THANKS. YOURS FAITHFULLY

FICTION

-- Indian Railway Budget 2007( Thank you Railway minister: its too little and too late)-----

It was a cool feburary morning. i was waiting for the newspaperwala who usually delivers my dose of four newspapers exactly at 5:30am in the morning but today it is almost 7am and yet i couldnot find him. suddenly i saw him coming on his cycle from my balcony. i scolded him as why he is late: to which he replied that today is 28thfeburary and yesterday indian railways budget was presented in indian parliament,so the newspaper swelling with orders took their own sweet time to publish and dispatch the copies. I grudingly thanked him for my copy of dose of my addiction called Economic times and cursing the System in my country opened the railway budget page.

Over the years' i was involved in a formation and later on the activities of railways sangharsh samiti for Ferozepur-Amritsar railway line (In PUNJAB)to be commisioned which was already in place and required only a bridge to be constructed over River Sutlej and would have immensely benefited the people of this region and also army: the samiti or the organisation used to send representations ,requests and email to all past Railway ministers since 1997 but nothing happened on the ground level and no railway line ever constructed there.

In todays Economic times in rail budget highlights section, i found that our railways minister has sanctioned 16 new trains and one of them which was of particular interest to me was INDORE -AMRITSAR train which was announced biweekly.This train was of particular interest to me as earlier there was no train on this section and also amritsar being by homeplace and karmabhoomi.Also my first cousin who was scientist working there in BARC could now reach his homeplade easily and in 36 hours as compared to early ordeal of 3days journey by different mediums.My lady love homeplace was also Indore so it gave an added reason to celebrate. Rushingly i went through the newspaper and sat on my computer to write a thanks eletter to Railway mininster lalu whose stock suddenly rose in my eyes. I wanted to thank him then suddenly i realised the hard truth.

My ladylove is now married to a guy in Hyderabad, so who shall i go to meet now? ,I remembered in last railway budget Minister announced a train From INDORE- HYDERABAD and as we all know train being a lifeline for we indians reached Amritsar a full one year late; so now apple of my eyes is a fruit in somebodys else orchad thanks to railways|||| Overcoming the emotional turmoil as life has to go on ,i thought chalo lets see the positive that my cousin can come to his homeplace easily and early: so i picked up the phone to tell him the good news.

My cousin who being a scientist and also being a rational man answered that its a good development.IN my overenthusism i declared that bhai now u can reach home early and meet us and ur near dear ones. He in a very cold way agreed with me and told me that he is getting late for his job and also sarcastically told me that its the timing that actually matters in life.i put down the phone that bhai have taken his job pretty seriously and has gone bonkers. But as i was about to break the news to my aunt(my cousins mother). I realised a strange morbid truth that shook me inside out.

My cousins father who was not keeping well for some time died last year waiting to see him before he died but couldnot thanks to no direct train as my cousin due to non availability of proper train couldnot even reach on time to cremate his dad. So now i realised with what my cousin meant with timing as my uncle's EYES who used to wait for his beloved son are no more there. I felt bad and got up from my computer .

With sense of emotionality and grief in my eyes and with a certainity that for me there nothing in this train and budget as it is too late...... But after overcoming my grief ,the patriot in me said it is better for the people of the regions as now no more love storys will end and no more waiting eyes will shut before they meet their beloved.

Listening to an urdu couplet" der lagi aane me tumko, shukar hai phir bhi aaye to, aas ne dil ka saath na choda, lekin hum gabhrai to": i again sat near my computer screen writing another eLetter to Railway minister to complete FEROZEPUR-AMRITSAR railway line as the people in these areas donot have to face the same predicament as me and my family has to. so i started the leter with congratulatery note writing thanks to railway minister and hoping that this time he and his Rail will not be late.............................