The Story of my Experiments with Truth

At Burdwan we came face to face with the hardships that a third-class passenger has to go through even in securing his ticket. "Third-class tickets are not booked so early," we were told. I went to the Station Master, though that too was a difficult business. Someone kindly directed me to where he was, and I represented to him our difficulty. He also made the same reply. As soon as the booking window opened, I went to purchase the tickets. But it was no easy thing to get them. Might was right, and passengers, who were forward and indifferent to others, coming one after another, continued to push me out. I was therefore about the last of the first crowd to get a ticket.

The train arrived, and getting into it was another trial. There was a free exchange of abuse and pushes between passengers already in the train and those trying to get in. We ran up and down the platform, but were everywhere met with the same reply: "No room here. " I went to the guard. He said, "You must try to get in where you can or take the next train."