Most amusing "accident"!

by Poochi Venkat

2002-10-26


A colleague was returning to SC by 2759 a few days ago. I grabbed this oppurtunity to visit Chennai Central for an evening of railfanning but....fate had more exciting plans! ;-)

We reached MAS a bit late had to negotiate a sizable crowd trying to get into the 3rd-AC coaches. With 10 minutes to spare, things quitened down and we proceeded to load the luggage (one really stuffed "hold-all" and a tiny overnighter). While my friend went into the coach to claim his seat, I heaved the hold-all (darned thingy was overflowing with stuff) onto the floor just beside the glass entry door and stood on the platform.

With minutes steadily ticking away and no sign of my fellow-who-went-to-claim-his-seat, I got restless. Thanks to our late arrival there wasn't time even to see the WAP4 brute who was doing the honours for 2759 that evening. Impatiently I vaulted onto the floor of the coach and then.....promptly tripped over that same hold-all I myself had placed by the door. I fell straight forward like a pack of cards and slammed right on the glass door!!!! THUD! that was my head meeting the door.... my cap flew off "safely" and my glasses and nose took the impact in full ishtyle! Tinkling glass pieces notwithstanding, I saw Saturn, Jupiter and beautiful stars all around me! Though i'm an amateur astronomer, only now did I realise how beautiful Saturn actually looks :-))

My nose was becoming redder by the minute and so were my lips: looked like I had applied some special lipstick. I realised my lip had been cut too...YUCK...why does trouble always come in pairs?

Without my glasses i couldn't see anything clearly.....even WAP4 and WAM4 looked the same (uh...just joking....I wasn't really that blind!!)

If anything was really hurt, it was my ego! ....what with the young guys who "rescued" me advising that absent-minded oldies like me should carefully watch while climbing coach steps, should not lift luggage by myself, etc.etc....GRRRR! That got me boiling mad! My well-meaning colleague made appropriate soothing noises and I busied myself salvaging what was left of my specs.

A distant two-tone blast signalled the departure of 2759, five minutes late.

With traces of haemoglobin on my hands giving that authentic "accident" look, I waved goodbye to my colleague. Carefully dabbing my bleeding lip and groping my way forward, I dropped into FoodCourt for refreshing pineapple juice.

That "amusing" (to whom?) bang-up put me out of action, lightened my wallet considerably and my lip still hurts!! can't talk much!! (folks at home heaving a sigh of relief.... )

I guess I could put it down as occupational hazards of railfanning: we have to take it in our stride!!


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