DREAM CITY

And one day I ran away from the house. I was in the train at Shegaon railway station. The train was going to Mumbai but at Jalamb station – which was next railway station after Shegaon – the ticket collector caught me as a without ticket passenger, slapped, pushed on the platform and asked me to stand till the train picked up its full speed. But his slap did not deter me from my decision. Come what may but I must leave this wretched place. I waited on the platform till the next train arrived. Next day in the morning I saw all passengers were getting down and the train was fully emptied. I was told it was Boribunder, the last railway station of Mumbai.

I wanted to get out from the gates but noticed that at all gates the ticket collectors were standing and having painful slaps of the T.C. yesterday at Jalamb railway station I could not dare to go through gates. I came on the tracks and walked back along with the track a long distance. When I saw a small way out at a building wall near to the tracks and ensuring that nobody was nearby, I climbed the wall and jumped in the compound. When I saw tall buildings, wide roads, small trains moving (trams!), shops full of beautiful dresses, sarees, sweets and jewellery, people in clean clothes and thick crowd, I remembered Krishna Sawdekar who was living in Mumbai. He was a regular visitor to our house and he used tell us fascinating stories about Mumbai. Now I was very much in that dream city and also thought that I had reached my destination, which would fulfil my ambitions.

I was so much excited and happy that like a child in the children park who did not know what to play, where to play and how much to play. I roamed from one part to another part, from one road to another road, stopping in front of the shops of readymade dresses looking at them amazingly. Engrossed in such site seeing, suddenly I found a huge and vast endless sheet of water. It was a sea. I saw hundreds of people of all ages walking, sitting and running on the sands of the seashore.

But when I noticed some people eating also, my empty stomach took control of wandering legs and wandering mind! I was sitting on the parapet small wall constructed along the seashore thinking what to do now?

While I was looking at the sea, apparently in all possible shabby pant

and shirt, a person came to me gently putting a pat on my back kept a

small packet before me and walked off further and I saw him keeping  same size of packets from his cotton bag hanging on his shoulder before children and persons looking like me. When I opened the wrapper I found a bread and some cooked potatoes! Oh! God bless him! I spontaneously exclaimed and finished the bread and drank water from nearby tap on the road. There were number of water taps of steel with round mouths installed almost everywhere on the main roads. When I noticed, there were many children of my age waiting around the taps to drink water. Unknowingly I felt happy that I was not alone in distress! What a thought? Sadistic or encouraging?

I had eaten but was physically exhausted. So moment I laid down on the parapet wall of the seashore, I slept. It was a sound sleep. I was awakened by the sound of a running tram.

Now immediately I wanted a job for which I had come to Mumbai. In fact I was looking so shabby that I myself was hesitant to enter the grand shops and moving from one place to another but hesitant asking a job. I found myself in a big market place. There without much talk I got a job. It was a job of carrying of baskets of various fruits to other shops. So far whenever I got small baskets, I had no problem but to carry heavy and big baskets was a difficult matter for me. In the evening the man who gave me two annas, asked me to meet him early in the next day morning at the same place.  Then he left. I could easily find out 2-3 boys of my age working there. They took some Pav-Bhaji. So I followed them. I saw them occupying a corner to sleep. Since I was totally new to the place, I was keenly and minutely observing their movements so that I would do the same. Second day also passed smoothly. But in the night those boys asked me whether I was new there and when I replied them affirmatively telling them my native place etc, they mischievously laughed.

On that day the man gave me some heavy boxes and when he saw that I was unable to lift them, he abused me in very bad words and threatened to beat . In the evening I ran away from him. That night I slept under the shade of the bus stop. There again I found 2-3 boys sleeping.

Next 2-3 days I continuously changed the jobs. Frustrated and disgusted I decided to leave Mumbai. But there was no money! I picked up one used railway ticket and since there was no problem to get in the train, I got in the train at Boribunder station. But the worst was waiting for me. The ticket checker was just standing at the door. Ticket checkers always have got hawk’s eyes. He immediately asked me ticket and after seeing the used ticket he held my arm and got down with me. There was another ticket checker who was holding one more boy. I was handed over to the second ticket checker and he asked him to take us to the railway court.

The boy and I were standing before the magistrate. He asked whether we had proper tickets. We both nodded negatively but we were already gripped with fear. Then magistrate asked both of us to stand facing towards each other. When we stood, he asked me to slap the other boy. I was very reluctant but the magistrate repeated his order. I hesitatingly but slowly slapped the boy. Now the magistrate asked the other boy to slap me. He too slapped me gently. But now the magistrate laughed and said if he slapped so gently, he would ask the ticket checker to slap us. Then the magistrate asked ticket checker to free us. When I was out, I started sobbing!

 But it was not the end. I had to go. After wandering sometime, I again entered the Boribunder station and quickly got in the train. It also moved immediately. With slaps and fatigue, I was in half sleep when the train stopped. But all the passengers got down. When I asked, other passengers they told me that the train was only up to that station and it would go back to Boribunder. Name itself gave me the shock. Quickly I got down and saw the nameplate of the station. It was Kalyan. I sat on the bench not knowing what I should do next? Since the next station was Pune, I waited for the train going towards Pune. The moment train arrived I boarded it.

 Journey up to Pune was pleasant. The mountains, thick forests, green grass, tall trees and various types of butterflies! While train was passing through the tunnels suddenly the darkness would prevail and in next few moments there would be sunlight as soon as  the train crossed the tunnel. I felt as if I was living in day and night at the same time. In fact I was so much engrossed that I forgot that I was travelling without ticket. Luckily I came out from the Pune railway station without

ticket and there was no ticket checker to examine the tickets. I was looking which way I should go?

As I was standing near the exit gate, a man with four to five small holdalls dashed near to me and without asking me anything thrust a bag in my hands and asked me to follow him.

I was really surprised that he did not think a moment even to ask me whether I would carry his luggage. He just walked 4-5 meters distance, stopped near a hotel, put 12 annas in my hands and rushed inside the hotel. No doubt that he thought me as a coolie – meaning a porter and perhaps after seeing my beggar’s appearance anybody would have thought the same.

Anyway I too needed money. I ate some food and again started looking for a job. But nobody was willing to engage me because of my age. That night I slept under the banyan tree just few yards from the railway station. There too I saw some boys of my age – some sitting, some chitchatting and some sleeping.

Suddenly I was shaken up. There was a mendicant who ordered me to bring some eatable from the hotel. He threatened me to beat if I refused. Surprisingly he did not give me any money. I brought some Pav-Bhaji. That night was over and I was eagerly waiting for daybreak. But the sadhu (mendicant) did not allow me to go anywhere. He again asked me to fetch some eatables. While purchasing, he stood in front of hotel watching me. When he was convinced that no money was left with me he asked me to go railway station to beg and there also he sent one of his boys to watch me. But the boy himself wanted to get away from the sadhu so he asked me to get lost immediately. I just walked fast but unknowingly passed the hotel where the same man was waiting for the coolie. Now he thought that I had come for the luggage. I too picked up the holdalls and carried it to the railway station. The distance between the hotel and railway station was just few minutes walk. Again he put 12 annas in my hand. I too walked up. I reached a place known as Mangalwar Peth. Its weekly Bazaar was on. I saw heap of old and used clothes. I purchased a half pant and a bush shirt, which they called Manila from the heap. From there I went to the river, threw my dirty clothes, took bath and put on the newly purchased

clothes. I had spent six annas on these clothes. In fact neither my clothes nor I had any water to wash for myself,. But seeing no future, no guarantee of job and constant fear of Mawalis (this word was used to ruffians and considered dreadful) who were known to use children for any job, I thought to return home.

Without any problem, I reached Kalyan. I had some annas, which I spent on my food. Although I did not know by which train I would go to Shegaon, I thought any train going to Bhusawal must be going to Shegaon also. So when a train arrived, without asking anybody I boarded the train. By this time I had seen people looking like beggars or boys in rags boarding without asking anyone. Although I had purchased dress but since I had been using it without wash it was looking dirty, dull and shabby. I sat by a person who too was looking pale enough, hair not combed properly. In any case I was not looking better than a begging child. I did not expect any better treatment from the people and the ticket checker. I sat near the toilet and slept instantly. How long I was sleeping I did not know but I woke up with a big jerk of the train. The train stopped but I did not hear or notice any usual hustle and bustle of the station. When I asked the other people sitting nearby me whether the train was going to Nagpur they said that the train was going to Amritsar. Without wasting a moment I jumped out from the train and stood there till the train moved and disappeared from my eyesight.

It was early morning. All around there were green fields, standing crops, tender shadows cast over the long farms. Birds were flying all over the directions chattering. The air breeze was cool and pleasant. Since I had been working in the fields, I knew its sweetness, its fragrance, its smell and its crops. Mornings in the fields, then whether there were crops or no crops – meant joy, happiness trance beyond description! I did not realize when I crossed railway track and found myself near a bullock cart on a rough road. In the cart I saw a man and a woman. Cart was stopped and the man sitting in front   was holding

holding the ropes - reins of the bullocks. In fact they called me several times, I felt sometimes but did not think that they wanted me to stop and talk.

The bullock cart stopped and the man asked me where I was going. I told them that I had gone to Mumbai to seek some job and also I wanted to study. He also asked me some usual questions like up to what standard I studied, name of our village, our condition and so on. I replied to his questions properly. When the woman knew that I was 6^th standard pass, she asked the man, her husband I believed to take me in the bullock cart and said that I was too young to get a job. “Poor  boy!

We will talk to him in detail at our field”. Since I did not know where I was, I quietly got into the bullock cart and we proceeded.

After some time they stopped in a field, unlocked bullocks, tied them with the wooden logs buried in the ground. There was a big well in the field. I could see it was their crop of Banana – plantation. Since I had been working in the agricultural lands, there was nothing new to me. Understandably they were owners of it. There were few more cattles in the shade. The woman fetched a pail of water from the well and asked me to wash my hands, feet and mouth. I found her very affectionate, so kind and so motherly. She opened a small bamboo made basket and took out some sorghum breads, some pickle, thick green cooked pulses; and keeping in front of me, she asked me to eat. Meanwhile her husband also came and sat with me.

Being hungry I started eating rapidly. The woman looked at me with intense affection, smiled and said, “Eat slowly and eat as much you want to eat. There is much more in the basket”. She served me more. Both husband and wife were looking at me. When I finished she simply said, “poor boy, God knows since when he has been without food”. Turning to her husband she asked, “He is a nice boy, seems studious and intelligent. Why not keep him with us. We will admit him in our village school and keep with us. Why do not ask him?” In fact I had heard her. So I told them that my mother and my brothers should  also be with me , The woman tried her best to persuade and make me agree to accept their offer. She repeated it and assured me of the school, take care of me and inform my mother about my stay with them. I also repeatedly asked for my mother. Apparently they wanted only me.

Having felt disappointed, the woman asked reluctantly to her husband to take me in the bullock cart and leave me at the railway station. When our cart moved, I could not control my tears and I noticed sad face of

the woman. In cart, the man asked me to take care and left me on the platform. Without looking back at me, he too left away. For minutes I forgot my existence and surrounding! When I heard whistle of the arriving train, I looked at the nameplate. It was Nimbhora railway station. Nimbhora is between Khandwa and Bhusawal railway line of the central railway.

I made no mistake at Bhusawal railway station. I boarded Nagpur bound train. From Bhusawal it was two hours journey to Shegaon. I got

down at Shegaon and walked the distance of three miles and the route was known to me. I reached my village Jawla in the evening.

When my mother returned from fields, she saw me unexpectedly. Then holding me tight to her bosom she wept and wept. My brothers and sisters-in-law did not say anything.

My disappearance and sudden return spread like wild fire in our locality. I became a hero for the boys and classmates of my age and they called me “Mumbaiwalla” or “Mumbai Returned”.

Since my elder brother knew my intentions he did not say anything and next day he took me to the school. He briefed our head master Mr. Hedau who was always considerate to us. He asked me to attend the classes.

I was now in the 7^th standard. Main reason to run away from the person who provided me job in Mumbai and Pune was that initially such persons would lure the teenagers by providing  them jobs, food, shelters and other comforts. But afterwards they would force these teenagers to beg for them and send them for child prostitution. This was revealed to me on the very first night by the same boys who had laughed mischievously and whose laughing I had doubted. But at the same time they asked me not to stay there anymore and go away as soon as possible. I maintained their advice.

But the gloomy days rolled back pungently and ambition unfulfilled!