11:18 PM
Thursday, 20th February, 2014
Dadar, Mumbai
The Shitrail
After meeting a friend I was returning home, waiting at Dadar station for the train to come. It arrived on time, but I got into the second class compartment despite of having a first class pass, since the first class is usually deserted during the late hours.
Since I was tired, I did not rush to get into the train unlike a few other women standing ahead of me. They held on to the handle and the pole for support, and marched into the completely empty cabin. I heard screams of disgust, and there was a rancid smell that took over suddenly. Within seconds, I noticed ladies rubbing their palms with napkins and discerned that something dirty is stuck on the door handles and the pole, so I vigilantly boarded the train with my hands in my pocket.
The foul smell worsened and so did the howling as the train started moving. As I looked around I noticed a brown substance rubbed all over the compartment. It was on every place that you could possibly touch or sit on.
What was it? Human feces. Crap. Shit. Yes!
All the ladies shifted to the first class compartment on the very next station, which took like an eternity to arrive.
A GRP helpline number was provided on one of the walls of the cabin, where I called and lodged a complaint against this horrible happening. What surprised me was the fact that the man over the phone wasn't surprised with this! Also, when I told my colleagues about this, today morning, a couple of them said they have also faced this before.
Not once before this incident had I ever felt that India is not a place to live. But after what happened yesterday, I am appalled with the state of this city and this country, I just don't feel calling this patch of land 'mine' anymore!
There have to be severe flaws in the system, otherwise how would any citizen even dare to do this kind of an act? I do not understand how some people actually rubbed their shit all over the compartment during the busy hours? Yes, busy hours because Mumbai is a city that never sleeps, right? So, 11 in the night is not really all that late.
Anyway, whatever happened to the guards that are supposed to patrol in the ladies compartment after evening? I did not see a single man in uniform there. It’s a shame for the railway authorities that they cannot prevent such acts.
Thursday, 20th February, 2014
Dadar, Mumbai
The Shitrail
After meeting a friend I was returning home, waiting at Dadar station for the train to come. It arrived on time, but I got into the second class compartment despite of having a first class pass, since the first class is usually deserted during the late hours.
Since I was tired, I did not rush to get into the train unlike a few other women standing ahead of me. They held on to the handle and the pole for support, and marched into the completely empty cabin. I heard screams of disgust, and there was a rancid smell that took over suddenly. Within seconds, I noticed ladies rubbing their palms with napkins and discerned that something dirty is stuck on the door handles and the pole, so I vigilantly boarded the train with my hands in my pocket.
The foul smell worsened and so did the howling as the train started moving. As I looked around I noticed a brown substance rubbed all over the compartment. It was on every place that you could possibly touch or sit on.
What was it? Human feces. Crap. Shit. Yes!
All the ladies shifted to the first class compartment on the very next station, which took like an eternity to arrive.
A GRP helpline number was provided on one of the walls of the cabin, where I called and lodged a complaint against this horrible happening. What surprised me was the fact that the man over the phone wasn't surprised with this! Also, when I told my colleagues about this, today morning, a couple of them said they have also faced this before.
Not once before this incident had I ever felt that India is not a place to live. But after what happened yesterday, I am appalled with the state of this city and this country, I just don't feel calling this patch of land 'mine' anymore!
There have to be severe flaws in the system, otherwise how would any citizen even dare to do this kind of an act? I do not understand how some people actually rubbed their shit all over the compartment during the busy hours? Yes, busy hours because Mumbai is a city that never sleeps, right? So, 11 in the night is not really all that late.
Anyway, whatever happened to the guards that are supposed to patrol in the ladies compartment after evening? I did not see a single man in uniform there. It’s a shame for the railway authorities that they cannot prevent such acts.
I did not wish to travel by train ever as I did not know if
they were going to clean it properly and sanitize it. I do not trust them
anymore. But, do I have an option? I have to take the train as it is the only viable option for me to reach office.
We, the aam janta, are helpless. Apart from lodging
complaints, writing articles and spreading awareness by telling people about
such incidents, what else can we do? It is the job of the government and the
authorities to take care of the country, the people and the public property!
They are not doing their job sincerely and we have to take the shit (quite
literally now)!
No, I am not happy to be an Indian if I have to bear this! No, I can't take it! All the politics does not help us, the people. We don't care, who gives better speeches, we want someone to give us a better India, a better place to live. The current governement is obviously doing a lousy job, and I don't see any promising candidates either. So I won't be surprised now if I find monorail or metro dipped in crap!
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