Reading Time: 3 minutes
A Lesson to Remember
The final exams of the school were finally over and Rishabh was happily packing his bags for the much-awaited trip to Panchgaon with his friends. The train to Panchgaon was to leave the station at 10 am in morning and Rishabh and his friends reached the station by 9:30 am to embark on the new journey. But to much of their disappointment, the train to Panchgaon was delayed by one hour due to foggy weather.
This one hour seemed like a long one to Rishabh and his friends, they patiently waited for their train in the resting room. And finally, the train arrived. All the passengers boarded the train and settled themselves comfortably in their respective berths.
Rishabh and his friends were thoroughly enjoying the train journey. The lush green surroundings, the cool breeze sweeping through their hair, the vendors selling various items in the train all added to the excitement of the journey. Time flew quickly and the sun had finally set on the horizon indicating that the evening has already stepped in. all the children cheerfully spent the evening train journey by playing antakshari and ludo. It was finally dinner time and the children joyfully enjoyed the mouthwatering dishes that their mothers has packed for them.
Soon after they finished their dinner they noticed some RPF officers roaming in their compartment. And just then they informed all the passengers that the train was entering a Maoist area and thus everyone was requested to pull down their windows and the lights of all the compartments were shut off. This was done to ensure the protection of the passengers.
All the passengers obeyed the instructions of the RPF personnel but Rishabh did not pay much heed and was engrossed in his mobile watching an exciting dance video. At this point, a series of flashes of lights was seen doing rounds just outside the open window near Rishabh. Seeing this an RPF personnel rushed to Rishbah snatched his phone and hurriedly shut the window. But it was already too late. The bright light emitting from Rishabh’s mobile phone amid the dark train had already alerted the Maoists that a train full of passengers was passing through their area.
All the passengers soon heard the sound of numerous motorbikes running parallel to their train and everyone realized that they were now being chased by the Maoists. This scared everyone and especially Rishabh who was feeling guilty for his reckless and careless behavior. The RPF personnel in no time passed on the alert message to their comrades in other compartments who secured all the doors and windows properly. Owing to the fast reflex of the RPF the word soon reached the train driver who was instructed not to slow down the train till they reach the safe borders.
The sound of the bikes increased and the passengers even heard a few gunshots as well but the durable body of the train ensured that the bullets did not pass through it. The train finally reached the safe border beyond which the Maoists has no access. All the passengers felt relieved yet none could sleep peacefully.
The train finally reached Panchagon the following day at eight in the morning and the passengers were very grateful to all the RPF officers and the train staff whose efforts and quick thinking saved the lives of everyone. Rishabh got off the train with a heavy heart. Just then he was approached by a tall smart officer who consoled him and asked him to be extra careful from next time onwards as a small mistake can sometimes prove to be dangerous for him and others as well.