Pursuit Part 2: The Train Journey

The Pursuit : Part One

      Life is a bitch. It never gives you peace of mind especially when you want it the most. The train heading towards Vasco Da Gama was my bitch here. The Hubli station was in stillness until the train appeared from nowhere and woke me up. The beautiful dream bubbled off and I found myself in between some tired travelers staring at me like I am some culprit. I stood up and started moving towards the entrance as the policemen was fast approaching me. Somehow he caught up with me. The stench of pan took me to highs of vomiting as he asked me to show my ticket. Luckily I had the ticket and I escaped.

      I was cursing my fate. My mobile failed to blink and I was finding it hard to blink. Again I was back on the roads for a breath of air. The hour hand was moving slowing approaching 2 AM. The chill was soaring. And I was finding it hard to keep my hands apart from each other.

     The train arrival led to opening of some small tea shops. Some respite to my stomach finally. I found a place for myself that was least dirty and slept on the floors of the station lounge. The fear of being robbed or being licked by dogs never actually allowed me to close my eyes.  I was so damn tired that I finally gave in and closed my eyes only to be woken up by the sound of lathi stick.

     The train I was to board early morning would arrive on platform 3 I heard. So I moved over there and I was a loner on the platform. No lights, no souls, no dogs. It was only me and the chill of the night. I found a bench and tried going back to my sleep. But everything seems so eluded from my mind. The shivers increased and my body couldn’t resist it. Opened my bag and wore another piece of shirt over the existing one. But still my body trembled.

     Lying on the bench I just wished the train would arrive on time. But fate had other plans. The people gathered around by 4:30 AM and I was still lying on the bench. Later I inquired with the coffee walas and they told the train never arrives before 5:30 AM. Amen. He told and my clock seemed stuck forever. Walking the distance of the platform made me realize the time. 15 min past 5 AM the long wait for the train ended.

     It was a general train, all through. I managed to sneak in just to find that I ll have to stand with practically no movement. The old man near me found a cushion seat on my legs. I couldn’t resist but kicked him. In the process I lost my foot s place. Every station the train stopped and the density of people would increase. I was darn sure the train wouldn’t reach in time but still I had hope and asked the man beside me. He told by 10 AM I ll reach Bagalkot. That was another 3 hrs of standing empty stomach.

     The SPB chart buster song Bahut pyaar karte hai form Sajaan was played a minimum 50 times from different persons on their loud china sets. The song is really good and romantic and I would immediately lose myself in my thoughts. But oh so many times , I started hating it. And add on to it the bidi , pan odour. If I was given a chance I would have died rather than take that journey. Just for her I thought. Just for her.