RESERVED SLEEPER TICKET for the Island Express for S10/12. I put in my pocket and hoped that the rightful owner would come in search for his lost ticket. My PLAN B was to hand it over to the TTE of S10 in case there were no claimants before the train arrived .
After about 5 mns an elderly gentleman, almost my age , came and started looking here and there on the ground for something he had apparently lost . I went up to him and asked him what he was looking for and he said " I have lost my ticket and and I am searching for it "
I showed him the ticket I had pocketed and asked him if that belonged to him . He confirmed that it was HIS and instead of the EXPECTED THANKS GAVE ME A MENACING LOOK . He seemed to be have been convinced that I was responsible for the loss of his ticket even if I had not actually STOLEN it . THANK GOD HE DID NOT CALL THE RPF . After he left with his ticket without even an acknowledgement , a gentleman standing nearby remarked " AT TIMES THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRY TO HELP PEOPLE ". I could not but agree with him .
Meanwhile there was a PAS announcement the our train would arrive at PF4 which was still usurped by the ICE from Tirupati. Even as the announcements were being made the ISLAND EXPRESS marched in regally into PF3 headed by a ERODE WAP4 . So much for MISLEADING ANNOUNCEMENTS , one such of which led to a STAMPEDE In the recent past . There were no COACH INDICATORS either .
At the end of the day I WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH COIMBATORE STATION IN PARTICULAR AS WELL AS THE HUMAN RACE IN GENERAL :(