Ticket checker (T.C.) is one of the few human beings in the world who easily catch the anxiety on your face when you are traveling ticketless and he is PhD in face reading without actually earning it. His prized big fish catch, the first time offenders traveling in first class compartment of Mumbai local trains.
In the past few years, I have seen many people being caught traveling ticketless in first class compartment. Below are few categories of people that I have segregated, who are first time offenders. The use of offender to a person traveling ticketless sounds a bit harsh here but the railway court pronounces you guilty as offender putting you in the same category of people who have done sexual crimes.
1. Newcomers to the city:-
They are those types of big fish who are easily identifiable due to the luggage they carry on their shoulders and back. Seeing so many trains in a matter of 15 minutes that they haven’t seen in their lifetime leaves them perplexed and the crowd drives them crazy that they jump off to a compartment that they get to enter only to find a smiling TC waiting greedily for a prized catch.
2. Newly married couples:-
I have literally seen couples in FC asking TC that is this first class after entering it and how do you come to know this is first class? The TC shows them the red stripes outside the compartment and the cushion seats and asks them to shell 600 INR. My mom and dad were caught in a similar manner way back in 1987. Every newly married couple getting caught in FC reminds me of my mom and dad.
3. The whole family:-
This family had gone to attend a wedding and now they can’t find a place to enter the local train due to huge evening hour rush or due to odd mega blocks on Sundays. The train comes and in a split of time, the head of family sees a door of a compartment relatively empty and asks the whole family to get in the compartment only to find it first class. If they get caught, then it’s a huge catch. Call it a bumper crop! Sometimes the whole family is standing at the wrong position on the platform. People can’t interpret the first class stripes painted on the platform at regular intervals.
4. The ‘Bhulakaad ’ category:-
They are regular commuters in the first class compartment but one day their daily pass expires and unfortunately, the TC lands in the compartment. They show their expired pass, only to be caught by the sharp eyes of the TC, the expired date. The disappointment on the face of the ‘bhulakaad’ category is clearly visible. They repent wasting their money on a silly mistake.
Out of 100 times you are traveling ticketless, 99 times you will be caught by the TC. The one time you got saved can be summarized as ‘Every dog has his day’
(P.S:- Please share your experiences getting caught traveling ticketless and if any new category can be added to this post)
