Image: An Overcrowded Train ride: June 22, 2017
I wrote an article close to this on Steemit few years ago, as I was surfing through my LinkedIn page, I came across this less-shocking image, maybe not so shocking to me and maybe a few considering the degree of poverty we have seen and experienced. Be that as it may, anyone that have been living a privileged life(safe country, availability of basic amenities, security) would cringe seeing people attached to the external part of a moving train just to get to their desired destination because its free. The image is disturbing as well as thought provoking no doubt, its like extreme poverty makes people defy death.
Truth is, this seems like fun to the people on that train, heck i have attached to truck backs and lorries too to get to and from my school in highschool. However, poverty is not really fun, especially when the things you need to survive are not available to you. It is appalling and cruel, grotesque and death bound. The lack of basic things(food, clothing, materials) makes people all over the world look for alternatives and cheap things which are death traps, the statistics of people dying off trains like this in my country Nigeria and India, with some other countries says it all even though these figures or catastrophes do not make it to mainstream media.
Regardless of the deathly hallows of poverty, a very deadly disease with no cure, nobody has to risk their lives as seen in the image. The sad truth is that, irrespective of how poor someone is, death is an irrevocable process, when we die; then all hope of getting out of poverty dies along too with the body hence all hope is vanquished.
The cover photo was taken in Bangladesh India, from the caption, these folks were going home to celebrate the end of Ramadan, that's the end of Muslim fasting period few years back, its a yearly occurrence and only the heavens knows those who will make it home and back on that perilous train ride to meet their loved ones.
You would see similar view in Oshodi Lagos State Nigeria, West Africa where passengers climb on moving trains because they do not have money to pay for transportation and some who wants to rationalize the little they have, hence they prefer to take risk rather than pay for the inner coaches.
On several occasions, people have lost their footing while struggling to get on a moving train and they fell headlong with his skull shattering on hitting the metals of the rail tracks.
And it happens that its not Just in my country these crazy thing take place, again in another country it's happening and i feel so sad from the depth of my heart. It is an horrifying experience because the Trains always moved on without minding who fell off or who survives.
As the Ramadan kick starts again this year, my heart goes to my Muslims brothers and friends on the chain. As fun as this could look to some people, I would never wish anyone die while looking for free things(transportation, food, clothing), I rather wish people hold on to their lives and hope for the best this season and always. Happy Ramadan!