My Experiences with Death..

After apologizing to n number of people for my last post, I had to write something to cover it up. I did start writing something but had to pause, because of the recent nightmares I got of what happened two years back. So, I had to take a bold decision on writing something which has been disturbing me for the past two years now. No one knows about this apart from my family.

This incident, though disturbing, is very close to my heart and is something I cant forget ever. It was my first experience with death..

Every December, we have a family union, when I am back from the college and my Chachu, with his family, visits. This time we had planned a family outing to Amritsar. Everyone wanted to visit the golden temple (and as usual, I had Punjabi food on my mind..my sole purpose of going there.) The best option for reaching there was certainly Delhi- Dehradun Jan Shatabdi Express, that starts from the New Delhi Railway Station early morning,

We reached the railway station an hour before the train (following the Nayyar tradition of reaching places hours early.). While everyone was busy clicking photographs, I went for a stroll along the platform seeing passengers who too like us had reached pretty early. One of them was a very old couple, may be in there late 60s who had come to meet their married daughter (as it seemed from the scene.). Everything seemed really happy and bright, tiny tots bidding there grannys goodbye.!:)

Soon i realized i had spent a lot of time admiring the happy family and  rushed back to where my mates were, to board the train. And to my surprise the oldy couple was sharing seats with us. They were just sitting next to where I was.

As we set off with our train journey, uncle seemed a bit uneasy, he was coughing bad. Though it was kind of annoying in the beginning but i too began to worry after a little while when he started breathing heavily too. I could now see something dripping down his face. I could notice his wife in tears while she was cleaning it off . In sometime, everyone around had a reason to worry, as he fell unconscious.

Thankfully, a medical intern was there who rushed to check him. We all knew he had passed away, but no one could dare to tell his sobbing wife. My dad was busy calling his daughter from uncle’s cell. Even worse, the emergency chain present in the train too wasn’t working, neither in our coach nor in the neighbouring ones that further infuriated the people around who almost beated the train ticket collector for it. The train was finally brought to hault by buzzing up the train driver. The doctor there, was trying hard, sweat dripping down her forehead in despair.

Every desperate soul there wanted to do there bit, but helpless as they were, couldn’t do anything but be a silent spectator to what was happening around. The gushing train too had crossed a couple of Delhi stations by then. After a wait of some 15-20 minutes, someone from railways authority picked up the uncles body, out on to the railway tracks. The helpless lady went along too.

I can’t exactly say what happened next. Probably poor aunty had to wait for someone, along the railway tracks, with her husband’s body by her side, from her family to come and take them along. She too might have realized that he has left the earthly world for heavenly abode up above.

  Our journey continued…. but it did leave a very strong impact at least on my mind. I couldn’t forget the face of the person I saw so happy with his family on the platform, who sat next  to me and passed away right in front of my eyes. I don’t know why I had to right on this, but as they say.. someday, it had to come out. May the departed soul rest in peace..Amen!