Outline; Noisy place; crowded passengers; sitting on benches; young men; old men and women—tea stalls; Shouts—smoking; reading; newspaper; get in; people get down.
A scene at a railway platform is very interesting. It is the biggest meeting point of the world. People from all walks of life assemble here. They come from one place, then go to other. Thus, it is busy day and night. The whistle of the train breaks the pandemonium and it is a signal for someone that his train has come, that he should get in, otherwise he will miss it.
A platform is an extremely noisy place always crowded with passengers. They are occupying the benches and the corridors. They are standing in queues to get their tickets or confirm their reservation. There are long queues in front of the booking windows. One stands there for hours to get system makes the thing very simple. It enables you to confirm your berth or book your luggage in the matter of minutes. Thanks to this invention of modem science.
There are people and people everywhere on the platform. Young and old-men, and women, high and low all converge (meet) here. There is no question of caste, colour, creed and religion. A Sikh travels with a Christian. A Muslim is eating with a Hindu co-passenger from the same railway vendor. It is a unique phenomenon, a true national outlook. You can see national integration in its truest sense here on the platform, people from all over India and foreigners, too, board Indian Railways.
The railway officials in their neat and tidy uniforms are on their duty The ticket-collectors collect the tickets. The checkers check the proper tickets of the passengers. The platform is an awfully busy place. Luggage is piled up everywhere. The suitcases and trunks are lying at sixes and sevens. The scene is one of chaos and anarchy. Even the policemen stroll to and fro. They help little, rather they wander aimlessly. Quite often, they make money. For petty offences, and irregularities, their palms are greased. Such is the plight of the custodian of law.
The tea-stalls are the places which are frequented by the passengers. , Whether it is summer or winter, hot and cold drinks are much in demand. Even the vendors supply tea, pakoras, hot purees with vegetables. They go from compartment to compartment and from train to train. People sip tea and munch biscuits and cakes. The bookstalls are the other places which are thronged.
People read papers, magazines and periodicals. You can have any magazine in any language. People stand there in groups, they scan the day's headlines and discuss politics. Today each one claims to be literate. By literacy we do not mean B.A. And M.A. Even without degress, one's knowledge of world's politics is absolutely correct. It is to the point. Even a simple villager discusses politics, shares, nuclear deal, etc. After all, a platform is a free for all a discussion place.
There are cries, shouts, din and noise. The entire place is agog with activity. Smoke of cigarette and bidi pervades the platform. Often it is very stuffy and suffocating. Such public places are generally untidy and dirty. Public facilities are too many, but they are mostly misused. The sea of people seems to be invading the place. They are virtually there is transit (passage), going from one place to another). They wait for their train. As soon it comes, the rush grows to heavy. Many get in and many more get down. As long as there is train at the platform, the voices of all kinds go on, but when it leaves, the platform is a deserted place.
