1130. When the Two Trains Collide...!

A Young man nearing 30 years had applied for the post of Train Gateman. There were a lot of applicants along with him as he entered the Railway Recruitment Board building to attend an interview. He was prepared to answer the question asked at the interview. Some of his friends had shortlisted a few probable questions like: What do you do if you are employed as a Train Gateman? What makes your comforts about a Train Gateman position? What encouragement preparation would you demand being capable to do this Train Gateman job? What is most significant to you in an Executive Train Gateman position? What are the potentials of an elegant Train Gateman? What pertinent Train Gateman skills do you possess? Do you believe you are confident to obtain the position of Train Gateman?  

  

A little nervous he waited for his turn the clerk called out his name. Taking a deep breath he got up from his seat and walked into the room. There was a gentleman and a lady sitting across the table. The gentleman took the documents file from him and gestured him to sit on the chair. After asking the name and qualification the gentleman asked, “Suppose you are selected for the job and posted to manually operated level crossing. There is a single track and one train is halted just a few yards before the level crossing for technical snag and there is another train scheduled to come from opposite direction, what are you going to do?”   

  

The enthusiast young man replied, “I will contact the Station Master and report about the halting train. And ask him to stop the oncoming train in the station itself.”

“What if the train has already left the station???” asked the interviewer.

“In that case I will volunteer to stop the oncoming train.” said the young man.

“How???” asked the interviewer giving a naughty glance and smiling at the lady sitting next to him. 

“I will carry the red flag and run towards the train.”

“What if you do not have the red flag???”

“I will remove my shirt and run waving it towards the train.”

“Suppose it is night time and you nor your shirt is visible to the engine driver, now what?”

“I will set fire to the removed shirt and indicate the engine driver to stop.”

 “Think it is raining cats and dogs and you are unable to ignite your shirt, Then???”

 “I will use my torch.”

“And what if the battery of the torch is dead???”

“I will use the kerosene lantern.”

“Suppose the kerosene in the lantern is exhausted???”

“Sir, in that case I will run home and bring my wife who will be doing her chores at home.”

Now, the interviewer was curious to know how the Train Gateman’s wife can handle such a situation. Probing further he asked, “How will your wife avert a possible accident???”

The young man replied, “No sir, my wife is from a village and she is just 6^th pass, I love her a lot. She does not know a thing about this train gateman job. I got married to her two years ago. I have provided everything to her in those past two years and taken her to city to show the Mela (Fair) and Nautanki (Folk Theater), as far as possible I want her to experience everything in life; she has never seen two trains collide in her life. I would not let her miss this opportunity.”

There was silence in the room for a few minutes. The young man had indeed given a befitting answer to the questions from a Thale Harate (Headlong) interviewer who wanted to show his smartness in front of his female colleague.