Tuesday, August 28, 2012

City of Joy


A
s I stepped down from the train compartment I could smell all types of scents from different corners of the platform. The returning passengers sped through the trodden path to get to the exit gate. There were almost a hundred stripped children running around begging for alms. Some of them climbed the coaches and started sweeping around in the hope of finding any left behind treasure. AC coaches were the most prized ones as normally one could find some money or at least a few left behind boxes of food. As I picked up my bags and arranged them on top of one another, I could see I was being left behind by the others who had already made it out of the exit gates. I quickened my pace and in no time was behind a haggling couple who were arguing whether to catch the bus home or take a taxi. Poor man had to relent to the tantrums of the imposing women in the end and ended up paying a fortune to the robbers who were waiting outside just for this opportunity.