It is about a journey. A journey to my hometown. It was a
little late in the evening when I had to reach New Delhi railway station to
catch the train. Like always being a bit cautious I reached an hour before the
departure. It was a drizzling evening. The weather has changed today. From hot
afternoon’s to wet days. I waited at one side of the two sided flat platform
observing the ongoing events at the station.
When I used to be a kid there were instances when the
teachers gave us to write an essay on “a scene at the railway station”. And
then I used to visualize my last visit to the station when I left the city
where my school was to where my mother stayed in the village. And then I would
just scribble a story getting bored from remembering all the past stuff. Now
when I remember that time I stopped to give a moment observing and storing each
detail in my mind.
There were people scattered all over the platform waiting
for their respective trains. And I was one of them too. As I saw across the
platform some kids were busy collecting the thrown away plastic bottles by the
passengers. Others were cleaning the platform and asking money from the
commuters as a reward for their job. The shop owners were sitting idle hoping
that someone interested would come to them and they will have something to earn
for the day. The hawkers were running around with their stuff shouting on top
of their voices to grab attention of everyone present in their vicinity. The
worst part were the beggars. There were plenty of them and of numerous kinds.
Some showed their missing body parts and asked for money, some showed their
small child and their hunger to ask for money and the worst one was that young
kids did the same wearing all kind of rags to persuade the people to spare some
money. All this was making me feel bad and lots of questions aroused in my mind
regarding ‘India as the youth county’. The youth instead of making India proud
they are making it ashamed.
All these things were revolving in my mind and finally my
eyes landed on a book shop. This is the best shop that I find wherever I go. I
love to read in my leisure time. I got some magazines that would let me spend
some quality time in the train. After my purchase was
done I waited and finally my known to companions arrived with whom I was to
share my journey. As the train entered the platform, the people rushed inside
through the emergency window as it has no ‘bars’. Then they opened the doors
that were closed from inside. I waited for others to pass; knowing that there’s
no point pushing people and get pushed. Somehow in the end I managed to place
my luggage at my desired place. We all settled down as the train was still
being packed up. Mine was side upper berth and my neighbor’s were two families
travelling. Both the families had babies of 1-2 years.
I don’t prefer such journey’s with families and specially
kids. They are very cute and loving but at the same time they can be a reason
for your headache. Well nothing much could be done now as the computer at the
Railway Reservation office has commanded you to spend the next 20 hours with
strangers of different origins. I think this is one good about the Indian
Railways. We meet with hundreds of people over the journey and sometimes they
really affect your life in the most amazing way. At least we come to know about
the types of people we can find around us. This makes us more cautionary and
alert from inside. It can be said as, ‘a test for personality development’.
Next was the time for dinner and so I and my companions had
the belongings of the lunchbox I got from home. During the journey many people
came across me. I would really like to describe about one person in detail. He
was from Uttar Pradesh. And he had to get down at some place. He had a ‘pass’
which didn’t require a ticket to travel. He was some person working in the
Indian Railways, maybe the gateman who changes track near railway crossings. He
started criticizing the engineering students after he heard that the annual fee
required is above one lacs. Well he tried to show off his knowledge and finally
we ended in a fired up discussion. Finally he got down and we took a sigh of
relief.
The journey was tough with the amount of people that entered
the coach with the ‘waiting ticket’ tag on them. Well I was in that list too
but I had my companion’s seat to settle somehow. And the journey took almost 20
hours to finish. I got down at Hajipur Junction and it was already dark. Also I
was still 70km away from home. Waited for the next local for home.
Finally I got to see my “maa’s” face in the dim bulb light
flickering through the room. My tiredness vanished for a moment. Took her blessings
and talked to her. Her eyes showed a sigh of relief on seeing me after months.
She had been waiting for me from evening. Finally after my dinner and few
moments of talk I slept in her lap and leapt into the world of dreams.
