Kesarinandan - Jai Bhajrang Bhali

KESARINANDAN - JAI BHAJRANG BHALI
NIGHTMARE AT DAWN

It was raining cats and dogs, just before dawn. I was driving a jeep about to pass through central railway level-crossing provided with the semi-manual operated wicket-gate near Vikhroli railway station. The stretch across five pairs of broad-gauge railway tracks between the East and West wicket-gates was long.

The liveried gate-keeper with a red shawl around his shoulders was looking from out from a small cabin-window at the wicket-gate. Though the visibility was within few hundred meters, he was able to spot my olive green Jeep at the end of long queue of other vehicles in West; movement of vehicles slowed down, as they were passing the level crossing. The electronic-alarm sounded incessantly indicating time for bringing down manually operated wicket gate to bar the traffic.

A lag of about two to three minutes kept as safety allowance between the electronic alarm ringing and bringing down the wicket-gate to bar the traffic. The motor-man of approaching electric train would get the green signal the moment wicket gate is closed for the vehicular traffic. The electronic ringing is synchronised in such a manner that the moment the wicket gate is brought to close position, the automatic turning of signal from red to amber to green would result.

The powerful headlight of halted suburban train at Vikhroli station was flooding and illuminating the track at a distance. From East and West, vehicles with their head-lights-on were moving ahead; and an open-truck with packed goods piled up to illegal height and improperly lashed around with nylon-cord was moving ahead of my jeep.

From opposite direction, I noticed a heavily laden huge truck was just the last vehicle about to pass the truck ahead of me; and perhaps to avert lateral collision, the truck before me, steered left resulting in its left front wheel moved away from the level stretch and passed crunching over the gravels and got stuck into the steel rails of the railway track. My jeep front slightly hit the rear of the truck and I engaged the reverse gear to get back my jeep outside the wicket-gate.

While the electronic-alarm was ringing to my utter dismay, engine stalled and my jeep got stuck over the rails on which another train at far distance from South moving toward Vikhroli railway station was hooting and fast approaching. I was nonplussed. A chill coursed through my entire body and I wasn’t sure what to do.

The gate-keeper sprinted to me, thrusting his red shawl into my hands and told to run on track and wave the shawl so that the motor man driving the approaching electric train would notice and would apply brakes to halt his train. Though I was damn scared, yet I do not know from where I drew courage and started running on track waving the red shawl through the pouring rain and cold wind blowing across my face.

In the meanwhile the driver of truck managed to bring his vehicle to level ground and passed the stretch while some of its consignments packed in cartons burst open and were strewn over the path.

Few hundred meters before me, the approaching train squealed to a halt on track. I saw its motor-man and commuters jumped out and darted toward me. Waving a red flag in the direction of railway station from where train was to depart, the gate-man stood on the adjacent track was blowing repeatedly strongly his whistle.

Some Samaritans among commuters reached the spot where my jeep had stalled and halted, jointly trundled it safe past the open-wicket gate.

With my head underneath bonnet, I discovered the connection from distributor cap to sparkplug got snapped during jostling my jeep suffered when it kissed the rear of the truck which went off the track. Then wicket-gate on either side moved over a vertical quadrant downwards, rested on a wedge barring the vehicular traffic.

As trains passed in opposite direction, the gate-keeper from his cabin waved at me. I walked up to him, thanked him profusely for his aplomb and saving me with his presence of mind.

When I offered few hundreds, he – Kesarinandan - politely declined saying “Jai-bhajrang-bhali”. I remembered it was Thursday.

 

It is said brevity is the essence of communication or and corresoondence.
2. It is Thursday today and so it is nice to receive messages that are in the nature of encouragement.
3. Pavan Puthra Hanuman shall remain for ever the first and greatest thoughtful messenger ever and first envoy from India to foreign country.
Thanks and regards.
God Bless Us All Always .

 

@Balajee @periamma
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GOD BLESS US ALL ALWAYS.

 

Feel QUITE blessed with your FB .
Being today Thursday and blessed by a veteran like you with accolades is enough to cherish for long.
Thanks from bottom of my heart.
Regards.
GOD BLESS US ALL ALWAYS.