Been There, Done That....

Tinnapatti, is a small picturesque town, some 20kms from Salem (in the state of Tamil Nadu), the existence of which was unknown to many until that Monday morning.

It was around seven in the morning, when I discovered that the train I was travelling in hadn't moved an inch for the last two hours. From where I sat, the name of the outpost 'Tinnapatti' was visible. The place looked splendid in the misty morning, having borne the brunt of heavy rains throughout the night. There was lush greenery all around the tracks and as far as the eye could see. The colour, the chill in the air, and the occasional babble of voices seemed too scenic to be true!

'The train isn't going to move for the next five hours', said S,the chap sitting in front of me, and I was jolted back to reality..'There seems to be a problem with the engine'..'Of course not!' said someone else. 'All other trains are also being diverted on this route...probably no signal for this train..' he offered...None of all this seemed to give any indication as to when EXACTLY we would reach Bangalore.

It was half past eight, when I checked for some signs of network detection on my mobile.. 'That Hch dog!! I'm going to kill it the moment I see it', I thought! 'We can think of options only when we reach Salem', said S. 'It's better to go by train, I heard roads are flooded' said another chap..I realized there was nothing much I could do. Going by bus, didnt seem convincing, so I stayed put in the train hitting the 'call' button every now and then... A passenger train (to Salem) arrived on the adjacent track, and stopped. 'oh good! we have company' said the jolly-looking girl from the next bay! When a green beamed this time, there was an altercation between two gangs,Gang 1-mostly passengers from our train, who didnt want the other train to go...Gang 2-passengers from the other train who wanted the train to go...'So..no one WANTS our train to go?!?!', there was bewilderment in S's voice when he heard the news...'Well, we're not sure if our train is upto it..you know..They talk of engine problems among other things, so the best argument is not to let that train go' said the 'newsboy'!

It was quarter past nine when we heard a shrill whistle. Nobody budged. The small kid in the next compartment had climbed down and was playing on the grass-carpeted area near the track..His mother stood close by keeping an eye on him. Passengers standing outside continued their 'discussions'. Our train inched forward amid cries of joy from those inside the coaches...Those outside hurried back..!

'Salem?!!?! WHAT are you doing there??!' cried my mother when I called her from a booth..The train diversion story followed. 'Take care and keep calling whenever you can!' said my mom before I hung up.

As the train chugged off (really! it had a diesel engine!), the boredom bound everyone together and soon we all found ourselves chatting like old friends. Every five minutes Tinnapatti would find a mention in someone's wisecrack and everyone would roar with laughter. We bought what was left out of the lemon rice packets at Dharmapuri station and rejoiced at our ability to push through the crowd to get hold of a packet. We solved sudoko from three odd papers and discussed everything under the sun. It suddenly was not 'I dont have water!'. It was 'Thank God! We have two bottles for the ten of us..we'll get more at the next station!'.

I was amazed at the way human instinct worked. If the train had reached on time, no one would have even bothered to say a 'hi' to the people in the same bay. It was so business like..you- a passenger; me-a passenger; there ends the matter. But now, there was a new parameter in play, it was not only you-and-me-passengers, it was also that we-are-in-the-same-pathetic-situation! This sort of connected people.

It also seemed to me that there was more optimism and cheer in the air, atleast less pessimism, when people tackle situations as a group. Well, it also depends on the intensity of the situation in question.

'Tinnapatti?!?! Is that what you said?!' asked my dad when I spoke to him late in the evening ..'Yes..I'd Been There, Done That!'