Shivashree Skandaprasad Shares Bitter Train Travel Experience

Artist and Shivashree Skandaprasad, wife of Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, has spoken about an unpleasant experience she had during a recent train journey. Sharing the incident on social media, she questioned whether people will ever become more considerate while using public spaces.

According to her account, the problem began with a large group of passengers travelling in the same coach. What initially appeared to be the excitement of travelling together continued for several hours, eventually becoming difficult for other passengers in the compartment.

Shivashree said that around 40 middle aged passengers in a coach with 56 seats were continuously talking loudly and creating noise for nearly five hours. For passengers who were not part of the group, the constant conversations and disturbance reportedly made the journey uncomfortable.

She said the experience left her disappointed because public spaces are shared by everyone. In her view, passengers should remember that others may need quiet time, rest or personal space while travelling.

The artist also explained that people involved in creative work may sometimes prefer silence. She said artists can have hundreds of thoughts running through their minds and often use quiet surroundings to remain focused and connected with their own thoughts.

The situation became more difficult when a group of eight passengers began playing UNO in the coach. By that point, the noise and conversations had already continued for a long time, according to her account.

Shivashree approached the TTE and asked whether something could be done about the situation. The railway staff member spoke to the group and asked them to stop playing the game. The passengers initially followed the instruction and stopped.

However, she said the situation took an unexpected turn shortly afterwards. When the TTE returned, he reportedly spoke to the group in a joking manner and asked why they were creating so much noise. The passengers laughed and invited him to join them for the game.

For Shivashree, the incident represented a larger problem than a disagreement over a game or the behaviour of one particular group. She said the episode reflected the difficulty of maintaining basic consideration for others in crowded public places.

She also tried to find another seat so that she could move away from the disturbance. She approached the TTE and asked whether another coach had an available seat. The railway staff reportedly tried to help, but the train was completely occupied, leaving her with no option other than moving to another seat within the same coach.

The incident also prompted her to raise questions about how passengers respond when someone objects to disruptive behaviour. She suggested that people who are not part of a noisy group can sometimes feel that they simply have to tolerate the situation rather than expect others to adjust their behaviour.

Her comments focused on a broader issue of civic responsibility. She said people should avoid shouting or speaking loudly in shared spaces and should respect the personal space and peace of fellow passengers.

Travelling in a large group can naturally bring excitement, especially when friends or relatives are spending several hours together. But a train coach is also a shared environment where different passengers may have very different needs during the journey.

Some may want to sleep, read, work or simply sit quietly. Others may be travelling with children or elderly family members. In such circumstances, maintaining reasonable noise levels can make a significant difference to the experience of everyone in the coach.

The incident has also started a wider conversation around the idea of civic sense in public transport. While railway staff can intervene when passengers create disturbances, everyday courtesy from travellers remains an important part of keeping shared spaces comfortable.

Shivashree ended her account by questioning when people will change the way they behave in public places. Her comments suggest that the issue is not about who won or lost a game, but about whether people are willing to recognise that their actions can affect those around them.

The experience she described has brought attention to a familiar problem faced by passengers across different forms of public transport. When one group occupies a shared space without considering others, even an otherwise ordinary journey can quickly become stressful.

For Shivashree, the train journey became a reminder that civic sense is not limited to following formal rules. It also involves understanding that public spaces belong to everyone and that small changes in personal behaviour can make those spaces more comfortable for others.