That Night On The Station

Last year I went on a trip with my family. We had our own kind of little ‘Bharat Darshan’. We travelled from Central India to North India and then to South India. Back to back it was a 15 days journey. Travelling to new places introduces you to the rich and bright culture of your own country, provide you those unforgettable experiences and most importantly make you realize and learn all those things that you ignore while sitting on your sofa watching T.V.

For me the best part of the journey is the journey itself, that is the travel part. The Railway station is one such place where you can sit for hours still never feel bored. There is so much to observe. On the trip, I really had a moment when an overcrowded train arrived at the station. The train was coming from Bihar and the destination city was Mumbai. It was looking like this –

We were sitting on the platform as our train was about to arrive. The sleeper coach of that train halted in front of us. As soon as it stopped, a fusty odour surrounded the platform.

I looked at my mother and before I could question, she said, “They have to travel like this for two days”.

“and what about the ones sitting in front of the toilet”, I asked.

They are poor laborers. They migrate for work. Look at them, they have to save money wherever they can even if it costs them completing their entire journey sitting in front of the bathroom.”

I felt really bad at that time. Even though it was not my fault or anyone else’s sitting there but there was something that didn’t feel right to me.

“You know what, ‘This is the real India’, not that .“ She said pointing towards the air-conditioned coaches.

Our train arrived. We hopped into it, looked for our seats and finally settled down. We had our reservation in A.C II tier. It was really hot outside, hence the coach was no less than a heaven. Someone from the family sitting next to us said, “ I can’t imagine travelling in III tier. They are really congested”, and started cursing the railways for their lack of responsibility.

This whole incident got imprinted on my mind. We can’t stop complaining about the luxury that we got and there are people who are suffering day and night, working hard to manage two meals a day. The only thought that came to my mind after this was-

EK TRAIN MEIN KAYI ZINDAGIYAAN DEKHI HAIN MEINE.