Poem composed by Pawan Kumar Singh (Keyman), North Eastern Railway, Lakhimpur
(Translation of Hindi poem)
Dedicated to all Track Maintainers of Indian Railways
I set out for my duty,
In the morning, every day.
Putting my life at stake,
To my destination I make my way.
Before going to work daily,
My worried family
I must reassure.
I must give them hope
And promise
To be back home for sure.
I see my comrades torn apart,
Their bodies ripped
And destroyed horribly.
I fear, after work,
Will I really return
Home to my family?
Although death looms over us,
We walk the path of our duty
In the shadow of the grave.
We keep trying to live our lives
One day at a time always.
The iron track that we protect,
That we serve
And maintain,
Turns on us ruthlessly,
Handing us a death
Of unimaginable pain.
We hope not to experience a death
That leaves only pieces of our bodies
For our families to find.
Who is responsible for our deaths?
The rail administration has no answer.
No one pays us any mind.
You have thrown
The one who worships and serves you
Into death’s embrace.
I pray to the Creator
May not even my enemy be
With such a death erased.
I also want to live.
Why doesn’t the rail administration give us Rakshak devices
Why doesn’t the rail administration give us Rakshak devices…
Composed by: Pawan Kumar Singh (Keyman), North Eastern Railway, Lakhimpur