By Savitri Narayanan
In the morning, as he opened his eyes, Salim could sense the sunshine. He jumped out of the bed and gazed out of the window. Yes, the sky was clear and the sun was up in the eastern sky!
For the past few days it had been raining incessantly and around Agra Cantonment. Life had nearly come to a standstill. Following the department’s orders, the schools remained closed.
‘Will the schools be open?’ thought Salim as he walked outdoors.
“Get back to bed; enjoy the holiday, son!” said Ayesha, her voice oozing with affection.
‘She must have got up early,’ thought Salim. The cooking pot was already on the stove and there she was kneading the flour. Abbajan must be getting ready to go to work and his lunch box couldn’t be late by a minute! Just like Salim’s lunchbox on school days!
Salim was in Class V in the nearby government school. Originally from Muzaffarnagar, a few years ago the family had moved to Agra.
“It’s a city full of tourists, we’ll be able to earn some money somehow!” Abbajaan had said as they boarded the train to Agra. Soon they had found a room in a nearby basti and Abbajaan started working for the railways as a daily labourer. Whichever shift he worked in, Abbajaan carried his meal with him.
“Ammi, do I go to school today?” asked Salim, his eyes on the patch of sunlight on the kitchen floor. “It’s not raining!”
“Can’t you remember, today is Saturday!” Amijan laughed.
Since it kept pouring and the school remained closed, Salim had truly lost track of the days! It was just rain, rain and rain! Continuous rain, thunder and lightning followed by frequent downpour, drizzle, light rain or cloudy sky threatening to rain!
‘The sunshine after so long, that too on a holiday!’ Salim bounced out with his favourite ball. He loved to hang around the railway station. There was something fascinating about the trains. They made a grand entry, blaring the horn. The signals changed from red to amber to green in various tracks as and when the trains approached. Some trains stopped and some just went past. If the train stopped, the platforms would come to life. There would be people all over – getting in and out of the train along with their baggage, passengers who stepped out in a hurry to refill their water bottles from the taps on the platforms and those who came to see off or receive passengers, exchanging gifts and pleasantries. Within moments things would happen simultaneously i.e. the station master would come out with the green flag under his arms and wait for the signal from the train guard at the far end of the train, he would signal the loco-pilot and the green flag would go up. Instantly, the engine would come to life, horns would blare and the train would depart after which the platform would turn quiet again.
Salim was fascinated by trains and learnt a lot by hanging around and observing things. He noticed the guards, trackmen and technicians at their various tasks, like checking the signals, inspecting and maintaining the tracks and also discussing various issues.
‘After my schooling, I’ll do a diploma in railway engineering and become a loco-pilot,’ Salim thought often. The ‘loco-pilot’ was such an important person! Imagine being in charge of the train and its hundreds of passengers!
As he roamed around, Salim noticed three trackmen and a supervisor discussing something with great concern.
“The rain has washed off all the soil and pebbles beneath the track!”
“This patch of the track, almost a metre in length, is hanging in thin air!”
“Needs immediate repair, can’t take the weight of a train!”
“Run, inform the station master! The Agra Superfast Express is due any time, hope NOT on this track!”
“It’ll bypass this station, isn’t it? Or does it have a stop here?”
“You run to the station master before he gives the signals”, said the supervisor. “You get the toolbox, let me think of a way to warn any approaching train….”
It was then that Salim noticed smoke in the distance. A train was approaching! Would it take this track?
As the adults chalked out their strategy, Salim got an idea. Instantly he moved out and ran along the tracks in the direction of the approaching train. As he ran, he removed his shirt and waved it at the train.
‘God! Please make sure the loco-pilot sees me!’, was his prayer, ‘God! Let him sense the danger, make him apply the brakes!’
The train took its time to slow down and stop, just a few metres away from the damaged tracks! The technical team got on their work to repair the tracks, the station master and a few officials walked in to assess the situation, the loco-pilot and assistant loco pilot too got down from their cabin. By then a small crowd had assembled.
Salim had collapsed on the ground.
“Thank God, I noticed the boy standing alone waving his shirt,” said the loco-pilot.
By now a couple of people were reviving Salim with first aid.
“Admire his presence of mind! His timely action saved hundreds of lives!” said the loco-pilot and got back into the cabin. The station master worked out the track changes. The repairing work continued as the green flag went up, the train blew the horn, and chugged away!
“I too will be a loco-pilot one day!” Salim told the crowd that showered him with compliments.
(Savitri Narayanan is a retired educationist at present in Bangaluru. A mother and grandmother, loves readig, writing and
travelling.)
