Players trained on chain

This blast from the past is courtesy of my maternal uncle, MD Umapathi. The uncle recalls escorting his late brother, MD Kumar, to the Bengaluru East Railway Station to help him catch the train to Bombay (now Mumbai), unmindful that a drama would unfold. Uncle Kumar was part of the 1968 Mysore State (now Karnataka) Junior Squad heading to the “city of dreams” to participate in the Nationals. He was the first in the family to wear the state colours. My younger siblings, N J Prasanna Kumar and N J Prem Prakash, would also play for the state hockey team later at the junior level.

Besides the close relatives and friends, officials from the State Hockey Association had also come to see off the players and wish them well. Among them was the legendary SM Sait, who served as the State Hockey Association secretary for a record 32 years (1948–1988).

The train had already arrived at the station. Barring two or three players, busy making sundry purchases at the railway counter, the rest of the team had already settled in their berths. But as the train suddenly began to roll, the players loitering on the platform found themselves stranded—their last ditch attempt to scramble into the moving coach also came to naught.

The hockey officials concerned about the players’ plight began running alongside the moving coaches, gesturing to the passengers, including the players, to pull the chain.

When none dared to act, SM Sait, the secretary of the State Hockey Association, decided to take the plunge. Belying his age, the veteran sprinted across and, in a flash, leapt into the moving coach.

As everyone stood wonderstruck by this brave act, Mr Sait rushed inside the coach and tugged at the alarm chain, bringing the train to a screeching halt. The episode happened in the blink of an eye, catching the railway officials completely off-guard.

In the ensuing confusion, the stranded players hopped into their coach even as the authorities scrambled to identify the miscreant.

The stunned passengers quickly pointed the finger at the accused, but Mr Sait, a part-time lawyer, refused to accept his folly. Instead, he displayed his legal skills and asserted that the players with valid tickets were the state’s ambassadors and had every right to be on the train.

Unbelievably, the railway officials let off Mr Sait with a light reprimand, but to the players, he was their knight in shining armour. But for him, they would have probably missed the train.

As per the Indian Railways Act, pulling the emergency chain without a valid reason is an offence, attracting a jail term or a fine.

The iron horse finally steamed out of the station after a nervous 20-minute wait. Thankfully, the team reached their destination without further hiccups but returned home empty-handed after their campaign at the Junior Men National Championship ended prematurely. However, Mr Sait’s heroics became the talk of the town!