A journey by train is the cheapest and most comfortable. I had always travelled with my parents. Last Sunday I got a chance to travel alone.
My maternal uncle at Allahabad invited us to join the marriage ceremony of his son. My father had no time. So he asked me to go. He gave me some money and many instructions about the ceremonies.
I was very glad. I had to go by Delhi Express. I put up my things in a small box and asked the servant to bring a rickshaw for station. I reached the station one hour before the time of arrival of the train.
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I went to booking office to buy a ticket for myself. There was a great rush. But the people were standing in a queue. I also joined them.
At last I purchased the ticket. As soon as I got my ticket, I hired a coolie I reached the platform. I became nervous. At last the train came and stopped.
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My coolie took me from compartment to compartment. But there was no room. People cried, “No room, No room”. I requested a gentleman to let me come in. He did so. I had to remain standing.
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The train started with a whistle. I saw the scenery outside. It was pleasing. There were green fields. Little children were grazing their cows and buffaloes.
They shouted with joy. They called out to us. The train was running very fast. As it was a mail train it did not stop at small stations. It reached Etawa in an hour.
The train started again. Just then there came a man in black coat. The man in black coat was a ticket checker. I was surprised to find that there were six men in the compartment without tickets.
Four of them paid double fare. The other two were Sadhus. They were not charged. They were asked to get down at next station.
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My train reached Kanpur. Here was the greatest rush. It is a great junction. Boxes and bundles were thrown in carelessly.
A small child was wounded. A woman lost her box. A man had his pocket picked. There was a great noise.
Coolies were running from one place to other. Hawkers were selling different types of commodities by hawking on their high voices. There was every type of panic everywhere.