I've been assaulted

A recent long distance train ride home proved to be the most unwelcome assault on my ears.

It started out well, with young, old and everyone in-between stocking up on 'snacks' pronouned 'snecks' or 'snakes' depending on whether you were leaving home or heading home on this particular train. This despite the fact that the Rajdhani is well known for feeding its passengers till they can truly eat no more. Still, this is the way we do it in this part of the world. And why should we ever do it any different? Rajdhani or not.

The train lurches to a start, bang on time and I make myself comfortable....good read in hand and ticket accessible should the TC come-a-checking. Indian trains have always been smelly. Indian trains have always been loud. But when did our good ole blue vinyl berthed bogies turn into entertainment centrals?

Was it absolutely necessary for the podgy 20-something to watch a movie on his overloaded-with-unnecessary-software-laptop on full volume? Or for the teenager on the top berth to play every polyphonic ringtone on her mobile atleast thrice before she chose the one that was to ring out to us every time we passed a state border and had to be alerted of the same by super-enthusiastic service providers? Or for the 'uncle' to belch and burp after an intake of anything, quite so loudly (although this I grudgingly admit is no new phenomena)? And, the newly refurbished air-conditioned bogies now have plugpoints!!! Our little electronic friends and life partners are no longer even given the chance to slip into a silent coma till they reach the next plugpoint in the next town or city.

My memories of drinking chilled Frooti and reading Tinkle are being replaced by memories of awfully high pitched and out of tune ringtones and Bollywood scores!! Me no likes!!