Samudra Devi

Samudra Devi, the daily coast-line office train from Galle to Colombo has always been a second home to me as my father was a commuter. I've traveled in it ever since I was in my mother's womb. We had a samudra devi 'family' with whom we keep contact even today. Samudra devi must be one of the most attacked office trains in SL for the commuters' autocracy. Although there are arguments for & against this allegation, the human factors behind the commuters' lives must be understood. They're ppl who come to Colombo daily not coz they want to, but to make a living. They travel under extremely difficult conditions without complaining. But throughout history the authorities did everything they could to clamp the samudra Devi travelers. The number of compartments were cut down from 18 to 12 & recently out of them, 2 have become second class compartments further restraining space. What these poor travelers need is not classy comfort but a train on time so that they can at least reach their work place before the red line and see their kids faces before they go to bed! They can't anyway afford to travel in the 2nd class! This oppression is too much for the commuters and they rebel against it. As a result 5 commuters (including 1 girl) are spending tonight at Magazine Prison. This oppression is a common problem to all commuters who come to Colombo daily from all areas. Anybody who judges who's right & who's wrong by looking at single incidents will miss the wood for the trees.