Carnatic singer Sivasri Skandaprasad has recounted her “traumatic” train journey where a group of middle-aged men occupied most of the coach and inconvenienced other passengers by talking and laughing loudly.
Skandaprasad, who is married to Tejasvi Surya, the BJP Member of Parliament from Bengaluru South, said that the group of 40 men became a public nuisance by shouting and talking loudly for the entirety of the five-hour journey.
Sivasri Skandaprasad traumatic train ride
“I had a traumatic train ride today,” Sivasri Skandaprasad said in an X post this morning.
The singer and founder of Ahuti said that while artists “thrive in silence”, her own wish for a silent train journey was shattered by the large group of men in her coach.
(Also read: 'Maybe Indians don’t deserve facilities like Vande Bharat': Video of littered train coach sparks civic sense debate)
She said the group took up much of the 56-seater train coach and continued talking non-stop for the whole ride.
{{/usCountry}}She said the group took up much of the 56-seater train coach and continued talking non-stop for the whole ride.
{{/usCountry}}“As artists, we have a 100 thoughts running. And we thrive in silence,” wrote Skandaprasad.
“But imagine a group of 40 middle aged adults occupying a 56 seater coach and talking so loudly to everyone for 5 hours. Non stop.”
“People don’t respect public spaces”
Calling out their lack of civic sense, the Bengaluru-based singer said: “It is very sad to see how people do not respect public spaces enough. When we are in public, we should not shout or even talk loudly and disrespect every individual’s personal space in public.”
She then moved on to the larger issue of civic sense among Indians. Skandaprasad wrote that the “problem in India” is that nobody can question a large group of men, even if they are creating a nuisance.
“It is an unsaid rule that the other 16 of us which aren’t part of the group should simply endure them,” she said.
The wife of BJP MP Tejasvi Surya claimed that she asked the ticket examiner to accommodate her in another train coach. However, due to lack of available seats, this was not possible.
(Also read: Who is Sivasri Skandaprasad, Carnatic singer who married Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya?)
“Lost the civic sense game”
Sivasri Skandaprasad was then forced to complain to the TTE when a group of eight men, who were already “yapping and laughing non stop”, started playing UNO.
She conceded that the group stopped playing immediately when the TTE asked them. However, a few minutes later, the TTE himself returned and asked the group mockingly as to why they were creating a nuisance.
This set off another round of laughter. “They had a good laugh with him and said, ‘sir Neevu banni, adona’(Sir you also join, let’s play),” said Skandaprasad.
She said that the group later deliberately started singing Bollywood songs.
“So the concern here is not about who won. Myself, along with them, as Indians, lost the Civic sense game,” she said.
“When will we as a nation improve our public behaviour… God save this country,” concluded Sivasri Skandaprasad.
(Also read: 'No civic sense’: Men spotted wearing Indian Railways bedsheets as shawls, video goes viral)