It was Holi day/ a holiday i.e. March 1st. I was travelling back from home to Bangalore. As usual the booking was done in tatkal and the railway station and the train were over crowded.
By chance or by destiny I arrived at the Kachiguda station a full 30 minutes early. walked around the station looking for some familiar faces, as always the case could not find even one. So, cursing my fate to travel alone, went to find my seat in the train, Bangalore Express.
Went to my seat after crossing various hurdles in between. I was kind of surprised to see that the entire seats were occupied prior to my arrival and there was a blue bag kept on my seat.
I kept my luggage on my berth and wanted to go down and do bird watching, but there was no one visible on the entire platform. I got back to my seat and again saw the blue bag, by that time all the seats were occupied and I asked the people over there, does it belong to any one of them.
No one claimed it, my analytical brain started ticking and I smelt some foul play. The old couple said that a young person in a blue t-shirt kept it there and left. It was only like 10 minutes to the start and I decided 2 be a "HERO" as a pretty girl was sitting next 2 the bag.
I with all my courage, opened the bag a little and saw a large tiffin box, this was the last straw,all the bomb blasts of Hyderabad, Mumbai and the recent one at Pune played in my mind. I took my bag and left the compartment and complained to the RPF(Railway Protection Force). The Officer was more brave than me and he asked me to get the bag out, which I firmly refused.
The officer did not dare to even touch the damn bag and he kept the bag at where he was. Rest of the people in my compartment came out along with me. Suddenly I was having a sense of elation and also bit of worry in my mind, what is going to happen.
I would be a hypocrite if I say that I was not scared. I was shit scared but did not let that emotion over power me. I was telling to myself that I am doing my duty as a citizen of India.
The pretty girl in the compartment, came to me and asked "what should we do now?" Do all the pretty girls are so dumb. How in the hell would I know what should we do. Did she expect me to open the bag and diffuse the bomb. I always like to impress girls but not by keeping my life on the line.
I asked her to board in next compartment, and added a rider that there is no guarentee that there would not be another bag like this in the other compartment. She was like dead scared and started to tow me every where.
Till that time the bag was not evacuated from the compartment. So much for the efficiency of Police force in India. I thought that they would start evacuating and the train would get late and all, but it was not happening.
There were only 5 minutes left for the train to leave and no sight of the owner of the bag. People in my compartment left for other places. Then one brave police took the bag on to the platform.
I could hear a voice in my head that run buddy run,,, no need to be a hero, u can get a nice girl if u'll live not if you are dead. Some RPF men gathered near the bag, but they did not dare to open it. I thought what the hell, would they be calling a bomb disposal squad or what.
Then suddenly there was an announcement that the train was ready to leave the platform, I boarded the train and felt that if it would go off, it should go off now.
Then the train chugging along and the bag was left on the platform.
Out of no where the owner of the bag came asked where his bag was, we told him that it was on the platform. He went to the door and luckily the police personnel gave it to him while the train is on the run.
I breathed a sigh of relief that it was not what I thought it was. The person who left his bag, told us that he said to the old couple to look after the bag and he also added that he told them that there were no bombs in the bag :P
I was like completely pissed off with the attitude of the person in question. He was an educated person and he was shouting at us for taking his bag out. We told him that it was a necessary precaution, to avert a greater danger but then also he was like drooling on. I stepped up and told him that why didn't he even bother to check whether his luggage is alright or not for 30 minutes. He became silent and started blaming the old couple.
Our country needs to be more vigilant in these turbulent times and the attitude of people should improve. Until this happens we would see more of 26/11, Pune blasts etc.
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