WAITING LIST MANIA

EVER TRIED TRAVELLING ALONE FOR A DAY AND AN ENTIRE NIGHT ....WITHOUT A SEAT ...AT THE AGE OF 18..... ???? I did something like that on 27th of September. Don't get a feeling that I am going to boast about my guts and keep on praising myself in here. No way ..because when talking of guts ... I hardly had any at that time. On Friday evening I booked a ticket for myself to Delhi from Hyderabad in A.P. Express which mostly everytime is horribly full.... I did it in "TATKAL"... the new service which provides you a confirmed seat.... The man behind the corridor spoke... "Waiting list 70" .... I heard "17" .... and i asked him to book the ticket... when I helped myself out ... I cursed myself and the one who made 70 and 17 pronounce almost similarly.... "THE IDIOT" I had no other options, but, to travel without a seat. Friends advised me to bribe the T.T who comes to check the tickets and ask him to provide me a seat as I am a girl travelling alone and on the top of it...Badly ill. I memorised the whole scenario ... all the lines which I should speak in front of the T.T..... and prayed to God to help.... In the morning at 6:20 I reached the station... train was destined to come at 6:55 .... It came and I entered without knowing what destiny has in store for me.... I looked around here and there ... I found people busy settling themselves on their seats ... few trying to tuck in their luggage under the seats... I found a vacant seat to sit...and decided to sit their until the rush clears off... Soon two boys came and looked at my seat and told each other that their seat is, 'this one and that one'... I realized I was sitting on one of their seats.I immediately stood up and made my way to the next boggie. I prayed ... Prayed earnestly to God... "If I have knowingly or unknowingly helped ...ANYONE ...in this world... help me Lord.." ...That one line I kept on my murmuring inside my heart... I was walking and I found the way jammed ...I can't go ahead because few other unfortunate people too had their seat in waiting list and were trying hard to get themselves hooked on to one or the other seat... I ran my eyes around... I found an old lady on one of the seats... She asked me to sit until the rush clears off....I sat opposite to her... She asked which was my seat..I told her my plight...she asked me to talk to the t.t ... the same advise which my enlightened friends gave already... I could hardly speak, my throat was itching.... due to a sour throat which I was carrying around. I wasn't really well.... and then a policeman came and asked me to stand because incidentally the seat where I was sitting was his... "SHIT" ... I said to myself.. I told him everything and he asked me to go ahead and try as there is a school group on tour... The old lady said .. "Let her sit for a few seconds... let the rush clear off... " I thanked her earnestly... A friend of the policeman came by then .. he wanted to sit and talk to him... He asked his friend whether it's empty above ... he said yes... he aske me to sit on the top berth.. I did the same... placed my luggage above and helped myself in there...When I got in there I cursed the friend of the policeman for saying yes...because the upper berth was occupied by THREE LUGGAGE BAGS...and I hardly had any place to sit... still I sat accepting my situation.. I repeated my prayer again and made a bit of room for myself and sat in there.. After a few minutes the rush cleared off... it wasn't a school group, but, seemed to be a college group ... 6 girls helped themselves to their seats which were around us... I was on the uppermost berth of the R.A.C seat ... After a few more minutes... a boy came and took away the two bags.... Thanks to GOD ... I would have shouted a thank you to him too ... if possible! I made a bit more room... I tried placing my bag more convinently and pulled it to myself and placed the other bag a bit far away...and then another guy came and took the other bag away.... WHOA!! I helped myself nicely then and made the pillow of my luggage bag and slept off... I prayed hard though all the time that no one ask would me to vacate the seat .... By the time t.t. came... another uncle was lying on an upper berth.. He asked him to wake up... looked at his ticket and said these words... "YOU'VE WAITING LIST .....HOW COME YOU ARE LYING HERE...GET OFF FROM THE SEAT ....AND STAND THERE... " Uncle though said .."We'll adjust... you don't worry..." .... but the T.T still murmured ...depicting his disappointment as if he had stolen Queen Elizabeth's PRECIOUS NECKLACE! ..... I said to myself... "Isse kya help mangoo..." ...and kept quiet... the guy looked around ...and found the college group gals.... he moved on ahead.. i was puzzled .. "why didn't he ask me for a ticket at the least.... " ... and then I realised that the guy actually took me as one of the group members... "HIS MISTAKE" ...and I was in no mood to correct him! I slept off... didn't have my lunch .. opened my eyes though every few minutes..and witnessed the happenings around me... My brother called me everytime and asked me to look for a seat now or it would be a problem in the night..I assured him I will do so when the T.T comes... But, I dozed off again... had a few chips and a few sips of slice .... and then dozed off again... I prayed by that time earnestly...that no one would turn up for the seat at night because the guy who is sitting right now would like to have a nice sleep at night and would ask me to vacate then.... It was dark outside the train now and I was feeling cold ..I took a bedsheet and covered myself with it and was going to doze off again when I received a message from one of my friends in the hostel....She informed about one bomb blast that happened in delhi and asked me to take care... I prayed again and slept off.... At night aroun 10 I woke up.... Few were still chirping and others were getting ready to sleep...I prayed hard... I had fear... but I prayed more and more... And then I dozed off again .... I woke up at 1 ... I was surprised ...no one had told me anything ... everyone was fast asleep... there was no one else for the seat in which I was lying..it solely belonged to me..I thanked God... I thanked him like hell.... and slept off again! In the morning too ... no one turned up for his seat...I felt as if God was protecting me..He was somewhere near... too near to me..He could see me and I could feel him..I felt secure... This was my journey.. the magical journey... thousands of people in the waiting list face too many hurdles.... and I was saved ... I travelled without even a slightest of the problems... and then I believed ... YES GOD ... YOU ARE WONDERFUL ...THE MOST POWERFUL ONE... YOU ARE ABOVE ALL.... ......