Trips to the railway station - Part 1

He was nine years old when he first visited the New Delhi Railway station. The dilapidated buildings, the big crowds, the garbage and the paan stains all around him made him question the sanity of the teachers who had planned this 'educational trip'. His batch mates however, were very excited to be there. Many of them had never seen actual trains before, being accustomed to the comforts of Ac's and airplanes. To tell the truth, Sneh himself was excited about seeing his first train, it was just the accompanying scenery that made him uncomfortable. Why wasn't the railway station clean like the airport? Why did they allow the beggars and dogs to sit in the open? His mother believed that beggars were no better than thieves and should be jailed. His father took a more lenient view and believed in helping the ones which needed help, like old and handicapped ones. Sneh wasn't sure what he himself believed.

He would have liked to sit and think more about this but his teacher started their tour and so, he had to move along with the group. The boys lined up one after the other and began moving in sync, exclaiming out loud whenever they saw or noticed something different. The man with a single leg, the stink of garbage around the station, the cries of the taxi-walas, all of it caught their attention and imagination. It seemed like a new country to them. These children of fortune were surprised to see the suffering around them.

Sneh was also walking along with his group when he saw a big black bag which seemed to move by itself. It was obvious the bag had garbage in it. What wasn't obvious was who was pulling it, he really couldn't make out the other person in the crowd. Sneh stopped, trying to solve this mystery. The line continued to move, leaving him behind.

A moment came when the crowd parted and he realized that it was child who pulled that bag. The child was about the same height as Sneh himself. He was wafer thin and had marks on his face. It was obvious that the bag was too heavy for him and all his strength was going in pulling it. Sneh felt sorry for the boy. He wanted to go and help him.

But the line had left him far behind. All his batch mates had moved forward and he would be left far behind if he didn’t get a move on fast. He would miss out on the fun and the refreshments planned for later if he went to help that boy.

The teacher will be angry, he heard a voice say in his head, I can’t do much to help that boy as it is, it’s best I avoid trouble myself. Thinking so, Sneh justified his apathy and walked away.

This is the first post in the Trips to the railway station series, something which I have been working on quite sometime now. Hope you liked it.