Management classes in Brindavan Express

It was a sweaty morning in Chennai on 15th May 2005, Sunday. I was coming back after a bad interview at Kanpur. I did not get an air ticket to Mumbai and hence had to skip the Mumbai interview. It had been a week since I had left Bangalore. The heat and the strangeness of northern India made me crave to be back in Bangalore. So from Delhi, once it became clear that I cannot reach Mumbai in time, I was trying to get a ticket to Bangalore. Since no tickets were available I had to make good with a ticket to Chennai. And there I was in Chennai railway station with a general ticket (no reservation) waiting for the Brindavan Express (BE) which would put me back in Bangalore.

Brindavan Express departed from Chennai and I found myself sitting on a seat reserved for somebody else. Soon enough the owner of the seat was there and I had to vacate the seat for him. I found myself standing with another 30 to 35 in the same compartment. I had not slept well the last 2 nights as I was in Airports and railway stations. I could not imagine myself standing for another 5.5 hrs, till I reach Bangalore. I was already tired and definitely could not stand till Bangalore. I had to get a seat.

I had been reading a few books on effective communication and making friends and so on. It was time to put all that in use now. There was one three seater occupied one man and a child. So there definitely was a place for one more. I requested this man(Mr X) for a little place which he offered, though hesitantly. Now he had started cribbing about people traveling without any reservation. Also the moment I get up from there I was sure to lose the place to some other standing person. The only way I could now keep the seat was to get into the good books of Mr. X.

"You can make more friends in two months by being genuinely interested in others than you can in two years by tring to get other people interested in you" --DALE CARNIGE....
Now if I can make good friend with this Mr. X then I’ am on my way. I slowly started talking to him or rather listening to him more than doing the talking.. In-fact it was interesting. Soon we were into good conversation. He was a man staying at Peenya in Bangalore and was now coming back from his native place "Ranchi". He was on ten days leave and had been to Ranchi to bring his wife and children back to Bangalore as the schools were due to re-open. I asked him about various other things, his life style, his work and so on. My interest in him worked. He was now asking me if I was comfortable or needed more space. Also when I got up from the seat to buy some water from the train's pantry, he actually held the place for me till I was back telling others that it was reserved.

That proved -- "You definitely can make more friends by being genuinely interested in them". I guess we should make more friends. I should use this art more often. There definitely is a little hesitancy to talk to a new person. But I think its time I opened up. Its time I got to know more people. Personally its time I put my reading to practical use.