A Rainy Day

Written in 2014

It was a rainy day as most days of this monsoon had been. We were at Lonavla railway station waiting for the Indrayani Express which would take us back to Mumbai. We were nearing the end of an amazing weekend in this picturesque hill station which was made even better by the constant drizzle.

It was a while since we had been on a holiday with my new job not giving me the luxury of a break. With my daughter’s vacation coming to an end this weekend, my wife and I decided to pack our bags and go out for a weekend to the nearest hill station from Mumbai i.e. Lonavla. To make the experience even better, we decided to travel by train.
The journey to Lonavla was an exhilarating experience for our 8 year old daughter as she watched in amazement at the vivid colours of the monsoon. She jumped in glee seeing the many waterfalls that seemed to magically appear in the Western Ghats at this time of the year. She held my hand tightly when the train passed through one of the many tunnels that are a feature of this short train journey but slowly got used to it by the time we passed through the fifth or sixth one.
In Lonavla, the three of us had a wonderful time under the numerous waterfalls, having a cup of hot tea at Tiger Point or a masaledharbhutha (Spicy corn) at one of the many viewing points dotting this famous tourist destination.
It was a tired threesome who was now waiting at the station as the train chugged in. Having settled in our seats, I took a moment to look around. My wife had a happy but tired look as she placed her head on my shoulder. My daughter still had the energy to go on and onabout the wonderful things she did during the past couple of days to her grandparents who had just called on my mobile phone. With a smile on my face, I looked outside the window to see the train slowly moving out of the Lonavla station.
Life seemed so wonderful around the people I loved the most.
As I replayed the wonderful moments of the past couple of days, the trainslowly made its way into Khandala station. There was a crowd of people waiting to board the train at this station as well. As the train came to a halt, I looked outside the window. Among the many people moving about, my eyes fell on this family of a father, mother and their 2 kids who were standing just outside our window. They were looking around anxiously and from what I could hear from their conversation amid the din, they were apparently searching for the right compartment. Suddenly, in a flash, a vivid memory of a similar rainy evening started playing out in my mind.
It was about 20 years ago, the time I was studying in an Engineering college in Pune. I and a few friends had spent a day in Khandala on our way to Mumbai for our vacations and we were waiting at the station for the next available train. Ofcourse, like most students, we did not have a reservation so were all prepared to test our skills of boarding the train even before it came to halt at the platform and thereby get one of the many unreserved seats. Among the many revelers who were waiting for the train, there was this family of four, the husband, wife and 2 small kids who were standing close to where we were. Amid the leg pulling going on between us friends, I could hear the two kids all excited as they were recollecting the things that they had done during their holiday. In between their conversations, the small boy was asking for something to drink and the father was trying to silence him with a promise to get him something once they boarded the train.
The shrill whistle of the approaching train suddenly started amelee as everyone jostled for the right positions to board the train. Our tried and tested skills worked well as we all jumped onto the train and were seated even before the train came to a halt. As we took our seats, I could sense that the noise outside had suddenly become louder and the faces of people outside, which is normally shrouded in anxiety to get into the train, seemed to change to that of shock. They were all pointing to something or someone on the platform behind us. As everyone crowded near the window to find out the reason for the sudden disturbance, I and a friend decided to venture out of the train and informed our other friends to keep our seats blocked. As I looked out, I could see a mass of people in one particular area of the platform, a few compartments behind us. As our curiosity got the better of us, we made our way towards this crowd only to hear passing remarks like ‘Oh no…he seemed to have slipped’….’Is he still alive…..’, ‘His legs came under the train…’. As we made our way to the front of the gathered crowd, I got the shock of my life.
There was a man lying down on the platform with blood all over him. He seemed to be breathing but was otherwise motionless. Just as I came out of the momentary shock, another sight sent a shiver down my spine.
Standing next to the body were the lady and the 2 kids, whom we had seen just before boarding the train.It dawned upon me that the man lying on the ground was the father. The lady was sobbing hysterically and the two kids were looking around with a surprised look on their faces. The small child may still be waiting for the glass of water that his father had promised but there he was lying on the ground in a pool of blood.
The world around me suddenly turned silent and my body felt numb...
“Daddy, look at that wonderful waterfall”…I turned to see my daughter frantically waving for me from her window seat. ”Come fast…else you will miss it”.
I gave a wry smile to cover the tears that were welling in my eyes but could not get up. I was filled with a sense of grief. Did I see a dream or was it a real tragedy that was still residing in some corner of my memory? Amid the sounds of laughter that filled the compartment, some questions cropped up in my mind….Did the man survive? How did the family cope with the tragedy?
Life is indeed wonderful with our loved ones around. We however make the mistake of taking life for granted and do not spend quality time with them. We need to realize before it is too late that life can also be very cruel when we least expect it.

Coach Ram
https://www.coach-ram.in

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