How to Book Train Ticket in India : A Guide from Practical Experience

Traveling in India will never be fulfilled if you do not have a train journey. As India is a big country so the long route train journeys are generally for 2 to 3 days or even longer. So, to cover this long distance plane and train are the only options. Bus and car journey is not possible to cover this long route. There is a saying by the local Indians that, if you really want see the real India travel through a train. And as a witness I believe, everyone traveling to India should travel by train at least for once because it will give you overview of the variety of nature, people and culture within a day which nothing else can give you.

Booking a Train Ticket:
In India, if you want to buy a train ticket for a long route you have to book it at least 1 days prior the journey date or you might end up in the waiting list which does not confirm your ticket. Most of the time I found myself with no tickets while booking one and half month before the journey. But it’s not same for the small route and the medium route. For 8 to 12 hour journey the tickets are available before 7 days. Like from ‘Bangalore to Goa’ I gave traveled by booking the ticket before 3 days of the journey and the return ticket I got just a day before. Actually it mostly depends on the peak and off peak season. But it’s always safe to book it as soon as possible. Moreover, for short route like 3 to 4 hour journey, the tickets are available just before an hour also. So, depending on the route and the season the ticket availability varies.

                                                       Train according to its class:

In India trains are the most demandable transport for the general public. It is affordable to every class of people and a safe port of travel. The tickets and the standard of the train is divided according to its class system. The First class is the most expensive coach of the train which comes up with maximum comfort and facilities with the maximum price range. Then second class which has facilities little less than first class, then 3^rd class and finally sleeper class.  Some train there is a coach called general which provides less facility than the sleeper.  Sleeper class and general coach do not have the A/C facility among all the classes. Most of the long route train does not have the first class and general coach in the train as it is less popular among all.

Approximate Pricing:

For a train ticket, the price varies according to the class. The first class ticket costs the maximum and it reduces according to the classes. Here a train pricing given below to have some idea about the train cost -

Price list for Train

Train Name:Karnataka Express

Train Route: Bangalore to Delhi train  

Journey Time: 3 Days max ( appx 48 hours)

Class	Pricing
First Class	5,405 rs
Second Class	3,125 rs
Third Class	2,205 rs
Sleeper	815 rs

Booking System:

Online booking:  Indian Railway has made the train booking service online. You can book your ticket online and choose your berth (upper, middle or lower) according to the availability. Even you can pay by using net banking system if you are a national of India. In online booking you can see the status of available ticket according to different class. For booking a ticket you can go to website ‘irctc.co.in’ and book your desired ticket.

 Booking from the station: It’s the general process of booking the ticket. If you don’t have any access to online or payment gateway, you can simply go to the train station and book your ticket. Generally the booking counter of a train station opens at 10:00 A.M. So, you can go anytime after that and get your ticket.

Emergency / Tatkal Booking: The emergency ticket is named Tatkal ticket in India. You can get the Tatkal ticket just one day before the journey. These tickets are for the emergency purpose. Every train has some coach reserved for the emergency purpose. For getting a Tatkal ticket you have to be in the station as early as possible. May be from morning 5 you have to stay in a line till 10 or more as the office opens for Tatkal at 10 a.m. The Tatkal tickets are being sold on the first come first serve basis. So whoever will be on the first on the line will get the ticket first. It can finish anytime soon. Generally first 10-15 people in the line gets the tickets confirmed. But it can be changed anyway. For getting a Tatkal ticket you have to carry an ID card or passport copy with you. You have to fill a form and submit your id copy along with that while purchasing the ticket. Anyways Tatkal ticket costs more than the original ticket pricing. You might have to pay 100 or 200 more for each ticket.

Booking through the Agent: This is generally applicable for the tourists who do not have much idea of the train ticket. If you don’t have the ticket, but you want to travel urgent then there are agents to find a ticket for you. They generally book the Tatkal ticket by standing on the line for hours in the morning which will save your time and effort to get you a ticket by standing in the line. For booking a ticket through Agent you have to pay more. For getting the Tatkal ticket you have to pay some extra amount along with the ticket price and add some more amounts for the agent according to their requirement.

Booking Train Ticket from Abroad: 
If you want to book an Indian train ticket just click the link below. It will Provide you some necessary information.

http://www.indiamike.com/india-articles/booking-indian-rail-tickets-from-abroad 

Canceling a Ticket:

If you have already booked a ticket but want to cancel the ticket, then you can cancel the ticket before a day of the journey date. But a certain amount will be cut for cancelling the ticket. The amount varies according to different class and the date of your cancelling. Like if you cancel before 10 days of the journey then the amount will be lesser than if you cut it before a day.

Most of the times we plan to travel India without any plan and without knowing any procedure. So, maximum time we fall in the problem of booking a train ticket. Though we want to travel by train but not having any proper guideline it is always troublesome to book a ticket from one place to another. So, this is a guide which aims to help you for traveling in India. Hope it gives you enough Idea while traveling.

By Debesree Saha

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Why Getting Scholarship in Abroad is Always Special?

Studying abroad is a dream of everyone. Not only in Bangladesh but people from every other parts of the world want to study abroad and if it comes with a scholarship then it’s like dream come true.  Why scholarship is so special? The answer is very simple for a general people. For them it’s an honor and a scholar doesn’t have to worry about money. But there are plenty reason which a normal person or a student won’t know and understand until they get it.

 As an ICCR Scholar I had an opportunity to study in India. While applying for the scholarship I had never thought what this scholarship will bring me and had never imagined of getting this scholarship. But after getting the scholarship my life changed in a glance and I was astonished to the factors, what ICCR will bring to me.  So, from my experience I want to put light on the special factors a scholarship has -

Money Factor-

While talking about scholarship, the first thing comes in mind is of course money. Money speaks. In a full scholarship the money you will get is plenty for leading a normal life. If the government is taking your financial responsibility, it means you are tension free. Until you have the scholarship you can lead a life full of fun and liveliness. But if you have a habit of spending countless, then scholarship is not for you. But I can assure you with a proper spending of scholarship money you can study, party and roam around easily. From my experience I have enjoyed ICCR  full scholarship which includes , plane fair for two times , stationary fee per year, accommodation and living cost and even thesis cost  along with the tuition fees which reduces the burden of money.

Security Issue-

A scholarship student gets full security from the government. Each and every action of him/ her is being monitored. As the government of the particular country takes the responsibility, so it’s assures the security of the student. He / she does not have to worry about the security while staying in aboard unless she / he are involved in something illegal. Even the international centers on behalf of government keeps an eye on if there is any security issue what a normal student studying in abroad does not get . It’s like having an invisible guardian along with you all the time.

Effortless Visa and Immigration-

When a student gets a scholarship, the visa and immigration system becomes easier. Generally the embassy processes the visa, so that the student does not have to worry about getting visa. Just give the required document and you are done. Even if its urgency that you got to know about the scholarship late and not much days to start the class, its embassy that will take care of it.

Easy Admission and Accommodation-

In scholarship the admission process is easier. The effort you have to give will be far less than a general student. In India under ICCR scholarship scheme all the scholars’ admission has been done by the international center. The students just have to collect give an application from the international center and collect the study certificate. Even the students don’t have to care about the tuition fee. Every semester we used to see the general students are getting admission, where we scholars were free from all these sufferings.   Moreover, the government takes the responsibility to secure a perfect accommodation for the student after arriving in another country.

Monitoring Educational Progress –

A scholar is always been monitored by the government if the progress is up to the mark or not. A scholar can never fail. If the scholar fails in any exam, it takes his/her right of being a scholar. For this purpose every semester a report has been sent from the department to the authority to judge the progress. So, whatever you do, but you have study, otherwise you can lose your scholarship.

Getting Maximum Priority than Others-

 A scholar is always being respected in the society. Scholars are considered as the brightest future of the nation. That’s why a scholar always gets the maximum priority in a society. If you are a scholar, anywhere you go, people will set a priority for you. Especially in the country you are going will also respect you as you are a scholar for them. I remember after getting scholarship, how people from immigration, police and even the university treated me. It was something that will make you proud.

Stay in a Diversified Culture-

An international scholarship student gets a scope to be with various country people. As people for diverse part of the world comes with scholarship as well, so it gives an opportunity to meet and greet people of a variety of countries. You will get to know about other people and their culture. Even it helps for the communication skills. You will get to understand the accent of different country people. So, it’s a source of knowledge about different parts of the world.

Learning the lessons of life-

When you get a scholarship you get to go in a country where you don’t know anyone and anyone doesn’t’ know you as well. Not only the system, but the culture, lifestyle, language, law, mindset of people each and everything is new to you. So, you have to adapt with the situation over there and that will lead you to love the country and accept them. Even you have to adjust with fixed money which will teach you what life in real is.

Become Independent-

If you leave your country physically and don’t take any financial support from your family, than yes; you are independent. A scholar gets to be independent from his/her student life. It helps to build a mindset of being independent and support him/ her. It’s your life, your decision these things can make both positive and negative impact on you. It’s your decision what you will choose.

It’s a Pride-

Yes, scholarship is a pride. It’s a pride that makes you different from every other student out there. It is even an extra point in your CV. This is the thing which will never make your CV stay in the bottom. . It’s a pride for lifetime to think you are special and it gives a positive energy to work with full dedication and achieve a target in your life.

Scholarship is always an achievement in lifetime. If you have that spark on you to do something in life, to get something more, why not try a scholarship that worth your dedication. I have already explained why scholarship is special. So, to go for it or not it’s your decision. But you can think to give it a try. May b you can be the one.

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India is not only Kolkata

India is the 7^th largest country which has the second largest population in the world. The country is filled with the greenery of hills and mountains, peaceful beauty of ocean, steamy hot sun burn desert and fizzy cozy white snow. Each and every place is so distinguished with its beauty, culture, lifestyle and language. So, it is not worthwhile to compare one part of the country with another. For its diversified character it’s being called incredible India.

Here in Bangladesh most of the people have a very limited idea about India. Though every year huge number of people travel to India, their perception about India is very one sided. On the name of India they think of only Kolkata. They think the whole India is just the same like Kolkata. The people on the other side of the border are Bengalis and their language, culture and geography is almost similar to us Bangladeshis. Even once Bangladesh was a part of India so we have our relatives staying in India.  So, most of the people in Bangladesh go to west Bengal, in the name of visiting India. The way they behave, the way they talk, the nature of Kolkata people is all we know about India. Even now-a-days people watch Kolkata Bengali series a lot which provides them only a specific idea about India. They don’t even think out of the box.

In my perception people should know more about the country which will increase their level of knowledge about a particular country. Here, I want to mention some points to help you know that Kolkata is a part of India, just one state capital. There are more to know about India. 

Geographically India- India is a country which is a combination of 29 states among which 9 states are bigger than Bangladesh. Moreover, the biggest state In India is Rajasthan which is more than two times bigger than Bangladesh. So, with this estimate we can imagine how different India will be geographically.  One part of it is entirely different than others. Like a part of India Rajasthan; is desert. The camel rides in the desert is a perfect adventure there.  Moreover, if you want to have a walk in the beach and amazing bonfire, Goa, Pondicherry, Kanyakumari , Kerela etc beaches are there to give you the chillness of the beach . Furthermore, Kashmir, Shimla, Manali can give you a wild ride in the snow. Even the hilly greenery of Kerela, Tamil nadu, Kashmir, Madhapradesh will show you how we can touch the sky by from the ground. That’s why people say, if you have seen India, you have seen the entire world.

Here, in the graph below you can get an idea on state wise top 10 geographical area of India:

Language in India: Some people in Bangladesh think India is a country where people talk in Bengali or in Hindi. So, if we know these two languages, it’s more than enough. Yes, these two languages will help you a lot while traveling to India, but that’s not all about India. In Hindustan times it is reported that, India has a total of 780 spoken language but 250 were lost in last 50 years. Moreover there are 86 scripts being used according to PLSI chairperson G.N. Devy. This shows the diversity around the country. While traveling through India I also came to know that there almost every people know more than two languages in spite of their mother tongue.

Culturally India- India is a country of diversified culture. Each states of India have a different food habits. Like north Indian prefers pow vaji, samosa, matar paneer, rajma where south Indian prefers dhosa, idli, sambar, rasam. Panjabi’s can not go a day without meat where Rajasthani’s stay far from meat . So each and every place is a new place to invent. Without exploring it, there is no way to understand what India is.

Moreover, people in different part of India celebrate different festivals. Like, North India celebrates Holi  the biggest and colorfully, where Holi is nothing but a simple puja in South India. Though the young generation now-a-days celebrate Holi but south Indian Holi has no comparison with North Indian Holi. South Indians especially for Karnataka people Dasara is the biggest festival, where on the same time the west Bengal people celebrates Durga puja. Moreover, the Karnataka people are more concern about the cleanliness and hardly can you find beggars there, but if you go to west Bengal it’s full of dirt and dust around and beggars everywhere. Moreover, if you go to a beach in Goa, it’s totally different than a beach in Pondicherry. Goa is a party place where Pondicherry is far calm.

Indian Lifestyle- If I talk about the lifestyle of people that is also different from one place to another. The city life is different than the village life; the life of the hill station is different than the people in the desert. If you think alcohol is available all over India, than you should know In a country like India, they also have a dry state (alcohol free) where alcohol is totally prohibited. Moreover, People in Goa walk late night in the street where in Delhi, people; especially girls are scared to go out late night. They have a lifestyle where some people wear shari and mini skirt as well. Some girls don’t drink alcohol and some are smoking openly.

So, this is India, a country with diversified culture. Before going to India my perception was also like every other person in Bangladesh. But after visiting different places in India I have changed my way of thinking towards India. So, if I can change my idea by exploring the country, I think my article will help you to think out of the box at least for once.

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