mumbai local (part II)

It was a Saturday; I was heading towards UD for completing some office procedures of my viva. When I reached Kanjurmargh Station, it was already 15 mins to 12. The board near the counter said it will close at 12. Still I decided to try my luck and continued in the long queue. But for the bad luck I was not able to get the ticket before the counter got closed. Like the fellow passengers I tried to get some coupons instead of ticket for my travel and arranged it from a fellow passenger. The time punching machine was also not working so I used the date, time stamp to validate the coupons and continued my journey.

As I reached matunga station, I was welcomed by the Ticket checking staff. After checking my ticket he found out that the time stamp was of previous day so that I became a passenger without valid ticket. He asked me for fine of Rs 360. I got amazed, mistake was on both sides. First the railway hasn’t placed the proper date time stamp, second I haven’t checked the date before punching. So I was not at all ready to give fine for the partial mistake of mine. He guided me to the office and presented me to his senior. I explained the story but he was also not ready to accept the partial fault and asked me to pay the fine.  The situation was getting worse and he gave me an alternative of going to jail for not paying the fine. I told him that I am a student and currently not having enough money to pay the fine and opened my purse and shown him the id card from it. He took the purse from me and started searching for money in it. At that moment it came to my mind, there was Rs 500 note in my purse which is already kept in an open pocket of it which he can easily find and if he does, he will never spare me. Meanwhile the inspector saw the “bunch” of ATM cards in it and asked me to take money from nearby ATM counter and pay the fine. As the cards were of zero balance account ones I was not having cash in them. I told him the truth. To my surprise or for a higher degree of luck he checked all the pockets except the one having 500Rs and much later after a series of arguments, he set me free without any fine. Had he found the money, I would have been also charged for telling lie, which ultimately effects in non refund of even a single penny from the cash which I had in my purse.