Hopping trains to get around: The journey of life!!

They got dressed up like a mounted troop in jungle warfare while learning some valuable survival lessons for life. Beyond close-order manoeuvring at parade, trainees even charged up the hill and camouflaged so effectively with soil-coloured Khaki. The boots were heavy, but they never looked down. Rewinding the past has made this writer feel all nostalgic. Their eyes sparkled with anticipation for the first midterm leave at Basic Squadron. The reservation was confirmed in advance through MCO Bangalore, but a last-minute call from CO made the whole thing shattered as the entire entry had to perform a mass PT display on the eve of Air Force Day on October 8, 1988, and they all missed the train.

With no seat on reservation the next day, an eight-man air warrior carried out the overnight journey at Chennai Mail in a general compartment. There were a few hundred passengers cramped inside the Howrah-bound Coromandel Express, and they all got crushed by sliding military trunks. The tale was full of humour, and commuters were even forced to lie down over luggage through the passage of the train toilet. They were figuring out the ways in which they could sit, at least. And God saved them for a purpose. Their humble VIP suitcase reinvented a seat for themselves.

After an hour of strenuous, exhausting travel, the probability of getting a berth was slim. Alas! Empty coaches of the Howrah Train on another parallel track were moving side by side for a mile. It was unusual that two trains were moving to the same destination for a couple of hours. They were crazy and young and planned it differently since they had FRW to travel any train for a certain route or period and hoped to catch up at any early station towards changing trains.

Luckily, both trains finally arrived neck and neck at Ongole. They leaped out of the crowded coach and ran towards the empty train stopped at another platform. It was a very big station.

“Yatrigan Kripya Dhyaan Dein,” the pre-recorded sound on the computer, was heard for the announcement of the one-minute stop of the train. Southern Railway has much to be proud of in terms of the punctuality of public transport. If the announcement said so, then you can bet your bottom dollar that it will leave the station on time. They realised that one minute was not enough to reach it by climbing the staircase of a foot bridge. They were in a tearing hurry, as footbridges are not strategically located.

Finding no way, they were raring to take shortcuts to save a minute by trespassing on the railroad tracks, though it was illegal and dangerous too. RPF shouted to them for an anti-trespassing drive. They didn’t look back and crossed one platform after another until they saw the train guard flagging off the green signal and blowing the whistle for departure. Very soon they reached the platform, and the diesel engine was ready to chug. They jumped into the last coach bag and baggage before they knew that it was a broken waggon. By the time the train had picked up speed, they all plunged down on the flat rock of the last coach quickly yet energetically. How scary it was?

The ruin waggon was heavily rusted, weathered, and filthy, surrounded by cow dung. They felt abandoned and had to continue another hour of terrible brake van rides until they found an empty sleeper coach at the next station. With no light and water—forget about the pantry—there was indeed merrymaking on the entire journey towards Howrah. To cool off the summer, they had to take a bath at the station dock from the running water hose, and it taught them plenty of life skills along the way as they headed for Guwahati at Kamrup Express.

They’ve been hopping trains to get around for military service, as there was no other way of getting across long distances from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Even Cargo Beast’s IL-76 airlift wasn’t a sure bet since it runs weekly, connecting to the most far-flung corners of Barjhar, Leh, and Car-Nic. Besides, there were small military transports such as Avro, AN-32, and Dornier available for a few passengers. The railroad tracks during the 1990s were used to just make ends meet. In the long tenure of two decades of uniform service, combatants endured terrible sacrifices. So the next time they miss the train, their automatic response will not be anger. It’s part and parcel of the combatant service.

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