Silent Cry
It was a hot summer afternoon and the sun was smiling with utmost
pleasure. My colleague and I were deputed to go to our Council’s main office at
Wellington. Like always, we decided to travel by local train. As we were getting
late, we hastily bought tickets for ourselves and jumped on to the first train
that arrived on the platform. Considering the crowd, I guessed, it was Namkhana
Local. In spite of all its squalor, we customarily rode on to the ladies compartment, made our way through the crowd and luckily managed two seats for
ourselves.
While I was squeezing in, I noticed a lady in her 20s,
wearing a cheap but flashy sari, sitting in front of me. She was carrying one
child on her lap. Another was sitting beside her while the third one was hanging on the window beam. From their
conversation it was clear that these were her children. Though they were not
triplets, they could not be graded above the age-range of toddlers. When I was making
myself comfortable I felt a
bag beneath my seat. This was common in local trains. So I didn’t pay much heed . The children were creating such ruckus that my entire attention got diverted towards them. And I must not forget to mention: everyone was feeling irritated!
As the train whistled in to Jadavpur, the lady wiggled up.
She started pulling out bags and baggage not only from the bunkers, but also from
the hollows under the seats. Even I was asked to raise my legs. And guess what
came out???? Three live roosters , all
tied up together and shoved inside a nylon bag!!!! At that point of time I
exactly felt what most of you are feeling now....exasperated!!!
This lady, along with her children and her baggage and three
roosters had to get down at Ballygunge, which was two stations following Jadavpore. The sight was unnerving! The girl that was
sitting on her lap refused to get down. She was desperately clinging on to her
mother, while the second daughter was hopping about ready to get down at any
station. Whereas, the eldest one, also a
girl, was simply perplexed. This mayhem was enough to antagonize all her
co-passengers. After all, nobody wanted
to look like war victims even before they reached their destinations.
In exchange of the scorn that she was receiving, all that she
could reciprocate was a prayer to tolerate her for two more stoppage. When few ladies exclaimed and cursed her for travelling alone with unmanageable children, she promptly confirmed with a smile of conviction that her husband
would come to receive her at the Ballygunge station.
Saying that, she resumed her business. I could see that she desperately needed help. And after a point of time I couldn’t help myself from lending my
hand. My friend along with some other passengers discouraged me, fearing her to
be a pickpocket of some sort, but I chose to follow my heart. She seemed to me a meek victim of her
situation and not the victimizer. I
asked my colleague to hold my bag as I got up .
At first the lady was reluctant to take my help. Then her
better judgment accepted it. I carried two of her travelling bags along with
that nylon one occupied by roosters. Surprisingly, those were not making me
feel disgusted anymore. We nudged and pushed and maneuvered our way through the
crowd, to the door and found a vantage point for ourselves. She would get down
from the train with her daughters while I would hand-over the luggage to her
husband.
The train reached platform. She got down with her
children. Then she stretched her hands towards me asking for the luggage. I was
looking for her husband and his absence startled me . I inquired, “ Where is
your husband?” Her response was a smile. This time a plaintive one, as if she
knew that her husband would not be coming. Before I could question any further
, the train whistled out of the station.
I stood at the gate and saw her struggle with those luggage
and children. Gradually she faded away from my sight. I hope she has found
someone to help her. She needed it.
With a sigh I budged my way through the passengers and reclined
to my seat... wondering what difference can a “ Girl Child’s day”, a “ Woman’s
Day” or a “ Mother’s Day” make where the basic scenario is like this ?
