Monday 9 September 2013

Life's Like That...

Something I thought I should share with you. Nothing very serious or urgent, just like that.

Today morning, I boarded my usual train from Vikhroli. It was a bit overcrowded today and Monday blues were not allowing me to fight them to get in. However, I managed and found a place near the door, enough to squeeze myself in. There were many college students in my coach, discussing isometric and orthogonal projections which lovingly reminded my engg days. Then I happened to see the old man standing next to me on the door. He had a beard and a cap, clearly depicting his religious background. Not a problem, there are many around in Mumbai. 

In 15 mins, the train approached Sion station and quite some crowd got down. Equal or more ppl boarded the train and then train started. Just then, this bearded man jumped out of the train and went away. Weird I thought, as he could have got down the train when others were getting down. Why did he wait. Then my leg hit a cardboard box of a mixer-grinder that was lying behind him, when he was standing. At first I thought it must be someone else's. But the way he had got down made me suspicious. So I started asking ppl around ki yeh box kiska hai. Quite a few ppl around me replied negative, that the box wasn't theirs. Then one guy said, box ke saath toh ek chacha khade the na, voh kahaan hai.

Shit, for that moment, i completely lost my head. Possibly, I was standing next to a potential explosive. The train was moving, and was passing through a slum area. If I kick the box out, it might blast on the spot or outside and it blasts outside, it will hurt the slums around. If I don't, it may blow up our coach. I could read a similar feeling on faces of ppl around me. There was a feeling of shock and fear striking them. And ppl started shouting asking ki yeh dabba kiska hai. For a min, no claimers. Then suddenly one guy shouted from the other side of the coach, 'voh mixer mera hai'.

Ppl made that claimant remember all his mothers and sisters but was so nice to see the guy come and pick the box. I felt like hugging him and thanking him.  For a moment, that feeling of terror had actually made us numb.

I have no ill feelings against any community, but the sequence of events that took place instilled a fear in my mind as well. Without any hesitation, I had perhaps accused the old man. I felt bad, but could not make my mind if I was right of thinking so or not. But had my fear been true, there was a possibility I could not have been here to write this mail. Had the person not claimed the mixer, we would have pulled the chain and jumped out of the train, but we did not know how much time we had. The whole 20 mins walk to the office after this journey, I was engrossed in senseless thoughts about my loved ones.

It is bad that our society gets instilled with fear pretty easily. Hurting the minds is perhaps more a success of the offenders than actually hurt someone physically.

Don't take it too seriously, just thought of sharing with you.

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