A jam-packed Indian Railways coach forming a tithe of a somewhat ancient structure on wheels which is somehow made to cover a distance million miles greater than its length with the aid of 15-20 minute stops after every 45 minutes or so, as if to take breath; the inner atmosphere being dominated by the cries of the local vendors pursuing hard to sell off a few plates of Rajmah-chawal and Paani-puris(reflecting the culmination of unhygienic levels) and the marauding of the unruly kids showing the failure of their mothers to put them to sleep; you being the only one of your kind in the entire compartment, as if a lotus in the mud because of a sturdy travelling bag on your shoulders, a winsome watch in your wrist and a bit modern apparel adorning your body, holding on bravely to a space barely enough to accommodate your feet, but bequeathed to you by a noble person who got off at the last stop, leaving you only to be ogled by one and all for a few minutes after you enter the arena:- The conditions seem just perfect for a coliform bacteria to infiltrate into your body through the porous boundary lines.
Anyway, you reach home after the tiring and ordinary journey, cherish your home-coming initially and the very next day……aaacchhooo! What was that? The first blow-out? Perhaps this indicates the beginning of the bacterial escapades inside your body. What next? Your glowing face is doused out, the cheeks turn from pink to pale and the infection in you intensifies with every breath you inhale. Out comes a menagerie of the medical examinations you have to undergo and consequently you’re put on a diet studded with Crocins, Zenthrils and Roxid-150s, the prescriptions going on and on at least for a week. The credit for this care goes to your dear dad and if he’s a doctor himself, better stay prepared to face the strictness a bit more, in fact a lot more.
On your mom’s part, the scene is a bit different for she’s a firm believer of the desi-nuskhaas (homely remedies) as well. So you have to simultaneously pass through gauntlets of salt-water gargles, consume karahs(potions) made of a thousand ingredients and also listen quietly to her advice, which you normally don’t when you’re 100%! This calls for high levels of tolerance from the patient’s side, particularly if he’s in his teens:p
But now, taking the serious route, what I wanted to show form the above events is the growing divide in our society! Confused? Don’t be. The scene could’ve been different and healthy if the journey were in the shade of an air-conditioned deluxe compartment, instead of the general one. You could’ve been hail and hearty then. So, have we become so addicted to this princely lifestyle that we could no longer mix up with the other level of the society? Unfortunately, the answer may be yes and this is an indirect discrimination! It’s such a shame that we cover up for this kind of attitude with the excuses of a safe and a sound journey. What about those travelling normally? Are they not safe then? Are their lives not precious? The fact looks trivial but makes sense.
I was really shocked to learn the things this incident introduced me to and I regret my mistake. So, will I be going by the same old and primitive vehicle again…….You never know....:)
No comments:
Post a Comment