A Night Journey By Train

After a hazardous trip from a far off district With drooping spirits and waning energy I alighted at the station to catch the night train My heart besieged by memories of a home, left behind Like a drop in the ocean I quickly merged with the buzzing crowd In the blinking light of platform lamps I saw a huge crowd- the young and the old With baggage heaped on baggage Patiently waiting for the arrival of the train Soon came the grating voice of the loud speaker “The Rajadhani Express from Delhi to Trivandrum Scheduled to leave the station by 9pm Would be late by one hour’! I went cold at the thought of another long wait. In the sweltering heat of a summer night, Amid an undulating mass and deafening holler and roar It would be hell tied there for one more hour. The cry of babies fell in my ears like the squeal of piglets Some old women sat on haunches on the floor, Before some homemade food and snacks Spread out on old newspapers and began munching Youngsters busied themselves on their cell phones Sending missives to their loved ones Or chatting with their pals I sat away secluded, inhaling the soot and dust And looking vacantly at the curl of smoke From the grumpy looking man’s cigar Sitting opposite to me lazily When his red falcon eyes fell on me, I withdrew more into cover, Regretting once more, being a woman! The thought of the risks of travelling alone Made my guts contract I saw behind the thick columns of concrete A young pair who had sneaked away from the crowd A newly wedded Rajasthani couple, the girl in shining livery With a red patch of ‘kumkum’ on her forehead! She wore glittering bangles on her hands Covering the entire forearms They were in a world of their own Enjoying the first days of heated romance She laid her head upon his chest And her arms, twisted around him as a creeper on a tree In her ear, as the boy was reciting the litany of love The girl was giggling as if greatly tickled Time slouched on at snail’s pace…. At last hearing a long drawn whistle from far I looked out and saw the train coming, snorting noisily And halting with a screeching sound The real ordeal begins as one lifts his suitcase And pushes his way along with all strength, Between bags and boxes and people, And the porters running after to carry the cargo At the doorway, the swarming crowd Locks one altogether, pushing and jostling. Elbowing my way through the mass of men I got into the compartment somehow And found myself among total strangers Shoving my suit case between legs of people And pushing it under the seat, I sat near the window. All my former fears resurfaced with ugly pincers Being late, all readied themselves to sleep Though I lay down with my eyes closed I couldn’t wink an eye, I knew the train gaining momentum And heading forward leaving behind The dark silhouette of buildings and trees As it hurtled through tunnels, The air grew thick and humid. I felt cramped and confined like a piece of freight Transported in a narrow box with the lid shut I don’t know when I fell into deep slumber It was with the sound of ‘chai…. chai’ that I woke up The glittering sun rays peeped through the window I felt the pat of cool morning breeze on my cheeks The inviting aroma of brewed tea entered my nostrils At last I have reached my native soil! I am heading home, every step and every inch Drawing me closer and closer to my sweet haven My heart began to pump quicker I felt like a marooned mariner Suddenly cast ashore by a rescue boat!