My first days in railway service!
the HINDU, Open Page
the HINDU, Sunday OPEN PAGE, August 28, 2011We went online much before the computers came
Mrs. Prema RamakrishnanThe HinduThe phrase “being online” is very much in vogue today in this age of computers. If you are at work on your computer, you are online. But
I can tell you it was very much part of the railway parlance at a time
when nobody had even heard of computers !
Our husbands were right ‘on track' when we used the phrase. That is
they were travelling on train on work. When people visited us or called
on the phone to speak to them, we said they were ‘on line !' In the railways, everybody understood.
It strikes me as funny how the more things change, the more they
are the same!
Another peculiar feature of this on line trip was the line-box —almost
a kind of lifeline, without which nobody set off on a tour. What kind of box was this, you might ask. What were its contents to make it so important? Your brain cells don't have to go into overdrive guessing.
One not only had to think out of the box but eat out of it, too! Yes, it
was the grocery box containing all the ingredients necessary for
one's very survival — a simple dal-chaval meal!
My husband's work entailed inspecting the tracks and bridges, camping
in the middle of nowhere. So the best insurance was to carry all that
was necessary for cooking breakfast and the two meals of the day,
besides the morning coffee or tea. To make sure that nothing was left
out, I had written out the list and pasted it on the kitchen wall, making
it easy for me to pack the box even at a moment's notice which was the case often. The officers travelled in a carriage which had the kitchen equipment, cutlery and crockery.
A new bride had come to visit us and we were chatting happily when
the phone rang from out of the blue. My husband called from office
to say that an accident had happened and that he was leaving right
away and I had to pack his clothes and line-box. The lady wanted to
stay back and take a look at what I was putting in the box!
I first packed his suitcase in the bedroom (for which I had a list in
the cupboard) while she waited in the living room. When I was done,
she followed me to the kitchen to see me working on the line-box.
I opened various tins and bottles on my kitchen shelf and filled
mustard, haldi, salt and masalas in small, Nescafe tins or honey
bottles. The bigger items like atta, oil, rice and dal went into milk
powder tins. All these and a cloth bag containing whatever
vegetables I had — mostly potatoes, onions, brinjal, ginger and
green chillies — went into the box. Sometimes, other officials
would be invited to share a meal. The plucky peons would find
some little market to pick up the vegetables if the stock ran out
and would manage to find the daily quota of milk and if it was
not available, use the milk powder that I had put in. Plastic had
not arrived.
Just when I looked up to check the list, the chap who was to
accompany my husband arrived to take away the things!
After he left, my friend shook her head and said, “Oh! my God!
Do I do this every time in an emergency? I'll go bonkers!”
I assured her. “You will become an expert very soon. We
Railway wives did it, so will you!”
She sat there looking as if the skies had fallen. I told her to cheer up.
As railway people, we had our moments of happiness —travelling,
seeing new places, having fairly comfortable houses to live in and nice neighbours. “When we count our blessings, we begin to see the rainbows.” I finished. She took heart, got up and made her way home
in a very reflective mood.
Now you know what going online meant for us. Living a life on line
from out of a line-box!
(The writer's email id is prema_ramakrishnan@hotmail.com
)
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