Writing from a General Coach
It's afternoon. At least 14 hours have passed since the train started a night before from Pune, Maharashtra. The station of Khandwa has probably passed. Passengers are a bit tired. It's jam-packed inside. It's also a marriage season. It's some kind of penance to travel like this. Ask anyone and they will tell how important it is for them to reach their destination. I asked a guy hanging by a cloth tied between the luggage rack and the upper seat, and he replied that her mother is in deathbed. He just has to travel. There is no other option.
From the window, warm air is coming inside. It's a little humid now. I am sitting at a spot in the upper seat alongwith three other guys. Last night we played ludo and made friends! With time, bonhomie between people increases naturally. People would start talking with eachother, and also make jokes. General coach of the train is one of the most happening & most eye-opening places. I feel that it tests us & we are touched by many lives. As one realizes that it's not healthy for the body, one also understands that people have been structurally forced to develop the capacity to bear this. As a public service, it anyway offers a cheap way to travel. India is a socialist state...
Lots of passengers who boarded the train had used up their phone batteries the whole night. Coach's charging point is not working. We are now entering the state of Madhya Pradesh. Since the train started, people have kept coming inside the coach to sell one thing or another. How they keep carrying heavy stuff and manage to pass through this great crowd is beyond simple imagination! There are people who want to sit on the floor, but they had to stand as there is not enough space to sit. There is luggage under & over the seat, over the floor, hanging by the ceiling fan and so on...
One little girl, probably 4-5 years old entered the coach with a Damru. Less than 4 ft tall, she is all by herself. She is wearing colorful bangles on her hands, and a blue cap on her head that has a red thread hanging by it. She is also wearing dark red lipsticks. Her voice is sharp and clear. Confidently, she leaps & jumps forward through the crowd with a Damru in her hand. She stops before the crowd and sings random 4-5 songs, all jumbled. Later she asks for money from the people. Passengers are happy & warm seeing her. They call her "chhoti" and plead her to sing more... She answers bravely to bully calls.
The train keeps running on the track, and so does chhoti inside the general coach, taking minutes inside every section, singing the same songs...
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