Moments of Impact #02: Faith, Restored!

(This post has been inspired by and written for the IndiBlogger's Happy Hours, in relation to a recent campaign, 'Look Up Stories'. To know more about Look Up Housing, click here.)


A day like every other, 6.45 pm:

Having had a hectic day at office, I had just boarded our company's shuttle that drops us off at the nearest railway station, from where I take an MRTS train to my area and then, walk home. Overcome by fatigue, I found myself thinking about laundry-fresh pyjamas, hot buttered rotis, and at last, my warm soft bed where I would zone out for the day. Alas! All the good things were still an hour of commute away from my reach and this fact made me feel pretty sorry for myself. 'Poor poor you! Here you are, undergoing so much, just so you could carry on with your dull life', I self-empathized.

Promptly twenty minutes later, I was in the station, waiting for the train along with other commuters. All of us looked equally tired and an air of dejection hung around us. 'Maybe that's what every single one of us here wants to do at the end of each day - just hit the damn sack and slack off. I am not alone in this world', I declared to myself. Suddenly, the familiar whistle of the train pierced into my mind and put an end to the train of thoughts that was running inside. Scuttling, I boarded the train and got myself a comfortable first-class window seat. Taking off, the train sped up gradually and gained on kilometers in seconds.

A minute or two passed by. Slowly, the steady movement of the train relaxed me down and my exhaustion disappeared a little. To while away time, I began observing the people seated nearby. Beside me sat just one guy with a headset, no doubt a software professional, struggling to complete a level in 2048. The seat opposite me was occupied by a woman in her early thirties, who was chattering away on her phone about the fresh veggies she had bought for today's dinner(must have been her mom at the other end, I'm sure). The other two seats were taken by a sweet couple who sat silently, holding hands in a subtle way. Since the guy beside me blocked my view of the seats in the adjacent section, I moved my gaze to the far end of the coach opposite me, where a couple of college-going boys had the foot-board occupied, both their bags dangling from one of their shoulders. A man, who had to be in his fifties, was standing safely behind them. Occasionally, his eyes would linger on the couple before me, though all he could see was just the back of their heads. Then, he would avert his eyes with a scowl. 'Now, that must be one poor dad who's worried whether his daughter is somewhere else, holding hands with someone just like this couple', I joked to myself. I carried on like this for some more minutes to come, observing and making harmless judgments about the tired souls around me.

By the time I was beginning to get bored with the exercise, the next station arrived and a few more commuters boarded the coach. 'Ah well, here they come to be perceived upon by me', I thought and waited for the train to move. Just as the train started, I suddenly heard a shuffle behind me. I turned just in time to see a thin sorry-looking girl leap into the moving train without losing her footing. As I begun to turn back again, I noticed that the girl was holding out her hand confidently to help someone else board the train too. I craned my neck further to catch a glimpse at the person running outside and it was her mother trying to catch up with a huge jute bag on her shoulder. A little worried since the train was gaining speed with every second, I fixated on the scene, waiting for her to get into the train safely. Even the daughter had tensed up by now and was shouting at her, 'Amma amma, seekarama vanga' (Mom mom, come quickly). The mother, face taut with fret too, suddenly lunged forward with more effort, caught hold of her daughter's hand, and tried to spring into the coach. Before my eyes, I saw the lady lose her footing from the effort and fall back on the platform with a thud that sounded heavily dangerous. At about the same time, I heard the daughter give out a shrill scream and begin to jump out to help her mom. 

Before I could grasp the full effect of what was happening right there, the rest of the coach became alive instantly. The guy beside me was up and near the girl in a second. He caught her before she could jump off and kept restraining her until she struggled and finally, fainted from the shock. He dragged her far inside the train, away from the foot-board. The couple too ran forward to help as the elderly man and the college boys came running towards us. By now, I too had come to my senses. I quickly called out to the software guy to carry the girl to our seat. With the couple's help, the guy carried the girl and propped her up carefully on the seat next to me. Without a moment's thought, one of the college boys took out a notebook from his bag and began fanning to give the girl some air. 

'Does anyone have a bottle of water?', asked the lady opposite me. Realizing I had one inside my tote-bag, I hurriedly took it out and gave it to her. Opening the cap, she poured some water on her palm and sprinkled it deftly on the girl's face. The girl's face twitched painfully as she slowly regained consciousness. The very first words that escaped her lips as she opened her tear-filled eyes were, 'Amma? Amma enga? Enna aachu avungaluku?' (Mom? Where is mom? What happened to her?)

'She will be alright, my child. I saw her get up and stand as our train left the station,' said the elderly man kindly.

'I want to see her immediately. Right now. Let me go, please', begged the girl and tried to get up. I placed my hands on her shoulders and forced her down gently to the seat. 

'Okay, does your mother have a mobile? Let us call her and ensure that she is very much alright. Then, you can get down at the next station and wait for your mother until she too takes the next train and reaches', suggested the other college boy. While the girl nodded vigorously and blurted out the number, the elderly man fished out his mobile from the back-pocket and dialed the same. All of us waited for the mother to answer, with bated breath and unblinking eyes.

Only after her mother had picked up the call three rings later and assured that she was completely safe, did all of us relax. The girl too calmed down greatly and even managed to offer a tiny smile, while thanking us profusely for the help. Soon, the train stopped at the next station. The girl again thanked us one final time and got down to wait for her mother. Immediately, the atmosphere inside the coach boomeranged back to the usual silence. We flashed awkward smiles at each other in acknowledgement and returned to occupy our earlier spots.

Come next station, I would also be getting down. I just had a few minutes left to alight. As the train whooshed by without a worry, I sat there looking at every one who had come forward to help. That moment, a new kind of happiness washed over me. With that happiness came a new hope in humanity and an optimistic outlook towards my own life. Whatsoever dull days I crossed, I had to keep on living because I never knew when my being someplace would prove helpful to another soul. Today was one such day :) Feeling light and content, I got up as the train began slowing down at the tracks.

Image Courtesy: Point Community