If in Mumbai Keep your tickets very very safely!

If in Mumbai Keep your tickets very very safely!

In Mumbai (I’ve worked in Mumbai for a few months), either you happen to love your first job or you loathe it. In my case I loved Mumbai (For me the City of Dreams), because it taught me many things, never ever did I feel any kind of disgust for travelling long distances, staying in a hostel (foods prepared by the Mausis) washing and ironing one’s own clothes, preparing milk as early as 4:30am etc. But my job. . .hmm that was something that kept pinching me at the back of my mind: partly because of the work atmosphere, partly because I wasn’t offered something as per the commitment and majorly because I wanted to do something better ...much better than my current job. So what did I do? Well, I started searching for jobs in Classifieds (just like all working Mumbaiites do....this desire to do something better is a bug that gets into you, once you start staying that city
One such day (Monday, because that used to be my holiday), I was flipping through the Newspaper, when I saw an interesting thing, “Dietician, needed at an Endocrinology Clinic”, Now that was something definitely interesting that just being a Trainee. I thought there was no harm trying, as it is, it was my holiday.
I called up, fixed an appointment and left three hours in advance (that was the minimum margin I used to keep; since I used to travel by buses and wasn’t accustomed to the timings of Locals, plus I was new in the city). I reached Dadar station; waited very patiently in the queue, got my ticket, had a look at my watch and stood there relaxing, thinking that I had plenty of time.
Suddenly, I don’t know how I got into "panic mode", when I heard the announcement for the departure of the local, the only thing that I heard was: the train on Platform Number One is about to leave. Without paying attention to the destination of the train, I ran towards the Ladies compartment (which was a bit far from where I was standing, while listening to, the announcement) And For the First time in life..I boarded the train after it had started. Slowly I gathered my breath and settled down in my seat.
It was then I realised that, instead of boarding a train from Dadar to Churchgate I had boarded a train from Dadar to Borivli (just the opposite) and when the train didn’t stop at Mahim, I realised that I had boarded a Fast Local- which meant it would directly stop at Bandra ..Trust me, that was a sheer waste of time!
At Bandra station, I could have easily got into a local on the opposite platform, but like a responsible citizen I thought that first I should take a ticket from Bandra to Dadar; only then should I board the train to Dadar (thanks to my parents for instilling in me this "BHOOT" of Responsible Citizen; you know no matter how much in a hurry I am, I always ask for a bill). And I climbed the bridge, just when the bridge was about to end, and I was nearing the ticket window, I saw a ticket checker coming towards me, I had this huge feeling of Pride in me because I was doing a right thing, climbing the bridge all the way just to get a return ticket :)
And guess what, of all people around me, he asked Only Me for the ticket..Astonishing!
No No..whats astonishing is, when I put my hand inside the purse to get the ticket, I realised that, the ticket was not there, I stood perplexed for some time and then got the hang of the complete scenario.
Actually when I ran to board the train, the ticket in my hand; slipped when I caught hold of the pole while boarding..I could feel something slipping, but the fact that, it could be my ticket, didn’t occur to me!
Okay now what! I told the inspector the whole story, but to my sheer disappointment he was not ready to take a single word of it. I explained him again and again; to the extent that I started telling him that I am a daughter of a Central Govt Official and I’ve never ever travelled without ticket, I was going for an interview and this all happened because of hurry and Blah Blah Blah! Alas! to him I was a culprit. I even called up my father to explain him, but nothing could stop me from paying the fine..or else I was supposed to sit in his office till his senior came.. and what base I had?...who was going to believe me! I knew the answer - no one apart from Yours truly.
So, with a heavy heart I paid the fine of Rs 300/- (that’s a big amount {not when you spend it, but when you earn it, especially if it’s your First job} and I literally cursed myself for such sheer stupidity), it was then, the inspector allowed me to leave.
After that? What else, I took a return ticket from Bandra to Churchgate (to avoid any hassles of getting in the queue again) and left.

For few minutes I kept wondering, what would have been the case if I had immediately boarded the train on the opposite platform? Is being a responsible citizen so bad after all.. Leaving all questions apart, I started going through my subject notes (to help me in the interview).
But Friends this “wonderful incident” didn’t deter me from asking for bills at petrol pump, medical store and all such places {And even buying tickets :), till I stayed in Mumbai}...Do you do so?
So this was one of the incidences that happened when I was in Mumbai.
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