Traveling – the things we will miss in future

When I went to Madurai, I went alone. It was quite an experience traveling alone after being married for two years.

Let us call this Jammy’s Law (like Bouyle’s Law) – “happy couples who prefer to travel together end up being unhappy”. There can be some exceptions to Jammy’s Law – for example, Rekha and I are happy in spite of traveling together for close to six years. But that’s beside the point.

During my travel I noticed how the transport industry is in for a major overhaul. When I say modes of travel …I mean…buses, trains, and aeroplanes.

Some of the busses we have now have washrooms and if left unattended (not the washrooms, stupid!) very soon all the busses might have them. We wouldn’t have to stop a bus in the middle of a jungle at 12 in the night if one old man has to piss. Or carry empty coke bottles for emergencies. Now you know why they say Coke has pesticides. Urea is what they mean; if only these activists get their chemistry right…all can live in harmony. Getting back on to busses, some of them even have train like compartments (those in Chennai would have seen them), which takes them a step closer to trains.

Train travel is being revolutionized by Laloo and his team of bureaucrats. They say very soon, in a railway station also you & your baggage will be checked if you sport a goatee. Somebody needs to alert Laloo and his team that ‘Goatee’ is a French tradition.

If everything goes right for Laloo, very soon, you (and I) will be able to enter the railway station only if you have a ticket. What will happen to all those poets, writers and bloggers who visit the railway station for inspiration? What about all those beggers who eek a living at the station? What about all those pickpockets – how will they marry off their sisters? What about all those south Indian desperate men who like to see North Indian girls? How will they strategically position themselves near As1, As2, F1, F2 just before the Mumbai Express rolls in? More importantly, we will never have a quite laugh looking at the 20 family members at the platform, waving to a young man in a train.

They say we will make Train travel as good (and safe) as airplane travel. I wonder if the trains will also start taking the aerial route. Or maybe not. Wouldn’t the compartments fall off one by one?

The pity is, while they are trying to improve train travel – they are messing up big time with airplane travel. The Air Deccan toilets as good as a train’s. The Indian Airline peanuts are similar to the ones you get in a railway station. The magazines you take away from your airplane travel are not something you would cherish for years on end. More importantly, you won’t have an uncle who will always start off a story: “When I traveled by Indian Airlines in 1983….”

Related posts You might want to read:

1. Traveling makes one intelligent…
   Apparently, traveling makes one intelligent and broad-minded. Am not so sure, coz I traveled the whole of last weekend and my spectacles fits me just fine. From puking eight times between 12 midnight and 6.30 a.m. to traveling to Madurai … Continue reading →...
2. Traveling in an auto-rickshaw
   Ever traveled in an auto-rickshaw in Chennai? Or for that matter anywhere in India? If your answer is a big ‘No,’ chances are you have not indulged in various other adventures too – like bungee jumping, demolition derby (a sport … Continue reading →...
3. Traveling by Kingfisher Airlines
   It looks like my uncle’s tonsure in Tirupathi has borne fruits. My long pending wish of traveling by the Kingfisher Airlines has almost materialized; I am taking the 6.50 a.m. flight to Mumbai tomorrow – for the Yahoo! joining formalities. … Continue reading →...
4. Lessons from traveling
   They say traveling makes one a broadminded person. In my last 3-4 days in Hyderabad I have gained a lot of broadmindedness. First and foremost, never ever empathize with the locals. Here is why – Before I left for Hyderabad … Continue reading →...
5. When my mom boards the airplane…
   Yesterday, I realized that I am not the only threat to airhostess that my family has to offer. My mother is better than me when it comes to air hostesses. On Friday my mom and I traveled from Delhi to … Continue reading →...
6. I have arrived. At the airport
   Now it is the time to answer my own question “Why am I telling you about my airplane high-jacking incident?” Answer: I have arrived in life. I have booked a ticket in Spice Jet. Living up to their expectation, Spice … Continue reading →...
7. My trip to Vishakhapatnam – Part 1
   All companies don’t take their associates to far-flung places for team building exercises. Mine did, and I used it to the maximum. The place was Vishakhapatnam, and about 30 of us were to travel to the place together. We were … Continue reading →...
8. Train-ed Romance
   Central Station, Chennai Train Number: 2601 Train Name: Mangalore Mail Date & Time: 9 Feb, 8:15 p.m. Destination: Kannur, Kerala 8.30 p.m. I have just installed my Reliance data card, and believe me…it lives up to its Kar Lo Duniya … Continue reading →...
9. The tonsuring & ear piercing ceremony
   November 21st and November 22nd and November 23rd had been three hectic days for me – I traveled 5000 kilometers and spent Rs 18,000 for a 24 hour visit to Madurai. Before you start thinking that I have arrived in life (for not every Tom, Beep & Harry can afford to spend Rs 18,000 for a 24 hour visit to Madurai. Continue reading →...
10. Jammy
    Jamshed V Rajan (also known as Jammy) is Associate VP – Product Management at ibibo.com. He builds online communities in exchange for money, which he hands over to his wife and 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter for spending. Download his resume, here. He … Continue reading →...