Mounam Pesiyadhey

Okay – here we go! A post in this blog after quite some time, triggered by a request from my friend Ganeshraam.

Warning: In this newer world of social media, where everyone gets offended for every stupid matter… if you value ‘humane’ aspects more than the rule book, please feel free to skip this post – it is likely that you may get offended.

I am a person who takes pains to book a preferred berth on a preferred train on a preferred date, right on the ARP of 120 days. Yes, I plan it well in advance and will be excited to book that elite rail ticket on that ARP day at 8 AM. And yes, your mind is reading right – a Lower Berth or a Window Seat, almost every time. It is a treasure for me to latch on to the window like a child or to enjoy the comforts offered by a Lower Berth, like getting up and going to the door during the night to get down at a remote (but exotic for railfans like me) station or to watch a crossing train pass in the opposite direction in a single line section throwing a gush of air while my train waits in the loop.

So, will one not feel pained when a person comes just-like-that and usurps the treasure of an LB or WS? I have never ceded to even one request till date. My Lower Berth, My Window Seat, My invaluable possession!

What Ganeshraam requested to post was how I do it – here are the steps:

1. Request politely rejected. It usually starts with undue higher affection towards the potential victim (i.e. holder of LB/WS), like helping keep our bags below the berth, or affectionately asking us, “what is your berth number?” (My mind voice: “You have already done your homework in scanning the chart or talking to TTE, why this drama?”)

Response: Politely rejected – “Sorry, no exchange”.

2. Request goes to “so-and-so cannot climb the berth"

Response: So do I (My mind voice: “Probably you cannot, but I will not”). If the requester (encroacher anyway!) looks paavam, I add a reason stating that I have back-pain and will not be interested to climb up.

3. “There is no harm in adjusting"

Response: I cannot (with a firm face). If you want an LB, you can always check with the TTE for one. Not mine – it is ruled out. At this stage, I would have settled my bags and asked the encroacher to pack up. If it is an AC coach, there is more straight way of sending the signal – I will pull the bedding package of mine from the Upper Berth and ask them to move so that I can spread my bedsheets.

4. By this time, 95% of the encroachers move out. Adamant characters at this stage will require stern action. The next step is to pull the TTE and ask for help. I do not talk anything further to the encroacher at this stage – it is useless. I will simply point out to the TTE that there is an encroachment in my berth and it has to be addressed. TTEs know the rule book better, so they push the encroacher out to another yemaandha-sonagiri LB/SLB and ask them to sit there while they look out.

5. There have been only one or two instances which reached stage 5. The TTE attempting to defend them – I will clearly say, “please do your duty and give me my rightful berth or face action – I am going to call the DRM now”. This reminder settles the case.

I don’t go for any fight unless pulled in – it is just the sheer frustration. The quality and intensity of my response will depend on two factors: 1. How they ask (anyway I am not going to cede my berth) and 2. Whether they have already occupied my berth as if it is theirs.

I have only one scene in Tamil cinema that explains booking a Lower Berth and the anger that the person gets when asked for an exchange by people, who in my assessment, always belong to the category of "let us book, anyway there will be one Mango Madaiyan with an LB, for us to put aattai"... Watch from 28:10 to 28:25 in this YouTube clip! Sums it up perfectly!