[A drama
in real life : How a kid got lost in a Metro Train of New Delhi and later
traced back]
Sreyanshu the seven year old nephew of mine could
be as mischievous as any other kid of his age group. Academically he is not a topper
in his class room, but he got a knack for the machine tools. This boy has got a
technical bent of mind. He enjoys dismantling
any toy that is given to him for play. He would spend next couple of days to
reassemble the broken parts to invent a never seen before alien toy. He is
fascinated to watch racing cars, elevators and airplanes in the television. With
his constant pranks this kid makes everyone breathless at home, especially his
mother. So long he is awake during the day hours someone need to keep a vigil
on every movement that he makes.
During the summer
holidays of 2014 he went New Delhi to his maternal uncle’s home along with his
mother and sister. His Santosh Mamu is a Chartered Accountant and works with City
Bank as a manager. They reside at Nawada. One day his uncle Santosh wanted to
take them to Connaught Place to show how glittering the heart of the city look
like in the evening. It was 5.30 pm and the peak evening rush hours as working
class people would return to their respective homes after the office. Sreyanshu
along with his mother, grandmother and uncle reached Dwarka Mode Metro Station
to catch a train. By the time they reached the basement of the station, there
was an announcement in the speaker that the train is reaching the platform. And
this freak out of four rushed through the stairs and managed to reach the
platform.
Sreyanshu was the youngest and very much agile. He had the indomitable
curiosity to traverse in a superfast Metro Train, to which he is not familiar
with. The train reached the platform and some passengers disembarked. Since this
boy is of short height, he managed to penetrate his body in between the
shoulders of the commuters and swiftly entered one of the compartments. At the
nick of the moment the door of the compartment closed, while his companions left
on the platform. And the train started moving. The mother and uncle of this boy
started running helplessly on the platform along the side of the compartment to
stop the train, but to no avail. Soon the train left the station. The old
granny of this boy set down there on the platform itself while crying and hitting
her head with her own hands. The commuters on the platform reached to console
her but to no avail. The mother and the uncle returned helplessly.
The mother of
Sreyanshu was sobbing on the platform as she lost her only son to whom she had
nurtured nine months in her womb, apart from these long seven years. Lot many wild
thoughts hunted her mind. Delhi is the fourth largest urban settlement in the
world with a population of 16.3 million people. Every day in an average around eighteen children go missing, whereas only a miniscule
are traced and restored to their parents. The
mother thought, what she will answer to the father of her child who is back at
home in Odisha.
On the other
hand, inside the train compartment Sreyanshu the seven years old kid was
nervous. He was still looking outside the glass door with a glut of fear, as he
is not acquainted with metro life since he is born and brought up in the rural
area of India. At the nick of the moment someone placed a hand on his shoulder.
He felt warmth on the touch and looked back. There was a young man who was
standing near the door and was watching all that had happened on the Dwaraka
Metro Station. He asked where are you from ? While stammering the boy said “Ba..Ba….Barpali”.
The man now asked, but where is that. The boy said “Odisha”. The commuter exclaimed
“Ahha i.e. the land of Lord Jagganath, Puri !”. He said not to fear and asked
for the phone number if any. Fortunately this kid was carrying a piece of paper
in his shirt pocket that carried his mother’s phone number.
It is not that
every Delhite is cruel or a miscreant. In Hindi this city is called “Dil
walon ki Dilli”. The boy gave the phone number to that young man to call.
And when that man called, there bloomed thousand flowers on the face of the
mother who was still crying insistently since the moment train left Dwarka Mode
Metro Station. That man said, while carrying this boy he would disembark from
the train on the very next station and you come to pick your son. Accordingly
the mother, uncle and granny of Sreyanshu reached Uttam Nagar Metro Station in
the very next train. They got down from the train and searched for the boy.
They found the duo standing on the platform. On seeing his mother, Sreyanshu came
running and hugged his mother.
Out of courtesy
Santosh the uncle of the Sreyanshu invited that gentleman to have an ice crèam,
but that unsung hero left calmly refusing to accept any gratification in
return. Despite the high crime rate, New Delhi is a city that is moving ahead
for the presence of a few good souls like this unknown Metro train commuter.
While they were returning home there started a new set
of nagging by Sreyanshu. He said in the Metro train he had seen a kid was carrying
a remote controlled airplane and he was adamant to buy that kind of toy for
him.
E.Kiran Mohan
C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)
Tehsil Chowk,
At/PO. BARPALI – 768 029
Dist. Bargarh, Orissa, India
Once I was going to leave my family by delhi Metro train from iffco chok to Kashmirigate i have two sons.10 years old son was going to with me and one was with my wife I'm on the way that time metro train was standing on plateform my elder son get in metro train before me and door was closing than i enter my leg and door was stoped and some people helped to me to open door that time i repent my self that what i will say to my mother and how i can search my son because he don't know my mobile no.
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