In India, there is one common color of trains. Most of the trains will be seen in light blue color with yellow stripes and yellow plates on it. Thus, it gets really difficult to find the right train on the basis of its color. Local trains and fully AC trains doesn’t fall in that ‘most of the trains’ category. Local trains and fully AC trains have different colors on them. Yellow plates might be the common thing but local and fully AC trains can be differentiated on the basis of their color. They are more vibrant in color. They can be easily recognized or spotted from the far end. All the memu trains are in four colors. Yellow, red, blue and green. On the base of yellow there are stripes of blue and red color on all the memu trains. Green stripes on memu denotes that this coach is reserved for ladies. There are two to three such coaches in every memu train.
In the month of October, mornings were getting colder and it was getting difficult for me to reach station well before the time of the train. Keeping a window of 15 minutes was becoming a tough task. I started reaching at station just couple of minutes before the departure time of the train. In the last-minute rush, I started finding the train by its color. Colors of Anand memu were so vibrant that I used to find it on the station easily. By the end of October, I was habituated to it. Reaching the station just before the departure time, finding Anand memu by its color and getting into it just at the right time.
In second week of November, mornings were colder than October. Thus, it was getting more and more difficult for me to reach the station on time but I was following the schedule which I adopted in October. One fine morning in that week, I reached the station five minutes before the departure time of the train. I started searching for the train in yellow with blue and red stripes. I searched it on all twelve platforms but I didn’t find it. I checked the LCDs and it displayed that Anand memu has arrived on platform no. 2A. Announcements also declared the same. I had no idea about platform no. 2A. I checked the time and realized that I have only 2 minutes to find platform no. 2A and the train.
I went down on platform no. 2 and like first day of commuting, I checked for the train on left hand side first. And then on the right hand side. At the far end on the right hand side, I saw train in yellow.
“There is the dirty fellow,” popped in my mind and I started running towards it. I got into the train just at the right time. As soon as I sat on my reserved seat, I heard siren and the train started moving.
Platform no. 2A is the extended version of platform no. 2 at Ahmedabad station. It is older part of the Ahmedabad station. When the new part of station was constructed then the older part was given extension of ‘A’ behind the number of platform.
“I will receive my transfer letter in this week.” Rakish Sir announced while I was trying to get my breath back.
“Oh! It will be issued by head office right?”
“Yes, head office has dispatched it. Regional office will get it by tomorrow,” Rakish Sir described while showing me the scanned copy of the letter in his phone. There was a big smile on Rakish Sir’s face that morning.
In the third week of November, me and Rakish Sir reached the station at the same time. On the bridge above the platforms, we were searching for the train in yellow with blue and red stripes. I checked platform no. 2A as well but I didn’t find the train. LCD displayed that the train has arrived on platform no. 4. I checked platform no. 4 and saw a train in light blue shade there. Rakish Sir approached that train with lot of surety and I simply followed him.
“Either it is some express train or I am suffering from color blindness,” was my first thought when I saw Rakish Sir’s confidence and surety.
“Is this Anand memu?” Rakish Sir asked the driver of that light blue train on platform no. 4.
“Yes, get in fast. It is about to take off.” Driver replied in his own style.
“Don’t worry, we will catch it mid-air.” We started laughing on that note.
“Why have you guys converted express train into a memu?” Rakish Sir further inquired.
“There was some problem in the braking system of original memu that’s why we converted this express train into a memu.” That reply satisfied us completely.
We boarded the train and it took off. “Thank God! I am not suffering from color blindness,” was my feeling while boarding the train.
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