One amongst the Rememberable Journeys:

We meet people of many types during our journey. If we are in a good mood then we would like to hear from them & if not, then we would get more & more anger on every word spoken by people around us, as if it becomes louder & louder hammering. Same way, I have seen many different types, some have touched my heart & some have not heard from me, what I have told them in my mind. Confused? I mean to say I haven’t liked them & couldn’t ignore them in simple language.

I would like to present one such interesting case, when I was traveling from one place to another in train. The train started from Ahmedabad Kalupur station & the next stop was Maninagar Station. I always prefer the latter for my journey to begin, with knowledge of the slightest possibility of getting a seat ever. But on that day, I was very early released from my schedule & was totally free to roam. So I decided to go for the former stated station & have a seat on that day so as to feel comfort & relaxed. When reached the station, the train wasn’t there. I was still early. The train came from a yard, where it was, I am still not familiar. But knew that that is the place where people go & sit to occupy seat even before the train arrives at the origin station!!

Finally the train came & I entered along with slight unnecessarily rush of few people. We entered seeing few people already there. They were watching at us as if we were there to kill them or were already their killer. I won’t say the community name of the people sitting there, but take it for granted to be understood by the readers. There is capacity of 10 persons to sit comfortably & they were sitting only 5, but occupying all the space available in the whole rows face to face sleeping & extending their bodies as far as possible. I and some other man went there & asked them to move a little on two-seater bench. They started to argue that someone’s coming. We, now I am using we as I and the other guy were speaking together (actually struggling & fighting) for the same cause. We assured her, as all of them included ladies only; to stand & allow their relatives to sit whenever they come, even at next station!!

So much of reservation in General coach, typical Indian traditions, I thought. Though sometimes we see or even we do the same for ourselves or our relatives to keep some handkerchief or bag from the bus/train window to occupy seat, instead of the people struggling in queue to get in first to see already so-called book tickets allowing them just to stand after all the efforts made. And we go like kings of the world at last without struggling, without bearing those push & pulls to get in & possess the seat. All are thoughts of a mild breeze, comes sometime & only for sometime. Lol.

After much struggle they allowed us two persons to seat facing opposite each other & two ladies sitting along with us, seemed little understanding, mature & even little good-looking; that’s what I could only guess seeing their eyes. After sometime, one lady came & sat there with the other ladies sitting next to our seats. So that’s it, now no one is going to come I guess. On those seats they became four now. The train was about to start. Just then one old man came, looking polished & well mannered, asked those ladies to make some space & allow him to sit. They started quarreling with him, speaking literally abuse to him & he being so polished didn’t utter a single word but a polite argument to continue with, hardly for a minute he could do so. Then after he left hope for it & decided to stand & all crowd watching & listening as if some movie show going, but no one dare to take stand for that old man or rather I would say for the truth, for the right thing. That’s what we all do. But I was not ready to live with that at that moment. I started arguing with those ladies & asked that two ladies sitting with us guys to go to that seat & allow that old man to sit with us. And as I said I guessed that two to be mature enough, after some hesitation & looking at their old, rough spoken, indecent woman, they stood & went there, so the old man got the seat with us, along with another person standing nearby.

Then after few, may be 1 or 2 stations, some old man, very ugly looking but of their caste came & he was allowed to sit there, some sort of royal treatment can be considered for him in compare to other lot standing there in hope for sometime to get some seat. That was it, my heart started pumping & blood started boiling. We, now, we were four people sitting together, started discussions of their unity & dislikes about for other castes people, whereas we see all as human. After a long discussion & some badly spoken comments for them, we considered ourselves as if we have done some justice. But after a pause, the first man to come with me, who was only little involved in the discussion, told me the following. He said I am correct with respect to the words spoken; he was also belonging to the same caste. But he was not at all interested in all those shit, he was least concern & was leaving abroad in some gulf country & came to India only for vacation.

I was shocked listening to him of his originality & me spitting out all the shit, including other sitting with me. I was so embarrassed, I was wondering if it was due to my words or due to his may-be spoiled journey because of our words, I don’t know but that incident has stuck my mind without fevicol. After almost 7-8 years I still remember the incident & get embarrassed. I am sorry for the happening, but still I do not regret for what spoken as I still believe its true cent percent, but it was just the wrong place & timing to say it, I guess.