CHENNAI: Last Thursday, when I boarded the IIAC coach of the Trivandrum Mail at Chennai, I was shocked to find berths occupied—an infestation of cockroaches were crawling all over the seats, nestling in the not-so-white sheets and pillow (standard issue) and also playing a disorganised game of ‘catch me if you can’ on the floor of the coach.
Much like the people around me, I also decided to weather the infestation and snuggled under the sheets and tucked them in tightly, to avoid attracting bedfellows whilst I slept. By this time my fellow passengers and self had formed a sense of kinship over our combined travails. However, our exposure to the Trivandrum Mail’s in-house fauna was far from over.
By around 10 pm, small mice began to scurry out from unseen crevices....
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Perhaps it was the smell of the food which had been consumed that drew them out.
Between the roaches and the mice, it was a wonder that we got any sleep. When we finally arrived in Kerala a little before dawn, I’m willing to wager that there was no compartment as willing and eager to exit as ours. If that was the standard of the IIAC compartment, i shudder to think what Sleeper class is like these days. On the bright side, at least they have the option of opening a window, if they need to!