When Traveller Met Life

Heya buddy
So here i am writing for the first time a short story that starts and ends up within a day. The story of a traveller who just end up having a near death experience.

Let me mention certain things in the beginning so that anyone of you who might get easily bored can just leave this here only.
First of all this short story might be a bit long.
Secondly after reading this i promise you will be certainly take something new within you that is you will learn and
Lastly i would like to say that this is based on the quote : All those who wander are not lost. But yeah if you are lost please go wander you will know who you are and probably meet your own self. I can bet over that.

So here we begin ....lets move with me to pune station where it all started.
It was as usual a cloudy day here and rush on the station in the morning of all those ready to go to their offices.
What i noticed was that earning penny's is not that much easy, people do travel up down for 5 hours just to go mumbai and come back the same day.
Train arrived and everyone just rushed for their seats without giving a second thought on what they might be heading to. I was pretty excited for the most awaited 28 hours journey ahead of me unaware of the fact that was there just away 4 hours from me.

Believe me when i say that its heaven when you go from pune to mumbai. I had that middle berth...haha the most tragic one because nither you can sit nor you can look out of the window which is one of the most important and favourite activity for a traveller. You know they say it correctly that windows witness more confessions then any temples and more enough then your Sarahah.
It was really soothing to witness and feel on my body that cold wind coming straight away from the mountains - i say God`s best creation on this earth.
Lucky me got the chance to be on the window seat and the thought processing started.
I was directly looking at what i say nature's best gift for which i have been striving my whole life. Now please imagine what i am saying - mountains flooded with greenry over them and on top of which clouds that can easily be seen like a waterfall coming over in the form of smoke over those mountains. A single road visible from the window over which little little trucks and cars were going, making you think that how lucky are they witnessing this nature from so close. Now combine this scenery of green cloudy mountains with this single road. Isnt that awesome and here comes itself the god in the form of children waving at your train shouting out happily....woohhhh why we just grew up as this is the best thing just watching a train waving to thousands with a smile which only a child can do and certainly unluckily we have somewhere killed that little kid of ourself.

There may be many stations in between having thousands speaking marathi but the two you will remember are Lonavala and Khandala, not because they are the most heard names but because in this journey of 4 hours these two places are the best.
Now let me explain what I feel are the types of travellers - the one who observes and wants to learn from others and then the one who wants to observe but want to know self and then there comes the third one who just want to travel escaping chaos.
So I count myself amongst the first category and trying what i could possibly observe and learn from all those who were running making a life in train.

"And the scene begins....."
The train in which i was traveling was to reach Dadar by 11:45 and yeah it did but due to heavy rainfall it got stuck just before 1km from dadar. And the never ending wait begins.
With every tickle on my watch it was just making my heartbeats go fast as i had to catch a train to bikaner which was to depart at 3 pm from Bandra terminus.
I waited there in the train for 1 hour and which i consider the biggest mistake i made as now the tracks were a swimming pool.
I waited but now the time had come when i was to decide whether to stay there or to just gather my guts to jump in that pool and walk for 1 km with such a heavy rain screaming over me and guess what, i jumped.
I still can hear those voices from the train shouting come back there might be current in the water, some in hindi some in marathi. But i just kept walking kept running till the time i touched dadar platform and when i did it was the first time i was so happy to be on a platform.
The problems were not over yet i rushed to the exit with water in my shoes. The only hope left to me was a taxi to bandra terminus but my hopes wiped away with the rain as no one was ready to go no matter how much you are ready to pay. Now i had a clear indication that what was soothing for me now have become troublesome.
But wait where there is a will there is a way.
I heard an announcement - Due to heavy rain all local trains have been cancelled and it will be the last train to Andheri moving from platform 3.
I just rushed to that train with all the power that i had but you know when its the last train what else one can expect other then just crowd running to somehow be in it.
The train started moving and i was still running for it,slowly slowly the train started getting its speed and i was still running.....i only had one thing in mind no matter what this is the only way out of here, i just threw myself to the gate unaware of the fact that it could have taken my life but thanks to the guys who just held my hands and here was i hanging out of the gate taking use of height to be in and finally i was in the last local.

After reaching Bandra i was only 1 km away from Bandra terminus. I was happy that i made it to here but somewhere i knew the problem was not yet over so i just kept running.
Two of my eyes were no more now as that last local train took them over from me - my specs.
As i came out of Bandra station you won't believe me but i saw cars floating on the roads people running to save their lives shouting screaming crying. Yes this view of people begging to the blackyellow taxis filled my eyes with water but no this wasn't the time to cry.
I started running once again and luckily found an auto on the flyover whose driver was drunk badly drunk.
Always remember when you are in trouble everything just works for you and this drunk driver was the only hope i had now. With a promise to pay him enough money that he could buy some bottles for him i grasped the deal and he took me too Bandra terminus.
Finally reaching there looking at my train right in front of me i just fell over knees crying. Yes this was the time to shread some tears.

The shopkeeper on the platform was about to close so i just took something to eat and plenty of food in case i have to bear more then this. Each and every second was so hard as this screaming constant rain bought one thing to mind that very soon tracks will disappear and the train won't move any further.
This is exactly what happened and now i had only one thing to do like others and that was pray.
But for an atheist this is the only problem you don't know on whom to put your hopes.

Now along with passengers started coming news from the outside that they saw Indian Navy on the roads helping people, some said they saw high tides crossing the marine drive whics means there wasn't any way out for the flooded tracks.
I heard people being ready to go back but i knew there wasn't any going back for me. The only way to go outside was an underground tunnel but after spending 5 hours sitting in the train everyone got to know that the underground way has now become a black box full of water. This means there wasn't any going back for anyone from here.
Don't know for what reason but i just bought myself far away from the passengers may be just to be away of rumours or just to think what should i do if the train get cancelled.

Sitting over there on that bench all alone it made me realise that there are a few things which we all should bear in mind -
• No matter what how hard the situation is, you just keep fighting and you will come over it. The guy who was afraid of taking a local till yesterday just ran for it today.

• Always be resourceful like its good you love traveling but keep whatever it takes with you.

• Go out traveling very often in your early 20's as from now onwards i won't ever fear going anywhere and secondly you might have someone with you while traveling like your family so go out become mature enough to take them.

• Don't just go through it learn out of it.

• Always have a plan B as I didn't had any going back but now i know i should have.

• For the girls out there we all know parents don't allow you to go out often but build your inner self so strong to go through hard times as i got the privilege to see a strong pregnant woman who in her 7th month made it to station alone. Her child is blessed...strong mother.

• Do whatever you want to do, right now.
Honestly i had thoughts what if I won't make it tonight and the next immediate thought that came to me was the things that are left to do in this one time event called life.
At last i want to say it to you reading this small initiative. No matter whatever i go through but i will go behind what i want out of life because one peaceful day this body is gonna end and that day before closing my eyes i don't want to look back regreting the opportunities missed, things not done, relations that left untouched.
And i want it from you too promise me that you will fight out for what you are, not what this world is going to make you.
Finally train left the track and sooner or later our train (life) will also leave the track and for that day i want to say the beautiful lines of a poet whose name i dont know -

हवाओं से जो मांगा हिस्सा मेरा
तो बदले में हवा ने सांस दी
अकेलेपन से छेड़ी जो गुफ्तगू
मेरे दिल ने आवाज़ दी
मेरे हाथों हुआ जो किस्सा शुरू
उसे पूरा करना है मुझे
" कब्र पर मेरे सर उठा के खड़ी हो ज़िन्दगी
ऐसे मरना है मुझे "

With love
For the very first time
- Rahul Singh Rathore