It was 8.45 p.m. on a lovely Tuesday evening. As I hurried to catch a local train from the Churchgate station along with a colleague after a dinner meeting, I found the 8.36 p.m. local streaming onto the platform. My colleague always travels second class and so I was obliged to join him, sacrificing the comforts of travelling in the first class compartment as usual. I wanted to take rest during the 35 minutes train journey to Santacruz and also call back my friend to who's call I had whispered, 'I shall call you back...I am at a meeting.' when I had first received his urgent call.
Just as I took out from my pocket my mobile to call up my friend, I heard the sounds of cymbals and the dafli (a percussion leather instrument) and to my horror the sounds got amplified. That was a Bhajan Mandali, a group of regular train travellers, who began singing Bhajans (prayers), in praise of various Indian gods. I am definitely not against people invoking various gods at various times, but the cacophony increased as the group began rendering one Bhajan after another non-stop till it was time for me to get off at Santacruz.
Well, so much for wanting to complete a simple phone call and then take a well deserved rest for a few minutes, especially as I had to board an early morning train to Gujarat. The praying reached a high crescendo and the decibel levels reached the prohibited zone. Yet, none of the co-passengers made any protest against these so called devotees who, in their throes, did not think the misery that they were causing to their fellow passengers.
I understand that this is an offence under the railways act, but who will complain? The punishment is six months in jail...but who will bell the cat? It is time to stop this nuisance. Should this be people power or should it be police power that will stop such menace? Or can we have some self-restraint please?
Just as I took out from my pocket my mobile to call up my friend, I heard the sounds of cymbals and the dafli (a percussion leather instrument) and to my horror the sounds got amplified. That was a Bhajan Mandali, a group of regular train travellers, who began singing Bhajans (prayers), in praise of various Indian gods. I am definitely not against people invoking various gods at various times, but the cacophony increased as the group began rendering one Bhajan after another non-stop till it was time for me to get off at Santacruz.
Well, so much for wanting to complete a simple phone call and then take a well deserved rest for a few minutes, especially as I had to board an early morning train to Gujarat. The praying reached a high crescendo and the decibel levels reached the prohibited zone. Yet, none of the co-passengers made any protest against these so called devotees who, in their throes, did not think the misery that they were causing to their fellow passengers.
I understand that this is an offence under the railways act, but who will complain? The punishment is six months in jail...but who will bell the cat? It is time to stop this nuisance. Should this be people power or should it be police power that will stop such menace? Or can we have some self-restraint please?
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