A Train to Catch

“Hey! I am hungry; I got to go for a Pizza. “, said Jassi at around 4:30 PM.
“Where are the other guys? Aren’t we getting late? I mean we have a train to catch at 6:30.” I expressed my concern.
“Yash and Samira are ready and waiting for us. You call Jitu and remind him for he will take another half an hour with his usual “getting-late” habit.” Jassi replied.
It was a messed up day in office for almost all of us. Jassi had worked the whole of last night to meet some terrible deadline.
“I am going to the Dominoes across the road. You guys reach there and we’ll get auto-rickshaws.”He said.


Another half an hour and we were down on road with our luggage well set on top of our backs. Jitu had arrived with Ronak late by only 15 minutes. Jassi had got his Pizza packed by now. Within all our efforts of hiring rickshaws for railway station and not overpaying them at the same time, we couldn’t do better than 5:45.
“It’s just 45 more minutes. How the hell do you think we’ll make it given so much of traffic on road?” I asked. “Chill man... I think we’ll make it in time.” replied Jitu.
“Don’t worry Saab! It takes only 30 minutes to reach Nampally” said our rickshaw driver with a degree of confidence.


The six of us started in two rickshaws for the railway station. But a real time problem seldom solves in best time. Thirty minutes wasn’t even the average. Suddenly, it started raining with heavy winds flowing opposite to our direction. The weather would have definitely been fun at any other occasion. But now, it was a real pain for us and the driver.
“We can’t make it to Hyderabad railway station now. It’s bloody impossible. Let’s try to catch it in Secunderabad. It takes another half an hour for the train to reach there.” I said to Jitu and Ronak who were with me in the rickshaw.
“Sounds good, let’s ask others to do the same.” replied Jitu.
In a matter of moments I was busy calling Jassi in the other Rickshaw.

“We need to head for Secunderabad”, I said to Jassi “Let’s instruct the driver to take the next left”
Isn’t it that sometimes the constants in our poorly framed equations turn out to be variables resulting into a totally wrong calculation? We instructed our driver to take the next left for Secunderabad but he refused.
“Saab, you negotiated for Nampally. I’ll take you to Nampally only” said the driver in a firm voice.
“We will pay you whatever you want but take us to Secunderabad railway station” said an arrogant and over-confident me.
“No Saab, I’ll drop you to Nampally only.” He replied and repeated the same in all my attempts to appease him. A mixed feeling of anger and frustration gripped me. Jassi’s rickshaw had already taken the left turn to Secunderabad and it wasn’t wise for us anymore to convince our driver. He had already driven too far along the first route. But ten more minutes of drive filled some air of relaxation into my lungs.
“We kicked our brain cells for free.” I thought.. “We’ll reach well in time. We are just 3-4 KMs short and we still have 15 minutes”


It couldn’t believe my luck when all of a sudden our auto-rickshaw stopped with a gentle sound. It did not take us much time to guess that it had given up. We could no more bet upon it. I felt like murdering the rickshaw driver but somehow acted civilized. But I could feel the rise of adrenaline in my blood.
It’s just 12 more minutes.” said one of us.


Another hunt for a rickshaw started. No Luck! Every rickshaw seemed to be either full or not willing to earn. I thought of asking the status of the other half of us and called Jassi.
“Hey Jassi, I am sorry but our rickshaw has stopped in between and we are figuring out alternatives to reach in time. You go ahead.” I said as soon as I got my call connected.
“Our Rickshaw has stopped too. I am pushing in an attempt to restart it. I guess we’ll have to change it too.” He replied with a surge of laughter. I was sure he would not joke at this moment. I felt puzzled at the way we were getting fetched into a sequence of unlucky events.
“We’ll still try to make it. Just try to reach somehow” I replied.
Suddenly a voice from behind came. “We have got another rickshaw. Let’s go.” It was Ronak.


Another attempt to defy time started. We had exact seven minutes and the driver was the most confident guy for his position. He was driving really well and taking all the short-cuts he could to make us reach just in time.
“We are less than a kilometre from here sir”, he said after driving really fast for about five minutes. Another 5 minutes left. And suddenly his rickshaw stopped.
“What happened?” asked an anxious and desperate me.
“The Petrol is over sir. I have lost the key to the petrol tank and can’t get it filled.” He replied.
“Let’s get another rickshaw” I reacted fast and prompt. We had no time to think. The clock in my cell-phone showed 6:25.


We couldn’t find one single rickshaw or taxi around and our luck was very obvious by now. I requested one of the trolley-auto-rickshaw’s to help us reach the station, but all in vein.
We needed a miracle! A Goddamn miracle!
Suddenly a saviour came in the form of a person who was having his auto-rickshaw parked in a garage to get it serviced. But he realized the need and somehow got his vehicle started and running for us. Two minutes left and we had no other choice than to bet upon him. With some serious limitations of not being able to change the gears well, he made us reach the parking of Hyderabad railway station.
“That is it.. We are here.. Let’s run now” I shouted. The three of us ran without uttering anything next.
We entered the station and figured out the platform number. A bridge to cross and we were there.
“That’s our train on the other side”, I chuckled.


But how could things be so simple for us next. It was 6:32 already. A blow of signal and the train started. It was like we could see our much deserved award being denied to us. I ran as fast as I could, stepped down the over-bridge and jumped into a fairly accelerated train. Wow! It was so relaxing to be in. I had done it.
“But wait a minute,.”, I said to myself..“Where are the other two guys?” I looked behind from the door and they had given up after running for a while. I couldn’t let this happen. The train had to stop. An impulse aroused and in the very next moment I pulled the chain. I never knew it was so simple. Just a mild pull and then a large sound of some vacuum-cut and the train stopped. The passengers sitting in the compartment looked at me in wild amusement and a bunch of policemen ran towards the coach. I immediately left the coach and went to the last connected coach I could go to in opposite direction. I did not want to trap myself into another round of trouble by getting caught next. I had made the train stop for nearly five minutes and I knew the other two would have boarded comfortably.

My cell-phone rang next. It was Jitu. “Hey, where are you? We have boarded the train. Come to S-9. You have the ticket with you.” He said.
I breathed in some more fresh air and said, “You stay there. I am coming. Let me check how well Jassi’s half is doing for Secunderabad”. I cut the phone without listening to Jitu next and called up Jassi. He was not picking up the phone.
“Pick up the phone damn it! I need to know where you are. You do not catch the train at Secunderabad, and we are screwed”. No response. My phone rang again.
“Hey, where are you? I need you here urgently.” Jitu said from the other side as I picked it up.
“Just coming”, I replied.
I started looking for Jitu and Ronak as I passed through the inter-connected sleeper coaches one by one.
“Here he is. But why the hell is he accompanied by these cops?”. It wasn’t for some nice reason for sure. For a moment I thought that they had somehow figured out my pulling the chain and were waiting for me.
“Where were you? These guys are accusing me of having pulled the chain. I can’t believe this.” Jitu was sounding very upset.


So, a new story got framed now. The cops caught my friends for the simple reason that they were the only ones boarding the train when the chain was pulled and they should have the explanation. But the good thing was that neither the cops nor the two of my friends had guessed it so far that it was me who had pulled the chain. My inner self and respect for the law started pushing me for a confession.
“Confess your deed and pay the fine. Be a responsible citizen. This is the way to go.” I was repeating this aloud to myself.
Meanwhile, Jitu was arguing really bad with the cops for the simple reason that he was not guilty and still being charged.
“Give me the proof for your accusation or get someone to testify. If you are not able to prove it was me, I’ll show you next. Lemme have a look at your badge – B.N. Raju. I remember your name very well.” He sounded really pissed off as he spoke.


“Testify! What if he takes us all to the same compartment in which I had pulled the chain and the passengers sitting their identify me.” The whole scene was not getting driven in the right direction. Jitu had unknowingly misbehaved with the cops and the matter was out of our hands now. It’s not that the cops believed us after all this. One of the cops was constantly talking on his walkie-talkie device to some senior officer in Telugu. We sat quite all this while.
He broke the silence after a while, “You want to say anything next, say it to our ACP. He is waiting for you at Secunderabad railway station.” My face turned pale. Things would have been really better if I would have confessed earlier and given away the fine.


My phone was ringing. It was Yash now. “Ya , Where are you?” I asked.
“Where are you? How long will it take the train to reach Secunderabad? Our driver is saying that it will take another half an hour for us to reach there. I think we are not going to make it” She sounded tensed.
“We have boarded the train. But did you say half an hour. We are about to reach in 5 minutes. ” I said. “I am sorry then. We are not getting the train.” She replied.
I cut the phone and sat dumb. “We are not going without them.” I said to Jitu “Let’s get off at Secunderabad.” There couldn’t be a more troublesome day for us. We still had to deal with the cops next. Jitu started riding them really bad.
“Let me meet your ACP and I’ll tell him. You have troubled innocent people. We have not done anything like pulling the chain and we are not frightened. You hear that,, you irresponsible cops !! We have done nothing and we are not frightened.” Jitu was loud and angry. I had no other option than to shut my mouth up. I couldn’t be as confident as he was. But I had to try something.


“What do you want from us? Is it the money?” I asked the cops in a deliberate attempt to know their intentions next.
“Pay the challan and we’ll leave you” one of them said.
“We are not paying you a rupee. We are meeting your ACP. Take us to him” Jitu shouted.
The cops really started losing their grip now. Jitu was vibrating truth in his behaviour which could not be acted otherwise. On the other hand, I was totally robbed by fear. It was safe for me not to speak and let him deal with the matter. What if somehow the true story comes up now? We still had to deal with a senior cop and who knows how well we will do there. Secunderabad station had arrived and the train had stopped. We stepped down to the platform from the coach. One of the cops went to look around for his senior leaving three of us with the other one.

“We are going to the AC coach as we have our reservation there. Where is your ACP?” I asked.
“He is coming.” The cop replied.
“Will he come after we miss our train? We are going to the AC coach.” said Jitu, his voice marked by anger.
“Ok,, one of you stay here and others go. We’ll follow you there.” said the cop. It set me relaxed for a while.
“Let Ronak stay”, I said. Me and Jitu took the entire luggage and walked towards the AC coach.


“Here it is - B1.” said Jitu. The coach was right in front of the main entrance of the railway station at platform no. 1. Jassi, Yash and Samira were nowhere to be seen. The train was about to signal when we saw a “Sardaar” rushing towards me with heavy luggage in his hands.
“It’s Jassi.” I couldn’t feel better without shouting it loud.
“Let’s get in. Where is B1.” He said as he arrived almost running to me.
“It’s right here in front of us” I said and the five of us took no time to board the train next.
“Where is Ronak?” asked Yash.
“He probably is in some sleeper coach with the cops. They are charging us for having pulled the chain.” I replied.
“Have you pulled the chain” asked Samira, her voice marked by surprise.
“No, we have not.” I replied. I did not want everyone sitting nearby to know it.
“This is ridiculous. How can they do this.” She said.


I took Jitu aside next and told him the truth and asked him to instruct Ronak to pay the challan and let the matter go. He called Ronak who was equally adamant on the other side and instructed him to settle the matter by paying something to the cops.
And this is how Ronak settled it. He said to the cops, “We have not pulled the chain. But since you are troubling us, and you have to reply with a challan to your senior, I am paying you the money. Take it but don’t cut it in my name. Cut it on some random name.”
The cops were very pleased to do the same. They escorted Ronak with due respect to the AC coach next. It was a moment of relief for all of us.


“Where is the Pizza I got packed” asked Jassi in a mood to change the topic.
It’s here with me”, replied Jitu and we attacked the Pizza like anything. What had happened in last one hour was the experience of a lifetime for us. And we had not missed the train.