Night Out!

 

That was an unplanned journey from Ernakulam south railway station to South town late at night all alone.  Public transport is perhaps the only way millions of women can afford to travel, and I must confess that was the only option that I had.

When I got into crowded Ernakulam South railway station at around 9.00 PM, all of a sudden I felt like I was in Sabarimala temple. The majority of the people are in black dress, going or coming back from Sabarimala. There were some foreign faces and I could hardly see real Kochi men.

I approached him a few times to ask about the train timings at the railway information center. A pale, brown-haired North Indian guy was on duty to question who hardly knew Malayalam and English. Even though, many were trying to make him understand their doubts.

The expected train was late for an hour. There were more paid washrooms for ladies and gents unlike other railway stations I have been to. Hardly I could hear railway announcements because of the high volume of televisions installed on the platform. Somehow, I spent one hour roaming in the station and was answering my mom’s call every ten minutes. Like most parents, she was also worried about my security. Fear is an inherent compromise that comes with being a woman. This fear, this compromise, is made by many women, for no fault of theirs. Should women who can’t afford to travel in cabs, cars or flights stop moving about as the sun sets?

While thinking deeply about women’s insecurity, my train arrived! Unfortunately, there were no ladies' compartment in it.  I got into the general compartment where I could narrowly breathe. There were very few North Indian ladies. It was more like the ‘gents' compartment’. Initially, I was very near to the door, as I couldn't move inside because of the crowd. Later, I somehow managed to get in and stand properly. Many were staring at me like other planet living being and were talking in Hindi, Bengali and other languages which I didn’t understand any of them.  The trains were stopped here and there to get the signal. As there was no one around to talk with, I thought deeply about life problems, happy tomorrow etc. At around 1.00 AM, I reached Palakkad junction safely.

As you travel solo, being totally responsible for yourself,

 It’s inevitable that you will discover just how capable you are!