Attitudes in contrast

ATTITUDES IN CONTRAST

The hoot of the electric train was audible in the distance. The local MMTS train was announcing its arrival at the Vidynagar station. There was nothing unusual about it and as usual I raised the pace of my walk to see the arrival and departure of the train, which I enjoyed for no reason. I thought I heard a second hoot in the distance and along with it. A sudden cacophony of sounds and hastened foot steps greeted my attention. A few running feet added to the scenario. Looking back, I found two teenaged girls aged may be 18, running along with two elderly ladies. The folks looked to be from a lower middle class, with a rural back ground. "The train has arrived! Quick! Run!" were being shouted as the ladies shuffled and struggled, one particularly, with a kid in her arms. The elderly were aged about 45 to 50 years, and soon they were on the platform panting and heaving heavily. The train's headlight was shining brilliantly, and the roll of the engine entering the station was visible from the platform.

"Oh! We have not purchased the tickets! How can we enter the train?" inquired one voice among the elderly erupted resulting in a row confused instructions, and a number of shouts. The reason for the confusion was understandable. The train was heaving in, and the halt will not be for more than a minute. The tickets were to be purchased from a counter located on the other platform. One of the teenaged girl suddenly got into the act and started running towards the over bridge, but the chances of her returning in time with the tickets were quite remote. Realising this, the shouts were more vehement, and reprimanding. The train was hardly fifty to seventy five feet away, when I saw one of the teenaged girl, jump from the platform on to the rails to cross over to the other platform amidst warnings and protests. The elderly ladies were aghast at the sight and were panicking and shrieks of admonishes went on the air. Amidst these reverberations, the locomotive entered the platform and came to a halt, blinding the sight of the elderly ladies to the other side with concern. No sooner the train had entered, a long hoot and a short hoot announced its departure and it slowly commenced moving. In the melee, I saw the girl who had been to fetch the tickets, jump out of a coach of the train that had began to move, on to the platform, and failing to find her kin, she raised her voice to shout "Aunty, .. Aunty! Where are you? Here are the tickets!" I had failed to see the elderly ladies entering the train but as the girl shouted, a head popped out of the door of the coach with her hands extended to collect the tickets. One of the elderly ladies looked affectionately at the girl, her hands patting her cheeks. "My child! May God bless you, I was looking for you at the other side. Go home safely bete!" She was screaming as the train began gathering speed.

And an hour later, as I was about to cross over the same station to reach the other side, I saw another local train ready to enter the platform and witnessed a similar scenario! I saw a few boys in their early twenties racing to catch the train. Dressed impeccably, briefcase in their hands, they entered the platform as the train chugged in! Suddenly, one of the four shouted, "listen! We forgot to purchase the tickets!", to which another shot back and said
"Who the hell will climb the overhead bridge! Forget about! No one will check! Don't be chicken hearted! And we will miss the train in the process" yelled the other one while the others concurred with him and boarded the train as it came to a halt.