A Journey

Only thing which happens weekly in a week is the coming of a weekend. Yet another Saturday has come. I was in Cochin (Queen of Arabian Sea) trying to somehow complete my intership and get out of that place. Life was goin on with the same pace of a snail...boring... Nothing new was happening around.

After accumulating all the tiredness for a week I was heading towards my hometown "Kottayam" for taking little rest. Though the journey from Cochin to Kottayam was only of one and a half hrs but travelling with fatigue made it more exhausting. I took the ticket for Rs. 29 for the 2nd class General compartment. It seemed that I pre-decided to take the risk of violating the law of travelling in a Sleeper Class without proper ticket. I thought "If I get caught then....need not worry now...I'll handle it". Unexpectedly, the TTE (Train Ticket Examiner) came. No time to run away, no time even to think of an excuse. I was traped...in a trap trip I can grip, never thought I would be the one who slip. But I started to realize that, atleast for this time, I'm gone.

He was one Mr. Sivashankaran, a middle-aged malayali, who looked like a Devil wearing black coat and a badge of TTE, Indian Railways. He asked me for the ticket. I was happy (in a negative sense) to had it over to him with my own hands, which were shivering out of fear. He started scolding me. Fellow passengers were looking at me. I was feeling embarrassed. "Give me Rs. 50" he demanded. Without even uttering a word I took out the money and placed it before him. "Such a nice law abiding citizen", I thought of myself. He, the TTE, sat there with my ticket in one hand and the money in the other. "Tear it up....tear the receipt, give it to me and for heavens sake just leave me. I wont repeat it again" I mumbled. He gave me back my ticket and money and without even looking at me, he left. "What is happening here? Am I dreaming...he just left me free...Oh God! Thanx" I was wondering and recollecting all the events and trying to answer only one question...Why did he leave me?

Remember, in my last post I said that, there resides a poet in me. That poet woke up and sensed the situation thereby reminding me of Metallica's "Whiskey in the Jar". These are some of those lines:

"As I was going over,

Vaikom and Piravom stations,

I saw Mr. Sivasankaran, everyones ticket he was checking.

I first produced my ticket and then produced my money.

He said, "Pay Rs. 50, or the police he may take ya!"

I took an oath, never to break the law when I am aware of it. After all I am a "Lawman" not a "Layman". Just because I didnot argue with him and did what he expected, mostly unexpecting, me to do...he left me free. He was a nice fellow...a good homo sapien instead of being an TTE...!!!