Monday, September 5, 2011

The Old Man And The Train


He sat on the rugged wooden bench, almost immobile and unaffected by the curious glances of the passerby's. In the hurried, rushed hours, with busy bustling of feet on the weathered floor of platform No.10, he was like a grand old banyan tree, unmoving and majestic. He was lost in his own world, juggling between the thoughts of surviving odds and the moments of triumph in the golden days. Most pass him by too busy in their pace to stop and ask why he had so much of sadness in his eyes. The curious or the more sensitive one's feared they might intrude on his privacy and so just glanced with a little puzzlement. May be by looking hard or long enough the mystery might unfold on its own. His eyes spoke volumes. He was like a magnificent ship wrecked with time, lost in a tremulous sea storm. Suddenly the anticipated and familiar sound of the approaching train echoed throughout the platform. The hustle bustle of the hurried feet increased. If anyone cared to look at the Old man, they could see the cloud in his eye lift off. His eyes lit up, eyeballs darting here and there, as if searching someone or something-seaching for that someone who was the only inspiration for his zestful life,alas lost somewhere in this maddening crowd.It seems like yesterday when both of them were together. Just for a moment he closed his eyes to feel the closeness of there being together,doing things together......................oh no !a blink of an eye lid and it seems like it ended forever.Still hoping against all hopes he managed to open his wrinkled eyes to again rove around for that someone.The train drew closer and closer to the station and finally came to a stop.it was like a big jolt shaking the old man to the present.If anyone was observing him keenly would not hv missed those aquatic drops stuck up like dew drops in the far corner of those freckled eyelashes.