Ramu, Ravi, and Shiva have been inseparable friends since childhood. Now in their 70s, they have found a new routine in their retired lives. They all reside in the same apartment complex in the city and start their day with a refreshing morning walk in the park, a tradition they cherish dearly.

During the walk, it is customary for one of them to tell a story.

Ravi Boards the Train.

At this point, Ramu asked Ravi to recount his youth's experience on the train. Ravi hesitated, so Ramu proceeded to narrate Ravi's story.

This story of Ravi took place in the early 1970s. Ravi, 22 years old, worked in an office in the state capital. He commuted to the city from his hometown, 140 km away, daily by an early morning train and returned by night train using a monthly pass.

With the city's expansion, there were two important railway stations: one for the old city and another for the new city. The train departed first from the old station and made a fifteen-minute stop at the new station. He was waiting at the new station. It was the December winter season. Night temperatures fell below ten degrees Celsius in winter, and Ravi did not wear a sweater.

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

These morning and evening passenger trains were a lifeline for many, especially small businesspeople. 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. But the city was not just a hub for business. 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 a magnet for the bride and groom parties.

Many passengers were waiting at the new 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. Passengers carrying milk cans, vegetable baskets, cloth bundles, and grocery bags were attempting to board the train. Ravi had a small cloth bag.

In the 1970s, the trains had coal-burning locomotive engines. The lights were dim in the compartments. All passengers on the platform tried to push themselves into the compartments. It was a challenge to get a seat. People who had time after their purchases went to the first station to sit comfortably.

The compartments were full of people and their luggage at the starting station. Many people stood with their luggage between or near their legs, some holding the top of the back seat and some holding hangers. Some people sat in front of the toilet door with their baggage, and there was no space for movement. The shadows of the people standing in the aisle made the compartments dark. They had no mobile phones, nor did they carry torch lights.

Ravi entered the compartment with difficulty. He could not find space to sit in the darkness and stood.

 Ravi had been walking and standing all day and needed to rest. He asked an older man for a place to sit. Some seats were arranged parallel across the carriage, while others were positioned longitudinally along the carriage's side, with an aisle between them. The older man, seated on the longitudinal bench, shifted slightly, making room for Ravi at the edge of the seat.

 As he tried to sit, the passenger sitting next to the older man placed the covering rug beside him, rose, and gazed at Ravi intently. The older man feigned sleep. The passenger stood up,  slightly bending as if to respect Ravi with folded hands, and addressed him, 'Great Sir, thank you for boarding the train. Please make yourself comfortable in the seat. I am vacating it for your comfort." Ravi was surprised that the passenger was a twenty-year-old girl, and her remark was sarcastic. He Thought for a moment to get up and offer her a seat. If she wanted, she could sit there as well. Ravi contemplated offering the girl his seat, but she averted her gaze.

He remained silent, unsure of how to respond. Subsequently, the passenger held the hanger in the aisle with her right hand. Ravi contemplated offering the girl his seat, but she averted her gaze.

The girl was 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 swaying on her back was attractive. Her cheeks and eyes were red, expressing her displeasure at being displaced from her seat.

Ravi felt sorry for her but didn't understand why the older man gave him a seat quite quickly, even though a girl was sitting beside him. As Ravi was exhausted from walking and standing all day, he had no choice but to sit, regardless of the consequences.

The Girl Falls onto Ravi's Seat

With the train's forward movement, Ravi felt uncomfortable, his body swinging sideways. He then realised that after the girl removed part of the village rug, the other part covered the older person on his side. He also took shelter under the rug to protect against the cold.

The train movement caused jolts at every rail joint. The people standing in the aisle were swinging back and forth, unable to control their body movements without the support of the handrail. Their hands gripping the handrail got twisted. The situation for the people standing with the support of the seat back was no different. It was dark outside the train. Nothing was visible inside or outside the carriage.

With one heavy jolt, all the passengers standing and sitting jiggled. All standing passengers lost their foothold on the floor and grip on the hangers; some fell to the front, some to the back, and some to the sides. The passengers sitting on seats slipped either to the right, left, or front. The girl standing before Ravi could not control herself; she lost her foothold on the floor, and the hanger in her hand twisted. With fellow standing passengers also having lost their foothold and grip, struggling for a hold, they fell on each other. Unable to control herself, she was about to fall. Ravi also shifted in his seat, and the girl was about to fall onto the compartment floor.  Acting quickly to save her, he swiftly stood up, and she fell onto his seat, holding the bench back. She sat comfortably.

The Girl thinks Positively of Ravi.

The girl was relieved of her fear of hitting anything in the compartment and took a deep breath to ensure a safe landing on the side bench.

 The girl's suspicion of Ravi dissipated once she settled into the seat and nestled under the rug beside the older man. Grateful for being rescued from a potential fall, the shy girl smiled at Ravi. He was pleased that she viewed his assistance favourably.

 The older man looked tired and sleepy. He had an unshaven beard and white hair. Wrinkles lined his forehead and rested below his eyes. He wore a half-hand white shirt and dhoti, with a cloth handbag on his lap.

The Girl Changes Her Stand on Marriage

By this time, the girl's station had arrived. The older man and the girl prepared to get down at the station.

The girl's understanding of the boys changes after Ravi saves her from falling on the train journey.

The girl smiled shyly at Ravi and the train as if to thank them. She and her father got off the train.

After they got off, the passenger next to the older man informed Ravi that the girl was not interested in marriage and ran away from home when her father presented a marriage proposal. Her father searched for her in relatives' houses in the capital and brought her back, assuring her he would not force her into marriage.

Ravi Marries the Girl

After about a week, the marriage broker proposed another marriage for the girl. The father asked the girl, but she did not object and left it to her father's decision.

Then, 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 Ravi and his parents. The bride lifted her veil, surprising both Ravi. To Ravi, she was the same girl from the train, and to her, he was the same person from the train. She smiled at Ravi, and they exchanged smiles. The marriage took place, and the bride and bridegroom were happy.

Her sudden fall beside Ravi during the train journey and Ravi's behaviour altered the course of her life journey. She and Ravi are leading a pleasant, happy life. Ravi hugged Ramu for his story.

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