Wednesday, June 27, 2012

How AC coach is different from Sleeper - A whole new View



Remember, these kind of questions in your school and colleges exam. Difference between Garam Dal and Naram Dal (Social science). Difference between Acid, Bases and salts (9th Standard Science), Difference between line and line segment (Maths). Difference between Noun, Pronoun, Adjectives (Do I need to mention this subject? Anyways, English).

Boring Stuff.......Right? 

But let me tell you, Differences aren't always boring specially when it has nothing to do with textbooks. 

Now this post is all about how an A.C. coaches of typical Indian trains are different from sleeper ones. 

The one who truly inspired me to write this post is 'Dayodaya Express' and the noble cause for which we booked a seat for us was my only sister's wedding. Me, Papa, Di and Mummy were in A.C. coach while my three friends were in Sleeper, walking hand in hand with 6 million other people who travels in this class of coach everyday. Friend's affection and family's aggression left me oscillating between these two way apart chambers and gave me a chance to explore these two worlds.

(My last four posts were too small so i am trying to lengthen the things unnecessarily. Spamming will not be tolerated in comments. :-D)

Ans. 

*(Now don't tell me that you forgot the question, See the Heading).

1). Name:

So, the first difference or we can say huge difference between these two worlds are their names. Lend me your ears for 2 extra minutes before hurling Chappals at me. 

A.C. coaches - quite clear with name, well equipped with cooling machines, well enough to maintain a temperature around 20 degree Celsius. However, temperature totally depends upon the class of A.C. coach. Higher the class, lower the temperature. (Hey mathematicians! find out an answer for me. Why we call 1st A.c. higher class and 2nd, 3rd A.c. lower class. I thought 2,3 > 1. Never mind, absurd question, i said na, i am unnecessarily lengthening this post.) 

Sleeper -  Tricky, they don't call it Non-A.C. It's the other thing that A.C. coaches would give you a better sleepy night then shaky sleeper coaches but who cares, Sleepers are still pushing 4 million people into their dreams everyday.

2). Fans : 

Fans are unfortunately severely neglected in A.C. coaches. They work all day and night long, sprinkling borrowed air from air conditioner to every possible corner but it's Sleeper which has gives them their due. Here, they are the solo hero and only way to spawn forced air over sweating faces. If any of them would stop people will perform every ritual to bring it to life again. Not only this, if you are sleeping on upper birth then you could use that same fan top to keep your shoes, chappals or sandals along with smelly socks.(However, these fans would circulate this foul smell of socks too without discrimination but no complaints, people would think that smell must be coming from outside. :D)

3). Windows :

Has no purpose in Sleeper, sometimes just use to immunize people from hot 'looh'. In A.c. coaches, they seal what, people pay extra for.

4). Toilets :

They need a serious mention here. People in Sleeper coaches are really bad in target or it would be harsh to blame them. Shaky bogies might not let them concentrate to that small target and leave these toilets SMELLbound. 

A.c. has clean toilets with disinfectant liquids while sleeper coaches are deprived from both. (It implies people in A.c. are more prone to diseases than those in sleeper) :D

Now a days you would also find a board on doors of toilets requesting not to use them while train is in stand-by mode over railway station. See the irony! Indian mothers travelling in sleeper send her child to toilets only when Train is standing so that she doesn't has to wash his cloths covered in DIRTY SPRINKLES. :D 
Remember that bad target thing. Ha ha!!

5). Few other non sense Differences :

Sleeper coaches are beggar ridden. If you are travelling in this bogie then make sure that upper pocket of your wallet have few chillars otherwise you could be tease target of these beggars.

A.c. has no accommodation for these ticket-less, self employed passengers.

Mass in Sleeper aren't supposed to be as technological advanced as people in A.c. that's why latter has a laptop or mobile charging socket for every seat while former has just two sockets in one bogie near the gates.

The bars of ladder in A.c. are perfectly spaced and thus can easily push anyone to upper birth without much struggle. According to Railways, people in sleeper are either more athletic or has extra long legs as their ladder's bars are widely separated and one has to almost hop from one bar to other in order to ride the top.

Privacy??????? What the hell is this? Ha ha! welcome to curtain-less sleeper coaches. Presence of any kind of interrupt like curtain could curb the chances of sleeper people to discuss and criticize the government over burning issues.


Well, keeping aside these differences and all, trains are still the lifeline of Indian transport system as a whopping 18 million people travel by train everyday. 

Keep this Indian pulse alive, keep it clean. :)         

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

That Girl in Pink Walled City - 55 word fiction





Hundreds of eye balls were wandering over her slightly dished out cleavage, while a 'white skinned' blonde who was in her 30's roving in pink walled city. 


Finally, she opened her bag, took a masculine cloth and draped it around her shoulders. Merciless, gigantic sun was still wetting her body, but never mind, at least that piece of cloth could quench thirst of those hundred staring eyes.   



[*This story is result of my own experience while I was with my mom, shopping in Johri Market (Jaipur).]

Friday, June 15, 2012

Lesson


Doors opened from behind, mingling the trapped lights with highly illuminated ones. A shattered voice came from a staggering old man.

"Beta, Do you know, where my glasses are?" asked old man.

"How do I know? And don't you see, I am busy in teaching 'Rahul'. Go back to your room, Shashi will give you when she find it" Ramesh urged.

"Yes, Where were we? Han "Explain in two sentences that, why your father is biggest asset for you in your life". Write the answer." continued Ramesh and dictated the answer to Rahul. 

Rahul blindly echoed his father's words on his Homework copy.

Door got closed, knocking the lights off again. 

Lesson was almost over, so as an old man's plea.  


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

A Black Window (55 word fiction)



A barefooted kid came running towards a black window of a V.I.P. car. With a scorching sun overhead and hands barely reaching the glasses of window, he thumped.


Those black curtains were still sealing the cool air inside. 


Wheels turned after a while, leaving behind an empty stomach of hardly '8 year' old. 'Health minister' was getting late for his speech on 'Children Welfare'.     





Monday, June 11, 2012

This Is Wrong Honey!!



We both were sitting alone in front of a 'crowd ridden' space of a mall until he came in a flash, flattened his palm in front of me and with his 'hard to figure out' expressions said nothing. His malnourished body was telling what he was in need of, few pennies that couldn't vaporize his hunger but at least can leave enough in him to beg for few more and this time to feed his parents as well. 


"Go away." I said in a 'not pleasant to hear' tone.


It wasn't new for him. He might had been left his pride and honor the day he saw the lights of this world.


He remained motionless, his little hands were intact but it did negligible effect over me. 


"What do you want? Go yar please!" I warned after getting irritated by his breathless way of looking at us. Finally, he moved without uttering a word. 


"Hey Listen" she summoned him and took a 50 rupee note from her purse and gave him. That little boy grinned like a merchant who just found gold in his bathtub.


"Now this is wrong. You are not supposed to give him that, it's like supporting child labor." I yelled.


"Oh! Philosophy?" she laughed.


"Ah! not philosophy. I was telling you that it is wrong honey."


"WRONG???? Ramming red lights is right. Hmm? Passing comments over girls which your friends do proudly, is cool. Right? You know, we complains too much. This is wrong, this shouldn't be done blah blah....Common, we simply do what we want, no matter what we are supposed to. These are Indian traits with which a child here born with"


"I had heard people accusing government over filthy Indian roads , blaming mindless people, while having their gutkha from sachet, throwing wrapper anywhere they want and then taking a blind spit shot at spittoon which never embeds in the target." she went on and on and I was listening like a 3 year old child. I fell short of words.


She continued and this time her voice was much softer, "Look at that kid. His family must have been begging for years, his future generation would beg as well. He will spend his whole life wiping glass windows, and flattening his palm to beg from so called intellectuals like you. Believe me, the day you turn the fate of those poor kids, i would stop showering my gratitude to them till then don't expect me to change."


(I don't know whether she was right or wrong.)


That boy was now getting the attention of his fellows who were busy hovering over that 50 rs. note. This pumped his chest and he was looking at us smiling. Who knows if it was his way to thank.