Clickety-clack, down the track. The Bangalore metro rumbles through the tunnel and pulls into the station, where passengers await the fastest commuter of them all! Anticipation builds and sends a chill down the spine, as children from Spastics Society of Karnataka (SSK) look forward to their ‘Namma Metro' ride.
The children were already excited about the tall concrete pillars in the middle of the road and construction near their school, and then their daily sight of the metro train whizzing past on the overhead track. The day's metro ride simply added to their excitement.
The students of SSK with their teachers, volunteers and ancillary staff reached the Baiyappanahalli junction and took the ramp at the entrance. They were excused the procedure of swiping the ticket and instead went to the elevator and were helped to board the train. At M.G. Road, the ticketing officer walked into the train at the junction, validated all the tickets and sent the group to continue their return journey. A joy ride it turned out to be in every sense.
What's more, the children got to enjoy that extra ride from the M.G. Road junction to the yard, before the return journey. No amount of reading about a train can curb a child's curiosity about how a person drives it.
The children waved and cheered for the driver as he walked to the engine at the other end.
There is no denying that our country is not turning disabled-friendly overnight. But simple gestures from people working in the metro station to accommodate persons with special needs are a welcome trend that will hopefully become a norm in all public places. This gives people more reasons to opt for Namma Metro, besides being the only way to commute the 6.5 km from M.G. Road to Baiyappanahalli in an impossible 13 minutes.
