Back to: Karnataka Board Class 10th Notes
Table of Contents
Characters
- Roma Talreja: A 21-year-old college student and a call center executive.
- Baleshwar Mishra: An unemployed high school dropout who saves Roma’s life.
- Dinesh Talreja: Roma’s brother and a marketing executive.
- Dr. Anil Agarwal: The doctor at Divine hospital who admitted Roma without any paper work.
- The tempo-truck driver: The one who helped Baleshwar to take Roma Talreja to the hospital when nobody was ready to help him.
Introduction
“There’s a girl by the Tracks”, by Deven Kanal is the extract taken from an English Journal. This is one of the terrible accidents which happened at Mumbai suburban station in Thane district, which borders Mumbai describes accidents that take place due to the overcrowded suburban electric trains of Mumbai. Once a girl called Roma Talreja fell off a moving train between two stations. There wasn’t anyone around. Baleshwar, who was on another train, saw Roma’s body and stopped his train by pulling the red chain. This story deals with the important role that Baleshwar plays to save Roma’s life.
Summary
Roma Disbalances and Falls Off the Train
One evening at 6.32 pm an electric train halts at a station. As usual, the station is full of people and everybody hurried to catch the train. At Mumbai, this is the regular scene because it is India’s most populated Metropolitan city. Roma Talreja a 21 years old call center executive tried to settle into a corner near the door of an electric train as it was very rush and the train was already moving fast, Roma jammed between other women.
She tried to find some space to stand safely but all of a sudden, she got pushed, she was not able to manage herself to stand firmly. Her weak and shaky foot lost their grip and her hands tried to hold the steel railing above, but finding only air she was thrown out of the coach. She fell on the ground more than a meter below. She was knocked senseless. The low sound of her fall was silenced by the loud sound of the train. No one observed her fall. Another train was coming in the opposite direction passed besides this train.
Baleshwar Jumps Off the Train to Help Unconscious Roma
Baleshwar Mishra, twenty years old standing near the door couldn’t believe his eyes. He saw the fall of Roma fall. Wearing a black Salwar Kameez, her body was lying next to the tracks. Those who saw this scene screamed and the people cried out “There’s a Girl by the Tracks!”. Quickly Baleshwar went and grabbed the train’s red emergency chain and pulled it down with no hope. But luckily the train slowing down its speed and stopped.
He saw the worried faces of the people surrounded and asked them to come and help her. But nobody came forward to help her. Baleshwar jumped off the moving train. As he landed on the ground, a burst of pain shot up in his ankle, but there was no damage. His old rubber slipper’s sole torn off as a result of his jumping from the train. When he got down from the train, the train again started to move and disappeared.
Baleshwar started to run very fast between the tracks to find Roma. He was so far away from her that he couldn’t see her. After running for several minutes, he found her lying stretched by the side of the tracks. When he found her, he asked “Behenji, aap theek hai?” But there was no response and no help in sight. He could see blood flowing out of a deep cut behind her head. Saying a silent prayer, he carried her and searched for a way out. He crossed through some shrubbery and reached the road. He was seeking help from motorists but no one stopped. The day was December 10, 2010, a Friday. Roma Talreja a B.Com., graduate from Pune was working in a call center as an executive for two years.
Description of Roma and Baleshwar
She loved her job. After her day’s duty, she went to the cafeteria, where she and her friends joked, laughed, and made plans for the weekend. When she was returning home, the accident happened. Baleshwar Mishra a lanky youngster from Mirzapur, UP, was unemployed. He had recently come to Mumbai.
He is a high school dropout, living with his two elder brothers. He was hunting for a job till that day it is not fruitful. So, he had lost his hope. That day he spent his time, had lunch, and watched a movie with his friend. When he was returning home, thinking about his future he boarded the train. The terrible accident happened; at that moment he could only think of saving a stranger’s life.
No One Stopped to Help
Baleshwar was struggling very hard to hold the blood-stained woman in his arms. Though innumerable motorists drove by, no one came forward to help him. At last, a tempo truck stopped. Baleshwar begged earnestly to help him, he agreed and helped. Baleshwar was quickly telling the driver what had happened. The traffic policeman arrived and suggested they take the girl to Airoli where there is a hospital.
But Baleshwar did not agree because that hospital was 10 kilometers away from that place. Baleshwar knew that there was a hospital nearby and they went to that hospital. It was a very small hospital, nurses helped to take the young woman inside the hospital. The physician gave basic First Aid to her and advised her to take to a nearby Hospital. Baleshwar and the truck driver carried her back into the truck.
When the vehicle moved unsteadily her eyes opened slightly. Baleshwar was with her, asked her name, she managed to tell her name as Roma. Baleshwar asked her whom should he inform. She said that her brother Dinesh and with much effort she gave him his mobile number. Soon she lost her consciousness and went back into the darkness.
Baleshwar took the mobile from the truck driver and informed Dinesh. When Dinesh Talreja was closing the day’s business, he got the call and agreed to come immediately. He had a marketing job at a retail shop in Ulhasnagar. Roma was admitted to Divine Multispeciality Hospital and Research Centre. Dr. Anil Agarwal, the medical director, seeing the condition of Roma admitted immediately to the ICU without any paperwork or formalities.
He asked Baleshwar to wait until Roma’s family arrived. After this, Baleshwar noticed that he couldn’t thank the truck driver because the driver already left the place. Roma s X-rays showed that she needed only deep wounds stitches although the injuries looked severe. There would be no lasting damages.
Surprised Roma!
Dr. Agarwal’s opinion was that she could have bled to death if nobody helped her. Baleshwar had brought her to the hospital at the right time. Baleshwar came to meet her the next morning she was still partly unconscious. Dinesh told him that Roma’s cell phone and handbag were missing. So, Baleshwar went to the spot and was looking for her belongings. A railway employee informed that some of Roma’s belongings had been found. Roma made full recovery in a few days. She was thinking about the accident and said that she couldn’t imagine what would have happened if Baleshwar hadn’t been there. She was surprised to learn of how she had been rescued.
She was astonished that a stranger would jump off the train and risk his life for her. She thought that she could, never repay Baleshwar This is real compassion and it is a great virtue. Without any expectation, Baleshwar did this. According to’ Baleshwar Mumbai people are afraid to help because they had the fear of getting trapped in the courts or police; If anybody asked him why he had done that, he simply said that she needed help, that day it was Roma, tomorrow it could be some other like you or me.
Helping is necessary for those who needed, especially timely help will save the life. Here author intends to love everybody, help the needful, that is the great virtue. It changes the world and it becomes paradise and man becomes divine.
Conclusion
By caring for a total stranger Baleshwar shows that his religion is of love and compassion. When all the other passengers remained inactive, Baleshwar jumped out of the moving train to reach the girl by the tracks before it was too late to help her. Despite being an uneducated and unemployed youth, Baleshwar showed more refinement than all the others on the train. He hurt himself and went through a lot of hardships as he carried the girl across the tracks and ran looking for help. After many motorists had driven away showing no concern for the grievously injured girl, a tempo-truck driver showed the same nobility as Baleshwar and helped him get medical help for the girl. Thus, we see that the two gentlemen who save the girl show that there is still goodness in humanity.