The platform kid

6:03 pm. Borivalli station. I m waiting for my 6:07 churchgate fast, whiling away time by looking at the ocean of people around me. Peak hour, working day. The adjoining platform is crowded with people waiting for the train to Virar. Every time I am here, I thank my stars that I am traveling against the rush and don’t have to be a part of the madness called Virar fast.

So while I am still waiting for my train .....the loud speaker announces the arrival of the large hearted Virar Giant. I call it the Giant for its energy, aggressiveness and enormity. Though it’s the same train that calmly clambers its way back to Churchgate, it looks boisterous and roaring when heading to Virar. And large hearted because when it arrives it is Oh so crowded! ...with an equally sizable junta waiting to get in....But it takes them in all.

I see a young lady carrying a small baby and a big bag get into the ladies compartment....she can barely manage to stand and is half hanging, a usual sight for Mumbai train travelers. The compartment is so crowded that some girls who had been waiting for the train decided to let go of it....And then a see a small street kid trying to get into that ladies compartment...or here should I be saying platform kid...for it was evident that he was one of those hundreds of underprivileged children who find shelter under the roof of these railway stations and practically grow up here. Nevertheless, he is taking this train to ...God knows where. He caught my attention because he was getting into an already overcrowded ladies compartment ...

But then that’s normal as you do find small kids tagging along all the time....Such kids usually sweep the compartment floor to earn some money, or use their marketing skills to sell safety pins; sing songs that bring us some customized and classified entertainment and earns them some pennies; or sometimes they just wail and cry to earn our sympathy and supplicate.

By then the loudspeaker speaks again, announcing the arrival of Churchgate fast...and I comfortably board the train. However by now there is a lot of chaos on the adjacent platform...the Virar Giant has left but the lady with the baby is standing at the platform, the platform boy is there as well. Apparently the boy has tried to pick pocket the lady’s purse....as alleged by the lady’s husband who was trying to get into the adjacent compartment. The boy has been caught red handed with his loot still intact. He is being beaten and abused. He is pleading not guilty and asking for mercy. "WHy did you open her bag?" is the man’s question. The boy has no answer. He cannot help but cry and plead. They call for the railway police....as my train pulls away from the station.

I wonder about the fate of such children and feel sorry thinking about what would be in store for this boy now....To divert my mind I decide to listen to some music and open my bag in search of my mp3 player. And boy what do I (not) find in there..... My missing wallet.