‘What’s in it for me?’

An Indian election official putting indelible ink on the finger of a voter before she casts her ballot at a polling station in Bangalore.- AFP

THE General Class compartment – the cheapest – is full and Team Ceritalah are forced to perch on what are supposed to be the luggage racks (and therefore situated directly above the normal seats).

It’s an express train from Hyderabad to Chennai. The summer heat (well over 40c) has enveloped the parched Deccan plateau. The tickets – only INR225 (RM13.40) – are relatively inexpensive. Still, it’s a stifling fifteen-hour journey – two hours longer than scheduled.