Trains and trains to Chennai

I've spent more time on a train in the last 2 days than off. Went from Puri to Visakhapatnam (aka "Visag"), hoping to take a picturesque little train ride to Araku. Visag turned out to be a crumbling, dusty, difficult city I didn't want to wait around in. I arrived late from Puri and missed dinner, opting not to eat the food available on the train. I don't think people wash their hands, and touching food while it's cooking, while serving, and while eating is common. I've had a tummy ache and gas for the past day or so. I managed to get some "breakfast", like a tortilla and a tiny bowl of curry stuff, and booked a plane ticket to the Andaman islands at an internet cafe just seconds before the power cut out, which it does in Visag every day for at least an hour. I went to several ticket counters before someone would sell me a train ticket to Chennai that day, without an assigned seat; 195 rupees. Understanding where and how to buy a ticket, the info printed on the ticket, the board, and the PA are all challenging. I got some Veg Biryani and a Sprite at the train cafe which had AC! I was surprised to.see a sitdown cafe in the first place. The TV was on and I saw part of a cricket match and funny commercials for home improvement loans and cell phones. I saw a full-face covered muslim woman remove her zoro mask to eat, in a restaurant full of unknown men. I saw a billboarde advertising a bank account for women, to "manage your funds on your own".
When boarding the train, I asked a local guy where to sit, and took an empty bunk in a sleeper car (all are sleeper cars). At about 6pm, another passenger kicked me out of.my spot, so I moved to the adjacent bunk, where my big bag somehow fell down to the floor, nearly hitting a man with a little girl sleeping on his lap. A ticket inspector told me to go up the wagon a ways to get an assigned seat drom his coworker. I didn't understand where to go, nor did I identify anyone as a seat assigning employee. I walked almost the whole length of the train, past the kitchen (not eating, good decision!) and through several upper class cars with AC. A ticket agent there told me to buzz off, his area was full, obviously. I crawled all the way back, past lots of dirty people who stay in the spaces between the cars, and found the right guy. After searching his dot-matrix printouts, he sold me a 140 rupee supplement ticket, and stapled a little paper to my ticket, and I went to find my bunk among other young, Indian women. We should arrive in Chennai by 5am. The young guy across from us was reading a book, looked intelligent and friendly. He ate his rice and sauced chicken dinner expertly with the tips of the fingers on his right hand.