On a sweltering summer journey to Pantnagar from Nagpur, our train’s second-class compartment was stifling. Late at night, as my family dozed, I was drawn to the window by a young, insatiable curiosity.
At Ratlam station, lured by adventure, I disembarked, unaware that my courage was about to be tested.
When I finally noticed the train pulling away, the limitations of my 8 year old stature became glaringly apparent. Each time I attempted to leap onto the moving train, my small body simply couldn’t muster the height needed. With each unsuccessful attempt, the reality of my predicament sank in deeper; the handrails remained just beyond reach, leaving me earthbound and racing against the train’s steady advance.
Fuelled by determination and a hint of desperation, I kept running.
At the last moment, a vegetable seller, my guardian angel, ran towards me. She grabbed my shorts, hoisting me safely into the guard’s compartment.
This tense night taught me a pivotal life lesson.
Chase the impossible dreams. To do something meaningful, run without doubt, fear, or panic. Keep running. And maybe, when the train you think you’ve missed or seems too fast to catch begins to leave, someone will be there to help you on at the last second.
If you aren’t chasing after the impossible, nobody will have the chance to lift you onto it.