I'm wary of crowds. But it's tough to escape from it while traveling locally or even walking on the footpaths of Kandivali. I have scraped through in all these places but my worst encounter happened when I was about 13, in a religious place. I had gone with my neighbours to Karinja and there was some festival that day. It was second half of the day and by the time we decided to head back, it was sunset. There was a big crowd descending down the steps, all in a bit of a hurry but not unruly. Poornakka and I were separated from others but there was no need to worry; we knew where the car was parked and we just had to join the others there. So we were cautiously moving along with the crowd when I felt someone groping my chest. First I thought it was by accident; there were just too many people around. But it wasn't because it happened again! I was shocked and I moved myself here and there but there wasn't much space anyway. But the hand just wouldn't go away and I couldn't even make out which face it belonged to. I desperately clutched Poornakka's hand. I don't know if she understood but she moved me ahead of her now and we descended the remaining steps quietly. I was shaking all over when we reached the car. The day hadn't ended , though. The driver of the car was a distant relative of our neighbours, a young man who had taught us a few new games also. Now either he went crazy too or he was responding to some pathetic look on my face, he squeezed my palm as I was boarding the car. I looked at him without comprehension and sat inside limply. The next day I was down with fever.
Crowd also gave me a big fright this time around when we went on holiday. We were at Kacheguda station waiting for the train at 7:10 in the morning. The fools didn't announce the platform till 6:50 and once they did, the whole of Janata Janardan was on the overbridge, in a hurry to reach the train. We were just some 15 feet away from the steps to the platform, lugging the luggage when we realized it wasn't going to be easy. A train had just arrived on the adjacent platform and the crowd from there was climbing up the same steps and jostling with us to get to the exit! For a few minutes the whole of the place was in utter chaos, angry words flying in every direction, every step taking ages and there was no escape. I didn't care if I missed the train, I even wanted to throw away the bags but there was no space for that too; all I wanted was to go out of the crowd unharmed, which looked so tough. All the stampede incidents I had heard of were dancing in my head now. And the kids! Rishi was somewhere ahead and I could barely see his head if I craned my neck long enough. Anu was clinging to my arm but she looked better than me. I managed to pull ourselves to the side, near the wire mesh for support and it felt a little better. I even shouted badly at a burly man trying to push others and go ahead. I must've really panicked because I don't remember doing that to a stranger ever before. Anyway, after a while things looked up a little. Somebody ahead held the people from the opposite direction at bay and I could see from up that people had started reaching the platform. But it still took me another 10 minutes to be there and with people breathing down my neck, it took all my strength to climb down those 30-odd steps with a bag on my shoulder, another in one hand and Anu on the other hand. We reached our compartment at 7:10 and the train started some minutes later. But I am really proud of the crowd that day; things could've been far worse otherwise.
We are going to meet the great Bahubali tomorrow.
Crowd also gave me a big fright this time around when we went on holiday. We were at Kacheguda station waiting for the train at 7:10 in the morning. The fools didn't announce the platform till 6:50 and once they did, the whole of Janata Janardan was on the overbridge, in a hurry to reach the train. We were just some 15 feet away from the steps to the platform, lugging the luggage when we realized it wasn't going to be easy. A train had just arrived on the adjacent platform and the crowd from there was climbing up the same steps and jostling with us to get to the exit! For a few minutes the whole of the place was in utter chaos, angry words flying in every direction, every step taking ages and there was no escape. I didn't care if I missed the train, I even wanted to throw away the bags but there was no space for that too; all I wanted was to go out of the crowd unharmed, which looked so tough. All the stampede incidents I had heard of were dancing in my head now. And the kids! Rishi was somewhere ahead and I could barely see his head if I craned my neck long enough. Anu was clinging to my arm but she looked better than me. I managed to pull ourselves to the side, near the wire mesh for support and it felt a little better. I even shouted badly at a burly man trying to push others and go ahead. I must've really panicked because I don't remember doing that to a stranger ever before. Anyway, after a while things looked up a little. Somebody ahead held the people from the opposite direction at bay and I could see from up that people had started reaching the platform. But it still took me another 10 minutes to be there and with people breathing down my neck, it took all my strength to climb down those 30-odd steps with a bag on my shoulder, another in one hand and Anu on the other hand. We reached our compartment at 7:10 and the train started some minutes later. But I am really proud of the crowd that day; things could've been far worse otherwise.
We are going to meet the great Bahubali tomorrow.
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