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.
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