My first train journey Episode 1

It was in the year 1975, I had just finished my pre-degree course in college. I was at a crossroad in my life on what next. Two options were in front of me, buy a part time teacher's job and become an earning member of the family or continue my education.  Knowing that my father did not have the financial capacity to purchase a teacher job for me, the only way to get employed in Kerala, I chose not to pursue the teacher route and decided to leave Kerala. I was able to convince my sister to procure a visa for me to UP where she used to live with her husband. I used the term visa which is more commonly understood by migrant job seekers and their families in Kerala. Keralites were well recognized for their work culture when they are out of Kerala so with that reputation built by my predecessors, not of my contributions at that time, my brother-in-law was able to obtain a promise of employment with a company in Allahabad. I felt recognized at least outside my home state and my Preparation for the long journey out of Kerala began.

Kerala was not well connected with Indian cities by rail in those days. The only Metro city to which we had direct train was Madras, now Chennai. One has to change train in Madras to go to other places, Allahabad did not have a direct train from Madras either. There were two compartments for Varanasi attached to the link express to Delhi. These compartments were detached in Itarsi, a city in the Madhya Pradesh State and then linked to the Kashi express run between Bombay and Varanasi. The total duration of the journey was 3 nights and four days including lay over time. I guess the total distance was 2600 KM.

The nearest train station where we could reserve a berth in train was Shornur Jn. I booked my ticket to Madras(now Chennai) with an onward reservation request till Allahabad. Onward reservation took a week or more to get confirmed. I made several rounds to Shornur to check the status but every time, I got the message that there was no message.

 During one such trip to Shornur to confirm my onward reservation, I met a guy who introduced himself to me as Peter. Peter asked me where I am heading to. I narrated my story and itinerary to Peter. I had no coaching or the sort not to talk to a stranger. Peter assessed me and targeted me as his next prey. Realizing that I am desperate to find a job, Peter offered me help. He convinced me about his connections in the Indian Railways and promised a job of electrician with a salary of 600 rupees, a quarter to live and even a time bound promotion and higher pay. Peter fixed our travel to the next day. He asked to come with cash for the ticket but not buy it. He suggested that he would use his relationship with the TTE to get a good seat in the night train and will pay the TTE. The innocent Mohanan within me believed the Good Samaritan Peter and returned home to prepare for the big journey. Reaching home, I presented the conversation with Peter verbatim to my parents. To them Peter was God descended on earth to help their son. Alterations to my travel plan was approved and I set out seeking blessings of my elders, a customary practice, before the big journey began the next day. I went to the Railway Station as planned. My third brother-in-law came with me to see off me at the train station. We waited for Peter but he was nowhere to be seen. Those were not the days of cell phones, not even land phones in many household. Our train was at midnight. We continued to wait for Peter and suddenly we saw commotion on the railway platform, police chasing a person and ultimately caught the culprit. A few minutes later the Railway police summoned me to their office and asked whether Peter took money from me. Peter confessed to the police that I was one of his five or six targets and his intention was to rob the money from us and vanish. I explained my encounter with Peter. Knowing that I had a travel plan to Allahabad(I had not cancelled my ticket), police recorded my brother in law as a witness in the case and let us free. Later my brother-in-law told me that he had to go to the Court as a witness a few time. 

Thus my first long distance train journey to Allahabad began as per original schedule with all my personal belongings packed in a newly painted light blue metal suite case.

To be continued in Episode 2.