Wrong Train

by Devi Gopinath
(Kerala, India)

"Hurry Up" snarled Amma. I trudged behind her clutching my small bag tightly!! We were en route to Kerala for my yearly vacation from Jamshedpur. Dad was already there and he had entrusted us to his friend who gleefully saw us off at the Tata Nagar Railway station.

Thrilled on embarking the journey, me, then, a seven year old, tried to befriend some passengers. The sleeper class those days was unkempt, but still the joy of a rendezvous with relatives kept the spirit high.

Surprisingly though, the compartment was filled with Sikhs unlike the general South Indians. All i remember is a talk, a cry, some shrill voices and after an hour of travel, the train suddenly came to a halt amidst a bridge.

By then Amma was in tears. Some well built men helped us alight the train.. yes.. WE had boarded the wrong train!!!!!!!

God helps as is rightly said... some villagers nearby helped us reach a make shift station and while we waited for some one who could help us board the train to Kerala, we had silent prayers on our lips....

The event was scary and though it sounds hilarious now, would like to add, the icing on the cake was... there was a similar incident in our train too.. thus that train too got delayed.

Hence we boarded the right train and as far as I can remember I enjoyed that vacation the most...

God was there somewhere helping us all the way!~!!