We are not talking about travelling in one for a day or two, but for months at a stretch.
Imagine living in a train. We are not talking about travelling in one for a day or two, but for months at a stretch.
For 20 people who form the crew of Red Ribbon Express, this train is their home. Since January 12, they are living in this train, travelling across the country, spreading awareness on HIV/Aids. For some of them, this is not their first journey.
Mohnish Kumar, CEO of Red Ribbon Express, is on his third trip on the awareness drive. “I’ve been living my dream,” he says. He has clocked about 1,100 days in the train, travelling the length and breadth of the country.
He joined National Aids Coordination Society (Naco) and when he was asked to be part of the Red Ribbon Experience, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. In 2007-08, he was the monitoring officer. He got an opportunity to be part of the mission the next year too. This year, he is the CEO of Red Ribbon Express.
He says the train has become an integral part of the lives of the crew. In fact, it was during an awareness trip on the train that he met his would-be wife, in Goa.
Living in a train does demand certain sacrifices and health is one of them. But all the trouble is worth it, he says, as he is helping save lives. And for those who think such awareness campaigns are a waste of time, he has a story to tell, of a HIV-positive woman who could save her daughter from getting infected because of Red Ribbon Express’s awareness campaign. He says it was during the first-ever trip of the Express that she learnt about the medication, adding that she came to meet the crew when the train visited her station next year and thanked them for saving her daughter’s life.
“If I had any doubts about what I was doing with my life, she cleared them,” Kumar says.
Head electrician Bunty Ujjainia derives the feeling of self-worth from serving in the train. He says he would have been just any other electrician had he been working anywhere else.
While the crew members do miss their home, during the journey, they see their family members in each other.
Benefits apart, the job that requires living on a train does take its toll. Kumar was to get married in January but the wedding had to be postponed because Red Ribbon Express started its journey.
Now, owing to the work schedule, it is only in November that he can tie the knot. For that too, he will have to take off from work.
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