Booking Counter empty~ Platform full with passengers.

This railway station is XYZ. I usually have to come to the platform of this railway station only to board my train for the place where my home happens to be. 

Though many of my colleagues, senior or junior, use their own vehicles to reach their destination which is in the average range of 60 kilometers. 

But my choice is slightly different from the rest for reasons best known to me.

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According to my eye estimate I can say with confidence that whenever a train comes to this railway station the entire platform is filled with at least more than a thousand passengers.

 To secure a seat in the train is highly difficult if not impossible. Many times I have completed my journey while standing inside train.

          But to my surprise, whenever I have approached the ticket counter I have never found a single person at the ticket booking window. In fact I found the booking clerk sitting idle and waiting for a passenger to ask for a ticket. 

No people,no queue at the counter!

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For a while I began to think that it may be because of the greater reach of e-governance and digital reach that have enabled an individual to book tickets through a number of apps on the internet. 

This led me to think that I was behind the time. I should have also booked my ticket through the internet by downloading anyone among a number of apps for the purpose.

But again I started to doubt my rational thought which has duped me a number of times. 

Is it actually the real state of affairs? Have all the passengers tickets with them? Though in a soft form like an e-ticket unlike mine. 

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           Out of curiosity I ask one who I thought knowing such things better than me, "why is that the platform is jam-packed whereas the booking counter always wears a deserted look?

         Pat came the reply- Sir it appears that you are new to this route. Here in this route 85 percent people travel without a ticket,10 percent are daily commuters having season tickets with them and the rest like you go for booking tickets. Even if you don't book tickets it's okay. It is an accepted behavior on part of the people traveling on this route sans ticket.

    I don't know whether he is absolutely correct or not but definitely what he said matched the reality which I sensed while traveling.

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Then we say this & that. This is nothing but showing our fake concern for the system or its development.

 Our intelligence, knowledge and expertise are on full display in criticizing the system in general and railways in particular. We feel internally satisfied saying India is not doing well on various fronts. 

We forget that traveling without a ticket is not only an offense but social evil too. 

      The more we fail ourselves the more we become vociferous to hide our failings. Such things can happen in India only and Bihar in particular where people's conscience is yet to become mature in matters stated above. 

They feel that they have outsmarted the system by giving it a hoodwink.

R.R.Prabhakar.

10.12.2022.