Essay on An Hour at the Railway Station.

 An Hour at The Railway Station

          The day had finally arrived when the summer vacations had begun and the school was over. I was going to my aunt’s place, to spend an exciting and enjoyable vacation there. I checked the train timings and was ready for the journey. I reached the station and bought my ticket. I realized that I was an hour early. I was so excited that in a hurry I had reached the station so early. As I entered the station the first thing that caught my eye was the shoe-shine boys, who were sitting on the platform floor. I had to cross an overpass to reach my platform. There was a lot of chaos and crowd on the overpass. The people were struggling and pushing each other. It was very frightening to walk through the crowd as I was expecting a stampede at any instant.

      As I stepped onto the platform, I heard an announcement that my train was going to arrive in 45 minutes. I found a quiet spot to sit, behind a tea stall. As I was leaving my town, I took an unusual interest in all the things that I saw. There were many people on the platform, some were calm and minding their own business but some were looking worried or confused because they weren’t able to find their way maybe. There was a faint smell of freshly fried snacks on the platform due to the numerous stalls all over the platform. At a nearby stall, a group of men was discussing political affairs while sipping hot tea. A small boy was crying and insisting on his father for a bar of chocolate from a nearby stall.

       A train hauled on the station, it wasn’t mine. A huge mob of people poured out of the train and scattered over the platform. In the mob, a man was searching worriedly for something on the platform. A lady was struggling with her luggage and her child, looking frustrated. A group of soldiers too got down the train. They had happy and glowing faces as they approached a small group of people at the edge of the platform. The small groups were family or relatives of the soldiers. I was rejoiced to look at the family reunion.

       Another train arrived at the platform and this time it was mine. I settled on my seat and checked all my luggage. I was looking out of the window as the train started gathering speed, as I left the station behind. The wheels found their rhythm, beating time with the rails and singing a song.

Photo courtesy©-Bijay Biswaal. https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/vignettes-of-train-travel-in-india-1.61704470