I was working at Agra for about one year. During time Gopal Sharma got transfered to maintainance as he was found useful in maintainance of Agra yard.
I got promotion and was transfered to Jhansi. I had no contact with Gopal Sharma for long time. One day I was traveling to Agra for some official work the train stopped at Dhaulpur station. I was told there was some signalling problem. Hence I got down from train and proceeded to station master's office. I found one signal inspector was firing Gopal Sharma who was standing there with expressionless face and his eyes were as blank as I saw two years back at Mathura.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Old man muses
Soon after that the doubling work was completed and I got busy in Agra yard remodelling. As the tracks on either side of Agra were to be doubled the entire yard needed change. We had a meeting with concerned departments and chalked program for carrying out remodelling which extended for about four months duration. It was first time my life that I was working from home having everyday meals at home and sleeping at home. I was enjoying the work. The staff was distributed cabinwise and work commenced in full swing.
One day there was staff payment and all the staff was assembled in my office. The staff payment day has joyful atmosphere as staff are happy to receive their rightful dues and they leave for their homes with two days holidays. It was practice then staff used to work for fortnight without any weekly off and they would take holidays after pay. Payment commenced. As per practice I would sit in the center and payclerk would sit on my left. I would call out the name of the gang. the head of the gang would come in and his gang would form line after him. then I will call the name of the indivdual and his amount due. He would put his thumb impression. the payclerk would pay him. While the payment was in progress I got phone call from my divisional engineer advising me the staff working in yard are causing detention to goods trains. I said this can't be true since all the staff were in my office since staff payment was in progress. H owever I asked one my assistant inspector to proceed and find out what was the trouble. After the payment was over I proceeded to yard found in one cabin Gopal was struggling with the adjustment of the circuit controller. My assistant inspector was firing him as to why he has taken up the job in which he knew nothing. I told him Gopal was said to be useless but I find he is trying to do something on his own which requires to be appreciated. I will give full protection to him and see no action is taken. These words worked like magic on him. There was total change in him.
After that incidence Gopal was found to be very useful. Next month in the course of work we commissioned new A cabin. That night there was failure at A cabin and mechanic kept there could not rectify. As the trains were getting detained I proceeded to that spot. While returning I found Gopal was attending to electric fault. He was very systematic in localising the fault. I felt admiration for him.
After Agra yard remodelling the yard was to be handed back to maintainance department and they demanded Gopal sharma to be transfered to them. It was amazing how a person who was thought to be useless has become so useful.
One day there was staff payment and all the staff was assembled in my office. The staff payment day has joyful atmosphere as staff are happy to receive their rightful dues and they leave for their homes with two days holidays. It was practice then staff used to work for fortnight without any weekly off and they would take holidays after pay. Payment commenced. As per practice I would sit in the center and payclerk would sit on my left. I would call out the name of the gang. the head of the gang would come in and his gang would form line after him. then I will call the name of the indivdual and his amount due. He would put his thumb impression. the payclerk would pay him. While the payment was in progress I got phone call from my divisional engineer advising me the staff working in yard are causing detention to goods trains. I said this can't be true since all the staff were in my office since staff payment was in progress. H owever I asked one my assistant inspector to proceed and find out what was the trouble. After the payment was over I proceeded to yard found in one cabin Gopal was struggling with the adjustment of the circuit controller. My assistant inspector was firing him as to why he has taken up the job in which he knew nothing. I told him Gopal was said to be useless but I find he is trying to do something on his own which requires to be appreciated. I will give full protection to him and see no action is taken. These words worked like magic on him. There was total change in him.
After that incidence Gopal was found to be very useful. Next month in the course of work we commissioned new A cabin. That night there was failure at A cabin and mechanic kept there could not rectify. As the trains were getting detained I proceeded to that spot. While returning I found Gopal was attending to electric fault. He was very systematic in localising the fault. I felt admiration for him.
After Agra yard remodelling the yard was to be handed back to maintainance department and they demanded Gopal sharma to be transfered to them. It was amazing how a person who was thought to be useless has become so useful.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
old man muses
One person which I remember is Gopal Sharma. He met me at Mathura. It was year 1969, still I remember because that year my youngest daughter was born. I was working in Railway as Signal Inspector. I got transfered from Igatpuri to Mathura. So far I didn't leave my home state of Maharashtra and all of a sudden I was thrown so far away. You can imagine the distance as it took for Punjab Mail (fastest train) 26 hours to reach Mathura from Igatpuri. I was sharing living accomodation with my predecessor Mr. Jiandani as he couldn't vacate the quarter.
Mathura was funny place. Can you imagine that onions were not available in vegetable market but were sold at mutton shop! Two/three days after I arrived I saw Gopal sharma. My friend Jiandani was firing him very badly. Gopal was tall person having long face. What was remarkable was his eyes were without any feelings in them. As if what my friend was trying to tell him he was not hearing at all. I felt as if his eyes were of dead person. After that incidence I used to see him off and on, but I got busy in my affairs and didn't pay him much attention.
As I said Mathura was remarkable. I had to get aquainted with new area of my work very quickly. The very second day I resumed duty I got telephone call at 2-30 a.m. from train cotroller that there is accident at Kosikalan and I should proceed by goods train kept waiting at station for me. Now where the hell is Kosikalan? The very next day I made list of all stations in my area and started cramming it like the school boy.
Very next month my mother came to supervise my wife's delivery. The Ganpati festivel was due and we decided to celebrate it there. My staff member found it very interesting as this is not celebrated there. They all joined in procession. following month my youngest daughter was born. Soon it was winter. We were not accustmed to such sever winter. And one day there was news in morning that at night one goods train engine dropped fire due to heavy detention at the outer signal.
Here I may like to tell you the condition at that time. All the trains in those days were hauled by steam engines. If the water level goes below the danger level then steam boiler is likely to get burst and everything near it gets thrown miles away. The work of doubling the track between Agra and Mathura was in progress. The new line was laid and was being used only for goods trains. This goods train arrived on this new line and was detained at the outer signal. Pending final changes in Mathura yard, there was temporary arrangement made to receive the train. It involved sending a man to a cabin near outer and lower the signal. It required about half an hour. In busy train schedule controller found time and that time outer failed. That caused the train to remain at outer for more than two hours and during that time water level went so low that driver decided to drop fire to save the engine.
Soon I got message that our divisional manager has issued orders to suspend the signal inspector responsible for this. Since the area where work was progressing was not under me, I was not involved. My friend Babulal was in charge and Gopal Sharma was working under him as electric signal mechanic. In those days railway signal used to be mechanical and only control on them used to be electric. This control exercised by statoion master had failed. Baulal was firing Gopal like anything but there was hardly any effect on Gopal. His eyes as expressionless as ever.
Later I used to meet Gopal but nothing remarkable.
Then in 1970 around Feb/Mar I got promotion and was transfered to Agra. I was posted on construction project. I became in charge of various projects like Agra Mathura doubling. Now Babulal as well as Gopal Sharma were under me. I was now Chief Signal Inspector and huge army of junior inspectors, assistant inspectors and many skilled staff were working under me. In the begining I had to make Agra Mathura doubling which was nearing completion to finally commision for passenger traffic. First I got busy in Keetham yard remodelling. For this I had to camp at Keetham for about ten days. That time Gopal was given the job of token balancing. Token instruments were used when there was single line. The token instruments are used to obtain line clear for trains. A pair of token instruments are connected by electric lines betseen two stations. Electric circuit ensures that only one token can be extracted at time from any one station and is given to driver as line clear. Since the traffic on single line is fairly balanced (traffic to and fro is equal) the balancing of token is rarely required. But now for final commissioning the traffic was flowing in one derection only hence balancing was required everyday. As I was camping at Keetham I may briefly tell you the conditions there. At Keetham the water was very salty. If you take bath you will keep on scratching your body whole day. So everybody used water from any passing steam engine. For drinking it was very troublesome. In the evening I used to get tiffin from my home. With tiffin one surai full of water I used to get. As soon as the news of water was known to my staff they will immediately assemble at my tent. And within one hour the surai will be empty.
One day I was sitting with station master it was time for evening passenger train to come. On arrival of passenger one of the staff came running to me and informed me that Gopal had lost one token while travelling. Gopal was in the train and I called him. When he came he was as usual expressionless. Instead usual response of firing him, I explained the responsibility of doing the work. 'If any drivers gets this token he may think he has line clear and may cause accident.' Then I advised him the procedure to be followed i.e. issue all concerned message so drivers will be notified. At this I felt there was little twinkle in his eyes. I was surprised to see it.
Mathura was funny place. Can you imagine that onions were not available in vegetable market but were sold at mutton shop! Two/three days after I arrived I saw Gopal sharma. My friend Jiandani was firing him very badly. Gopal was tall person having long face. What was remarkable was his eyes were without any feelings in them. As if what my friend was trying to tell him he was not hearing at all. I felt as if his eyes were of dead person. After that incidence I used to see him off and on, but I got busy in my affairs and didn't pay him much attention.
As I said Mathura was remarkable. I had to get aquainted with new area of my work very quickly. The very second day I resumed duty I got telephone call at 2-30 a.m. from train cotroller that there is accident at Kosikalan and I should proceed by goods train kept waiting at station for me. Now where the hell is Kosikalan? The very next day I made list of all stations in my area and started cramming it like the school boy.
Very next month my mother came to supervise my wife's delivery. The Ganpati festivel was due and we decided to celebrate it there. My staff member found it very interesting as this is not celebrated there. They all joined in procession. following month my youngest daughter was born. Soon it was winter. We were not accustmed to such sever winter. And one day there was news in morning that at night one goods train engine dropped fire due to heavy detention at the outer signal.
Here I may like to tell you the condition at that time. All the trains in those days were hauled by steam engines. If the water level goes below the danger level then steam boiler is likely to get burst and everything near it gets thrown miles away. The work of doubling the track between Agra and Mathura was in progress. The new line was laid and was being used only for goods trains. This goods train arrived on this new line and was detained at the outer signal. Pending final changes in Mathura yard, there was temporary arrangement made to receive the train. It involved sending a man to a cabin near outer and lower the signal. It required about half an hour. In busy train schedule controller found time and that time outer failed. That caused the train to remain at outer for more than two hours and during that time water level went so low that driver decided to drop fire to save the engine.
Soon I got message that our divisional manager has issued orders to suspend the signal inspector responsible for this. Since the area where work was progressing was not under me, I was not involved. My friend Babulal was in charge and Gopal Sharma was working under him as electric signal mechanic. In those days railway signal used to be mechanical and only control on them used to be electric. This control exercised by statoion master had failed. Baulal was firing Gopal like anything but there was hardly any effect on Gopal. His eyes as expressionless as ever.
Later I used to meet Gopal but nothing remarkable.
Then in 1970 around Feb/Mar I got promotion and was transfered to Agra. I was posted on construction project. I became in charge of various projects like Agra Mathura doubling. Now Babulal as well as Gopal Sharma were under me. I was now Chief Signal Inspector and huge army of junior inspectors, assistant inspectors and many skilled staff were working under me. In the begining I had to make Agra Mathura doubling which was nearing completion to finally commision for passenger traffic. First I got busy in Keetham yard remodelling. For this I had to camp at Keetham for about ten days. That time Gopal was given the job of token balancing. Token instruments were used when there was single line. The token instruments are used to obtain line clear for trains. A pair of token instruments are connected by electric lines betseen two stations. Electric circuit ensures that only one token can be extracted at time from any one station and is given to driver as line clear. Since the traffic on single line is fairly balanced (traffic to and fro is equal) the balancing of token is rarely required. But now for final commissioning the traffic was flowing in one derection only hence balancing was required everyday. As I was camping at Keetham I may briefly tell you the conditions there. At Keetham the water was very salty. If you take bath you will keep on scratching your body whole day. So everybody used water from any passing steam engine. For drinking it was very troublesome. In the evening I used to get tiffin from my home. With tiffin one surai full of water I used to get. As soon as the news of water was known to my staff they will immediately assemble at my tent. And within one hour the surai will be empty.
One day I was sitting with station master it was time for evening passenger train to come. On arrival of passenger one of the staff came running to me and informed me that Gopal had lost one token while travelling. Gopal was in the train and I called him. When he came he was as usual expressionless. Instead usual response of firing him, I explained the responsibility of doing the work. 'If any drivers gets this token he may think he has line clear and may cause accident.' Then I advised him the procedure to be followed i.e. issue all concerned message so drivers will be notified. At this I felt there was little twinkle in his eyes. I was surprised to see it.
Old man muses
I am an old man of about 72 years age. As it happens to old people I am at such stage of life that there is nothing to look forward to. Children are grown up and are busy with there family, raising their children etc. The olds are normally forgotten. Old people become very forgetful and they cannot remember day to day things. But they can remember things happened years ago. They are happy telling old stories or experiences. However there are very few listeners. Also olds keep on telling the same stories many times that listeners get fed up. Hence I thought why not blog about it.
As it happens I have seen many ups and downs, came across many kinds of people in my life. Some of the characters were very interesting. I would like to tell about them. As the narrative is not chronological, it may be difficult to readers to connect. Readers are requested to excuse me and bear with me.
As it happens I have seen many ups and downs, came across many kinds of people in my life. Some of the characters were very interesting. I would like to tell about them. As the narrative is not chronological, it may be difficult to readers to connect. Readers are requested to excuse me and bear with me.
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