Posting in the remote village was a blessing in disguise for him
During the last few weeks of the training in the Railway Training School, the young man noticed that many of his batchmates remained absent either on Fridays or on Mondays, but he could not decipher the reason behind this phenomenon. He did not give it much importance either; he was thoroughly enjoying the training along with a handsome salary during the training period.Reality dawned on him much later. He successfully completed his training and went to the Divisional Railway Manager's Office (DRM Office) for posting. When he received the posting order, his smile instantly evaporated. He was posted in the remotest corner of the state in a narrow-gauge station. On the other hand, those batchmates who regularly absented themselves from the training school on Fridays and Mondays got excellent postings in big cities or in 'lucrative' stations.
The young man spent a few days with his family members in Calcutta and with a heavy heart reached the remote station. What he saw was beyond his imagination. He had never seen such a small station. There were only five pairs of trains in 24 hours with 'crossing' in his station (that is, he had to pass only five trains every day). Almost nil commercial activity was another issue worth mentioning. There were no activities near the station after 5 in the evening.
It was a very light posting. Not only that, due to mutual arrangements with his colleagues, he could go to Calcutta very frequently.
The young man remained in the small narrow-gauge station for a little more than one year and faced all the difficulties in that remote place. But he utilized this very light and peaceful posting fully and cleared four different competitive examinations for Central Government recruitment. He later joined another Government job and got posted in Delhi.
Posting in the remote village ultimately proved to be a blessing in disguise for the young man.
(Competition entry: February 2024 Topic-based contest)
