Gone are the days when people used to go to railway stations to breathe fresh air and sit under big banyan trees
Railway platforms have always been a source of fascination and excitement for me. Gone are the days when old people would enter the platforms of railway stations and sit under large banyan trees in traditional British-made iron benches and breathe the fresh air comfortably.
I remember the days when my college friends used to go to the vegetarian restaurant in my hometown railway station and drink half a cup of coffee at half the price. In those days, no hotel or coffee shop outside the railway station sold half a cup of coffee. And today there are no visitors to the railway platform when good quality coffee or big banyan trees are not present.
Recently, I saw a retired loco pilot, who had served in the Railways for nearly 40 years, sitting on a platform bench on one of the incoming and outgoing trains. My inquiry revealed that he did not come on stage to pick up or send anyone, but just to sit and pass the time. He said he couldn’t sleep at night until he took a few minutes to listen to the engine horn and whistle and the noise of coffee vendors on the platform.
Railway platforms always witness sensational sights while departing loved ones – hugs with tears rolling down the cheeks and displays of deep love and affection.
There were several oddities when the price of a platform ticket, which has seen a steady increase over the years, was once ₹5, while the minimum second class passenger fare (to the nearest station) was ₹3, resulting in visitors buying travel tickets. To enter the platform in place of a platform ticket. Later the mistake was rectified. Ticket checking on railway platforms is now a thing of the past, as a result of which unauthorized people are using the corners of the platform for anti-social activities. The ticket collector who stood splendidly in uniform at the entry and exit gates of major stations in those days has disappeared thanks to the mobile phones of passengers with travel tickets.
A multitude of different nature and culture can be seen on the railway platform. There are people who reach the platform at least 30 minutes before the arrival of the train, while the traditional latecomers run in vain behind the train. A benevolent train guard may sometimes use his emergency brake and stop the train to allow these latecomers to board. Public toilets that were once quite clean with a plentiful supply of water are now in poor condition, stinking and advertising their presence.
The presence of armies of stray dogs, which roam freely on the platforms, pose a major threat to visitors, selling unhygienic food by unauthorized hawkers, and selling water bottles and other authorized items at exorbitant prices at licensed stalls. Shows the black side. Railway platform today. Despite all these shortcomings, the platform remains and will continue to be an attraction for many.
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