SOLDIER HERO!

SOLDIER HERO!

It was one of my earliest train journeys.

As a 5 year old i was travelling from Bangalore to Poona along with my parents.

The 'steam-engine'd train  was chugging away merrily emitting clouds of smoke. 

I had spent my time looking outside;




the landscape attracted me, 

with cows and sheep grazing, 

women with pots on their head, heading to their huts,

distant mountains, nearby electric poles passing the train regularly; 

sometimes on seeing them continuously, I wondered, 

who was moving , I or the poles!

Inside the compartment, only a soldier caught my attention. 

His walk, the way , he sat upright, brought out a trained body.

Everything was fine , when suddenly , the train came to a screeching halt!  

At first, it was thought that somebody had pulled the chain, but that was dismissed;  

Then the soldier got down the cabin, to find out the problem.  

He came back a while later and conveyed the sad  news:-

The train wont proceed further, he said.  

The train guard came later and confirmed the news.

Then came the shocker;  

since there were damages, to the line sleepers, 

the incoming train from Poona to Bangalore was also halted; 

and the passengers of either trains were to get down 

and board the opposite train for onward journey!  

I am talking of the 40's when only single rail line existed there! 

Viewed today, this would look like a stupid decision but had to be followed.

My mother was worried, as we carried a large heavy baggage, 

and she was wondering , 

how on earth, the luggage will be carried to the other train !

As usual the passengers of our compartment followed the policy of  

"each to himself "  and got down to board  the opposite train. 

Then a miracle happened!

The soldier [his name, we learnt later, was Jagdish]  came forward 

to help us out.  

He asked my dad, to accompany him to the opposite train 

to reserve seats for us in the opposite train, 

while carrying some of the luggage.

He must have made at least 4 trips back and forth, 

carrying parts of our luggage.

Finally, he escorted me and my mother to the opposite train;

We thanked him profusely for what he had done.

He smiled and just stated that he was serving 

the country and its people.

When the train reached Poona, he helped us to board 

the connecting train to Bombay , bid goodbye, walked away 

for us to never see him again!  

Years later, as a token of remembrance, 

my mother named her first grand son as Jagdish.


Venkatesh