Caught in the act
Maybe you can guess what train Mahesh is on, but he’ll never guess who’s waiting
Mahesh lives in Bandra. One day before the first Covid lockdown, he planned an evening out with a girlfriend. A devious sort, he had two girlfriends, both of whom live near Churchgate. Being puzzlingly devious, he set them both a braintwister; whoever first solved it and turned up to meet him would have the pleasure, or otherwise, of his company. He told girlfriend #1, Saumya, the hour that the train he was going to catch left Bandra for Churchgate. He told girlfriend #2, Marzia, the minute of the hour it left Bandra. (So if it was an 1135 train, for example, he would have told Saumya “11” and Marzia “35”). He also told them he would catch a train between 1400 and 1800.
Now Saumya and Marzia happen to know each other. And they like puzzles. That day, they consulted the Western Railway timetable and found that in those four hours, ten trains left Bandra for Churchgate, at these times: 1427, 1436, 1448, 1503, 1539, 1608, 1627, 1703, 1708 and 1748.
Saumya said to Marzia: “I have no idea when his train leaves Bandra, and I know you don’t either.”
Marzia said: “You’re right, I didn’t know. But now I do!”
Saumya said: “Hey! Now I know too!”
And together, they decided they’d had enough of Mahesh’s puzzles and his two-timing, and that neither of them would meet him at Churchgate that day. Or in fact, ever again.
Spare no sympathy for Mahesh arriving at Churchgate to find no girlfriend waiting. But when did his train leave Bandra?