Train journey in Bihar
Fun-loving villagers squatted on the train’s top
Open -to- the sky rides are not chargeable
Under the Indian Railways Act, you see.
Treatment for your soul
A cherubic little boy tickled your sole
He had just mopped the floor under your feet
On the implied promise of a fifty-paise coin.
Three eunuchs of Borivli
Three hijras clapped and sang feistily before you
Only a tenner would hasten their departure.
They want to book their 5′ into 2′ space
Eager berth-seekers hovered around the conductor
Like a halo of monsoon moths around a moving lantern.
Thirst-quenching in Bardoli station
Hygiene-conscious a/c passengers
Shooed away the matka girl
A streetsmart vendor had just sold them
Roadside tap water in an old Kinley bottle.
Lock ,chain and box
The Raipur businessman sprawled on the top berth
Had chainlocked his suitcase to the seat
In the morning he found everything gone,
Lock, chain and box .
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The 6′0 clock local
The six’o clock train puffed outside our backyard
Spraying little black stars
On our grandmother’s wet white saree .
Silhouettes
The railway guard’s flickering lantern
Painted exciting silhouettes
Of the trackside bushes .
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In our childhood we conquered King George
In our childhood we conquered England
Imperial King George
Vanished without trace
As our one-anna coin
Flattened under the goods train.
Parallel lines do meet
The rails of our Sompeta station
Met in the distant hillocks
Proving our geometry teacher entirely wrong.
We dont depend upon wireless
We have put our ears to the rail
The eight’o clock local is on time.
The canine railway inspector
The mongrel in our station comes out briefly
To inspect the non-stop Coromandel express
And then goes back to its sleep under the cement bench
Dont take them for granted !
The goods train rakes
Are waiting impatiently for the engines
They are not to be loose-shunted , you see.
Who will eat my idlis ?
Caterer Krishnan is worried sick
The two hours delay of Charminar express
Will render his idli batter entirely waste.
Fuel-efficiency
Cyclist Velappan crawled through the railway crossing
Holding the cycle above the gate
The tempo driver cursed his luck
His engine had to splutter for full five minutes .
Passengers push train
Our train stops chug-chug in the wild but we do not lose heart
All we passengers from the top ,side,between,below take part
And give the train a gentle push and lo, the train will quickly start.
(When a train stalled in India,passengers did not wait for another train to complete their journey–they got out and pushed it.The train stalled when a passenger pulled the emergency cord and the train came to a stop in a neutral zone.the driver asked passengers to push the train to the next electricity pole about 12 ft. away so he could re-start the train)
The station master’s true colours
At ten the Madras express chugs in
Not stopping but a possibility
If the station master thought red ,not green .
