training back home (continued)

"Do you want to get off?" he asks me.
"No".
"Just asked, You know. Its better"
"Uh ok.. no problem" i smile and pray he doesnt talk any further.
"You know, this thing happenned this morning".
Smile.
"This woman was trying to get off the train. She had these two kids. The kids couldnt get off."
'Now whats this?' i think and keep smiling
"So when she tried to get on again, the train started and she fell off the platform into the tracks."
'Not unusual'.
"And under the same train. Cut in two."
'Niru. He had seen something like this. I remember how traumatised he was that day.'
"She died on the spot. Her children told us that they were on their way to the hospital to meet someone, probably the father."
'How would i react if I saw something of this sort?'
"I mean she was poor and all that and maybe she was off to see her husband who was serious or something"
"Its not too good to take kids along in trains in peak hours."-'what am i saying ?'
"The kids didnt even know the address."
'How would i have reacted if i had seen this?"
"She was probably a muslim.."
"Hmm"
"But whoever she was, how does it matter?"
"Yes, its really bad in the morning, for women and children".'am i saying it again?'
"Fact is, she mustve not been too well off."
"Agreed, well off people dont take their children to hospitals in crowded trains at rush hours."
"The train stopped after that. Thats when they asked the children about it."
'Wonder if the kids reached home safely afterwords. Wonder when this casual chat stopes. No, this isnt that, he is trying to ease his own pain, i guess. Its ok then. Would i have been able to handle this?'
"A lot of people wept."
"Yes?"
"They couldnt do anything about her. She was split in two. Died on the spot."
'On dot?' "I understand."
"A lot of people wept. I could see. Its difficult to forget. I couldnt all day."
'How would i have reacted?' "I understand."
THE TRAIN REACHES THANE NOW
"U know thats why i asked you if u wanted to get off ... i mean...." he says.
"I understand."
"So are you a student?"
"No. I work."
"Ok." smiles.
"Well, till next time." Offer to shake hands.
Shakes hand."Yes. Take care of yourself."
"You too."

On my way home i thought about it. About whether i would be able to handle such a situation. The empty streets at night seemed very beautiful.

training back home

i travel 2nd class these days and its great. you get to see real people more often than in case of first-class where u see real people that want to mostly feel u up just because u look like a docile little kid(I have nothing against them doing that, i understand, but i cant help but avoid such things).
anyway, here i was the night before the last, very close to the door, trying to avoid the smell of sweat strong enough to make one faint. the train wasnt too crowded. so these two men come in- must be around 60 - 65, balding, pot-bellied,maybe slightly drunk(i did smell alcohol but i cant be sure it was them) and generally harmless- hang around the door and talk, labour, money, north-indian influx into the city mostly.another guy, in 30s, comes in and stands right behind me wearing a wet windcheater and mostly wetting my t-shirt with it which really pisses me off. i dont say a thing. the guy starts talking casually to the two men... maybe they all know each other. after a while these people stop talking.. and the one with the windcheater starts rubbing his ghutka/tobacco. i feel like telling him about tobacco and lime and all the bad things that could happen to his mouth but i dont. a while later, at kanjurmarg, he asks me if i want to get off the train in hindi. i say no in marathi and give a polite smile.... continued in the next post

training back home

i travel 2nd class these days and its great. you get to see real people more often than in case of first-class where u see real people that want to mostly feel u up just because u look like a docile little kid(I have nothing against them doing that, i understand, but i cant help but avoid such things).
anyway, here i was the night before the last, very close to the door, trying to avoid the smell of sweat strong enough to make one faint. the train wasnt too crowded. so these two men come in- must be around 60 - 65, balding, pot-bellied,maybe slightly drunk(i did smell alcohol but i cant be sure it was them) and generally harmless- hang around the door and talk, labour, money, north-indian influx into the city mostly.another guy, in 30s, comes in and stands right behind me wearing a wet windcheater and mostly wetting my t-shirt with it which really pisses me off. i dont say a thing. the guy starts talking casually to the two men... maybe they all know each other. after a while these people stop talking.. and the one with the windcheater starts rubbing his ghutka/tobacco. i feel like telling him about tobacco and lime and all the bad things that could happen to his mouth but i dont. a while later, at kanjurmarg, he asks me if i want to get off the train in hindi. i say no in marathi and give a polite smile.... continued in the next post

I Am Tired Of Narrowmindedness

Its said that the only thing that can make genius kneel is true stupidity.
and although im not genius .....I am on my knees!!!... and crawling
Sitting in this stupid room blogging; i yearn to live in a place where people live in the streets,screw in the streets, sleep in the streets and only take shelter when it rains.

What do we do with all our poor

I saw a woman and her child ask me for tea this evening?... and i gave them a double-roti. Yesterday i met and old woman who asked for money?... i asked my friend makarand what we will do with all the people we have? He had no answers no one has any answers