The railway station is an interesting place. It presents a scene of activity. Big stations in India are always full of noise and there is activity at all times. But at the smaller stations there is rush only when the train arrives, while at other hours there is dullness.
The railway station has a big and fine building. The buildings of smaller stations are not so inviting. At every station whether it is big or small there are tonga and bicycle stands and waiting rooms. Waiting rooms are always crowded with passengers waiting for one or the other train. At every station there are generally two booking windows – one for the 1st class passengers and the other for the 2nd class passengers. The former is seldom crowded; while the latter is always rushy. As soon as a passenger gets down from a tonga, coolies with red turbans and kurtas rush to take up his luggage. They carry the luggage to the platform.
The scene of the platform is the most charming one. Some people come to receive their friends and relatives while others, to see them off. At one place you will see a host of village women with long veils over their faces; at another place there are muslim ladies. One can see fashionable ladies, sitting on the benches and strolling up and down. The hawkers are busy in selling sweets, toys, newspapers, hot tea and betels.
As the bell rings, people become alert. When the train arrives, one can see a strange sight of passengers running quickly on the platform. Coolies are alert and put their luggage on their heads and all the passengers complete to get into the train. As the train stops with a jerk, the passengers run towards it. At every door of every compartment people tries to get in and get down. After some time the guard blows the whistle and the platform looks deserted.
At the railway station people of different castes, creed, language etc. can be seen. There are also some people who do not behave in a disciplined way. We are sorry to find that in our country some people try to travel without tickets. This evil should be nipped. Such is the scene at the railway station when the train arrives.