Getting on Different Trains but moving in Wrong Direction.
Author : Dr. K. S. Kang
Sarla was instructed by her parents to change the train at a particular station, after the travel of two hours, so as to reach her desired destination. She started her journey on Green Express and after a couple of hours of uneventful journey train reached at the station where Sarla had to change the train. On getting off from the Green Express she saw another train parked on platform no. 2 which was Red Express. So she ascended overbridge and came to Platform no. 2 where this train was waiting. She got into this train and after about fifteen minutes train started moving. However, she did not enquire about the destination of this train from anybody. As the train cruised she dreamt of meeting her husband after a long absence. In fact she was eager to meet him as it is said “absence sharpens love and meeting strengthens it”. But she observed that the name of the stations were strange that she had not heard earlier when she came along with her husband to spend vacations at her home. She also saw that people were talking about different destinations. To remove her doubt she asked a fellow passenger demurely, ‘ when this station will reach Ratlam’. To her horror and astonishment the passenger replied ‘ Madam, perhaps you are on wrong train as this train is going to Jaipur and not Ratlam’, Protestingly she said, “ but my parents had instructed me to change the train so as to reach Ratlam, and I travelled by Green Express”. Comprehending her innocence Ticket Examiner who had come to check the tickets asked ‘ look out of the window, Madam, your Green Express is following this train’. Again to her dismay Sarla found Green Express by which she had travelled following Red Express and both of them were moving in the same direction which meant that she was moving away form her desired destination. Ticket Examiner explained to her that at the station where she had left Green Express, both Green Express and Red Express coming from different direction are joined and then they move towards the same destination, but certainly not the destination where Sarla wanted to go. Ticket Examiner suggested her to get off this train at the next station and wait at the station for half an hour, when a train will come and suggested to board that train which will surely take her to the right direction desired by her. So complying Ticket Examiner’s suggestions Sarla got off at the next station and boarded the train after asking the Station Master at least thrice whether that train was going to Ratlam, as she did not want to be duped again. Though she reached her destination but she was couple of hours behind schedule. However it averted further trouble as her husband Rohit had already said that as he will be busy in the factory so Sarla will have to reach the house herself. He hoped to find her at the home but when he returned he was amazed to find lock on the house, that meant that Sarla had not come so far, other wise she should have come at least two hours before. But as he came to Railway station he heaved a sigh of relief as he saw Sarla coming out of the station with suitcase in her hand and a bag on her shoulder. However more trouble was averted as Rohit had not informed Sarla’s parents that she had not reached home at specified time.
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