Trains have been a lifeline for people across India either locals or intercity. The hustle-bustle of passengers with hope and ambitions peeping out of the grilled window fills you up and teleports you to another world. The journey in these seating classes can be an experience of a lifetime with memories that you are sure to cherish. One is likely to feel that a community of the village of people have boarded the train with heated debates on politics, education and if women are involved probably a discussion of kids and food. You are in for a treat as you going to be enriched with these conservations and have something to take home with you.
It one of the cheapest class coaches by the Indian Railways
that fits in every budget. However, the popular 2 S or second class can be
either reserved or unreserved as it is the last option of travel during an emergency.
These second seating classes are usually equipped with car seats in a 3 x3 fashion.
There 6 berths inside the aisle, where 2 berths on the side that allow the
passengers to sit and sleep after 9pm. To ensure that the passengers can avail themselves of the emergency evacuations, one would find an emergency pull chain that cautions
the driver, making the train halt and get any incident checked. Although,
you may hear the snores of mindless sleepers as background music that might
trouble the eardrums. The cool breeze tingling your hair is an experience that
is unmatched to an adventure with a picturesque view of mountains, rivers and farms
is quite breath-taking, perfect for a candid shot.
If you are considering for comfort rating in 2S, going with
unreserved and check-in your fate, it is not recommended especially for long-distance train travel in India. Since indulgence in such a way of travel, you
may end up sitting cross-legged on the floor of the train or even worse
standing all throughout until you reach your destination, not adding to your
pleasure. Besides, if it is crowded or flooded with passengers that come in and
out you be sandwiched in between, finding yourself checking out Believe it or not, but one does require
reservations for this, and the tickets can be easily purchased through the
ticket counters with a nominal amount of money. Often the tickets are available a few hours before the departure of the trains unless it is a holiday season or a
weekend when this mode of transportation tends to get even busier. Prepare
yourself if you plan to travel a long distance with a pillow, sleeping back and the ability to enjoy and stay calm.
Nevertheless, travel is recommended once in a lifetime
especially if you are not living in India. It gives you a true glimpse of the
life of people from all walks of life in India. Sweaty shirts of labourers,
traditional clothed, talkative children venting out their curiosity in the
trails of questions. Sometimes, you may look at entertainers with different
acts that can keep you entertained and preoccupied. If you are a people’s
person, and you would enjoy the entire trip without a hiccup as monotony is quite
absent owing to the constant passing of people.
Surprises may come your way, since you may be accompanied by
random passengers sharing your seat in the daylight given that they are
travelling without a ticket. There is a penalty on travelling without a ticket
if you are caught including jail terms and monetary fees. Since the tickets are
checked by the TT or the officials deputed to check the validity of their seat’s
reservation, and you land in trouble. It is good to get a hang of using Indian
toilets, although provision of a western toilet would be available it is always better to be prepared. The element of amazement never ceases to startle
you.
The flavours and aroma of the cuisines, with the food vendors
of different delicacies trying to sell their product at every stop. The ready-to-drink tea in a stainless steel container poured in earthen drinking pots adds to
its soul. Even if you are not a teetotaller, you may want to give it a try. But
if you have a sensitive stomach, then you may have to refrain from these little
joys of eating. These vendors might be handling the cash and tossing your food
from the same hand, so if you are quite particular about hygiene and
cleanliness, it is not advised for you. If you have not ever packed food, you
are likely going to be amazed by the different ways and techniques to do so.
One of the common ways is to use newspaper or magazine paper, often used to
carry home-cooked food for long journeys without missing the string smell of
the pickles. If you don’t have food with you, one can buy something on the way as you would have stopped to pick up food
or vendors barging your personal space presenting food in paper plates or wrapped in plastic
served at a nominal price. The warmest and friendly encounters are found in this class, where you might be offered food as a part of the customary Indian Hospitality,
wherein food is shared or offered to guests or people sitting next to you
especially if you are a foreigner. It might be tough though to say NO, as it is
considered customary to request the guests several times on the pretext that
the guest might be shy.
The best part is to stand by the open door and enjoy the cool
breeze, but you need to be cautious as one wrong step can lead you to the other
world. This is more enjoyable since this class is not equipped with an air conditioner,
and during summers it can be challenging for anyone not acclimatized to the hot
weather. Although, it might feel like a war zone to be always on alert and
sudden noise if you are looking for the thrilling adrenaline rush you definitely
should not let go of any opportunity to travel in 2 S, even for a short trip.
