Shocking Experience

It was February of 1969. A sleepy town in Southern Tamil Nadu called “Chidambaram” did not know what it was going to experience. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu who underwent treatment in the United States for malignant growth returned to assume office and much against the medical advice decided to go ahead and do his duties as usual. His health was slowly deteriorating while quietly the struggle for succession was happening in the first political party that assumed office in a State other than the political party that secured the independence of the nation. The Chief Minister was admitted to the Adyar Cancer Institute and was convalescing. The doctors were providing medical reports indicating that with some more Chemo therapy, he would be back to work soon. All of a sudden, his health deteriorated quickly and he died in the hospital. While who would succeed him was in question, his colleagues in the cabinet arranged a grand funeral for the political mentor and departed soul.



He being a very popular political leader, who defeated the party that won the independence of the nation, gaining majority as an independent party in the state assembly, a massive crowd was expected for his funeral. The funeral was scheduled in Chennai 3 days later to allow the political followers to get to Chennai. The crowd traveled whatever transportation available to pay respect to their leader.



The funeral was organized on the next day, that mishap happened a day before. Some of the political followers decided to travel from Southern part of Tamil Nadu by train and since there were not enough seats available for them to be seated inside the train; they decided to sit on top of the train. When the train arrived at Kollidam Railway Station, the Station Master politely approached the crowd and told them to alight from the roof of the train as the train would pass through some bridges built with iron girders. The crowd was in no mood to listen and they refused. The train started slowly and when it approached the bridge with iron girders, the people sitting on top of it bent down and escaped getting hit by the iron girders. The train slowly approached the next station called “Vallampadugai”. Again the trains stopped and the Station Master approached the crowd to tell them that they should not be sitting on top of the train as the train was expected to approach low level iron girders in the bridge between Vallampadugai and Chidambaram. Again the crowd decided to stick to their decision and asked the train to move. The train approached the bridge and the crowd tried to bend down but the iron gurders were too close and it hit everyone sitting on the top of the train. Their head got smashed so badly and the brain soaked in blood came out. The train approached Chidambaram. Most of them died instantly.



Only when the train reached Chidambaram, the people inside the train realized the tragic event that resulted in death of many passengers. When people got down in the station they realized that most people who were sitting on top of the train were dead in a gruesome manner or fell down from the train into the river beneath the bridge with iron girder. The people were crying after seeing the freak and gruesome accident.


The Station Master and the entire crew tried to take people to the hospital by organizing vehicles but in vain as no one survived the accident. The crew at the station worked overtime to communicate the tragedy to the higher up in the Southern Railway and also to help the passengers. The people who wanted to pay their last respect to their departed leader died themselves.



(Note: This incident was described to me as a student when I was doing Pre-University Course in 1969. I was invited for dinner to my friend’s house and his father who was Station Master of Chidambaram at that time narrated this gruesome tragedy to me after dinner. After hearing that, I could not sleep for nearly a week and even I ended up traveling back to my home town to be with my parents. I was only 15 years old at that time.)

 

Thank you for your feedback. It was one of the worst tragedies I have heard when I was 15 years old. The one in Kumbakonam where the school children were burned alive due to fire in the kitchen made me cry for many days. Only difference is in Kumbakonam incident the children did nothing wrong and don't deserve that fate.

Viswa

 

Thank you for your feedback, RGS. I know many in this forum are much younger and perhaps heard of it only from others. Everytime, I traveled through those bridges, this thought haunted me for many years.

Viswa

 

Thank you for your feedback. It is utter madness to do such feats and particularly not listening to the warnings. I hope better sense prevail among the youngsters that their life is more precious than anything else.

Viswa

 

Thank you for your response. It was a very tearful tragedy I ever heard when I was 15 years old. It had an impact in my life that I could not explain in words. It is really wise on the SM's part to forewarn those travelers ahead and it is unfortunate that the crowd did not listen. It was definitely God's action to prevent the tragedy.

Viswa