Epiode-2

Episode-2

By a tooth’s skin

This morning (11^th July 2011), when I opened the newspaper, the disturbing news was a couple of Train accidents, one in Assam and the other in U.P. causing invaluable loss of human lives and huge loss of property. When I switched on the T.V, the video clippings were shocking. Coaches riding one above the other, coaches rolled over and one or two were mangled leaving very little chance for entrapped passengers to escape.

My thoughts went down the memory lane. It was 1981, 11^th day of February. Winter in Chennai already started to taper down.  As usual, I reached my office at a quarter past nine, parked my shiny Royal Enfield Bullet, and walked in. After exchanging greetings with my service colleagues in the ground floor, I walked up the stairs to my room. My secretary, who always beats me to the office, was in her cubicle, arranging some papers. I went into my room, kept my brief-case on the side table, sat down to check my day’s work. My secretary walked in, and informed me, that our regional manager had come early and wanted me to see him on my arrival. Picking up my scratch pad, I stepped into his room.

Once, I was settled in a chair opposite to him, he started without any preamble and briefed about a case in Salem handled by my colleague, which required some follow-up work. As he was held up in another case, my RM wanted me to do some follow-up work. Among our team members, both marketing and service team members, we had good rapport and an excellent understanding. We always used to exchange notes on cases, and compliment one another on individual cases. So I had no difficulty in grasping what my RM wanted and knew that there is no urgency. As I had already planned to visit that area shortly, I told him that I could take it up and go in a couple of days. But he insisted that I should leave immediately. Knowing his nature, I didn’t argue and agreed.

Back in my room, I called up our travel agent and asked him to get me a ticket, by the late night train. Spent the rest of the morning, clearing my pending papers, and collecting whatever I needed for my tour. Meantime, my travel agent called to inform, that he got a wait-listed ticket. But there is a possibility of confirmation of berth and he will deliver the ticket to me at the station. By the time I cleared my table and collected necessary papers for my tour, it was lunch time. Two of my service department colleagues joined me, and we went over to our favourite restaurant. After lunch, I made a couple of visits, and by five o’clock, started for home.

At home, after a cup of hot coffee, I refreshed myself and packed my bag. After dinner, I left for the station around half past eight. When I reached Central Station, it was a quarter to ten. Our travel agent was waiting for me at our common meeting point. Seeing me, he walked to me and handed over my ticket. Bidding him farewell, I started walking up the platform. Unusually, the rake was already in the platform. When I approached the first class compartment, the TTE standing there, greeted me with a warm smile. Being a frequent traveler, I was familiar with most of the TTE’s. I returned his greeting and told him that I was holding a waitlisted ticket. He said that he will see what he could do about it, and asked me to board the coach.

When the train started moving, he came in and informed me, that I was lucky, as a bulk booking was cancelled and I could get a berth. I was also happy, least knowing what was in store for me. After checking the other passengers, he allotted me a berth. By that time it was 11.15 pm. After making a receipt for the reservation charges, he started a casual conversation, first checking whether I would like to retire. Since I was not sleepy, and we both shared a mutual interest in the works of a Tamil writer, we started a discussion. No other passenger boarded on the way, so we were not disturbed.

A little after mid-night, the train stopped at Katpadi junction.  Just as I was getting up to go to my berth, a railway staff boarded the train and the train started to move. The way he was wobbling, I could make out he was drunk. The moment he came in he started prattling in an abusive language. The TTE offered him a place to sit, and asked him to keep quite. But he wouldn’t. Instead he started walking and shouting, making a nuisance of himself. The TTE requested my help. Together, we made him sit and tried to keep him quiet, but to no avail. Then I suggested that we should hand him over to the Railway Police at the next station. When the train crawled into the next station, as our coach passed the Station Master’s room, the TTE signaled the Station master. When the train came to a halt, both of us literally carried the drunk and handed him to the Railway Police. At that time I was not aware that our move saved his life. We got back into our coach, and the train started to move. I looked at my watch. It was 2.50 am. Deciding to get some sleep, I took leave, went to the toilet to relieve myself and went to my berth.

Mine was upper berth, and I was in the process of climbing up. There was a big noise and a sudden jolt. I lost my hold, my face hit something and I fell upside down. The moment I fell on the floor, I blacked out. I don’t know how long I was unconscious. May be ten minutes, may be more. When I came round, all I could feel was a shooting pain in my back and wetness on my face. It was dark.  I tried to get up, and banged my head on some thing. I lied still for a few minutes to clear my head. I could realize that a mishap had taken place. Then I started to feel around with my hands. I could make out that I had fallen below the lower berth. Slowly, I rolled and tried to sit, but started to slide. Only then I realized that our coach was slanting on one end. In the darkness, I couldn’t find the status of the other two passengers. I thought, it will be better to try to get out and get help.

Managing to get a hold, I tried to locate door of the cabin. Before going to bed, I forgot to close the door, which proved to be blessing in disguise. The door had slid open. I crawled out of the cabin, got hold of a window in the vestibule and moved towards the gate. By the time I reached the gate, the pain in my back was unbearable. I rested for a while and lifted the shutter of the window. I could hear a commotion outside. People were shouting and gathering. As it was dark, nothing was visible. I hollered for help and reached the door.  Then I heard a faint voice from one of the cabins. I called out, said that help is coming and he should try to open the cabin door. I reached the door of the coach, and with some difficulty released the latches.

By then five or six people assembled near the coach, and two have climbed up and opened the door from outside. (Later I came to know that they were the passengers from the tail end of the coach, which were derailed but intact). They came in and asked me if I am hurt. I said I could manage, but there are others who are trapped. One of them had a torch light. I took them to my cabin and together we carried the elderly lady who was in the lower berth and a middle aged man who was travelling in the upper berth. Both were unconscious. We handed over them to the others, waiting outside the coach. Two more climbed into the coach. Then methodically we started to open each cabin. In the meantime, I got back into my cabin, located my bag and retrieved my torch light which I always carry. One by one the cabin doors were forced open and the injured were carried out and handed over to the willing hands outside. The crowd outside had increased. There were more light and more people. After ensuring that no one was left behind, we also got out. From the door it was a six feet jump.

Then the dawn set in and I could see more clearly. The injured were made to lie on the side of the track. By then the rescue team of the Railways and from local hospital starts to arrive. There was nothing much for me to do but wait. When I looked around the scene was horrible. All around men from the Railways, hospitals, fire service and volunteers carrying the dead and the dying. I could hear the sirens of ambulances in the distance. The track was on an embankment. I could see a coach rolled and turned upside down, coaches sliding down the embankment and coaches telescoping into one another. Coaches were lying down on both the sides of the track. Men were breaking open the doors and windows of the coaches to rescue the trapped.

Here, I would like to mention, what I have witnessed was not the result of one accident, but two. It was a multiple train collision. (I will explain a little later what really had happened). Suddenly there was a huge cry and people were running in my direction. When I looked up I could see about thirty feet away on the parallel track, flames coming from a coach. Later I came to know, that it was an A/C coach. A rescue team was trying to gain access into the coach, by cutting the window bars with a gas-cutter, and the flame caused some material to catch fire. I thought it is better to move away. With the help of an RPF jawan, who was coming down, I got into the coach and retrieved my bag. The blood stain on the berth and floor of the cabin indicated, that the other two passengers were badly injured. Brushing aside the thought, I got out of the coach. The jawan was still there and helped me to get down. He also pointed out to my bleeding mouth (I was actually slurring when I spoke to him) and blood on my shirtfront. He advised me, if I could walk, I should move towards the station to get medical attention.

 I started walking. There were others also walking towards the station. I reached a temporarily set up first-aid post. Someone examined and told me, that my upper lip was cut. The wound was deep and required stitches. He dressed the wound and kept a compress to prevent further bleeding. He asked me to get into a truck, waiting nearby. There were already 10-15 injured in the truck. I also got in. After about five minutes, the truck started. I looked at my watch. It was broken. The person sitting next to m e said it is 11.15. He added we are being taken to Krishnagiri, a town 60k.m away for treatment.

After an hour and half, the truck went into the Government hospital and stopped. Passengers with broken limbs were carried first and admitted. I, along with others got down and were taken in. The hospital made emergency provision to treat accident victims, including a couple of telephone lines with STD facility. I called my house and my office to inform that I am safe and waited for my turn for treatment. When my turn came, I was examined. My upper lip, below the nose was almost split open. I also lost a front tooth. It took three or four stitches. I had also sustained cuts and bruises on my body which were cleaned and dressed. After dressing, I rested for an hour, asked the doctor, whether I could go. He said I can, took my name and address and advised me to rest and report if there is any problem. I collected the medicines given to me.

I came out, got into an auto-rickshaw, and asked him to take me to any decent Hotel or Lodge. He took me to a decent looking hotel. I checked in after explaining to the receptionist about the bandage and blood-stains. As the news of accident had already spread, being a survivor, I got a good treatment of a good room and attention. The first thing I did after getting into the room was to change my shirt. Though famished, as I couldn’t eat anything solid, had some fruit juice and slept. I stayed for the next day and on the third day left for home.

It was really a freak accident.  I am narrating here, what I had seen and what I had later gathered from the media. There were two parallel tracks.  On one track, a goods train was proceeding towards Chennai. About two kilometers from Vaniyambadi, few coaches got de-coupled and were trailing behind. By the time the driver noticed the drop in vacuum and the brakes applied, the goods train had travelled about a kilometer. In the same track, Tiruvananthapuram mail was coming at full speed. Where the loose goods wagons were moving slowly, was a curve. So when the driver of the mail couldn’t see the wagons till the train approached the curve. By the time he noticed the wagons and applied the brake, it was too late. The impact was so severe, that the Engine was crushed and the first few coaches were mangled beyond recognition.

Both the driver and his assistant were killed instantly. Among the derailed coaches, the first two telescoped into one another. A few fell on the left side, sliding down the embankment,  and a few on the right side on the parallel track. At the same time, our train was cleared from Vaniyambadi station on the parallel track. On this track our train was moving at a fairly good speed. It collided with the fallen coaches of the Mail. Here also the driver was killed instantly. The time between the first accident and the second was hardly a few minutes. Unfortunately, many of the passengers, who were alive after the first accidents, were killed in the second.

More than a hundred were killed and nearly two hundred were injured. I was fortunate to have escaped with a cut upper lip, a broken tooth and a broken wrist watch. I still carry the scar. I had also sustained an injury, which I came to know much later. A slipped disc in my vertebrae and a crack in my lumber. Anyway I had learned to live with them. The pain had gone, but memories remain.

Accidents do not happen, they are caused..

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