Rude Awakenings - Forest Sangha Publications

^0 B O R D E R 06the maelstrom, sometimes scaling the carriage walls and swinging apelikefrom one stanchion to the next along the carriage to our seat. Iwould wait on the platform, guarding the bags with doglike fidelity;when a triumphant red head appeared at a window, I would pass the bagsthrough and make my own way along, or actually just let go into theincoming tide.The local train to Gorakhpur, being the only one, was crowded,which by Indian standards means that not just the interior of the carriage,the aisles, the luggage racks, and the lavatory were crammed withhuman bodies, but the exterior too. The roof bore a battalion of people,patiently squatting, knees under their chins, darker than the nightsky. In the mesh of sound, the amalgam of thousands of human voicesmerged into a sea swell with hissing steam and the slamming doors; theguards’ whistles shrieked and “Jai Ram!” hovered in the memory, waitingto swoop. Wasn’t there something about Muslims or Hindus gettingbutchered on trains at the time of Partition? I could see the headlinesnow: “Religious fanatics riot on train—Buddhist monk bludgeoned todeath.”“Sometimes the roof ’s the most comfortable place to be,” said Nick.“Of course it’s not allowed, but this is India; when a whole mass of peoplejust get up there, there’s nothing anybody can do. Last time I was inIndia, going somewhere or another, the train was completely packed,so I got up there—course the roof was packed too. The guard was reallyupset, trying to get me off the roof. “You must come down, sir, this isnot allowed.” So, I said, “What about all these other people?!” EventuallyI wrote a little note saying that I accepted complete responsibilityfor my foolish actions. Once I had given him that everything was allright. ’Course people do get killed from time to time—overhead powerlines, low bridges.”Getting out is never easy, even when you know where you want togo. Our standard seemed to be to get squeezed out in spasms: a nightsmothering in the gloom and stench of stale urine, then Gorakhpur just3 1