The Lifeline

                     Incident-1

It was late evening; 7:45, the digital clock was showing time in dark red color. There was the normal crowd at Borivali station. Few people who were going back from their office after the long hectic work day.

I was on way back from the Borivali west after a heavy shopping of Bombay’s famous ‘Ice-halva’ for my sweet tooth family. I also had a train to Godhra at 2:00 AM in the night. So, I was in the hurry.

When I Stepped into the platform, one train was already standing there. But I was away from it, I was at the last part of the station so to catch the train I have to cross some distance. Then, driver’s cabin and then woman coach.

Usually, in this kind of situation I prefer to run and catch that train but today I had bags full of sweets. So, I did not try to catch that train. Instead of running faster I decided to walk slowly, go to the right place and wait for the next train which would come after 5 minutes.

The train had started. Suddenly one gentleman who was behind me had also started running after the train. Now let me tell you the physique of this guy. He was aged, old and handicap man, whose one leg was paralyzed, who was literally picking his one foot ahead by his hand for a normal walk. His leg was literally dragging behind like heroine’s lower part of the sari in the movies.   

One thing about Mumbai local train is that they pick up speed very quickly. In a few second they reach at 40-50 KMPH. Now, this guy was still running in the hope of catching this train. luckily, he crossed driver’s cabin and ladies coach and tried to catch the local coach but till then it was too late and the train had picked up a good speed.

I still do not know how but he successfully managed to put his one leg in the cabin but he put the foot which was paralyzed. Now he was stuck, he couldn’t get down from the train or get up on the train. People who were standing near the door tried to push him inside but he couldn’t move his body. Now he was dragged by the train.

I was the closest one to him I immediately run to save him. Somehow the driver showed all these, he immediately stopped the train. The whole station gathered to see what is going on, some people cursed him, some called him fool. Some of the great well-wishers who was at the door used this exact frame,

“I had tried to save him just because I don’t want that due to this fool I would be late if you want to die, die on another train, not this one!” 

On the other side driver helped him to get up. Cleaned his clothes. He was injured, blood was flown from some of his body part. He holds him, gave him his shoulder and took him to driver’s cabin. He gave him his own seat to sit. Instead of being mad at him he smiled and gave his water bottle and started his train again.

                    

                       Incident-2

It was again great traffic jam in the Andheri again. I was on the way to my office. To kill some time, I was listening to my favorite radio station ‘Akashvani- Bombay’. It was a time for some local news bulletin and this incident was read by the news anchor.

There was an early morning time when Mumbaikar stars to wake up and get ready for the office. There were few people at grant road station. One train was coming from the Churchgate station. When the train was near at the grant road station, the train had started ringing a horn.

The crowd did not understand that why the driver was blowing an unnecessary horn. But when people looked closer than they realized that one street dog was stuck at the train track. Till that anyone from the crowd could go and save the puppy, it was late.

The train was too close to that puppy. People were expecting one another train accident in the early morning but in the surprise of everybody, the driver miraculously stopped the train. It was a big thing to stop the train which is 30-40 KMPH speed suddenly it can put the risk passenger too. The train could be coming out from the track but nothing happened due to the wisdom of wise driver!

The driver came out from the cabin helped the puppy to get out of the track, gave him to station master, came back and again started his train.

As per the radio anchor, the whole station was clapping for him after in his interview he just said this,

“It was my duty!”

That’s all. Humble isn’t it!

Crowdy, speedy, ruff, dangerous! first thing comes to your mind when you talk about Mumbai locals. A few weeks ago, one accident happened at Elphinstone road station.  Due to some mismanagement people died. So, now people from nowhere have started criticizing the whole system. The whole system is corrupted and much more.

That is the mentality of Indian people who used to curse the thing which is bad and we must have to but with that, we must appreciate the good thing we have.  

Just imagine your job, which starts from early morning 4:00 AM to late night at 1:00 AM. You will not get any holiday, even on the public holiday you have to work on double shift. From the morning you have to take thousands of people from one place to another place with the accuracy you can’t delay more than 5 minutes because multiple will be late at the respective place. If you are late then someone’s grace will cut down, someone child has to wait for more for his daddy or in someone’s home’s dinner will be late.

You have to do your job in the deadly rain to hottest day to coldest night. You will get a salary of 10K-15K max to max. Will you do that job? 

Mumbai local train driver does, I saw that with my naked eyes that in the deadly rain came to Bombay the train tried to run as much possible as they could. They were trying to take you wherever you want to go!

You cannot imagine one day without the local train. This train is not the train of Mumbai they are the backbone of the Mumbai. Just take a bow of their spirit that on the day when Taj and CST happened next morning Churchgate-Borivali train was standing at the Churchgate station in ready position!

This train drivers are the real heroes. We must appreciate them without complaining about the system at least someone is working very hard to run this city. They are not Batman of Gotham they are local train driver of Bombay, my Bombay!

       

                         FIN