Train number 12316 Guwahati to Trivandrum. It was a train which hardly runs on time. If it maintains the time it is mostly likely late by a day. When I waited for it at New Jolpaiguri the situation was much better. The train came only two hours late. I was undertaking such a long journey, from there all the way to Trivandrum for the first time after my Patna days in the early nineties. This trip was unavoidable. Nripen Da had come all the way to Madurai to attend my daughter’s marriage. I had to reciprocate. Moreover, it was a like a college reunion, meeting all the old colleagues of yesteryears.
Mine was a side upper berth in the second AC coach. When I slept off before the train crossed Malda at about 9 in the night, the lower berth was empty.
When the train stopped at Cuttack, it was 8 in the morning. The sun was already up. I woke up and climbed down. There was an old lady in her late seventies sitting in the lower berth. As I was trying to sit elsewhere, she invited me to sit on my seat opposite to hers. She was in an off white sari with grey border. She held a small garland of tulsi beads in her hand. After murmering some mantras she wore it around her neck. Apparently she was a widow. She opened the talk with a smiling face. In an eastern accent she asked in Hindi ” where are you up to.” When I said Trivandrum, she looked very consoled. She told ” we are also going there. My son is in the sleeper coach. He did not get seat here. He said he has already told you to take care of me….”
The cell phone kept hanging like a long necklace rang and she answered the call. The talk was either in Assamese or a similar language, I could only make out that it was her son who told her that he could not come as the vestibule was locked. She told him that the copassenger was taking care etc….
Subsequent conversation revealed that she got into from Howrah. Her son worked in Kolkata. Her husband died years back. They recently sold off their land and family property in Bongaigaon and purchased flat in Salt lake area in Kolkata. She wanted to go on a pilgrimage. It is being started from Trivandrum. Next might be Rameswaram, only her son knew. She had brought only a small bag. But it contained the essential food items loke rotis, pickeles etc. She kept reading some mantras from a book when she was not sleeping or talking to me.
When the train reached Vishakhapatnam, in the evening there was a call from her son telling that he came half way through, but train left before he could reach the coach.
The train was in Chennai the next morning. I got up only after the train left the station. By three in the afternoon, the train crossed over to Kerala. I was feeling relieved.
The lady ( by now I had taken permission to call her Ma) was a bit worried for not having received any call from her son. When I checked up the cell phone, the charge had got drained. The cell phones don’t work when it is needed most. She did not have the charger either.
The train dragged itself on to the number one platform, of Trivandrum Central station at about 11. 30 pm. I helped Ma getting out of the coach. I decided to wait for her son to come and pick her up.
” Sir , where are you coming from? ” Kishen Lal came and greeted me. Kishen was a caretaker cum security guard in our apartment complex. He had also come in the same train after his holidays. Kishen was staying in a rented house along with a few other boys belonging to the village near my apartment complex.
Alas, even after half an hour of waiting, there was no sign of Ma’s son. Apparently something was wrong. I sent Kishen to the coaches to check if any one was sleeping. He came back after fifteen minutes with a negative answer. The train started moving to the yard and Ma was in tears. I took her son’s number and tried calling from my cell. The call was going through. The number was non existent.
I was in a dire dilemma. Since I knew the rail officials, I could leave the details with them without registering a case. One of the officials advised me not to persue it further as such cases were on the increase recently and the son would never turn up. I had a shock of my life. But consoled Ma and persuaded her to go with Kishen Lal for that night. Kishen’s number and particulars were also given to the railway officials.
After reaching home I narrated the story to my wife. She said ” good that you didn’t feel pity and bring her in our house…….”. What else would have been told by her ? She was the one who sent my mother to the old age home…….!
I was on a business tour for next three weeks. During the morning walk, I saw Kishen and Ma walking near the apartment complex. Kishen told that he enquired at the station a few days back. There was no information. Ma told that she was taken to the temple by Kishen. She also hoped that her son would come sooner than later. But it seemed that she had reconciled with reality. She said she was pleased to be with four new sons……..
As I continued the walk, a song started flowing through the ear phone…….
” Zindagi ka safar, hai e kaisa safar,
Koi samcha nahi, koi jaana nahi………
P V Durgadas
Shri. Durgadas worked in Public sector banks for nearly forty years. Retired as a General Manager. He served in many parts of India. He has toured abroad on official and personal trips. Started writing as a hobby after retirement. His blogs appeared regularly in the Sunday magazine of pen news.net for the past three years.
THE BREW 