The Unforgettable Trip

I was thrilled about this trip. I was on my way to Delhi from Varanasi. Appa was working in a public sector bank and had been transferred to Delhi, following a promotion .We were all waiting in the second platform of the Varanasi station but in scattered locations. I was with Amma and Thatha sitting on top of a suitcase. Appa was waiting a few meters away near the place where the brake van would approximately halt, to load his scooter which was completely packed with hay and gunny bag. Patti was holding my brother and was sitting on one of the benches. The train was expected to arrive in Varanasi at 1.30 PM and halt for 45 minutes. I was running around the place with my small school bag and a water bottle. “Patti inga paaru, naa kudhika poren” (I am going to jump) I shouted out to her.

It was 1.20 PM and we were all eagerly waiting for the train to arrive. An announcement was made “The train bound to Delhi is delayed by 10 minutes...blah….blah….” A few minutes later “The train is delayed by 10 minutes. Expected to arrive at 1.50 PM” Passengers waiting for the train started getting restless. People would walk up to the rail, peep and return, every five minutes. Finally at 2.00 PM, the train arrived at the platform. There was a sense of relief in everyone’s face. Amma, Thatha and I got into the First Class Coupe. Right from the moment we entered, I started my monkey pranks. I would climb on one side and somehow jump to the other berth and climb down. Amma was arranging all the suitcases and Thatha was settling the porter’s account. Patti was still waiting near the bench. Appa was not in the vicinity. He must have been busy with the guys in the brake van.

Suddenly the train started moving. Amma checked her watch and told Thatha “It’s only 2.15 PM and since it arrived late, the train should halt until 2.45 PM. That’s what the porter told me. Is it probably the movement because the engine is being attached?” Nevertheless, the train continued to move. Patti seeing the train move, got up and started walking briskly. Thatha was restless. Worry started creeping on to Amma’s face. The train’s speed increased. “Ayyo, train porthu, ennoda konzhathey…..Appa, please pull the chain” Amma started crying. Thatha with all his strength pulled the chain. But it refused to budge. He sagged to the seat “I am not able to do it. I have become old. He started palpitating. He was a heart patient. Amma rushed to the next coupe. There were a couple of people. She requested them to pull the chain. The chain was pulled and the train came to a halt. It had almost reached the end of the platform. Within a few minutes, the ticket checker and a constable came to the compartment.

Thatha, explained to them as to what had happened and questioned them on the delay of the train and its early start. Meanwhile, Appa, Patti and my brother entered the train. Amma rushed to the door, grabbed my brother and wept. After paying a fine, we continued our journey. There was absolute silence inside the coupe.

When this happened I was just 6 years old and couldn’t feel the depth of the situation. Today, when I sit back and think about it, I realize the intense emotions tied to it. The helplessness and anxiety of a mother separating from her little son, a grandpa who tries his best to help his daughter-in-law but is unable to do so due to his old age, and a grandma who is totally perplexed about what was happening. To top it all, the father who was standing elsewhere attending to the scooter!

The sense of parting from dear ones is generally felt when one is on the death bed. To this family they got a pinch of it unexpectedly during a common journey. But the separation was only for a few minutes and soon the re-union brought back relief and joy into the family. The silence in the first class coupe revealed all that!