Commentary. Rights activist's experience of an unreserved compartment: India in diversity, pluralism

By Fr Cedric Prakash*
It has been a long and eventful day for me, culminating in a train journey. Although I still have a fever and feel rather exhausted, here I am putting this down as I promised a lady on the train that I would write and tell the world of her magnanimous gesture...
A rally had been organised by SOUL (Save Our Land) at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai to protest the Church land acquisitions. I was one of the speakers invited to address the people gathered. The crowds were much more than the organisers had expected. Speaker after speaker came down heavily on the Local Government, lambasting it for its nexus with the builders lobby and other vested interests. “You can no longer take Christians for granted!” “We want Justice!” “Enough is enough!” rent the air! It was truly a moving experience and I was touched that more and more Christians today come out for the cause of Justice.
However, I could not remain to the end of the programme, as I had to catch the 1710 Deccan Queen to Pune. I hurried to the CST Station and was looking forward to a relaxing 3-plus hour’s journey in the cool comfort of a Chair Car compartment. With a fever and a headache, I really needed it. I was relieved when I arrived at my “seat”. I showed my ticket to a guy who was seated on it. He checked it and very coolly told me, “Sir, your train has left this morning…your ticket is of the Deccan Express and NOT of Deccan Queen”. I couldn’t believe what he was saying, but on checking my ticket, realised he was right! A kind friend had helped me buy the ticket. I had clearly told him, “Deccan Queen” as I was scheduled to speak at the rally around 1530. I presumed he had got the ticket for the train I requested and did not bother to check it!!!
So what do I do now? It was almost 1655…..just fifteen minutes before the train’s departure. I ran out of the train…almost the full length of the platform to the ticket counter, only to be faced with a huge line. Some guys however had “mercy” on a Senior Citizen and in no time I had my ticket and ran back to the train (baggage and all) and entered an UNRESERVED compartment with just three minutes to spare!
To say that the compartment was like a “tin of sardines” is an understatement. It was jam-packed, with practically no room to even stand. I resigned myself to an uncomfortable trip. But the greatness of an Indian train journey is that once it begins, most of the travellers easily adjust and adapt. In no time I was asked to move ahead and some youth very generously beckoned me to sit at the edge of their seat. Not comfortable at all, but I was not complaining since the alternative was to stand for most part of the journey.
There were all kinds of people around me; of different faiths, languages and cultures! It was the beginning of HOLI (the Festival of Spring) and many seemed to be excited to be going back home or to spend the festival with friends and relatives. Several young ‘uns got down at Lonavla, perhaps for a great Holi revelry!
Suddenly a burqa-clad Muslim lady began pushing her way through; her three-year-old son desperately needed to use the toilet. All helped to make way and in no time they had reached the destination. Most did not know that the lady had left her baby daughter on the seat asking the neighbours to keep an eye on her. On realising that her mother was not around, the baby started bawling and shrieking to high heavens. Nobody knew what to do although the cries were deafening. Then from across my seat a young lady got up and spontaneously went to the baby and began cuddling and pacifying her. ‘The lady must surely be a friend of the family’, I thought to myself. The rocking calmed the baby who felt very soothed in the warm and loving hands. In awhile, the mother returned with her little son, took her baby from the arms of the lady and settled down. It was only then that I realised that this lady was a total stranger to the other and a Hindu!
My heart leapt with JOY! This is MY INDIA, I thought to myself! The India in which the stranger is just a friend we do not know; the India of diversity and pluralism; the India where we can transcend the narrow confines of religion and sectarianism. I could not help think of the trains in Nazi Germany…where people were pulled out and sent to concentration camps because they were “not one of us”. This INDIA I told myself should never die! We should not in any way allow the fascist and fundamentalist forces to destroy what is so precious to us! Let us not be fooled by their empty rhetoric of “development” (Hitler did the same) but let us be WARNED and ACT NOW before it is too late!
The Hindu lady was to alight at Shivajinagar. Before that, I plucked up courage and asked if I could speak to her. I told her that I would never forget her wonderful gesture! In great humility she replied, “Sir, I too have little children and I know what it means to be a mother.” Thanking her, I just told her to never let her concern and love, especially for the “the other”, to ever die. I asked her if she had seen the movie ‘DHARM’ in which Pankaj Kapur is the main actor.She had not.I requested her to see it if she could.And I promised that I would write about her great deed tonight itself….I do not know her name and who she is but I have just christened her BHARATMATA – women like her, are the soul of India!
I reached Pune, very tired and still with fever….but what an unforgettable journey it has been!I can’t help but hum to myself the JOURNEY song of Lea Salonga and specially these words:
“What a journey it has been
And the end is not in sight
But those stars are out tonight
And they're bound to guide my way”
---
* Written on 15th March, 2014. Fr. Cedric Prakash sj is the Director of PRASHANT, the Ahmedabad based Jesuit Centre for Human Rights, Justice and Peace

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat* As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Dowry over duty: How material greed shattered a seven-year bond

By Archana Kumar* This account does not seek to expose names or tarnish identities. Its purpose is not to cast blame, but to articulate—with dignity—the silent suffering of a woman who lived her life anchored in love, trust, and duty, only to be ultimately abandoned.

Pairing not with law but with perpetrators: Pavlovian response to lynchings in India

By Vikash Narain Rai* Lynch-law owes its name to James Lynch, the legendary Warden of Galway, Ireland, who tried, condemned and executed his own son in 1493 for defrauding and killing strangers. But, today, what kind of a person will justify the lynching for any reason whatsoever? Will perhaps resemble the proverbial ‘wrong man to meet at wrong road at night!’

Search This Blog