It was a cold Sunday afternoon. I attended the college for four hours before logging out to meet the other phase of the day with a bit of comfort and relaxation. I had my lunch, paid for it and moved towards the Central Metro station to reach my home safe and sound!
I completed the steps, purchased the token and went to the platform. However, there was an announcement on the late arrival of the train. There was a request to the passengers to bear with the situation! Little later, the train chugged in indolently and I entered one of the compartments, much to my dismay. The lights were off. The thick crowd and the discomfort caused by it irritated me to the core. The train stood in the station for nearly half an hour. Infact we were not sure if any technical glitch had taken place or not! The issue was not clear to us. There was a much hue and cry over the unexpected matter. The doors were open. Passengers left the train to opt for something better! Some of them even asked me if any other mode of transport was available from Central or not. I showed them the route as much as I could!
The hands of clock tested our patience. My patience appeared to reach the verge of collapse! But there was no way to escape! I managed a seat in the thronged compartment and browsed my mobile. Comments from here and there added to the sense of pleasure in the dark compartment!
All of a sudden, the power was restored and I breathed a deep sigh of relief! The train began to move in its usual speed! The ambience of comfort returned and lips curled up in smile!
This was not the first time. There were several instances when passengers were stuck in the mid of the story. Lack of mismanagement and other vital issues for the smooth functioning of the process is the one and absolute reason! Every day millions of passengers travel by metro, but fear never refrians from lurking at the corner of our heart. Not matter how much fast , soothing and comfortable the journey is, it will never be a wise act to have a conventional faith on it! After all , it is an ‘underground statement’ and the trust can dwindle at any point of time without any grain of scepticism!!
– Kunal Roy
( Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Communication, George Group of Colleges, Kolkata)
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