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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Stranded in Kerala

Ah, such a silly mistake. I really don't know. Am I getting old? I would deny this charge vehemently. Yes, sir! There is this feeling that one has failed to keep up with the internet generation. That one is stranded. One is bereft and left lonely in the fight for digital supremacy. There's a weird kind of disquiet. 

Disquiet. Nice sounding word. What happened was like this. I booked return ticket online (Oh such joy! I didn't check it closely, assuming it was for 18th May. When I checked it today, I had the shock of my life. The date showed 18/6, that is 18th June. Panic. I didn't know where to look, or, what to look at in front of wifey, all ready and steady to make a move back to home turf. Not that Kerala is not home turf.

As everyone knows tickets aren't easy to obtain to a trip to or from Kerala. I blame it on an apathy bordering on carelessness from the authorities. (Look who's talking.) Kerala's railway system is antiquated and it doesn't have too many trains running for such a money-order economy. The money order migrants (I will call them MOM) need to see their grandparents once in a year and this hardworking lot are finicky about tickets. 

I being one of these MOMs had booked tickets (being computer savvy and all that) but failed to check the date printed. I was in my own private world. Don't know I am like that only. I only saw the date and didn't check the month. Today, the day of travel, I packed, dressed and checked the date. Alas, alack! It shows the journey date as 18th June. 

Damn! WTF?

So it's again to booking ticket in tatkal (temporary) and travelling two days later. What the heck, it's home turf again for two more days.

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