I Intennnsely love smaller towns. Jaipur, for instance—hardly small, but smaller than Bombay. In little cracks in the facade, there are still defiant shoots and roots of a previous life—before the glitzy malls, multinational banks and Domino’s Pizza flatten out what makes a city unique, rendering most big metropolises alike. Like Narayanji Gazakwale on Tonk Road, from which to buy gud gazak sweets; “LMB”—Lakshmi Mishthan Bhandar in Johari Bazaar—a Hogging HQ, specialising in pyaaz kachori, paneer ghewar and sweet lassi; where you’re in a traffic jam because of an ambling camel cart; the Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory; watching elephant polo, an elegant form of animal cruelty, and more. The best part was, I was going with a girls’ gang by train to Jaipur for a “destination wedding.”

It has been years since I took a long-distance train, here the Hisar Duronto from Mumbai Central to Jaipur. I usually enjoy train travel immensely. My friends Priti Turakhia, Pankti and Vaani Gala and I were travelling together, but seated in adjacent bogeys, so I requested the ticket collector (TC) K Singh to please see if I could travel with my lady friends, I’d just feel safer at night. B5-seat 40 Meenakshi, na? he said, immediately. I was most impressed: he already had all the passenger details on a print-out. We did not even have to show our tickets; we just announced our names; a few offered their ID cards. He promised to do his best and left; when he returned, my neighbour, an RAC (reservation against cancellation) promptly offered him a bribe for a berth. Mr Singh was like no other TC I’ve met. He was impeccably turned out in a classy grey suit, he was polite, and spoke in exquisite, philosophical Urdu I can’t recall exactly, but the gist was: “It is my duty to help passengers, I don’t need any money. Whatever I earn is enough, it is more than I can spend.” I was hassled about my overnight berth, but he soon arranged one for me close to my friends, and left. It’s only later I realised the full import of his integrity. Big salute Singh Saab, TC on Hisar Duronto, January 24, Mumbai Central to Jaipur; the nation is blessed to have staff like you.