My New Year companions
I had apprehensions and curiosity about what I would be doing on the 1st of Jan, 2010. As the day approached, it was almost sure that I’m not gonna have a very easy day to start the year with. At 2 AM on 1st Jan 2010, I was in a queue, 10th in sequence, waiting to get a Tatkal ticket booked to return to Bangalore. Thanks to Sabarimala season and year-end, there were no tickets available for bus or train to return. Hence the story.
Above you can find a few people waiting ahead of me for their tickets. And what more, all of them were agents waiting to get tickets for some other people at a cost of Rs.250 commission per ticket.
There is a law that clearly states that a person cannot avail more than one Tatkal ticket. But all those laws were flown in air as each of them you see in the photograph (including the ones sleeping on the floor) booked a minimum of 3 tickets – and most of them to Bangalore! 
I finally managed to get a ticket to Yesvantpur – W/L 1 and W/L 2. This got confirmed within 2 hours of booking – Thank God!
How many of you had similar ‘exciting’ start to the year ahead? 
Signing Off…
me first!!
Suji – Yaaaayy!
Sounds like you had an adventurous beginning to the year!
Happy 2010!
Suji – Ah yes… One I would have never asked for… one I would never like to experience again…
Tatkal experience – Yeah, I’ve had – but not during New Year.
Before shifting to Chennai, I wanted to come and see the school and house. When I suddenly got a call from the school to come just after 2 days, I had to book in Tatkal. That was during the rains and Blore was cutoff from Hyd. Ppl were going crazy and maddeningly cancelling tickets. When I saw the big queue early in the morning, I was worried, whether I’ll get tickets to Chennai. Later I realised, that all of them were trying to get into some train to Blore. OMG !!! Those were really stressful times, for me.
Suji – LOL! yeah Tatkal is one thing that every Indian must experience
He he … what an experience
Awesome start to the yr 
Suji – You bet
Ha ha
So who did you choose from these to sleep with? 
I mean the chair ok 
Suji – Huh! You think I would ever sleep sitting there?
What fun it is to be in India….sobs!!
Suji – Hehehe you bet it is
All those were agents ???? that lady too ???
Suji – Absolutely! Heights of service industrialization eh?
Bad experience, yet quiet natural during dec-jan and April-May I think.
reminds me of my last new year….
was at church with a friend, got out around 12.30… friend banged car right into divider some 50 feet ahead
fortunately no major harm done…
palliyil ninnu irangiyittu ee gathi… appo fit aayirunenkilo???
LOL
Suji – Fit aayirunnenkil chilappo steady aayittu veetil ethiyene
aaah… aarakariyam!!
chilappo athu sambhavichene!! 
hehehe….I too was sleeping 1st Jan morning but thankfully it was at home sweet home
Suji – Lucky YOU!
thanks a lot and wish you all the best ..
Oh..what a start to the year.. Its really frustrating to stand in the queue..i just get bugged up..
Happy New Year..
Suji – LOL! This is where, I feel, we need to learn from the English. They can patiently stand in Queue for hours or even days together
agents they are…. SIGH…
my new years are always like, I am comfortably sleeping
Suji – Lucky you tooooooo
Grrrrrrrrrrr i hate waiting!! Blr trip reminds me my bro had to stand in the que at 5.30 AM ..earrrrrly mrning to get a TATKAL tckt to Blr!!
Its become so difficult to get train tckts these dayzzzz
it is tough to find a competition which can beat you and state i had a better new year start!
Suji – Welcome to Sujeevitham Ajay
Well, in my case I do not think it was unique to my state… Im sure on that day around India in all railway stations which have Tatkal booking facility, this would have been the case 