Indian Railways - an Ode

The joy of travel is meant to be cherished

An experience, it should be fostered & nourished

But the thought of such fun instantly vanishes

If the journey is to be made by Indian Railways

The stations usually chaotic and crammed

Desolate at nights, no men uniformed & armed

One grapples to find a clean place to sit on 

Paan spit designs all the corners adorn

The sight of the tracks be best avoided

Nothing worthy though could be traded

Not a T3 or T2 presenting visual delight

Remember you’re taking train not a flight

If your seat is by the end of the bogeys

You’ll be in for untold miseries

For the toilet stench shall emanate right there

Not to vomit if eaten well, you should take care

The prices of food products often surprising

Sold by contractors with MRP surpassing

Sky rocketing inflation over past years in ‘meals’

Quality long back had tumbled down the hills

  

The beggars frequent & one might not mind

Chain snatchers at stations not so kind

Certainly one is ensured of sleepless nights

For the peril of theft and the bed bug bites

The vagaries aren’t limited to the SL class

Condition in AC bogies also crass

Cockroaches, rats’ now regular co-passengers

Duly filled though records of pest controllers

The bed linen creates doubting Thomases

If they ever, how and who really washes

The temperature freezes or causes sweating

Attendant asking ‘baksheesh’ at the end irritating

The fourth largest railways in the world

Record number of employees in its fold

A lifeline that millions of commoners depend on

Is in tatters and in a state of dilapidation

Political & bureaucratic lackadaisical attitude

Inflicting miseries on people in multitude

The gargantuan system called Indian railways

In dire need to amend its lopsided ways.