This is the story of a woman who has traveled almost 2 decades of her life juggling between the stations running after trains in a bid to reach her office on time…for her train was another home, a place where she met other ladies and shared her happy stories or vented out her anguish….and how getting a very own train for her made her life merrier.
20 years ago: Being brought up in the heart of Delhi traveling was never much of a concern. As a student I used to wheel from one destination to another on buses that were like veins of the city….though the time consumed was more but the chit chat with friends made the time fly. But my marriage changed the entire scene. Being married in Faridabad, a National Capital Region proved to be a pain on the traveling part… Despite the fact that thousands of people commuted daily from Faridabad to Delhi the modes were so less. Buses were buzzing with people and I had to scrabble for space to keep a foot even. With no options left I had to turn to the local shuttles.
I still remember my day 1 on the station, I felt so lonely, and was constantly haunted with the memories of those bus rides, the fun I had with my little group of friends. The train crawled through the station and I slowly climbed onto the ladies compartment making my way through the rush. I was amazed to see the way women ran to grab a seat and made adjustments to make place for an extra entrant. I preferred to stand on the door clinging onto the support of the hanging handles. But was soon displaced by men who got onto the ladies compartment as train the train moved. Finding some place for myself I stood behind the men wondering what they were doing in this compartment but too naïve to put on a fight I tried to peep in the outside world.
The train lugged and through the gate I could see the glimpses of a world that existed hidden in the glitz of metros. It was a disgusting sight initially, something that I would have always turned my face away from. But couldn’t as there was no space to turn my head even, people were almost toppling over each other in that compartment. I so very much missed Delhi buses.
For almost a week this routine continued I would board the train from Faridabad and stand on the gate looking at the vagaries of life existing in the capital and then finally get down at Tilak Bridge. I saw ladies fighting in the ladies only compartment with men who would shamelessly get into it and then block their ways, get into obscene activities and cerate a nuisance.
To add to the woes were the beggars and the vendors who would sail through the jam packed compartments and the ladies would whisper “Apna purse bacahke”(keep your purse safe).
The compartment was full of cacophony… but yet it was so full of life…you could actually see that multiculturalism really existed in India and the local Indian trains provided a glimpse of it.
Gradually I made friends who sort of became my extended family with them I shared my sorrows and celebrated my happiness. The local train had become an integral part of my life and I was so soaked in that aura.
For us ladies or the daily passengers this was the place to chat and enjoy. Our journey began and ended with chants and watching catfights and getting into fights with the male passengers who got onto the ladies compartment for fun and at times because of immense rush in the general compartment but yet indulge in teasing and the constables while on duty stood blind.
All the ladies who regularly commuted on this route so very much wanted train where they could move freely and this menace could be avoided. Where we felt safe and there was no male eye loitering for fun, a train which could be ours ‘‘Ladies Special’.
20 years later- This Rakhi was surely special for me. Infact for all those ladies who have been commuting daily through the various shuttles spinning between Delhi and Palwal the Rakhi of 2009 was special. As this was the day when our long made wish came true with the newly appointed union railway minister Mamta Banerjee rolling out NCR’s first ‘Ladies Special’ train from Palwal to New Delhi.
We all were so excited at the thought of having train all for us. As I reached the station on D -day I saw the station buzzing with people and I need not mention most of them were women commuters. The ladies were all giggling and eagerly wating for the train to arrive. As the announcer announced that the train would arrive at platform no. 2 we headed forward. My heart was dancing at the thought of having a train which would be a territory of only the ladies. A place where there would be no dearth of privacy, nobody would overhear our womanly conversations, no more will we have to scrape our way through the crowded gates and no more would we need to fight with men who got onto the ladies compartment and disturb our privacy.
I slowly climbed the stairs soaking the scene on the platform eagerly waiting for Ladies Special to arrive. The announcer again announced about the arrival of the train and we ladies almost jumped onto the tracks to take the first look of our very own train. The blue coloured engine decorated with flowers roared into the station. What a sight it was to watch!!! What contentment we felt!!! It’s something I simply can’t pen down.
We got into the train and it was beautiful. Designed to the utmost comfort it had much more space to accommodate the womenfolk. As I took my seat besides the window I could catch a glimpse of the men standing on the other side of the station. Their faces had drooped down and were no match to the pulsating faces of the ladies that day. Our spirits were escalated and nothing could match it at that point of time.
The ladies distributed sweets and danced cherishing their long awaited victory. There were male and female constables in every compartment keeping a close vigil and doing there duty amazingly well. Ladies were dancing and singing hymns and celebrating there joy. Sitting in my seat I felt so relaxed I no more wanted to stand on the door n in my heart I knew that the rest of my life I would have a peaceful journey where I can chirp with my friends happily and the most important thing deep in my heart I was happy that now as my daughter begins her journey she would have a much safer way to commute to the Capital.
