Aisa kya ho gaya train mein? Bas sun lo…
You know how some journeys start off all chill and then suddenly turn into a full-blown adventure? This one’s exactly that. Just one random train ride, one loud alarm, and full-on chaos. Ready? Let’s go
Just after the grand inauguration of Ram Mandir last year, I had planned a quick trip with my family—Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Prayagraj. All was going smoothly, until it wasn’t.
After two soulful days in Varanasi, we boarded a train to Ayodhya. Of course, being a classic North Indian winter, fog (aka kohra) delayed our train by almost 4–5 hours. What was supposed to be a cozy afternoon journey turned into a night ride. We were already tired, the train was crawling, and everyone around us was either snoring, scrolling, or softly gossiping.
And then, chaos hit.
Out of nowhere, the fire alarm rang so loudly in our coach, everyone just froze. For a few seconds, we all looked at each other cluelessly like, “Yeh awaaz kis cheez ki hai?” Suddenly someone screamed, “Train mein aag lag gayi!” And bas, full panic mode ON.
I won’t lie—I was terrified. We all jumped up and rushed toward the exit. The train was still moving slowly, and people were crowding the door with their poora ghar ka samaan. One girl near us literally jumped off the upper berth and landed with a thud (thank God she didn’t get hurt). One uncle ran so fast towards the door, he forgot his entire family behind—only to be roasted by them later with laughter and taane.
Someone even tried breaking the emergency window (spoiler: not so easy in real life). After a few minutes of madness, the train finally stopped. Some people got off, others peeked out.
Turns out… it was a false alarm. Probably someone lit a cigarette in the AC coach (WHY?!), and the smoke triggered the fire system. Railway officers came, checked everything, and confirmed there was no fire. Kuch nahi hai bhaiya, chill karo.
The mood shifted completely. From panic to full-blown comedy. People started laughing, giving gyaan—“You should never panic,” “Always be brave,” and all that post-drama wisdom. The girl who jumped was giggling, and the emergency-window guy was pretending it was just practice 😄
The train crawled slowly after that, and we ended up getting off at Ayodhya Cantt instead of the main junction. Because of course, drama ke baad thodi aur detour toh banta hai.
Tips I Learned (the hard way):
- Don’t panic. I know, easier said than done—but panic creates more danger.
- Never jump from a moving train. Seriously. Not even from the upper berth.
- Forget your luggage. Save yourself first. That bag of snacks isn’t worth your life.
- Learn how emergency exits work. Because jab zarurat padti hai, we all forget.
- And please, don’t smoke in the train. It’s illegal and scary for everyone.
A Tiny Note to Indian Railways:
Fire alarms are great. But can we also have some clear instructions on what to do when they ring? Maybe a recorded announcement or signs inside the coach? Also, maybe a little awareness drive on emergency exits?
Still, major thanks to the railway staff who came and sorted the situation. Shoutout to the passengers too—jo daude, gire, hasse, aur gyaan diye—because what’s an Indian train journey without a little drama?