So nothing much happened on my second trip to a place called Allahabad......nothing on the work front. Cant say the same for the travel part of it.
Started on the 21st of October, at 12 noon. It was a 3.30 PM flight to Delhi. This time, I wasnt alone. It was me, a colleague from another department and our project manager. I am a young man, in my mid 20s. The two others were a bit older than me. The colleague (lets call him A) is in his late 40s. The PM is a 60 odd fellow. By 60 odd, I mean that he is 60 years of age and very odd !! The flight took off and landed on time. We took a prepaid cab to NDLS (New Delhi Railway station) Reached on time and had our dinner on time. We reached the entrance of the railway station where they show the train status. We were travelling by a train called, Chandigarh-Allahabad super special, scheduled to leave at 8.50 PM. They call it super special just because its a monday-wednesday-friday train. Humph! Big deal. As if its a palace on wheels kind of train..........super special and all.
Now, this super special train was'nt to be seen on the status board. So we could not know the platform no. And then when I asked at the enquiry counter, the man told me, the platform no. would be announced. Nobody else could tell us the platform no. Now, at NDLS there are a total no. of 16 platforms. Its not possible for a young man to run from platform 1 to platform 14 or 15 in just a matter of minutes, so let alone, it being possible for a young man and two old people. We lingered around on the overbridge near platforms 7 and 8, so that it would be possible to walk quickly to both ends of the station. The train was announced on platform 9, so we were quite lucky. It arrived around half an hour late and stopped for just 3 minutes.Got on and went to sleep on my berth. Next morning, we came to know that the train was also running late.....very late. In fact the delay was so much that we arrived at allahabad 4 hours late than the scheduled arrival.
We attended half days work there. I wouldnt like to say anything more about the next two days, except that no work could be done.
On the second day, we tried but could'nt get a tatkal booking on any train except one particular 'magadh express' which runs from Islampur to New Delhi. We had to catch the train at 0100 hrs (Sunday early morning, 25th October.) on Allahabad station So we set off at 12 oclock at night to catch our return train. On reaching station, the status was showing a 1 hour delay. It was a cold night and I had to sit in the freezing cold on a wooden bench. I had a cup of tea which kept me warm, somewhat. As me and our project manager were travelling together, I asked him if he wanted a cup of tea. He refused. But at the next minute, he told me that he was going to sit in the upper class waiting room as he was feeling cold!!!
The one hour delay turned to 2 hours and my Wilbur Smith novel was coming to an end. While I was worried what would happen if I had nothing to read for the long journey, the PM was worried that we would miss our Sunday afternoon 1615 flight as our train itself was delayed. He kept saying that we would miss the flight if we were late at NDLS (He was stating the obvious). After a while, I became tired of his constant bickering and went around the station to roam alone and had another 2 cups of tea. The train arrived at 0345 hrs in the morning.....a full 2 and a 3/4 hours delay. We boarded the train and went off to sleep. When I woke up, I found that the PM had started his bickering commentary again. He had called half a dozen airline offices and had even blocked tickets for some monday morning flights (all flights after the 1615 flight on sunday were booked.). After this he called up our Delhi guest house and booked 2 rooms for sunday night for us. After doing all this stuff, he started his bickering again and this time there was no escape for me, as there is not much scope to roam around in the train !!! Still, I had a few pleasurable minutes, in which I stood near the train door, with the wind blowing on my face and the sight of the large and green farmlands of Uttar Pradesh. At 12 noon we were at Aligarh....from where NDLS is around 2 hrs time. Seeing Aligarh, somewhat soothed my PM and he stopped his commentary and settled down. But as we passed Ghaziabad....the train started slowing down....and the PMs BP started increasing again. I had tried my best to reassure the PM that it was ok, we would reach on time and we would be able to catch the flight and that if we did not reach on time, we could stay at New Delhi and start off the next morning. But by Ghaziabad, I had exhausted all my patience and was cursing him in my mind for being such a worrisome idiot. The train stopped at Tilak bridge. It was 2 o'clock noon. One of our co-passengers told us that we could get off there itself and go to the main road which was some distance away. We got off the train. But as we did, the train started moving. I tried telling the boss that we should now NOT get on to the train as it would stop some distance ahead again. But he told me to board the train again. We boarded the train.....but predictably it stopped just some 100 meters away again. I was looking ahead at the signal, when the PM told me that both of us should get off the train again !!! This time there was no station platform. And I had to help the old man with his luggage through the elevated doorway. We climbed down, crossed another rail track and came to a platform which was being newly constructed. Beyond this was a small road which led to the main highway. There was no other way to cross the platform, except to climb it or walk back to where it ended which was quite some distance away. I was waiting for my boss to make the call, whether he wanted to walk back to the place where there was no obstruction in our path or to climb up the platform, which was very easy for me but difficult for him, as he is old. But he told me to climb the platform. I climbed it, pulled his luggage up and gave him a hand. Gripping my hand, he managed to pull himself up. We went on to the main road and found a cycle rickshaw. I told him to get us to the nearest taxi stand. It was just round the corner. The taxi driver, seeing our emergency condition (amply exhibited by the PM, who was nearly bouncing with worry by now. I was getting slightly alarmed, wondering whether he seriously had some kind of hypertension problem !!) put a hefty fare, on which we finally agreed. Better be on time and pay some extra than be late and pay an even greater charge of flight cancellation!! The taxi driver took us to the airport on time (by 3 o'clock) and ultimately we were left with quite some time in our hands. As we checked-in.......the flight status changed..............
It now showed a delay of 1 hour !!!
So much for reaching the airport on time !!! After this the PM had new subjects of complain. The hefty charge of taxi fare, the flight delay, the train delay. How the train delay would have affected our flight. How the flight cancellation would have affected our futures !! How he had never been in circumstances like these..and how a lot of money is wasted due to these matters (He was talking as if its his money....and it wasnt. Its company's money !!) And once again, I left him alone to his complaints.....and started roaming around on the IG domestic airport.
Thankfully, after this the flight landed on time, and there was no traffic in mumbai.
P.S: I had suggested, at around 1 o'clock.....that we should check the flight status, whether the flight itself was late......The PM did not heed my advice then.....
