Story#41 : The Ragpicker
It was 4:00 AM early morning, on August-14-2021. Next day is the Independence-day. As it early morning Thrissur railway station was almost vacant. There were few porters sleeping on cement benches. Few trains came and went. Most of the travelers were asleep. A ragpicker in in early twenties was sitting on the floor intently looking four maintenance workers checking and doing minor repair work on the tracks.
The ragpicker was wearing something which can be barely called as shirt. Most of the places, his shirt was torn. His pants were not any better. It was very loose and pieces of cloth were stitched together. His hair was in a disarray. It was clear that, he hasn’t taken bath at least for a week. A foul smell radiated near him which was a mixture of his sweat and the rags he picked up. His large rags bag was next to him.
Only shop which was open was at the fag end of the station where the shopkeeper sold newspapers, magazines, books, tea and snacks. It was actually a tea stall with Idlis and Vadas always available. But he sold PSC application forms, popular magazines, weeklies and story books. The shop’s name was “ATI”(Any Time Idlis).
The ragpicker went to the shop and asked for Idlis.
“It will take 20-30 minutes. Idlis are ready. But, I have to make Chutney” said the shop keeper.
The ragpicker went back to the place in despair. He sat the same place again started observing the maintenance work as there was nothing else to do. Night patrol railway police came and when they saw the ragpicker, they tried to chase him away.
“Sir, please sir… I don’t have any other place. Morning I will go. Let me collect all water bottles and other things the passengers throw on the tracks. Your station will be clean and I will get some money” said the ragpicker in his broken Hindi. It was clear that, the ragpicker is from another state. Just because he was surviving here, he has picked up some Malayalam which helped to him understand what others say, but not talking back.
It was acceptable to the police. Just to ensure, they kicked the huge rags bag. Yes, it was full of used plastic bottles. The police was satisfied. The ragpicker cursed them and put back the bottles spilled and spread on the platform as a result of the kick.
After a while, the maintenance workers came to the platform with their tools. There were 4 of them. They saw the ragpicker and asked him
“What are you doing here?” they asked him in Hindi.
“I am collecting the empty bottles” said ragpicker.
“Why are you looking at us?” this time, they asked in Malayalam.
“Malayalam…nahi saab” (“I Don’t know Malayalam”). The ragpicker said in his broken Hindi again.
The maintenance workers sat a little far from him and the started the conversation in Malayalam.
“Do you think that, they will find out the packet?” the first worker asked to the second.
“The police round is already over. I don’t think there will be any problem. It is for, tomorrow 7:AM – right?”. Asked the second one.
Nobody answered that.
“I think we have to move now. Everything is set. Before the families of the actual maintenance workers start searching for them, we have to reach safe place” said the third one.
“Yes, it is 4:45 AM now. Other trains will start coming now. More people and railway authority people also will start showing up. If they see us, they may find that, we are strangers. That can create problems. Let’s move. We will have something and go” said the fourth one.
They moved to the “ATI” shop and asked for Idlis. The shop keeper served them.
On seeing that, the ragpicker also went to the shop and asked “Is chutney ready?”
“Yes” said the shopkeeper.
“Then give me Idli” said the ragpicker.
The shopkeeper gave the ragpicker Idlis.
“I need a fork” said the ragpicker.
This time the maintenance workers laughed and the said among them in Malayalam “Even the ragpickers started using fork”.
The shopkeeper gave the ragpicker a fork.
“I need two” said the ragpicker.
The shopkeeper looked at the ragpicker with contempt, still he gave one more fork to the ragpicker.
That is when one of the maintenance workers looked at the magazine cover where he found that, the photo printed on cover page looked familiar. The caption of the photo read like this..
“India’s youngest Civil Service top rank holder opts IPS over IAS. He will lead one of the major Anti-terrorist squads.”
Before the maintenance workers could relate the face of the rank holder with the ragpicker, the forks in ragpicker’s hand went up and down twice at a lighting speed, piercing the necks of maintenance workers..
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Biju Vargheese (Pazhayedathu Paramban)
