|
pic credit :http://www.wallpaperup.com/ |
Its about two years ago when I used to stay in salboni and
occasionally used to visit Kolkata for my training on ethical hacking. In those
days there were only two direct trains to reach Howrah from Salboni and vice
versa . I had to reach back to Howrah station within 5:30pm to board the last
train back to Salboni. It was a very busy day and the streets of Kolkata were
full because of some political campaigns(Which I hate very much). I was trapped
inside bus for 3 hours due to heavy traffic jam and I reached the howrah
station at 8:30 pm and the last local train up to Midnapore was already gone.
Then there I had only two options to get
back home, first get on the train which is after four hours in midnight or
spend the night at the platform and get the first train in the morning, but I
had to get back home as soon as possible because I had internals examinations
from the very next morning. So I had to wait upto 12:30 am and get into the
midnight train.
I was extremely nervous because I heard of thieves and smugglers
they use the midnight trains as I was carrying laptop and extremely confidential
case report in my bag pack.
Well finally I boarded into the train with my
pumping heart and I sigh! In relief after seeing two old men and a girl of my
age in the compartment. Unfortunately those two old men deboarded the train
after few station. I was feeling creepy as I had to travel more about three
hours and no one is in the compartment other than the girl. I thought to go and
seat near the girl atleast I will have a company to feel myself confident for
sometime.
I noticed her for some moments she is beautiful , peacefully
reading something in a small piece of paper and she seems like she is not worried
about anything .
I went near her and asked her “May I seat here? “ and she replied to me pleasantly “Yes please
“
then I introduced myself to her “Hey I am Kajal, are you
going on the same route? Its freezing cold na?” .
She looked at me strangely and laughed “kajal? Ha ha Its
like a girl’s name” she giggled and also
told me her name “Mira” (sorry I have changed her name for her privacy)
“Oh God, please don’t make fun of my name anymore, people
have already done enough, well leave it, where are you going? I am upto
Salboni” I said
“I am upto Bankura” she said
“Hey why are you travelling alone in this midnight , even
this train is empty and looks so scary don’t you feel creepy? “ I asked her
She was silent for a moment and replied me rudely “so what’s
the problem with you? I am a girl and I cannot travel alone at night?”
“No, sorry I don’t mean that” I apologized to her
After few moments of silence she said “Sorry I am in bad mood”
“its ok, well I am a student and I was in Kolkata for
training , what about you? “ I asked her
Again she went silent for a moment and replied me little emotionally,
“you seems to be a decent guy if you will know what I am what I do then you may
don’t want to talk with me anymore or you may want me to do what I do to live,
please don’t ask”
I was suborned for a moment and was thinking that if the
girl may have psychological problem or she may be passing through big problems,
for a moment I thought to change my seat but my heart felt like to know more
about her and I told her” No its ok, I
may be a stranger but you can trust me, tell me “
She said “ok, I hope you are capable to listen this, I am a
sex worker and I am not a good girl as you may be thinking.”
I really felt sad for her and I cannot believe to my eyes
that this damn pretty girl work like this well honestly I have never seen girls
in such job in real life I have only heard of them. Again I asked her “ But why
you do such things , there are lot of other jobs you can do around in this
city? Or you can move to another town for some good respectful jobs“
“ It’s a long painful story , you may don’t want to listen”
she said
“No, please tell me” I requested her
“ok, my family is so poor , I even remember when I have lost
my father ,I have one brother , two little sisters and my mother used to work
on other’s house as servant to support our livelihood , we use to live at our
uncle place who was not a good person . I was 13 when some people may be they
were my uncle’s friends who took me to the prostitution area in Kolkata, they
told me that I will get jobs here and I
was not aware of anything and then
everything in my life was changed within a blow.” She said, I saw few drop of
tears from her eyes.
Again she said “I love my mother, brother n littler sister
and I am not allowed to meet with anyone but I somehow manage once or twice a
month to just a glimpse of my mother, brother and sisters, They hates me and don’t want to see my face but I love them
a lot . I don’t meet with them I just go to house like a thief just to get
their glimpse that they are fine and will return back to Kolkata by first train
at 5 AM “
I was completely speechless and didn’t get any word to say
her even I was feeling like to cry , I asked her “ did you had dinner?”
She said “No”
I had one packet of biscuit two cupcake and a chicken
sandwich in my bag which I gave it to her , and she smiled, and said “ I have
never had such things before, what does it called?” I said “ its
chicken sandwich why don’t you escape from there and go somewhere else
and find another good work?”
She said “Where Will I go?
Even I also dream of a normal life like to study, having a boyfriend
then get married , visit different place , have some good friends and
neighbor , eat good food , but my life is not normal anymore, who will love and
marry a prostitute ? everyone just know to make use of us but no one can have
love in their hearts for girl like me, even my family also hates me, but I will
move out someday somewhere where I will start my new life may be alone but I
will be happy rather doing this work for
poverty . I care a lot about my little sister and don’t want anyone to let them
become like me because of this I save little money and drop inside the house
from window hole but it doesn't matter to me if still they hates me, I want
them to be safe”
She told me a lot of things about their life at their
workplace , their livelihood which is not less than a hell. I wish I had more
time to spend and talk with her but I had to leave the train. I didn't had any
more words inside me to say her, I didn't know what to say, I did a hand shake
and said her
“God bless you dear”.
Her story really made me cry and I could not sleep the whole night , I
was just thinking about her life and her spirit to start a new life. I wish I
could help her on anything but I not. No
girl want to do such work but poverty compels them to do so and also because of
bad surrounding where they live, their greedy relatives .
Human trafficking is
another great reason after poverty in
this country .we need to stop and help the girls like them to get out of their
poor situation . We need the support of
government and NGO to help these girls to deserve their desired life and pride
like every other girls do. After that night, many times I knowingly missed the
last train to board the train of midnight just to meet and talk with her but I
did not see her again in any of the compartment