DAY FOUR!!

Durga just closed her laptop after a hectic work day! Lockdown was a boon for some companies she felt.. making people work extra hours!! She questioned herself what has the Lockdown brought in for her? Durga loved travelling except for her office commute. She remembered how much her incarnation 'Manda' loved trains. The moment Manda stepped in a train as a teenager she loved every bit of it.. the sound of the wheels on the tracks.. the commotion.. the vendors.. the urge to pull down the emergency lever...the scenic views passing by in a jiffy... She loved them!! But not for Durga... Not all journeys are beautiful she thought.. the journey from Manda to Durga has not been an easy ride like the trains.. she gasped. Years passed by..as then... Manda would wait at the Kurla station to catch a fast local to ride back home from college. She had now learned the art of jumping into the running train to reserve her a seat and jumping out of the train to speedily reach the bridge.. all of this even before the 12 car or 9 car could come to a halt! Mumbai's lifeline as she called it proudly.. and the lifeline had taught her a lot of things!! Manda waited for the train.. and the train was as usually half an hour late...adding to the already overflowing crowd at the platform. Manda was amongst the hundreds of women standing at the place where the ladies compartment would arrive. Manda looked at the ladies.. trying to read their faces.. some definitely had a rough day at office and wanted to spurt their hearts out once they reached home... Manda thought will she be also like them once she started working...is she prepared for it..? But within a few seconds, an incident happened of which Manda was not at all prepared about, and which changed her perception of travelling through her favorite trains, forever!! The incoming train could be seen from a distance.. women and men rejoiced.. a little feeling of achievement always aroused.. on seeing the train.. after a long duration.. Men and women on the platform braced themselves!! The train was already crowded since people were hanging out of the doors... But always...some hang out the doors just for the sake of adventure or to get a breath of fresh air.... Manda too grabbed her bag tightly to her chest, hoping to throw herself into the second class ladies compartment since she had to get down on the opposite side.

The train approached with a speed... As Manda could see.. there were a group of teenagers hanging on the door of one of the compartments.. They were laughing looking at the ladies waiting on the platform and signaled each other something.. Manda couldn't see clearly as they were still a few feet away.. the train was still at a fast pace.. To her horror... Manda saw one of the teenagers bending outwards towards the ladies and as soon as their compartment reached the ladies section on the platform...one of the teenagers slapped a woman's breast hard!! The slap was so hard we could hear it few feet away.. The woman who was in her 30s fell backwards due to the direct hit.. but the ladies behind her instantly caught her and saved her from a fall. The train was still in fast motion.. and the compartment where the perverts were standing went far ahead.. out of reach...it was so fast that people couldn't realize what had happened.. only a few women surrounding the woman realized what had happened!! Manda looked back towards the compartment to see if the perverts were still visible but couldn't find them.. and in the meantime the ladies had de-boarded the train and Manda got pushed inside the compartment by the women behind her who were unaware of what had happened! The train started.. Manda wanted to cry. It was as if the molester had slapped her instead of the woman! She could feel what the woman must have gone through! What a devastating impact this incident had on the woman!! Something she will never forget in her life.. even when she would have kids.. even when she would have grown old enough!! Manda wanted to punish the molesters so badly.. only if she had superpowers!! She searched the compartment to see if the woman who had been hit had onboarded the compartment. She realized the woman must have not. She must have been in a state of shock by the terrible incident. Must be sobbing. Must have felt so disgusted and hurt. She could have had a terrible day at work or could be waiting to see her kids again at home.. for whom she worked extra hours so as to provide them with their needs.. she could have been one or two months pregnant.. she could have been waiting to change her heavily soiled sanitary napkin as soon as she reached home.. she could have been anybody with so much that could have happened throughout her day.. and yet here she was.. being molested by some perverts for whom it was a manly or funny thing to do! Manda prayed to God to give them the harshest of punishments. She had no hope left in anybody to take any action. Days passed and she still thought of the woman on the platform. She prayed with all her devotion. Manda could not forget that day till today. Durga mumbled..."Safety from such perverts is what lockdown had given her!! But then till when ?????......"