I am Spandana, a regular user of Youth Ki Awaaz. You can check out my previous articles here.
I am pursuing my master’s in sociology from Bharathair University, Coimbatore. I am from Hyderabad and was recently travelling to the city for some work. This is the first time I experienced a miracle, and I can’t say if this will ever happen again. I have always been accompanied by my friends or family, but this was the first time I travelled alone.
So I ordered food from IRCTC and as usual, the food was not good. I thought I was the only person who was experiencing this, so I shared this with my friends, who told me that it has been horrible for them as well. They said I am realising the bad quality of their food because I am travelling alone for the first time.
This is when the miracle happened. After hearing so many people’s points of view, I thought complaining to the IRCTC about their food would not lead to anything. But I decided to try once and register a complaint.
I had ordered roti and curry that cost me ₹90, which wasn’t worth it at all. The curry was too watery to even be called a curry. And the roti is very thick and undercooked.
After I complained about the food, I was surprised to see the IRCTC manager coming to me, returning me my money and apologising to me for the food they had provided. I was in shock and told everyone I knew about it. I was so happy to get such a response from the company. The manager not just apologised but also gave me his personal number in case I face any other problem. It was such a kind gesture.
I shared this incident with my friends, who are with me in my undergrad and gave me the courage to complain. I think that sociology is a courageous subject. Some of my other friends, who are also from sociology, gave me a different point of view when I shared my story with them. They said I received a quick response from the manager because I had booked a ticket in the AC class. They said had I been in the non-AC sleeper coach, they would never have come back to respond.
This is purely due to the existing hierarchies in our society. Because I was occupying a seat in the AC coach and paid more money for my ticket, I got the privilege to complain. Generally, people feel that things will not improve even if we register complaints. That is why not many take the effort to register for complaints.
However, I dared to complain and also received the result. I want to conclude by requesting everyone to raise their voices if they witness injustice around them. Don’t sit silently and bear the pain.