What a ticketing ! The bomb dropped in the morning !

I have been ordered to join the Vindhyanagar station by day after tomorrow. So far it's been delayed so much that my company is in no mood to give me even one extra day. I was thinking to go by the usual route. Mumbai to Varanasi by air and then Varanasi to Vindhyanagar by road. But somebody warned me well in advance.... ! Mumbai roads are famous for pot holes and these pot holes becomes most healthy and show up in zillions during monsoons. Now if someone can arrange these potholes one after another and then shape and size them along a 250 km stretch the road just becomes the road from Varanasi to Vindhyanagar , where my latest assignment is going to be. The UP part of the road is most broken , it can safely be a prototype for lunar surface study. It's hard to find a plane surface where all four wheel of my car be on a plane ground. A good 80% of the road runs thru' Uttar Pradesh while the remaining thru' Madhya Pradesh. In good old days it used to take less than 4 hours to cover this length but today it's a solid 9 hours journey, all thanks to the UP & MP governments. My colleague at Vindhyanagar warned me not to come via Varanasi at all. He suggested to come via Jabbaupur. There is a train runs from Jabbalpur upto Singrauli , which is just 15 kms from vindhyanagar. Only thing is that it's the solemn train on this route therefore, getting reservation might be difficult. Also being the only train it enjoys the tyranny of leaving Jabbulpur at half past 12'O clock midnight. So my PA got herself ready for booking the tickets. Her fingers rattled through the key board and in no time she discovers that there is no room left either in 2A or in 3A coach but in sleeper class for this train. India is prospering fast Traveling AC class is no more a luxury. Her extra prudence prompted her to book a sleeper class ticket first. But more are there in store for us. To her horror she discovers that there is no room left for the most suitable pair of trains running from Mumbai to Jabbalpur. All are in waiting list.

I told her to book one waiting list each in 2A and sleeper class. Mumbai to Bhopal flight is ruled out as from Bhopal to Jabbalpur is another long & broken 7 hours road journey. My PA got an insider information from her railway friend that the other train has a better possibility of getting a confirmation of wait list. I told her to book one 3A ticket in that train too. So having equipped myself with all the classes of tickets my friend from Vindhyanagar told me that I must try for tatakl ticket too. The tatakl ticket now-a-days is available only 24 hours advance but invariably at 8'O clock when the booking opens by some unknown reason the internet terminal gets jammed and by the time it opens all the tatkal tickets become history. Every problem has a solution. My friend told me that the Powai post office has recently opened a railway terminal where from I can get it done at 8'O clock. Great ! Tomorrow my morning walk can be redirected towards the Powai post office. My PA humbly offered her assistance by I cut her off. Let me do it myself. So with sufficient money in my pocket I reached Powai post office by 6:15 in the morning. A few people were already standing at the gate one among them came and told me to record my name in the queue register. Oh ! I'm behind nine people already. But since the queue is already marked I can continue my morning walk. I walked and walked along the empty EE highway, the morning golden sun has just risen. Everything around is resonating in golden color. I matched my time and came back to the post office by 7:45 AM. The hall threw open and everyone rushed towards the counter for blank reservation forms. I managed two and entered all the details. Somebody tole me that I've to furnish my photo identity copy along with my tatkal form. Is it so? The bulky looking young man behind the glass panel counter nodded in agreement. I'm still 8 men behind , So I called my wife and after explaining everything I told her to bring a photocopy of my I card or pan card whatever is available in my office bag. It's hardly 15 minutes ride on auto rickshaw from my flat to here on this empty Sunday morning. I also told her to be snappy else the bookings will be full.

She like all other ladies in the hit of moment became confused and could not find out any photocopy. Therefore, I told her to bring my purse where my company I card is available. Still 7 men behind. I called my control room and found our most intelligent engineer , Sh Ashis was on duty. Summarily telling him the situation I told him to try the internet , in case something goes uncanny and the booking portal works today for me. He instead first wake up Yogesh from his sleep and told him to collect the ID card from my wife and then rush to the post office. After that he concentrated on internet. I tried to pursue the counter man to book my ticket first with my ID card number because the time was of utmost essence. But the man tersely rejected my plea without ID photo copy he won't accept my tatkal form. My queue overshot by 5 men when Yogesh reached the post office. The shutter of the nearest photocopy shop was still down so he has to explore further . Showing my ID card I told the young man at the counter to book my ticket first meanwhile Yogesh will get the photocopy. But the man now very determinedly turned down my request. Yogesh dashed for the photocopy but after crisscrossing the entire IIT area he came empty handed. None of these small photocopy shops was open even at 8:30 in the morning. Yogesh tried to tell the counter man to keep the ID card for making the ticket, once the shops are open he will bring the photocopy and collect the ticket. But the man was hell bent not to listen us. I told Ashis to keep trying in the internet. The first silver lining came in the long hollow tunnel when Ashis told me that the payment gateway has opened and he was ready to enter the payment detail. Excellent ! Meanwhile I released Yogesh and I moved myself homeward. Ten minutes later exuberant Ashish telephoned me as if he had just discovered the 4th law of Newton 'Sir, the Mumbai-Jabbalpur 2AC ticket is confirmed !' 'Great job done !' , I complimented him.

'Your other train is at half past 12'O clock. Shall I try that too also ?' , It seems Ashis has hacked the secrets of the irctc.com now. 'Go ahead !' , I am in my most generous voice now. Before I hit the door bell at my flat Ashish's buzzed my cell phone,' Sir, done. You can now travel 2A in both the trains', Now I have to cancel all the wait list tickets before they get confirmed as per Murphy's law now there is every possibility that these tickets will be confirmed and I will lose 50% of my money in cancellation fees. I canceled the first two Mumbai-Jabbalpur wait list tickets and was about to cancel the Jabbulpur Singrauli ticket when Ashis called up my landline number and almost shouted , ' Sir don't cancel the jabbalpur-singrauli ticket, I've made mistake in this reservation, it's a day ahead ticket' 'Is it ? , it should be 00:30 hrs on 12.12.11, check up the time ', I sounded too calm and cool for him. 'Sir, the mistake is confirmed ,it's 00:30 hrs on 11.12.11, otherwise the tatkal cannot be made 48 hrs ahead. It's a terrible mistake from my side', apologetic Ashis babbled. Come on Ashis, chuck the feeling and cancel it coolly, you don't know what a wonderful ticketing story we have just created, I assured him. Half an hour later Yogesh appeared on my phone, The ticketing story is still continuing Sir, it seems..... . Options are still open to prolong it further , I said coolly. May be if not Ashish in hurry now cancels the Mumbai-Jabbalpur ticket instead of canceling the Jabbalpur- Singrauli ticket, the story will continue...., I put it more elaborately. Sir, perhaps Mumbai does not want you to go so easily , Yogesh put it emphatically. SHUT UP, I shouted at Yogesh. S. Bera Powai