The world is not bereft of good people

Varadapuram is a nondescript railway station in a Southern state serving a few villages around it. It had no distinctive features except for a tiled room for the station master and a small waiting hall adjacent to the room with its three sides open. A few trees aligned along the fence provided shade to the platform during hot summer and a sanctuary to the unattended cattle, goats and stray mongrels that roamed on the platform unhindered. Saravanan who was in charge of the station performed different roles like issuing tickets to the passengers and collecting tickets from those who alight at the station besides receiving the trains with green and red flags in his hand. The station could boast of only one track abutting the platform. Only two passenger trains stopped at the station either way in a day. Arumugam, an aged man who walked with a limp, had his daily job of ringing the bell to announce the arrival of incoming train, keeping the premises reasonably clean and doing occasionally the duty of a porter when there was a need.

One train was scheduled to arrive at 11.45 am daily. It was 11.30 am already on a particular day. He saw a woman entering the station with a baby of two years on her hip, a big bag on her other shoulder and a box in hand along with a girl of five years and a boy of seven years holding the girl’s hand. The woman was shouting at the girl who squatted on the floor refusing to enter the platform. As the boy dragged her inside, the girl’s wail grew louder. Her petulant ways went on for more than ten minutes to the chagrin of the woman. To her distress, Arumugam started ringing the bell as the incoming train was sighted at the outer point. The train stops for just a minute or two at the station. The station master Saravanan had already come out to the platform with the flags tucked under his arms.

Arumugam warned the woman that she must hurry as the train would not wait for long. But the little girl now lay flat on the floor swaying her legs and arms rendering the boy ineffective. The woman looked at Arumugam with folded hands as if seeking his help. Realizing the sad plight of the woman and the risk of her missing the train, he in turn looked at the station master with pleading eyes. Noticing the slight nod of his head, Arumugam rushed towards her with the four wheeled trolley used normally to carry gunny bags of crop for loading in the trains.

He snatched the box from her hand and the bag from her shoulder to put them on the trolley even as he shouted at her, “Don’t you have any sense of time? Why do you come so late to the station? Lift the grouchy girl bodily and sit of the trolley holding her tight,” even as the boy jumped with joy on the trolley unasked. Arumugam dragged the trolley towards the coaches even as the train slowed down to stop at the station. After a slight scramble to find the right coach, he hustled the woman and her children with the baggage into one even as the train started moving with a whistle.

The unknown woman with grateful tears from her eyes bent her head low in deference at her benefactor even as she watched the receding figure of Arumugam wave his hand with satisfaction and a smile on his face.

In less than 15 minutes, a few men and women came rushing to the station shouting,” Where is the woman? A woman with a boy and two girls? Have they by any chance left by train?”

“What is the commotion about? Tell me slowly in detail,” asked Arumugam.

One villager came forward and replied, “That wicked woman has kidnapped two girls and a boy. Have you seen her boarding the train with the children?”

“Yes, the woman took the train. Whose children, are they? Where is the father?”

They pulled another man from the crowd and said, “He is the father,” and nudged him to speak. But the man who looked drowsy was silent for a while and when prodded again blabbered incomprehensibly.

An old woman from the fringe volunteered to say, “Ignore these men>That prattling man is the father and the woman is the hapless mother of the three children. Not a day passed without this wicked man beating her blue for no reason and unable to bear the agony anymore, she wisely took her children away to her parent’s place. These men are his heartless buddies at the arrack shop. I rushed with them to ensure that no harm came to that unfortunate but good woman from these drunks if they found her. Lucky that she boarded the train with the children.”

When the men with raised hands threatened the old woman with “You dirty hag, we will teach you a lesson fittingly when we reach the village. How dare you complain about us?  Soon your hut will burn and you will be rendered homeless. How dare you follow us?”

The station master Saravanan in his uniform who was listening to the conversation warned them in a stern voice,” I have heard every word you people said. Beware of the consequences if you cause any trouble to anyone and now quietly disperse from the government property at once. Do remember that I will not be quiet if some harm comes to the old woman”

Even as the men turned to trudge back silently, the brave old women bent with folded arms and said, “Luckily the world is not yet bereft of good people.”