An Act of Humanity

 The Journey

It was a hectic day. We did a lot of shopping all through the day. We came for a holiday during the summer vacation. We bought sarees, dresses, and many other items that we could not afford in Delhi from Vijayawada. With two kids we were moving all through the day through the busiest streets in the town. And we had to call it a day since we had to catch the train. Running through the traffic traveling by an auto rikshaw was not easy. We were almost missing the train. We could barely reach the station in time. The moment we got into the train, it started moving. We could breathe easily. We were busy spreading the bedding and putting things in place. We did not even notice who was there in the compartment. Slowly we looked around. And found a middle-aged man accompanied by his father on one side and the other berth was vacant. Perhaps someone would get into the train after it stops at Warangal. It was 7 pm and the train started picking up speed.

The Tragedy

The father and son hurriedly opened the packet that they seemed to have brought along. They opened the packet and the father started gulping the food in great hurry. We thought he was hungry and did not seem to have taken food during the day. He swallowed two or three morsels of food and started the other one in a hurry. Something got into his throat and his face turned pale and he was unable to take the food any further. He collapsed to the ground, and by the time we could notice what was happening, his Son tried his best to find out the cause of the problem. He gave one bottle of water to his father to drink but the old man was unable to hold the bottle and he fell to the ground and was losing consciousness as I could see. His son shouted that one piece of chicken that his father was eating seemed to have got stuck in his throat and his father was unable to breathe.

Life lost in seconds

My wife got panicky and the children looked at me with anxiety. I realized the precarious condition immediately and started shouting instantaneously: is there any doctor available on the train? I started running around the compartment raising my tone and voice: is there any doctor, please? The Old man is sinking and unable to breathe. No response came from the compartment where we got into. I ventured into other Compartments since all the compartments are interconnected through a narrow passage. After travelling a distance, I could get hold of two young doctors who accompanied me after listening to the story. By the time they came to the old man’s rescue, he was lying almost unconscious and unable to respond. One doctor came forward to test the pulse and the other one was showing no interest. I shouted back: what is the issue and why are you not making any effort to save the old man.? The doctor who came forward responded by saying it was a medical case and it was all over and they did not want to get into any legal problem since it is going to be a messy situation if the Police were to step in. I presume from the way they are responding; the old man lost his life. Within minutes of their departure from the scene, the old man seemed to have lost his life. It was all over at such a speed; I could not even recollect the kind of commotion and noise that I created by my shouting within the compartment.

The dead body no one wanted

The real ordeal started from then onwards. Immediately, someone alerted the ticket collector who came to check the scene of action. He realized that the old man lost his life. Passengers within the compartment started complaining loudly that the corpse needed to be removed from the compartment immediately. Someone started the campaign and other passengers joined the chorus and demanded the ticket collector to disembark the body in the forthcoming station. They refused to travel with the dead body in the compartment for another 24 hours or so. The ticket collector, looking at the way other passengers were vehemently arguing, agreed to dislodge the body at the next station. It was darkness all over the place and someone did see the next station fast approaching. The train guards had also been alerted and they all came forward to dislodge the body in the station. The ticket collector pulled the chain and the train came to a sudden halt near a small station – I do not remember the name now of course. The ticket collector went outside the compartment, talked to the station master, and came along with two more assistants to pull the dead body out and resume the journey.

The appeal

After the train stopped at the station, I saw the face of the Son who was in tears and was obviously looking for help. He was trying his best to communicate his feelings in Hindi and many passengers were not willing to listen. I got down from the compartment and went inside the cabin of the station master. Before they could decide, I stated that the Son was all alone and did not understand the local language. If they dislodge the body in that station, where would he go and who would help him during the night and thereafter? I told them this was unacceptable inappropriate and highly objectionable. All through the time, I was communicating only in English so that they would listen and respond quickly. After a heated argument for 5 to 10 minutes, the TC agreed on one condition: I needed to speak to the co-passengers and make them agree to travel with the dead body to the destination. I concurred with his opinion and came back and addressed the whole crowd, this time making an emotional appeal in Telugu. I told them that the compartment was not loaded with passengers and the other compartments also were not fully occupied. Those who do not want to travel with the dead body for various reasons could move to other compartments that the train collector will assign. Luckily, there was absolutely no rush and most compartments in and around were not full. Initially, there was great reluctance to move out, but after repeated appeals individually, all agreed to move to the other side. I remained in the compartment along with my wife and two kids.

The end

The journey came to an end the next day. The Son was in complete shock and was crying all along. He threw the food packet into the dustbin and did not eat anything thereafter. We tried our level best to comfort him dragging him into some kind of conversation. The next day, when the train reached Nizamuddin station, we took our luggage and were about to make a quick exit to say goodbye to the Son. He touched my feet, hugged me, and refused to leave my hand. He only said at the end: God bless you all for your act of kindness shown to a stranger. He also thanked my wife for staying back and offering words of comfort all through the journey waking up all through the night As we gathered our bags and got into the taxi, I was filled with sadness for the tragic events of our journey. But I also felt the peace that comes from easing someone's suffering, even just a little. The world spins on with little regard for human plight. But random acts of kindness, no matter how small, remind us of our shared humanity.