When you spend some time all alone on a railway platform you realize "facing thousand faces ....how can any one be so lonely?"
It is indeed a strange place where people are single handedly focused on their goals, running against time - mothers clinging to their children in the crowd , spouses trying to board together, office goers, students, beggars, vendors - jostling , bustling and competition at it's best over a seat by the window!
- " Dada roomal ta dekhlen na?"
- " Hatebajare kon nombor?'
Typical lingo the everyday passengers understands and an eavesdropper like me struggles with!
Bhaskar used to travel by the local trains for almost for 4years , everyday he had some stories to tell - tales of strife, fleeting moments of happiness in that hurried world. Of fights for no reason and love that blossomed out of season.:))) And he always asked me to be happy with what I have cos he said the world of the railway station is a great teacher- teaches you the lesson of life- of living with disability , poverty and facing each day, even when the choice of death is just a few metres away!
I remember reading an article by Pritish Nandy, which remained with me for a long long time...
"The lonely world of the railway station" said....
‘but they always come back. Quietly. For they have nowhere to go. They come back to remind us of our own guilt. To tell us that we cannot wish away our problems under the pretence of cleaning up our cities or railway stations. They (the railway stations) keep hurting us into becoming more honest. They want us to realize that you and I, all of us are responsible for this iniquitous world we have created where some live in splendour and other scavenge for their meals from dustbins on the roadside. That is why these railway stations are important. You cannot avoid them. Just as you cannot avoid your own guilt. They keep pointing out things to you. Things you would prefer to forget amidst the pressures of your daily life. They tell you that cities are made up of people. Not clean platforms or beaches. Not beautiful buildings or smart cinema halls. Every man or woman or child has a right to the city that you think is yours. Neither poverty nor destitution can destroy that right.’ ( Pritish Nandy’s words in quotes.)
It is indeed a strange place where people are single handedly focused on their goals, running against time - mothers clinging to their children in the crowd , spouses trying to board together, office goers, students, beggars, vendors - jostling , bustling and competition at it's best over a seat by the window!
- " Dada roomal ta dekhlen na?"
- " Hatebajare kon nombor?'
Typical lingo the everyday passengers understands and an eavesdropper like me struggles with!
Bhaskar used to travel by the local trains for almost for 4years , everyday he had some stories to tell - tales of strife, fleeting moments of happiness in that hurried world. Of fights for no reason and love that blossomed out of season.:))) And he always asked me to be happy with what I have cos he said the world of the railway station is a great teacher- teaches you the lesson of life- of living with disability , poverty and facing each day, even when the choice of death is just a few metres away!
I remember reading an article by Pritish Nandy, which remained with me for a long long time...
"The lonely world of the railway station" said....
‘but they always come back. Quietly. For they have nowhere to go. They come back to remind us of our own guilt. To tell us that we cannot wish away our problems under the pretence of cleaning up our cities or railway stations. They (the railway stations) keep hurting us into becoming more honest. They want us to realize that you and I, all of us are responsible for this iniquitous world we have created where some live in splendour and other scavenge for their meals from dustbins on the roadside. That is why these railway stations are important. You cannot avoid them. Just as you cannot avoid your own guilt. They keep pointing out things to you. Things you would prefer to forget amidst the pressures of your daily life. They tell you that cities are made up of people. Not clean platforms or beaches. Not beautiful buildings or smart cinema halls. Every man or woman or child has a right to the city that you think is yours. Neither poverty nor destitution can destroy that right.’ ( Pritish Nandy’s words in quotes.)
And midst the whistles of arrivals and departures I watched the world spin around me ,while my phone played.....100 miles from home
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