How many faces do we see every day? All strange faces. All of them with some questions in their minds. All of them with a hope in the eyes. Some of them regretting, some smiling, some nervous and some looking for the next day to come, regardless of how the rest of the day will pass. We see them every day; but who recognizes the face that we carry? How does it matter to us even if they die the very next moment or win a lottery suddenly? Who cares? That’s the only way we choose.
I used work for a Hotel in Andheri a couple of years back, I worked there for a short period of time. I used to regret for working till late night. I hated the job so much but I did it just to learn and collect some experience to move further for further courses. Sometimes, things don’t turn up as you think they will. I had to quit the job and take a supplementary decision soon in a short notice time. This was the last day of my job. I was happy leaving this job but Pratik, the best friend I had there was very much affected by the cut out. His family background was not efficient to take up his expanses as his mother was the only person earning. He used to stay with some working men at Lower Parel. It was a day when he actually cried his heart out to me. I never knew that a friend of mine would have so many problems to deal with. He was just 20, a two years elder to me; and he had to run his home without a job.
It was an unusual day for us. We left after a short farewell from other colleagues. It was too late. We caught the last train from Andheri and I thought to drop him to his room which he rented near Lower Parel. Usually, the last train has a few working people in wagon. This was an empty train. There were just four heads in the wagon including us. Pratik and I were standing at the door. The speed of train could leave drops on my face streaming down from his eyes. I could understand his feelings but could not say a word to add-in to the flow. I just kept silent. We didn’t speak till we reach Bandra.
A sudden scream of a girl from the adjacent boggy shook us. We got down at Mahim Junction. The two men in the same boggy got down and ran away as something wrong was going to happen. I was scared because the whole train was empty and we were in the central wagons. Another man of age around 28 got down from that wagon. Pratik shouted him to stop and he ran after him. I moved to the next wagon where man got down from. I saw a young girl of age about 25 lying in the isle and stabbed by a knife in the stomach but was alive still. I was too scared even to go near the girl. The train suddenly started moving. I wanted to get down so that the blame would not come on me.
I gathered all the strength to jump off from the moving train before it leaves the platform. I went near the door and was about to jump off but I was pushed in by a body. It was an unnatural hit that stroke my head hard on a steel bar inside the train near the door. It was Pratik, I fell near the door. I got hurt on head. All I could see was a flash of light and blurred figures. I remember, I got up on his laps when the train was stopped in the middle of Matunga and Mahim stations. A few people were gathered near me and the girl who was stabbed. ‘Suhana. Suhana naam hai uska. Stretcher bulaya hai hospital leke jayenge, tu thik to hai?’ Pratik said. He fortunately, had pulled the chains when we were not very far from the station. I got down on the track and ran towards the stretcher. A person asked me my name holding my arm very tightly. Looking at his eyes I understood we both were in a big trouble now. ‘Jaydatta’, I said. A soft uttering voice touched my right ear, ‘Thank you.’ It was Suhana. She was lifted on stretcher and moved to the hospital in an ambulance, while Pratik and I were dragged to the Mahim Railway Police Station.
They say you have many things to learn from life, some of them need understanding and some of them need you to fulfil them. What if I had jumped off the train? I might have hurt myself but what would happen to Suhana? What if we both were not on the same train in the adjacent boggy? Would I be able to forget this instant ever? I would just think about the girl I saw in the isle, stabbed and wounded with a knife. I would just regret that I could help her but I did not.
Pratik was first taken inside a room next was me. After a long discussion in the Police Station we were taken to a van. I had no idea where they took us. The van stopped somewhere; I could just see a few lights from the holes on the dome of the van. I was very angry with Pratik. Blue morning rays peeped into the van. I realized we spent more than five hours. Pratik put his hand on my shoulder saying ‘Don’t worry Jay, you won’t be in any trouble. I’ll make sure you won’t meet any trouble. Just trust me.’ A cracking sound of the metal opened the doors. We were at the hospital. We quietly followed the Police personnel. I could see all the faces turning towards us, looking at us strangely. Pratik, held my hand and said, ‘Don’t worry.’ Till I gather any strength to say anything, an old man with a grey beard and a white Pathani came before us. The police man said this is that boy pointing at Pratik. In a fraction of second that man fell at his feet saying ‘Shukriya.’ Pratik sat down with him and hugged him. Suhana’s mother was called from inside. She burst into tears and thanked us. Suhana was safe and she gave three names of men who she got into the train with. They were caught from Santacruz the very next day.
Do we actually care for a person we don’t know? Can we actually be someone for somebody we never knew? The answer stays within us. Everybody has problems. It’s about how we deal with it. Pratik taught me a duty of humanity. Unfortunately, we need teachers to teach. This could have been an incident in my life for which I would regret ever, but now it is the one I feel proud of.
N-JOY
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