MD Umapathi, my octogenarian maternal uncle, has a trove of real-life stories. These memories bring back exciting and memorable recollections from the past.
On one occasion, the uncle boarded a train with a RAC ticket from Bengaluru to Chikmagalur to conduct an audit exercise. He ignored his colleagues’ pleas to take a bus that would have quickly carried him to his destination. After bumping into the ticket checker, the uncle sought an update on the status of his ticket, but the former asked him to wait brusquely.
Later, the TTE shrugged off the uncle’s repeated pleas for an update, leaving him frustrated. His wandering gaze, though, caught the official employing dubious tactics. The lower-ranked wait-listed passengers were extravagantly bribing the TTE to get a sleeper berth, and the cunning man was capitalising on his good fortune to make hay.
The uncle’s patience was wearing thin, but as luck would have it, he ran into a high-ranking railway official travelling on the same train and let out his frustrations. He also passed along a complaint in writing. The gentleman summoned the ticket checker, giving him a piece of his mind. After realising his folly, the TTE offered a berth. The uncle won but admonished the erring official to mend his ways.
Years ago, the AGORC hockey team, under my uncle’s charge, left Bengaluru for Delhi to participate in the All-India Audit and Accounts Department hockey tournament. Those days, there was no direct train to Delhi, requiring travellers to take the connecting train, the Grand Trunk Express at Madras (now Chennai), to reach the nation’s capital. After the train departed Madras Central, some players rushed to the train toilets to relieve themselves. However, strangely, they found that one specific bathroom remained locked for an extended period. Knocking and banging on the toilet door evoked no response from the stranger inside.
As the hours passed, the door remained locked, arousing the passengers’ curiosity. The team, eager to unravel the locked door mystery, glanced through a small opening and spotted a man in a green shawl squatting on the bathroom floor. Despite the players’ persistent requests to come out, the mysterious traveller refused to yield. The team members, with their perseverance tested, devised a plan to evict the occupant. Subsequently, when the train came to a halt at a station, the players sprang out. By thrusting their hockey sticks through the toilet window, they compelled the hiding man to reveal himself.
Unable to tolerate the shoving and poking, the man who had concealed himself finally flung the door open and stepped out. Mr. Mystery stumped everyone when he revealed his identity as a foreign national. He disclosed that a pickpocket had stolen his wallet with the journey ticket, funds, and valuable items, causing him to hide in the washroom.
Understanding the foreigner’s predicament, the team raised money to help him overcome his difficulties. Besides, the team members concealed the foreigner with blankets on the top bunk so the ticket checkers wouldn’t spot him. The players also offered him food and snacks. Thus, The AGORC hockey team rescued him from an awkward situation. When the team alighted at Delhi, and the time came to say goodbye, the foreigner who had struck up a rapport with the team bid a heartfelt farewell.
Seeing my uncle light up when he recalls these moments is heart-warming.
