Yesterday I was watching an Indian movie and in that a person in a running train walks up to the door and tries to open it. When asked she tells that she wanted some fresh air… She cannot open the door and so remains inside. As I was watching it…. I was thinking how dangerous that is and it brought back memories of myself being reckless and foolish.
This particular incident happened I think in 1992… the same might have happened more than once.. I was in an overnight train journey… unreserved compartment… with a few friends… I was in college back then… Since there was no place to sit we were hanging around near the door.. Back then the doors were never closed and there will be people sitting on the steps….
After some stations we got the chance to sit… We were already slightly drunk… we also had some extra drink with us.. sitting means on the steps…. not on a seat…both of us sat on the steps and the train started moving… The train was full like always… there were people lying on the floor as well… We sat there sipping what was some cheap liquor affordable for us college students back then….
We finished drinking and then as irresponsibly as possible threw the bottle out… the sound of the train just did not allow the sound of the bottle breaking on the ground come to anyone… slowly the liquor had started acting…. one hand was firm on the railings and the other was holding a cigarette…
When cigarette was done and a new one should be lit I would leave the hand from the railing and still sitting with legs outside the running train I would lean back into the compartment so I could light up one.. and then back to the old position… It was not just me.. but my friend too… At a time only one lit cigarette would be there.. we shared…
Both drinking and smoking were prohibited in trains even back then I think…. or I am not sure about smoking.. drinking was surely prohibited….
Yesterday watching that small scene I was imagining the different ways that reckless and foolish behavior would have gone.. if anything would have gone wrong.. just dozing off… a mis-step…. yes… it was foolish…. it is not that we did not know… such incidents get reported and yet we continued to do it…
Today may be the train incident might not be happening but even if you look at the young fascinated with reckless driving and other forms of acts… Only the mode and methods have changed and got sophisticated…. young are still young… I thought I should write about it because if there are youngsters reading and listening…
I am here only because what was naturally supposed to happen did not happen for some reason…
The abnormality is me being alive today I guess.. This is not the norm…. Not this one incident.. but many incidents that could have gone a different way… the outcome would have changed…
I know there are still trains running this way… and that is a way of life… and most people don’t have a choice… but with me… I had an option… and I did not chose the right one…
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Categories: Memories, travel, Writing Project
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