9-yr-old boy averts train mishap

Std IV student Siddesh’s timely alert about a broken track saves many lives on Bengaluru-bound trains

One of the main reasons for the train accidents in India is broken tracks. Nine people lost their lives when an Ernakulum-bound intercity train derailed near Anekal in February. But on Sunday, a nine-year old prevented a possible disaster on the route used by important trains like Jan Shatabdi, Karnataka Samparka Kranti.

Siddesh M, a fourth standard student in Davanagere, decided to join his father at his hotel (situated close to the train track) on Sunday morning. He noticed a train passing that route making a strange sound.

He asked his father if they could check for the source of the sound. “My son asked if we could check the railway track. I heard the peculiar sound too. I am no expert and I had no idea what the problem was,” said Siddesh’s father Manjunath.

On his son’s insistence, they decided to go take a look. Siddesh pointed to a broken portion of the track. “We wondered how to inform the Railway department,” he said. Soon, they could hear the Harihar-Chitradurga passenger train approaching.

Smart head on shoulders

Indian railways use red flags to halt trains.

Siddesh knew this, and it gave him an idea. He took off the red T-shirt he was wearing and decided to use it as a flag. The train’s loco pilot saw the waving red garment and stepped on the brakes. The train halted inches from the fragmented portion of the track. The pilot stepped out to check what was going on. On seeing the broken track, the pilot intimated the engineers of the South Western Railway, who rushed to the spot and repaired the gap.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Siddesh said, “I had heard about train accidents and was very worried when I saw the track. I was also wondering how to stop the train. However, I realised that a red T-shirt can be handy in stopping the train. I tried the trick and it worked out.”

Sources said that as this track is used by scores of trains, Siddesh’s intervention helped save the lives of the thousands of commuters.