Though Howrah station is too crowded and noisy to be pleasant ,it certainly has some beautiful women working at its ticket counters ;at least at one of them.This discovery I made quite recently although I have been commuting for almost six months now.For the initial three or four months I need visit the booking office, that too in Burdwan,only once a month since I used a monthly ticket .After that period I deliberately did not renew my ticket and began to travel without ticket.I had my own reason for travelling without ticket .The monthly ticket costs three hundred and ten rupees.If I were a daily passenger I would have saved a lot.But the problem was I travelled only on weekends,on saturday from Howrah to Burdwan and on monday morning on the way back.As far as economy was concerned my actual cost for all my journeys in a month was a little less than the amount being charged from me for the monthly ticket.Then why go for it?It might be true that being a monthly holder means that you do not have to stand in an ardous qeue to collect your ticket,but the trouble to me looked the worth ,after all it would save some money.I held on to my first decision of not to renew my monthly plan, however I could not sincerly stick to the other decision,that is to book tickets from the booking counter.I simply didn't want to spend any money for my journeys though it is a crime to travel free on train and I also knew that if the authority could get its hand upon me even for once it would charge me more than the monthly fees.So in that case I would be a loser.Every time I boarded a train I would always be nervous.In platforms I would be in a hurry to get out into the streets untouched.At the exits where TTEs stand to ask for the tickets I would make a point to move with a large crowd hidden in its core and since there was no dearth of crowds at Howrah thre was very little chance for my plans to go wrong.Danger is not only at the exit ,sometimes TTEs lurking around on the platforms can accost you all of a sudden taking you by surprise.But somehow I managed to keep away from them.
The chance of getting caught was mainly in Howrah because of the high degree of survellience there.In comparison Burdwan was a free run.Only at the exit one could find a one or two TTEs,but most of the time they are so insincere in their work that they never bother to ask for tickets.But as fate would have it ,it was in Burdwan station that I got caught.Before disembarking from train I would always make sure that no TTEs are nearby,but this time I got everything wrong,because it was dark so that I couldnot see very well and TTEs ,three of them, were in civilian dress.They charged me nearly three hundred rupees.I returned home embittered and after lot of deliberation I concluded that all the troubles I had undertaken had come to naught.At that very moment ,I resolved to book ticket legally henceforth,and true to my resoloution when I returned to Kolkata a day later I booked my ticket and then on saturday on my return to Burdwan I did not forget to book my ticket,and it was when I made the pleasant discovery of which I spoke at the very evening.At Howrah there are two ticket booking counters ,one at each of the two entry points.The few times that I had bothered to book a ticket I had been to the counter at the north end of the station.This was the first time that I queued up at the booking counter at the west end.As I waited my turn I noticed the beautiful women behind the glass panes handing out tickets.But the one who took my breath away was the girl alloting tickets to our queue.She was not very beautiful in the truest sense of the word ,but her eyes ,the soft roundness of her face attracted me.Actually it would be difficult to pinpoint any particular feature that captivated me;perhaps it was an invisible but palpable aura around her emanating from every part of her being that did the trick.As she prepared my ticket by working on the computer I did not want the moment to pass,but she did not take long .
In the train among other things I thought of her a lot.I wanted to see her again I wanted to book my ticket from her again.
Today I went to the same window with a fervent anticipation,but alas ,there was no sight of her .I was dissapointed but I collected my ticket and I promised to return the next saturday.
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