This is one of the banes of the great Indian railway system. When there is a shortage of berths on a train, the railways allot shared berths to people (called RAC or Reservation Against Cancellation). On the train to Udaipur, there was a retired Marwari bank officer travelling with his wife, daughter-in-law and grandchild. 3 adults were given 2 berths.
So what would you expect a son of the land of Rajputs, where the honour of women meant more than life? I would expect the man to either hand his wife the berth and share it with her. But this sorry excuse for a 60-year-old made his wife sleep on the floor. She laid down a thick blanket as a bed sheet. When the train crossed Ratlam, an aggressive ticket-checker asked the woman to get up and said this wasn't allowed in an air-conditioned wagon. The husband hurled some obscene words that would shock those in polite society. He said he "was in service for 40 years" and would not be spoken to like that.
The TC backed off and the poor lady slept on the floor till the train reached Chittorgarh, a city historically known for placing the honour of its women over anything else!!
So what would you expect a son of the land of Rajputs, where the honour of women meant more than life? I would expect the man to either hand his wife the berth and share it with her. But this sorry excuse for a 60-year-old made his wife sleep on the floor. She laid down a thick blanket as a bed sheet. When the train crossed Ratlam, an aggressive ticket-checker asked the woman to get up and said this wasn't allowed in an air-conditioned wagon. The husband hurled some obscene words that would shock those in polite society. He said he "was in service for 40 years" and would not be spoken to like that.
The TC backed off and the poor lady slept on the floor till the train reached Chittorgarh, a city historically known for placing the honour of its women over anything else!!
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