Day-1

The author didn't have a wink of sleep the earlier night as his spectacles were playing hide and seek with him. Having lost the game after 3 hours of frantic search, he takes a short nap for 2 hours. Having had only ten hours of sleep the whole of last week(the sem exams took a heavy toll on our sleep) this got used to him. But he was up in his berth by 7'o clock due to a new alarm tone.(The new alarm was quite different. It had its own alarm time of 6:30 and a snooze time of 2 min for the next 3 hours. Well if still the reader hasn't understood, I am talking about the IRCTC vendors in their comedy outfits peddling up and down the train, their so called tea and coffee with an alarm tone of "chaaai garam chaaai" and the " kaaapi coffee" tones). The spectacles in 7 pieces(thanks to those vendors) greets him with a Good Morning. He thanks his mom for her insistence upon having a spare set of spectacles and lazily brushes his teeth.

Nothing to complain of after two hot cups of tea and bread cutlet as break fast. He moves to the other coach to see whether the others were still in their wonderland or have woken up. (I tell you that is a group of heavy sleepers). To his astonishment breakfast was already over with pug's Aloo puri(5 dozens of poori for 6 people). The morning wiles away lazily with hot news from The Hindu and The Indian Express starting a series of discussion about the World Tour Series decision.(Mr. Pose and Mr. Arbit seemed to be more concerned than Federer and Murray) The twins and Palan got buried in their novels while the rest sat for a game of literature.(The author is an ace at it).

After an hour of entertainment the focus turns towards scenery outside. We have just passed golt land and the town of Balharshah with its towering paper factories welcomes us. Shap was already restless, as it was almost two hours since his break fast and nothing has gone down his throat(A feat by itself). Genie and Shap scale the length and breadth of the station and were back with a small picnic pack in a jiffy.(Anybody in the platform would have thought that the train's pantry was going out of stock). After oranges at Nagpur and Dhoklas at Bhopal, Mafia took centre stage( or rather Sharadh). As we crossed Bhopal, the early signs of North Indian winter were visible inside the train. As always 18 Till We Die did the most to show off. The race for the most no of winter clothes to be worn started and we were all geared up in ten min. As night set we ate silently and the author and druggie went to sleep with the eagerness of seeing their old place tomorrow again after a long time. The gleaming eyes sandwiched in those mufflers and caps slowly dimmed and faded away as the [Un]lucky traveler was asleep in ten min.

DAY-0

The scene is the (Un)lucky traveler's house. He sits in front of the comp all morn receiving the trip schedule in various formats(thanks to the request by different parents) and shows them all to his dear pa and ma. Jolt no 1. He discovers that his very trip is under threat. He has lost his PAN card, the only so called railway authorized photo id needed in many legs of the trip for an e ticket. Some how, the other last minute add on(one being the author himself and the other travelling in the former's ticket) reassures that things will fall into place.

The (Un)lucky traveler reaches skippy's home at neck time. He is again showered with all kind of advices that his ears have just been subjected to, a couple of minutes ago at his own house. The tour guide joins in. We pick up an excited druggie(longing for a trip and to see his old place) on the way and reach Chennai Central Railway Station. Amongst the thousands of travelers crisscrossing the terminal, slowly a bunch of sem tanned, vacation longing men group together, with some of their parents accompanying them. The organiser cum treasurer takes over as he hands out the tickets to the respective groups and we head for our respective coaches.

The (un)lucky traveler has his first stroke of luck when the TTR ignores his id card. He is pinged by many to come to the happening coach immediately to fill up Skippy's birthday card. The loudest of greetings and wishes from 18 TILL WE DIE wins the battle against the rattling sounds of the train to wake up fellow passengers. A sign of blush (a newly found species) passes over skippy's face. A verbal retaliation from the sombre surroundings, force the group to get back to their berths. Thus starts one of the most exciting trip of 18 TILL WE DIE.