Sammi Reddy and his wife Lalitha sat in a lonely mood, not talking to anyone in the house. It was evening, around 6.00 p.m. in the year 1970. They had not taken any food since morning. With this information, Lalitha’s brother discovered what was happening. He suggested that Sammi Reddy search with relatives in Hyderabad.

Sammi Reddy hails from Ghanpur village in the Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh State. The town is on the Hyderabad-Warangal railway route, and several State road transport buses connect Warangal and Hyderabad en route.

Sammi Reddy was a well-to-do person and was one of the respectable elders of the village. People came to him for solutions to their land and other disputes. He had a daughter, Shyamala, 18 years of age. The other four elder children were married. He was in search of marriage proposals from known families for Shyamala. One auspicious day, he arranged for the bridegroom’s visit with parents to understand the girl and his family’s local stand and financial status. The bridegroom was educated and working. They were expected by 11.00 a.m.

Shyamala’s mother, Lalitha, asked Shyamala to get ready. Shyamala was reluctant. Lalitha tried to convince Shyamala that the boy was good-natured and a government employee. She will lead an excellent life with him. With these words, Lalitha applied turmeric powder paste to her face, hands, and legs. She took a hot water head bath with soap nuts (seeds removed) soaked in water. Lalitha insisted on her wearing a pure silk saree and a matching blouse with a red kumkum bindi on the forehead. Her mother put on her a four-stringed gold chain falling over her chest and a diamond-studded necklace with matching earrings. Her maid helped Shyamala put on two sets of gold bangles in between matching glass bangles on her hands. She was wearing light, sound-making anklets on her feet. The maid decorated her long braided hair with flowers.   

The bridegroom and his parents arrived at about 11 a.m. that day. After the general introductions of elders on either side, they served snacks. The bridegroom’s mother asked for the girl. Shyamala was to bring tea in a tray to all the members sitting in the hall.

Shyamala goes Missing

Lalitha went inside the house to ask Shyamala to come with the tea tray. She could find the tray with tea cups but not Shyamala. She searched the house but to no avail. The maid said that Shyamala had gone to the backyard. After about ten minutes of searching the house and the backyard, she called her husband and informed him. Sammi Reddy also searched the house in vain. 

Sammi Reddy was dumb-stricken, not knowing how to inform the bridegroom party. He and his wife discussed the issue inside the house for over half an hour. The bridegroom party understood that something went wrong with the girl. They called Sammi Reddy and his wife and enquired about the matter. Sammi Reddy, in a depressed mood, said, “Sir, We could not trace Shyamala in the house. We are searching for her.”

The bridegroom party felt insulted. The bridegroom’s parents shouted at Sammi Reddy, “It is YOUR fault for not knowing your daughter’s interests and arranging this meeting. You are at fault for not understanding your daughter, and you claim to be a respectable village person? Shame on you, sir.” They left the house without taking tea.

Before going to the backyard, Shyamala removed all the gold ornaments, including bangles, put them in a cloth bag and kept them in the almirah when everyone was busy with the arrangements for the bridegroom party. She took some money from the almirah. Shyamala silently left the house from the back door to the bus stand and boarded the bus to Hyderabad. At Hyderabad, she arrived at a relative’s house and stayed there. She told them that she had come to visit Charminar.

Ravi’s Work

Ravi, 22 years old, worked in an office in the state capital. He commuted to the city from his hometown, Warangal, 140 km away, daily by an early morning passenger train and returned by night passenger train using a monthly pass.

With the city’s expansion, there were two important railway stations: Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The train departed first from Hyderabad Station and made a fifteen-minute stop at the Secunderabad station. He was waiting at Secunderabad. It was the December winter season. Night temperatures fell below ten degrees Celsius, and Ravi was without a sweater.

Ravi Boards the Train at the Secunderabad Station

People prefer boarding the train at the Secunderabad station to have time for their purchases after office hours.

These morning and evening passenger trains were catering to many tiny business people. Commuters from intermediate stations used them to transport their milk in cans and vegetables in baskets to the city by the morning train and return by the night train. December, with its festive air, was the season for weddings. The city’s markets were a treasure trove, offering a variety of dresses, sarees, and gold ornaments at reasonable rates, making it attractive for the bride and groom parties.

Many passengers were waiting at Secunderabad station. When they heard the train approaching the platform, everyone became alert, grabbed their bags, and moved closer to the platform’s edge to enter the compartment quickly. When the train stopped, they hurried towards the entrance of the general compartment in front of them. There were three general compartments. Passengers carrying milk cans, vegetable baskets, cloth bundles, and grocery bags were attempting to board the train. Ravi had a small cloth bag.

The train had a Coal Burnt Locomotive Engine.

In the 1970s, the trains had coal-burnt locomotive engines. The lights were dim in the compartments, and all passengers on the platform tried to push themselves into them. It was a challenge to get a seat. People boarded with their luggage items at the Hyderabad station for a comfortable chair. At Hyderabad station,  people occupied the general compartments with their luggage; some stood, keeping their luggage between or near their legs, some holding the top of the back seat and some holding hangers.

Ravi entered the compartment with difficulty. He was the last person to enter the compartment. As it was difficult to get a seat or stand, people sat in front of the toilet door with their baggage as a last resort. With the standing people’s shadows, the compartment was dark. Mobile phones were unknown, and they did not carry torch lights.

Ravi could not find space to sit or stand. In his quest for sitting space, he moved forward among the standing people and saw a gap adjoining Sammi Reddy, sitting on the long side bench. 

Ravi had been walking and standing all day and needed to rest. Some seats were arranged parallel across the carriage, while others were positioned longitudinally along the carriage’s side, with an aisle between them.

Ravi touched Sammi Reddy and signalled pleasingly to provide him with a place beside him. Sammi Reddy looked at Ravi. Ravi had been walking and standing all day and looked tired, so he needed to rest. He glanced at Ravi, understood his difficulty and moved slightly, making a little space for Ravi at the edge of the seat.

Sammi Reddy looked lean and tired. He had an unshaven beard and white hair. There were wrinkles on his forehead and below his eyes. He was wearing a half-hands white shirt and dhoti and had a cloth handbag on his lap.

Shyamala gets Angry

As he tried to sit, the passenger sitting next to Sammi Reddy placed the covering rug beside him, rose, and gazed at Sammi Reddy and Ravi intently. Sammi Reddy feigned sleep.

The passenger beside Sammi Reddy was his daughter Shyamala.

Shyamala stood up,  slightly bending as if to respect Ravi with folded hands, and addressed him, ‘Great Sir, thank you for boarding the train. We welcome you onto this train. It is for people like you. Please make yourself comfortable in the seat. We boarded the train at Hyderabad to offer you a seat here. Thank you for allowing me to provide you with a seat on the train. I am vacating it for your ‘Highness’ comfort and glared at her father.” Sammi Reddy pretended to sleep.

Ravi was surprised that the passenger was an eighteen-year-old girl. He sensed her sarcastic remark and remained silent, unsure how to respond. Subsequently, she held the hanger in the aisle with her right hand. Ravi contemplated offering her his seat, but she averted his gaze.

Ravi found Shyamala fair-looking, with a round face, a straight nose, and bright eyes. She was slim and of average height and had a beautiful body shape when she stood up. Her long, braided hair was attractive. Her cheeks and eyes were red, expressing her displeasure at being displaced from her seat.

As Ravi was exhausted from walking and standing all day, he had no choice but to sit, regardless of the consequences.

Shyamala Slips and Falls

With the train’s forward movement, Ravi felt uncomfortable, his body swinging sideways. He then realised that the part of the village rug removed by the girl covered Sammi Reddy on his side. Ravi was in a dilemma as to why Sammi Reddy gave seat by his side. He took shelter under the rug to protect against the cold without thinking much about it.

The train movement caused a swing sideways, with jolts at every rail joint. The rail joints along the length were with fish plates. The people standing in the aisle swung back and forth, unable to control their body movements without the support of the hand grip. With the speed and swing of the train, their gripping hands got twisted. The situation for the people standing with the support of the seat back was no different. It was dark outside the train, and it was the new moon (Amavasya) day. Nothing was visible inside or outside the compartment.

With one heavy jolt, all the passengers standing and sitting jiggled. All standing passengers lost foot grip on the floor and the hangers; some fell to the front, some to the back, and some to the sides. The passengers sitting on seats slid either to the right, left, or front. The standing Shyamala lost control of herself; she lost her foot grip on the floor, her hand twisted, and her grip on the hanger. With fellow standing passengers having lost their foot grip, struggling for a hold, they fell on each other. With the jerk, Ravi slid on his seat.

Unable to control herself, Shyamala fell to the long side bench beside Ravi, and at that instant, she was about to hit her head against the bench and drop onto the compartment floor with a head injury. Acting quickly to save her, he swiftly stood up, and she fell onto his seat with her hands resting on the bench. She felt relieved and sat on the bench comfortably.

Shyamala Thinks Positively of Ravi

Shyamala was relieved of her fear of head injury in the compartment and took a deep breath to ensure a safe landing on the long side bench.

 Her suspicion of Ravi dissipated once she settled into the seat and nestled under the rug beside Sammi Reddy. Grateful for being rescued from a potential fall, the shy Shyamala smiled at Ravi. He was pleased that she viewed his assistance positively.

Sammi Reddy observed and pretended to sleep.

Shyamala Changes Her Stand on Marriage

By this time, Ghanpur station had arrived. Sammi Reddy and Shyamala prepared to get down at the station.

Shyamala’s perception of boys got changed after Ravi saved her from falling on the train.

Shyamala smiled shyly at Ravi as if to thank him. She and her father got off the train.

After they got off, the passenger sitting beside Sammi Reddy informed Ravi that the girl was not interested in marriage and ran away from home when her father brought a marriage party. Her father searched for her in relatives’ houses in Hyderabad and brought her back, assuring her he would not force her into marriage.

Shyamala gets Married

After about a week, the marriage broker proposed another marriage for Shyamala. Sammi Reddy asked Shyamala for her opinion, and she left the decision to her father.

On an auspicious day, the bridegroom and his parents came for mutual understanding of families, the bride, and the bridegroom.

The beautifully dressed bride came and sat before the bridegroom and his parents. The bride lifted her face. It was a surprise for both the bride and the groom. For Ravi, she was the same girl on the train; to Shyamala, he was the same boy on the train. Shyamala smiled at Ravi, and they exchanged smiles. The marriage took place, and the bride and bridegroom were happy.

Shyamala’s sudden fall beside Ravi during the train journey and Ravi’s behaviour altered the course of Shyamala’s life journey. Shyamala and Ravi are leading a pleasant, happy life.

Sammi Reddy had seen Ravi’s photo earlier from the marriage broker and offered a seat beside him on the train.

**********The End**************

About Author: M. Prabhakar, an eighty-one-year-old is retired from the engineering education field. He is presently into writing books and short stories.