*The sound of handcuffs still afresh* [image: http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1569/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1569R-9010416.jpg] *Experience teaches a person a lot. And I am one of them.
Those were the 'college' days. We used to stay in our hostel situated near Railway Station, I used to go to the college with one of my friends on his scooter at 7.30 am daily. Also I had the habit of collecting magazines from the railway bookstall. *[image: http://www.indiadaily.org/images/indian_railway_5.jpg] * It never seemed to be a problem. But on that fateful day, as usual, I collected the magazines and was about to come out of the platform. I did not notice that the Express Railway that was chugging away from the platform. Quite a few passengers had alighted at the station. Suddenly there was a tap on my shoulder and the menacing voice demanded: "tickets?" In a feeble voice I replied that I did not have one. *[image: http://www.nancarrow-webdesk.com/warehouse/storage2/2008-w29/img.276032_t.jpg] *He pushed me into a dingy room and almost snapped the handcuffs around my wrists. Handcuffs are special things. *[image: http://media.canada.com/16b6f2ca-3671-421d-b40b-5ee0ea90baea/handcuffed.jpg] *They can either be used on a single person or on either wrists of two people. There were seven chaps caught without a ticket, and the other half of the cuffs were idle. I learnt that they wanted to take the group to the railway station court. Just before he snapped the handcuff shut, I started pleading innocence and tried to prove that I did not travel from that train. *[image: http://www.tryingtoconceive.com/newSite2/images/sadFace.jpg] *There was a lot of shouting and I got to taste the rough, uncouth side of law enforcement that day and was short of crying. I tried to prove my honesty. *[image: http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/5/1/4/3/ar119056881934158.jpg] *To my good luck and on hearing the commotion in the room, their boss entered and enquired. I repeated my story and informed him that I was on my way to the college and, showed my ID card. In my desperate attempt to come clean, I opened and showed the contents of my tiffin box. The boss asked whether I could prove that I had not got down from that train. He was not convinced with my explanation and finally I offered to take him to my residence hostel that was behind the railway station. Meanwhile, the police brought another person in rags to fill the cuff that was empty on me nearing freedom. As the day's target of 'ticketless travellers' was achieved, the inspector was magnanimous enough to give me a discourse on the railways and that he was letting me off as I looked like a gentleman. (Only moments earlier I was about to be packed off and paraded in the august company of seven 'gentlemen'). *[image: http://kayahardin.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/honesty.jpg] *He enlightened me on the presence of the flying squad on the trains and their job was to identify people choosing to travel without a ticket and hand them over to the police. Above that, the handcuffs could be released only in court. In fact, a lot of beggars volunteered to get arrested as they were assured of a square meal in the prison. Luckily, I had my tiffin box that day. *[image: http://beccamcutie.wikispaces.com/file/view/happy-face.gif] *The inspector then advised me to purchase a platform ticket or at least take permission from the TT at the gate. The lesson is when caught in an embarrassing situation there should be at least one soul to identify you. Otherwise, be prepared to spend time in the lockup room of a railway police station. Now, 12 years have passed, but I hear the sound of the handcuffs every time I enter a platform.* ** [image: http://i41.tinypic.com/2a9v7df.jpg] *Hinduism is more a way of life than a method of worship.* *Dharmo Rakshati Rakshithaha* *If you protect Dharma, Dharma will in turn protect you.* *Hindus, If people slap you once, slap them twice!* --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OWNER : [email protected]; [!! Sriram Savarkar ¡¡] MODERATOR : [email protected] { !! Âjay Nayak !! } MODERATOR : [email protected]>, "•–([NiCkkkDoN])–•" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sriram Savarkar" group. To modify your list subscription, please send a blank email to: For posting Messages: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] Visit Group : http://groups.google.com/group/sriram-savarkar?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
