Passenger Left Fuming After AC Coach Turned Into Wedding Party Venue: "Worst Travel Experience"

NDTV

09-06-2025

A Reddit user recounted his "worst travel experience", sharing how an AC coach on the Patalkot Express turned into a makeshift wedding venue. According to the post, a large family allegedly took over the space, transforming it into a noisy celebration complete with mehendi, tambola, bhajans, and a massive food spread. The impromptu party reportedly left other passengers surprised and possibly a bit bewildered.
The user described the family as visibly wealthy, with at least 25-30 members, including 8-9 children, dressed to the nines and acting as if they were on their way to a wedding. They occupied three adjacent coupes, with the user's reserved seats in the middle. Initially, they were manageable, but soon chaos erupted. A girl started applying mehndi, kids ran wildly up and down the aisles, screaming, and then a massive food spread emerged from two giant cardboard boxes. The family indulged in a variety of snacks and drinks, including cold drinks, thandai, fruits, dhokla, cake, theplas, chips, sev, and ice cream.
"There were at least 25–30 people in this group, with 8–9 kids. Looked like they were off to attend a wedding — decked up, hyped up, and turned the coach into a full-on baraat. Now here's the thing — they weren't your average noisy train passengers. This was a wealthy Sindhi family, not just upper-middle class — they were truly affluent. Travelling AC, gold chains flashing, branded everything. Their seats were spread across 3 adjacent coupes — ours was in the middle," the user explained.
See the post here:
Earlier I used to defend Indians... but today I've lost all hope.
by u/godsfavourite17 in indianrailways
The situation escalated after lunch, with the family pulling out a speaker to play tambola, complete with a caller announcing numbers like at a wedding. The user complained to Rail Madad, and officials intervened at one station, asking the group to keep the noise down. However, instead of complying, the family became even louder, singing bhajans, playing cards, and taunting the user for complaining, saying "Aur karo complaint!" (Make another complaint!).
"I swear, this was the worst travel experience of my life. And I've travelled unreserved in a sleeper during college days — that felt more peaceful than this nonsense in AC. Educated, well-dressed, rich — but absolutely zero class or civic sense. Padhe likhe gawar in the truest sense. I used to defend Indian travellers abroad, saying, "We're not all like that," the user concluded.
The post sparked widespread sympathy for the user, with many criticising the family's entitled and rude behaviour. Some users noted that such incidents highlight a broader issue of civic sense and discipline in society.
One user wrote, "There seems to be a trend. When in numbers ( mob), us indians ( especially educated ones ) are the worst. Saw this just minutes before this post. DISGUSTING BEHAVIOUR for cheap publicity."
Another commented, "Unfortunately, there are people who would still defend this behaviour. A few months back, there was a post in which indians were playing Punjabi songs on a German bus, dancing and singing along while it was moving on the road. There were locals in the video who were quiet and didn't complain about it. people in the comment section couldn't realise how messed up and annoying that is, having to shove your culture down someone else's throat just because they aren't revolting against you. indians do have a civic sense and discipline problem."
A third user added, "Third class etiquette in first class travel."