Railway Station... The small village where I come from, railway station has always played a major role in everything. Any occasion in anyone's house, people would be waiting at railway stations to either receive people or to see them off. Anyone visiting their relatives at Kolkata, station is where they wait. From going to office/school/college daily to returning home every weekend, station has always been the most important factor in all the citizens of the small village in South Bengal.
Everything revolved around the station. Market, school, bank, temple, factories everything. It was always full of color, full of life and full of different kind of smells. As someone who has spent 21 years in that small village, I loved the station. I loved the expressions n people's face while they are waiting for the train (the time gap between two trains was at least an hour), loved the conversations that used to happen between two individuals or among a group, the love stories that happened on it, the fights that happened over game of cards, the un-hygenic food that we used to get or the district famous icecream soda water (Gopir Jol), I was in complete awe with the place.
I used to write for a wall magazine which used to hang on one of the pillars of the station. When I was a kid, I used to read the stories on every issue of the wall magazine every day, and wait till the editor changed it every fortnight. They day they asked me to write for it, it was the world for me. I eventually became the editor of it in a couple of years and while I was at helm, the station authorities asked us to get rid of it as they were renovating the platforms. Felt very sad that day.
The station was a place for various love stories. Many couples met on the station and later on got married. I had two romantic improvements myself while waiting at the station. Every Saturday morning I used to take a train at 5:40 am to go to Baruipur, the nearest town for my English tuition. And there was this girl, blue dopey eyes, long hair, sharp nose. I was attracted towards her and so was she. Though my tuition was at 7:30, I used to catch this train, just to spend that one hour extra with her. Fun days those were, last I met her also was on the station itself, seven years ago, married and pregnant. It was me who broke her heart, was a kid then, couldn't understand the priorities in life, couldn't find the difference between good and bad. Now when I look back, I realize, she loved me... a lot. I never understood the depth...
The station also was responsible for one of the biggest accidents that I could've had. That was one of the many near-death experiences I had. It was 5 am in the morning on a Wednesday in July 2001. I was late for the train and while running towards the station I realized, that if I miss the train, I will be late for the district selection match. So I ran faster, and the moment I reached the station, the train started moving, I somehow put my kitbag inside, put one leg on the foot board and almost put the other and then my other leg slipped on the platform which was wet because of the previous night's rain. The train took pace and I was dragging my that leg somehow; I could see the station's coming at an end and if I don't pull my leg up, I wont be able to keep balance and might come under the wheels. So as last resort, I put pressure on my dragging leg, which was bleeding by then and pulled myself up at the last minute. By the way, I scored a half century that day and took two wickets and quite deservingly got selected in the U-19 team.
Station is still the important factor when I go back home to my small village nowadays. Its still the most comfortable and fast way to communicate to Kolkata. I still go there at times to see the facial expressions of people, or to have the best ice cream soda manufactured at our village, or to have the egg puffed rice that we get on the platform. But somehow now I cant connect with the station anymore, blame it on my staying apart for long or the clean and polished and well built thing that it has become. I don't get the same smell that I used to get, I dont get the comfort anymore. Now it's like any other station, and damn, I miss it :( .
To add a little bit of Joe Walsh onto it.
"I was standin' at the station
Out at the end of the line
Feelin' mad, just a bit impatient
And I wish that you would make up my mind
Yes I was out there on the platform
Pay phone keeps eatin' my dimes
And I still don't have an answer
And the train's leavin' right on time
I'm fallin' down
I'm fallin' down
Standin' at the station
Won the battle
Here I am, standin' at the station
Like a gen'ral just relieved of command
I'm fallin' down
I'm fallin' down"
I used to write for a wall magazine which used to hang on one of the pillars of the station. When I was a kid, I used to read the stories on every issue of the wall magazine every day, and wait till the editor changed it every fortnight. They day they asked me to write for it, it was the world for me. I eventually became the editor of it in a couple of years and while I was at helm, the station authorities asked us to get rid of it as they were renovating the platforms. Felt very sad that day.
The station also was responsible for one of the biggest accidents that I could've had. That was one of the many near-death experiences I had. It was 5 am in the morning on a Wednesday in July 2001. I was late for the train and while running towards the station I realized, that if I miss the train, I will be late for the district selection match. So I ran faster, and the moment I reached the station, the train started moving, I somehow put my kitbag inside, put one leg on the foot board and almost put the other and then my other leg slipped on the platform which was wet because of the previous night's rain. The train took pace and I was dragging my that leg somehow; I could see the station's coming at an end and if I don't pull my leg up, I wont be able to keep balance and might come under the wheels. So as last resort, I put pressure on my dragging leg, which was bleeding by then and pulled myself up at the last minute. By the way, I scored a half century that day and took two wickets and quite deservingly got selected in the U-19 team.
Station is still the important factor when I go back home to my small village nowadays. Its still the most comfortable and fast way to communicate to Kolkata. I still go there at times to see the facial expressions of people, or to have the best ice cream soda manufactured at our village, or to have the egg puffed rice that we get on the platform. But somehow now I cant connect with the station anymore, blame it on my staying apart for long or the clean and polished and well built thing that it has become. I don't get the same smell that I used to get, I dont get the comfort anymore. Now it's like any other station, and damn, I miss it :( .
To add a little bit of Joe Walsh onto it.
"I was standin' at the stationOut at the end of the line
Feelin' mad, just a bit impatient
And I wish that you would make up my mind
Yes I was out there on the platform
Pay phone keeps eatin' my dimes
And I still don't have an answer
And the train's leavin' right on time
I'm fallin' down
I'm fallin' down
Standin' at the station
Won the battle
Here I am, standin' at the station
Like a gen'ral just relieved of command
I'm fallin' down
I'm fallin' down"
