The most expensive train journey of my life...

It was the fool’s day, the first of April. I think I would really be able to recall a lot of what happened that night and this is going to be a really long post. Folks, get ready to read into my mind while the worst (at least till now) unfolded in my life.

I had got all my stuffs packed for the usual train journey back to college from home after a very short leave. My dad dropped my at the railway station and I still remember this one peculiar thing. I had traveled to and fro a lot many times earlier and he never used to say this to me. That one particular time he mentioned, “Be careful with your bag!” Really, I bet that was the first time he ever said that to me and what an instinct?

I got a ticket to Erode and stuffed to my purse. And I did another stupid thing! I took the purse from my butt pocket and put it into my bag. I thought it would be uncomfortable to sit properly with a heavy purse beneath. And that comfort cost me 5000 bucks.

As Nagercoil junction was the starting point of the Nagercoil to Coimbatore express, it used to be in the platform well an hour before the journey. It was just over a half an hour past seven and the train was there and I took a single seat near the window. I love this single seat in trains. The train never used to be such rush-free, at least I had not seen it so and I was so delighted. I put my bag in the luggage holder over me and sat below it.

There was nearly an hour for the train to depart and so I took my phone and started chatting with some of my friends. I remember chatting about some short film projects and about coming late to college by one day. Then I was bored of talking with my friends and so logged into Nimbuzz to chat with some strangers.

After connecting and disconnecting with so many random guys I bumped into this one guy from Bangladesh. He was so honest which I could infer from the way he spoke. We discussed about the rich life and poor life, dreams and ambitions and a lot many things. He also mentioned that he had never made a train journey. He said that he was glad that I am doing engineering and I am doing well. After chatting for about an hour or so, I stuffed my phone into my pocket (thank god, I did that instead of putting it into the bag which I used to do at times).

I remember falling asleep after crossing the Tirunelveli station. I woke up while crossing the Vaigai River, it was so cool and I thought of taking a blanked from my bag but I wanted some more sleep so badly that I continued sleeping. I didn’t even take a look at my bag and I regret it even now. Long into my slumber, someone woke me up. It was an old man, he wanted me to take his seat in exchange for my seat as he had a sick wife who was travelling with him in the seat opposite to me.

I was like partly awake and took his seat and looked up to see my bag.

THE BAG WAS NOT THERE!!!

I became fully awake then! That was how my brain cell reacted to the situation. It made me fully awake in a second. We had just departed from Karur and the next station was Erode. I was sitting there without my bag, without my purse and more than anything with no cash and no ticket. I looked around; everyone except me was sleeping peacefully.

I already had made plans to call a friend in Erode once I reach there as I would have nothing in hand. I then searched for my bag the whole compartment with zero hope. Somebody had found my vulnerability – when I sleep, I sleep with no attention what so ever. You only have to shake me out of it. Nothing less than that wakes me up! This was his strength. Plus I did not even have vigilance over my bag. To tell the truth, I don’t remember looking it after I placed it over there when I boarded the train.

There was another 45 minutes of journey left. Within these 45 minutes, I prayed for a miracle and It never happened, I scolded myself for my stupidity and it was useless. I thought of writing a story based on this and I was already having a lot of weird screenplays flooding my mind.

The dreaded moment came! I was at the Erode railway junction and I need to call my father. I walked to a darker part of the platform where I would have no problem crying. I knew I would because there was a very large lump forming in my throat as the phone was ringing. My Dad finally answered. He asked whether I have safely arrived. Of course I had but minus the bag.

“Appa!!”  I stammered.

“Someone stole my bag!!” I blurted out. He said something consoling me but I was crying bitterly with tears rolling down. I then called my friend, Bhuvanesh who was a native of Erode and told him the whole matter. He said he would be there in 10 minutes.

I walked into the railway police station and reported the matter to the constable who was there. I was pretty cool by that time and I was even smiling while I said I lost my bag in the train. I knew it was of no use reporting. I knew the bloody Indian police and this is no high profile case and is of relatively no importance at all.

The constable asked me to wait till the sub inspector comes. Bhuvanesh was there by that time. We waited together for the inspector to come. It was about 7.30 in the morning and waiting further would mean that we had to miss the classes in the morning. We were not bothered anyway. He said that a company was visiting our college with internship offers. He managed to keep my thoughts away from the bag by always pulling the conversation to some of his past experiences. That was really appreciable!

The inspector finally was there and I filed my first ever police complaint for losing my bag, my purse with 5000 cash (My Dad didn’t say a word when I asked for 3000 bucks and I had about  2000 which was a prize money), laptop, driving license, some certificates and my college ID card. Plenty other small stuffs which I miss so much. (The purse was a memento of my visit to Bangalore)

I left the railway station finally with only memories of my laptop and a 100 and 5 bucks which Bhuvanesh gave me.

I would like to conclude this post by one another thing that happened subsequently.

I was going to my room from the railway station. What I had was a hundred rupee note and a 5 rupee coin. I used the 5 rupee coin to come to the bus stand from the railway station. And when I boarded a bus to Sankari (the place of my stay) all I had was a hundred rupee note. The ticket was 11 rupees.

When I gave the note to the conductor, he said he had no change and asked me for tendering the exact amount. I said I don’t have change either.

And he blatantly said, “Then get off the bus!!!”

With all the things I went through that morning, I would have broken his nose for that. But I was too disappointed, too tired and too depressed with myself to even talk back.

There was a gentleman who was kind enough to give me change for 100 rupees, sitting near me.

A few bad guys don’t make India bad, but a still fewer good guys don’t make it good either.  It was not just the material loss of my laptop; I had a lot of written materials such as my stories, treatments, daily journals and many more stuffs which I miss so much. I even lost the only available copy of several of my photos, rare documentaries and many of my design materials. It’s not only the money worth but also the time spent and the mental effort put in create some of the stuffs stored in the laptop. The thief would have formatted the hard drive with no second thought! Destroying is kid stuff but creation – no way near!

What now? I still travel by the same train waiting to see the thief in action and with all my attention also on my bag. I am still meeting lot many insensitive people around especially bus conductors who have no change and yet feels no shame yelling at passengers for not carrying change and police men who blame the victims for not being vigilant.