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The train came almost to a jilting halt bringing a catastrophic climax to Arun's day dream. He blinked his eyes more than a couple of times before heaving a long sigh and looking out of the window. "Chai Garam, Chai garam", a young boy shouted approaching each window. The other vendors had already pounced in onto the compartments blocking every exit. The train would halt there only for five minutes and all the other passengers who were ready with their luggage were forcing their ways out. Arun looked down at his plastered leg, it will be difficult, but he had to get down if he wanted to reach home. Home - somehow the word had lost all its meaning now....Arun grabbed his crutches, with a meticulous effort he managed to find his way out of the train, while a fellow passenger helped him with his luggage. The train blew a long shrill whistle and made its way for the next junction, leaving Arun at this one.. "Just like his life... or so", thought Arun. He looked at his watch, it was 1.30 Am. If he could get the luggage out of the platform, A taxi can take him to his home; but the luggage posed a bigger threat than artilleries at ward at this moment. Arun looked around for a coollie, but apart from a few tired travelers and four young lad selling tea, not many souls were visible. "This is so frustrating", he said to himself and dragged himself to the nearest cemented seat and dropped himself. He looked around but all of a sudden he wasn't sure what he was looking for. His haunting memories gained momentum; slowly creeping their way into the vacuum of his thoughts and then aggressively taking over his whole thought process. A fortnight ago Arun would have not even imagined life, such as a pleasant one as his, could take up such an ugly turn."You have always been good in almost everything " said Nandini.'Everything?' replied Arun, trying to conceal the massive blow that his ego recieved.
I mean you were good in sports and academics in Delhi University, now that you have a job, you seem to be excelling in it too. So I said, what I said" she giggled.Not sure, Arun let the conversation end right there.A couple of days later, he met Nandini again and this time he mustered up enough courage to find out what is it that he lacked..."You are not too good with the girl thing", with a mischievous twinkle in her eye she added, " I know you have always liked this girl ever since we have been studying together, but you never managed to confess it to her".Surprise would be a understatement to describe what Arun felt. How could she know, no one else did... It couldn't have been.. But ofcourse it could have.... and she had to knowWhen he regained his consciousness back, he simple smiled at her and said "Well, my dear so have you, haven't you? As for me I was just waiting for the right moment."It was Nandini's turn to blush now. He gently held her face in his hands, stroked the hair off her face and planted a warm wet kiss on her lips.They married after two months and were on their way to honeymoon at Paris. They decided to stay over at Delhi before leaving the country, "Just for old times sake", as Nandini put it. It was a fine Saturday evening when they were seated a Janpath lost in nostalgic sweetness, when a sudden uproar broke their thoughts. Arun looked around to see what happened when he heard another bomb explode. He turned to Nandini to say that there has been a blast and they had to get out of there. But Nandini was already laying their unconsciousness in a pool of blood. He tried to pull her up and called for help but collapsed himself even before he knew what had happed. He woke up three days later at an AIIMS private cabin. Nandini was gone and he was left with only one hind limb to walk with. His left leg had to be amputated.
More than his own agony, what tormented him more was the very fact that he could not protect his wife, worse he doesn't even know where her body was. So he hoped maybe she was alive out there somewhere, and she will come to him.. But all his hopes were lost when his friend Gopal identified a body as Nandini's . He helped Arun get a last glimpse of her before informing Nandini's family and making arrangements for cremation.
Getting a flight back to Dehradun seemed more than impossible so he had to board the train. Although Arun's first instinct was to kill himself, he remembered his paralysed mother who had no one but a caretaker by her side. He couldn't have done this to her. NO.
"Chai?" Arun saw that the intruder of his thoughts was a young boy of about seven.Although he was in no mood for tea, he felt sympathetic towards the young boy who was up till two at the night selling hot tea. He bought an earthen pot of tea, paid the boy and set it aside. "If you need more tea, My name is Chipu, call out my name and I'll run to you sahib". Arun looked at the boy and seeing his passion couldn't help talking to him
" But the other boys should also get their chance, shouldn't they?"
"I don't know about them, saahib, But I know I need the money and I have to sell more to make more money?"
His statement was a little too wise for his age.
"Why do you need so much money? You are a little boy"
"Yes, but if I don't make money, My mother will die", he pointed to an tiny woman on the other side of the platform. She was wrapped in a thin blanket along, a little girl was cuddling up to her.
That is my mother , She coughs a lot and the doctor says if she will die if she doesn't get medicine. She has been ill for long, eversince I remember. That girl is my sister, we take turns in selling the tea, my mother makes them here at the platform. Sometimes my sister goes to school, when she works I go to school. We have to get the school fees too.
"What about your father?"
" My mother says he was in the army, once he went for war and never came back.OK saahib, I have talked enough. There's a train coming, I have to go, but if you need tea call out my name."
"Wait! wait! , Can you tell me where will I find myself a coolie?
"I know one, but he won't be here till 5.30. You have to wait", and he ran along.
It wasn't until 4.30 that anyone else approached Arun.
"Coolie saahab?" The person in coolie's uniform, was hunched by age. For a moment Arun thought that maybe he was a provider of coolies, but it turned out that the old man himself was there to aid him with his luggae. Arun was hesitant, but the old man was insistent.
He insisted that he'd charge less and would also get him into a taxi.
"Will there be taxis available right now?"
"Yes saahib"
Arun didn't cary a lot of bags with him. His friend Gopal had already maanged to transport everything back Dehradun. Arun was only carrying his essentials, even though he felt guilty for allowing the old man to carry two suitcases. He wouldn't have done it if he were capable himslef.As Arun was helping the old man with the luggage he could help but ask , " Why do you do this?"
What saahib?
Why do you have to work at this age? Doesn't it tire you out?
The porter burst into a laughter of irony. " Yes it tires me out; but if I don't work I will starve to death"
What about your family?
Saahib my son is 28years old. He grew up with me and his mother near the station. Six years back his mother died of cholera, soon after that I decided that I should get him married. Once he got maried, he started drinking, smoking weed and abusing his wife. Things got a little better after the birth of his son, but soon he was back to his own ways. The coolie association asked him to leave because he was always creating one raccus or the other. He stayed at home for a few more days and his daughter was born. In about a months time, he left home leaving his wife with two infants and a deadly disease from the whores. And he left me in a huge debt, that we were chased out of our house and had to set up a small place at the platform"
Arun wasn't sure whether it was his compulsion or his physical forbearnce that kept the old man going; But he did manage to carry two suitacases and reach the taxi stop. It took them a couple of minutes before Arun could hail a taxi.
The old porter finally said aloud "I still have hopes for my grandson though saahib, he is a little boy but very hardworking. His name is Chipu, sells tea to passengers"
All of a sudden Arun could identify the same passion that burned in the little boy's eyes in this old man's eyes. He could not speak another word. A taxi drove up to him, honked and made a halt. Arun told him the destination and fixed on a fare. Arun paid the old man a lot more that what he had bargained for. When the old man raised his eyebrows with confused gratification, Arun said " It's for Chipu" and smiled.
The taxi made start and made it's accleration. Arun looked back and saw the old man waving his hand. Arun waved back at him."For some people there is always a reason to live, a reason to be.. Perhaps there is one for me too", he smiled to himself. He could see the old man hurry back into the station. Arun was happy he met the little boy and his grandfather. He turned back and saw that the taxi driver could see him in the rear view mirror. Arun smiled at him and said "So what's your story".
And the taxi drove off with a new rhythm.

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