एल.टी.सी. का जाल

Summary

The story follows Lallan Prasad Shrivastav, a government employee who has recently been promoted and is now entitled to travel first class. He takes his family on a trip to Kashmir using his Leave Travel Concession (LTC), purchasing first-class air-conditioned train tickets for twenty-one hundred rupees. His wife, Malti, is unenthusiastic about the expense and suggests they travel second class to save money for other needs, such as repaying debts. Lallan Babu feels frustrated by her lack of appreciation for his achievement. At the station, the family struggles with their luggage, including an old, shabby bedding that has been with them for over twenty years. In the first-class compartment, Lallan Babu feels self-conscious about their modest belongings compared to the fashionable young people around them. The conductor questions him about his LTC travel, making him feel exposed and embarrassed. The story then shifts to Lallan Babu's background. He came from a poor village family, his father having worked as a servant for a wealthy landlord. Lallan Babu passed his matriculation and got a job at the post office, moving to the city. He married young and had children quickly, now facing the financial burden of two marriageable daughters and a son preparing for engineering. Despite his salary, he struggles with debt and had to break a five-year recurring deposit account to fund this trip. Upon arriving in Srinagar, the pleasant weather briefly lifts his spirits, but the reality of expenses quickly returns. At Hotel Deepshikha, he learns that rooms cost seventy rupees each, and his family cannot share one room. Forced to take two rooms just for the night, he feels the weight of his financial constraints once again.