The Udyan Express

Madhukar was asleep in the lower berth, when he was thrown out to the floor of Coach Number S1. Waking up hazily, he placed his hand over his forehead in pain. He was traveling to Bengaluru from Mumbai in Udyan Express. It was past midnight. Trying to understand what was happening, he looked around. Like him, co-passengers of that coach were also looking for answers. Some of them were injured.

Madhukar opened the door of the coach, and peeked outside. He couldn’t see anything in that pitch dark except the lights of other coaches, and heavy rain lashing everywhere. That’s when he realized that the train had stopped.

‘Where the hell are we? Why has the train stopped?’ He thought as he looked back to see his co-passengers treating the wounded ones, and putting back their luggage on the racks.

“Step aside, please.” An authoritative tone addressed Madhukar from outside. He looked down to see a man in an army uniform. Behind him, there were some people. He gave way to that man.

“Please, climb the steps carefully.” The army guy entered the coach, signalling the people behind him. He stood there to help them in entering the coach. Madhukar also lent a hand to pull in the first person. Seeing the rib injury of that person shocked Madhukar. Part of his shirt was covered with blood stains.

“What happened, sir?!” In panic, Madhukar asked the army guy.

“This train has been derailed. The first three coaches along with the engine have fallen off the track. There are some casualties. I, and my men are helping the injured ones.” He replied.

Madhukar tried his best to recover from the shock. Most of the passengers spent that entire night without any sleep. It was almost dawn, and Madhukar could still hear the writhing of the injured ones.

“Excuse me, please listen. We’ve contacted the nearby railway station. They are sending a relief train here to pick you up. It will come in an hour. Till then, be patient, and stay inside the coaches till help arrives. Thank you for your cooperation.” That same army guy addressed the passengers in the coach, and then left.

Madhukar looked outside the window, and saw around 25-30 army personnel going in the direction of the derailed engine. He sat back, and closed his eyes.

Exactly an hour later, a unit of CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) with a medical team, reached the scene of the accident. They started the evacuation process, after treating the injured passengers.

Madhukar picked up his luggage, and joined the other passengers who were walking in a single column. After he passed the Udyan Express, he truly understood the danger they were in. To the left of the train, there was a mountain wall which ran along the length of the track. To its right, there was a deep ravine. They were lucky that the train derailed to its left. He shivered in fear.

Ten minutes later, they reached the place where the relief train was waiting for them. Nearing the train, Madhukar saw a person who looked like the head of the CRPF unit, standing near the entrance. He was giving instructions to his unit. Madhukar went near him.

“Namaste sir, thank you for your help. You saved our lives.” Madhukar joined his hands to express his gratitude.

“Not at all. It’s our duty to protect our nation, and the citizens.” The head of the unit replied.

“I need a favor, sir. Last night, when this accident happened, a group of army men helped us a lot. They are the ones who called for help in the morning. I couldn’t get a chance to thank them properly. Will you please send my heartfelt gratitude to them, sir?”

That man gave a puzzled look to Madhukar. After a few moments of silence, he replied.

“Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. There is no army unit in this Khandala Ghat region. Pune is the nearest place where you can find any army personnel. But for them to come here, they should know about the accident. How would they know? Above all, they can’t reach this place, even within two hours.”

Madhukar was confused. Without saying anything, he entered the coach. After all the passengers were boarded, the relief train moved. Madhukar was leaning back, and his mind was still trying to figure out the truth. A loud voice of an elderly woman distracted him. That lady was sitting opposite to him, talking to another passenger in Marathi.

“Fifteen years ago, an accident occurred in the same place where this accident happened. I think I was fifty years old then. I was traveling with my family on the same train to visit my relatives. The night was just like last night.” She paused for a moment. Then she sighed and continued.

“The cabin man switched our train on to the wrong track, and it rammed into a goods train which was coming from the opposite direction. We were in the fourth coach from the engine. The first three coaches along with the engine were smashed as if they were made of cardboard. Many passengers died, and were wounded. In one of those three coaches, army personnel were traveling to see their families. Most of them didn’t make it. Later, we were rescued.” She wiped her tears, while the co-passenger patted her shoulder gently.

Madhukar just couldn’t react. Remembering his family, he closed his eyes. He just wanted to reach home, and give a tight hug to his family.