Unforgettable Diwali Night

It was the Diwali day and I was staying alone in Kolkata, whereas my family was  still leaving in Jamshedpur. I could have gone to Jamshedpur a day before but I wanted to attend Diwali puja in the office, therefore, I decided to attend puja in the morning and proceed for Jamshedpur in the afternoon by Gitanjali  express  train, which was leaving at 1:15 pm in the afternoon from Howrah station and reaching Jamshedpur at 5 pm. I booked my ticket in advance and as per the schedule, after attending office puja, I left at 12 noon from my office for the station. The distance was hardly 10 km which could be covered within 45 minutes by taxi.

On the way to the station, I instructed Taxi driver to take M G Road, which was passing through Kolkata's biggest whole sale market,  because it was a shortcut to the station. But due to Diwali rush, there was heavy traffic jam and  I was unable to reach station before 1 pm due to heavy  traffic at MG Road.  Finally I reached station at 1:10 pm and I straightaway rushed to platform no.12 from where Gitanjali express  train used to leave everyday, but that day, Gitanjali express train was standing at platform no. 21 at Howrah South station, I literally started running towards the train, I had to climb the foot-over-bridge and in spite of my best efforts, I could not reached at  plat no. 21 before the schedule departure time, when I entered platform no. 21, the train already started and I was running towards the train, but of no use, because nobody was listening to me and in spite of my best and sincere efforts, I could not catch the train that day.

People at the platform started shouting at me and telling me not to run towards the  running train because I could have fallen-down at the platform and/or railway track, but I was still running till the train's last boggy left the platform. I was breathing very heavily and few passengers came running towards me to stop me; after controlling my breath, I started crying like a child, because I knew, I could not be with my family that day.

The next train to Jamshedpur was at 5:30 pm, which would reach Jamshedpur at 9:50 pm and by the time I will reach home it will be 10:30 pm and within next 90 minutes  the most pious Hindu festival of Diwali will be over. Meanwhile,  someone from the standing passengers suggested me to catch local train  for Kharagpur,  (all trains going to Jamshedpur stop at Kharagpur station), which will leave Howrah station at 3 pm and I can get some train from there  for Jamshedpur. 

But before taking any further steps, I thought to speak to my wife first and when I told her about the day's incident, she also became very sad and said, " you are not coming today for Diwali, children will miss you a lot and I will miss you too, please do something and just come?."

Therefore, after due consultation with the ticket collector I boarded local train for Kharagpur and reached there at 5:30 pm and it so happened that the local train to Jamshedpur had left 5:15 pm,  and  the next train to Jamshedpur was at 7:25 pm,  it was Steel express train which leaves Howrah station at 5.30 pm in the evening and reach Jamshedpur at 9:50 pm..

I tried to get information about bus services or taxi for Jamshedpur but I could not get any conveyance from Kharagpur. That day I felt very bad and realized that I should always have a contingency plan  ready  in case of such an emergency, as an alternate plan for personal and professional life in the future. 

I sat down at the railway canteen and coolly thought about the whole day's incident and  analyzed  about my mistakes. Thereafter, I called my wife again and  requested her to perform Diwali Puja and celebrate Diwali whole heatedly so that my daughters should not miss the joy of  Diwali's lightnings,  sweets, toys and fireworks. She listened to me quietly and said yes in reply with a very low tone, I knew for sure, she will not do any thing till I reach home.

In twenty years of our marriage life, that was the first Diwali when I was not with my  family. I was carrying lots of Bengali sweets, ready made clothes for my daughters, silk sari for my wife and jaba-phool mala for Kali thakur, which I bought from the station. I was feeling so helpless, frustrated, angry and cursing myself for the  said delay I had made at Kolkata office. 

 

I could have given the responsibility to perform Puja to our  depot manager but no, I wanted to do every thing myself and this is the result for not passing on the responsibilities to the team members, this could be due to my insecurity and low confidence level on my team members.

 

I reached home at 10:30 pm that night and I saw everyone was standing at the main-gate of our house and  eagerly waiting for me. That Diwali night, I felt so helpless, demoralized,  confused  and  shaky. I was having no valid reason or explanation which I can put forward to my wife and children about the said delay.

 

I also realized that day that, in spite of  my well planned strategy, thorough road map, best and sincere efforts the plan can fail because life is not mathematics and it's not marketing game plan which can be fought  with a  professional approach alone. It's life and life has it's own set of rules and regulations  which has to be strictly followed by each and every individual religiously because it's influenced by  the  nature or we can say by the super natural power, which is also known as the God Almighty.   

Happy Diwali

With Prayers

Gurcharan