The Curtain Call

What are curtains used for? You must be thinking what kind of a question is this. Of course, curtains are used to keep the sun out, beautify the house, etc.

But did you know that curtains serve as blankets? I didn’t know this till last month. I was traveling with couple of my friends to Goa by Paulo travels. When you have paid 800 bucks to travel by an AC bus, you expect a blanket, a bottle of water and a decent sleep.

Well we didn’t get any. First of all one had to pay 50 bucks to borrow a blanket which looked like it was washed once in 365 days. I guess the original colour of those blankets was white which had blackened with the passage of time.

And then, when you ask for a blanket you get a curtain. The curtain because there are no blankets is an answer which baffles me. 25 blankets for 50 passengers is a no-brainer because it means you are expected to share it with your neighbor whom you are seeing for the first time and probably will see him for the last time, 14 hours hence.

But what really irritated me was the audacity with which the conductor gave the passenger a curtain instead of a blanket and the subsequent nonchalance which laced his reply to the former’s confused expression.

So much for Paulo travels. An AC which refused to work after 8 hours, the driver who continuously hit the brake mistaking it for the accelerator and the conductor who distributed curtains instead of blankets.

So the next time you plan to go to Goa, don’t take Paulo Travels. If you don’t have an option, carry your own blankets.