Rail fare hike, inside a train toilet and a Lady co-passenger

The recent hike in Rail fare had brought wide condemnation to the Narendra Modi Government from many  “patriotic” news channels and political parties. Those, who travel by Rail frequently, know the plight of the Indian Railway passengers. A rail journey, right from ticketing to travel, is an endurance test to your physique, mind and body’s immunity system as you have to amend with the filth, unhygienic food, cockroaches apart from the fear of getting robbed and humiliated, more so if you happen to be a lady passenger.

In the month of March to May, this year, I had to visit frequently with my family from Digboi to Guwahati. I have been recently transferred to Guwahati and still trying to get used to the messy city with its inherent problem of water logging and ever increasing mercury. My two year old son however liked the overnight rail journeys and whenever he spots a train passing through near our place at Noonmati, he points out “bhanga train…bhanga train.. jam…jamm” (See the broken train… broken train …Will go…will go). Indeed Indian rail is now full of those “bhanga” (broken) trains.

I was travelling from Kolkata to Guwahati with a middle aged couple in a 2^nd class sleeper compartment. The year was 1998 and I could hardly afford a flight or a higher class travel then. Those days, I used to talk a lot and make immediate friendship with the co-passengers so that I could bombard them with endless chatting. The wife of the middle aged gentleman was quite a dominating personality and it was she, who used to do the most of the talking while the poor husband had to remain contended being the passive listener. Whenever he occasionally tried to raise his voice to correct or to add  to some of her statements, she  retorted “ chup thaka.. tumi eko najana” ( Shut up… You don’t know anything) which was enough to remind the meek husband the limit beyond which his trespass was not expected.

In the next morning, the train entered the Assam boarder and my biological clock ticked me to hurry off to the toilet.  After the foremost job was over, I was shocked to find the lone water tap in the toilet absolutely running dry. I waited for about 20 odd minutes, heard at least 5 agitated knocks at the door of other passengers and finally with no hope of getting water in the hindsight, I made the best use of the handkerchief I was carrying in my pocket and came out.

After about 20 minutes, it was the turn of my lady co-passenger and she entered into the same toilet. I wondered whether she carried a handkerchief like me and I believe she didn’t. She stayed inside the loo for more than half an hour. When she came out, her beautiful face uttered nothing, but looked like an absolute embodiment of discomfort.

In the entire journey for the next 5-6 hours to Guwahati, neither me nor the lady co-passenger talked while the submissive husband basked in the glory of new found freedom and kept the chattering continue.

With the increase in Rail fare, if Mr. Modi is able to turnaround the Rail infrastructure, no one will be able to write a story like mine sans such colourful experiences inside  an Indian train. That’s one more reason for some people to fight tooth and nail against any fare hike and let the system rot.

You can contact Kamaljit at kamaljitmedhi1975@gmail.com

Mark the Face Behind the Mask

The other day, I was watching the news of the Indians entrapped in the mayhem of sectarian violence of Iraq. These days, the unscrupulous elements seem to be in competition to outdo others in their monstrous pursuits and Iraq has fast turned out to be another Afghanistan, a thorn to the rosy beds of world peacekeepers! Next moment, the TV screen displayed a displaced Iraqi family, living in a UN erected tent and what caught my attention was a small Iraqi boy happily playing a ball near the tent unmindful of the so much of uncertainties around him.

I felt utterly sorry for the poor boy and his family. That little boy represents many more such oppressed childhood by the spiteful consequences. His presence is everywhere; right from Iraq, Sudan, Nigeria to our very own Assam, where in parts, life is still a very cheap commodity.

While the entire world has deplored the massacre of the 1500 odd Iraqi air force recruits, the rebels, armed with AK-47 and AK-56s, RPGs and Rocket launchers, are quite happy to showcase their military might. These are all sophisticated weaponries and require high skill to manufacture. So where from they have obtained them? Are not those suppliers of weapons more responsible for all those senseless killings? When the new Government of India wish to allow 100 % FDI in Defence sector, what becomes even more important is to protect the destination of those manufactured arms.

Till 1990, late Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq with an iron hand. Under him, Iraq was prosperous and liberal even after years of fighting with its neighbor Iran. The autocrat ruler committed a number of crimes against humanity, yet the allied forces, when left Iraq, armed the Kurds to the teeth to fight one of the dreadful sectarian fights in Iraq and still not at all responsible for getting thousands of innocents killed in the process. For what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan today, why not the rulers of the countries including US are not tried by an International court! Perhaps, Mr. Bush and his friends alongwith their predecessors deserve even harsher punishment than meted to Saddam and German Nazi Militias for inflicting such pain on humanity.

When you drive through the wide boulevards with rows of charming palatial buildings and structures, our eyes moisten in appreciation of the civilization and economic might of those countries while forgetting that the foundation on where stands the economic extravaganza is sheer plunder from many countries like ours. The greed of the Spanish saw the Aztec crumbling down with thousands dying from mercury vapor in the forced working ghettos to satiate the Spanish thrust for silver. David Scot, when entered Assam, behaved meaner than a pretty burglar to loot the Ahom King’s treasury. And what about Robert Clive …Instances are countless.

Needless to say that even our country played with fire in the state of Punjab and Lanka. The country burned its fingers too as it lost two Prime Ministers at the hands of the demon called “Frankenstein”.

I am not writing this piece as a hate mongering rhetoric towards west. We do need to have good relation with the west. However, the new Government in Delhi is required to be cautious while dealing with the United States. US has never been anybody’s friend and their offer of friendship is full of opportunism and threats. Nobody becomes your friend without an ulterior motive behind. Strength alone charms people and countries towards friendship. By creating the Islamic terrorism, US and its allies had committed irreparable harms to India’s security than a solitary breach of boarders by our eastern Neighbor.

In the years to come, both India and China will have no more option but to come closer for peaceful existence. While the west remains insular from the turmoil of its own creation due to geographical advantages, India and China can’t shy away from the close happenings at its next door. China’s thinktank needs to review its policy too. No need to encircle each other as time is ripe enough to embrace and become stronger and safer.

You can contact Kamaljit at kamaljitmedhi1975@gmail.com