The Chennai Dadar Express was slowly chugging out of Egmore station.Nayaki was seated in a II Tier A/C compartment.Over the years the railway decor had changed to suit the comfort levels of the fast paced 21st century Indian.
A journey from Calcutta to Secunderabad meant nearly 48 hours of travel in the seventies.There were no direct trains those days.In March 1966 Little Nayaki had celebrated her first birthday with much fanfare.May & June were the vacation months & Bhabhi Ma was given a break every year.It was another much awaited holiday for Bhabhi Ma and the yearly visit to her maternal home at Secunderabad.Trains had to be changed and the journey made comfortable by a ready stock of eatables to last for two full days.
The train left Howrah early in the morning and reached Vijaywada late in the night.Bhabhi Ma and her lil girl had to spend the night in the waiting room.The next connecting train to Secunderabad was scheduled to arrive only the next morning.Leaving lil Nayaki in the care of an elderly couple Bhabhi Ma went in search of hot water.Unawares that the baby girl was following her ,Bhabhi Ma headed straight into the Railway Pantry Room.The elderly couple were also in for a rude shock a few minutes later.Bhabhi Ma returned to find the couple franctically searching for the kid.
A journey from Calcutta to Secunderabad meant nearly 48 hours of travel in the seventies.There were no direct trains those days.In March 1966 Little Nayaki had celebrated her first birthday with much fanfare.May & June were the vacation months & Bhabhi Ma was given a break every year.It was another much awaited holiday for Bhabhi Ma and the yearly visit to her maternal home at Secunderabad.Trains had to be changed and the journey made comfortable by a ready stock of eatables to last for two full days.
The train left Howrah early in the morning and reached Vijaywada late in the night.Bhabhi Ma and her lil girl had to spend the night in the waiting room.The next connecting train to Secunderabad was scheduled to arrive only the next morning.Leaving lil Nayaki in the care of an elderly couple Bhabhi Ma went in search of hot water.Unawares that the baby girl was following her ,Bhabhi Ma headed straight into the Railway Pantry Room.The elderly couple were also in for a rude shock a few minutes later.Bhabhi Ma returned to find the couple franctically searching for the kid.
The young mother was crestfallen and her world seemed to have come to an end.She panicked and ran helter skelter in search of her precious one.The lil one was nowhere to be seen.A shaken helpless mother was appealing to the Gods.It was an overcast night and to add to the woes rains came pouring down.The eyes searched for a one year old and the drenched mom ran from one platform to another.The few hours of agony were thankfully soon to end as a Good Samaritan in the guise of a Coolie guided the woman to an engine at the far end of a platform.The little Nayaki dressed in Birthday finery....a Kanjeevaram silk skirt & blouse was playing in the rain close to a steam engine.From a distance the mom's heart skipped a beat.Hurriedly she ran and embraced the child close to her heart.This was a moment both mother and daughter were to cherish for the rest of their lives......a moment captured in their memory for ever.....
