As Babji is getting ready to leave for Madras on some work, his three-year-old son cried saying, “I will also come.” His wife said, “Take him with you, he can see Chennapatnam.” But he has no interest whatsoever. But owing to the child’s crying on the one hand and his wife’s suggestion on the other, he could not but agree.      

The train going to Madras comes to his town at 9 O’ clock in the night. Ensuring that his son has his dinner and after taking his dinner, he and his son arrived at the railway station by 8 O’ clock with minimum luggage for convenience of the journey. That day the train arrived at the station one hour late…In the meanwhile, the child starts pestering him. He wanted him to buy everything that he could see. He just had dinner, yet seeing the vendor of tyrusadam^[1] he insisted on buying the packet. Despite his repeated pleas, he didn’t give off till he purchased.  After purchasing, he said, “I don’t want”. He didn’t keep quiet till it was thrown off. At last, the train came. Taking the kid, Babji boarded the second class compartment. There was a lower berth that was vacant. Another upper berth was also vacant. Spreading the bed on the upper berth, he sat on the vacant lower berth with his son.

The train had crossed four or five stations. Everybody in the compartment was drowsy. The child was also droopy. The train will reach Madras in the early hours of the next day. Thinking that he would put the child to sleep in the lower berth and that he would sleep on the upper berth, he got up and spreading the bed sheet asked his son to sleep. As he was already feeling sleepy, no sooner was he placed on the bed than he slept. Babji climbed up and lay on the upper berth.

***

Late in the night, he suddenly got up, for he felt that somebody was pulling his shirt. He peeped out with heavy eyes. The gentleman sitting in the lower berth was pointing his finger towards the berth where his son was sleeping. Babji looked. His son was not sleeping there. Sitting in the middle of the berth, he was weeping profusely.

Rubbing his eyes, Babji got down and sat beside his son.

“Why are you weeping?” 

The son continued to weep. 

“I am here with you!” said he. 

His son tried to hold back. 

“Sleep, my sweet!” thus tried Babji to put him to sleep. 

Rubbing his eyes, he said, “Amma too sleeps besides me.” It seems Amma too was sleeping besides him. Perhaps, he meant that I should sleep beside him. The way he put forward his desire made Babji laugh. 

“Alright, I will also sleep beside you, come on go to sleep”, said Babji. 

His son slept. By his side, Babji lay down. Piercing through the darkness, the train was passing. Passengers in the compartment were all swinging in sleep. Babji could not get sufficient space to sleep. Yet, fearing that if he moves, the child may wake up, he managed somehow.

A station has come. Gone. Babji felt everything was alright. Felt that his son slept. He decided within himself never to entertain such a relationship with him again. But in the meanwhile, Babji felt that his son was weeping. He turned to look at him. His son was not sleeping. He was sobbing silently. 

“What babu?” 

No reply. 

“Aren’t you getting sleep?” 

He did not stop his weeping. 

Babji was fed up. “You, sleep”, shouted Babji. 

He intensified his weeping. He feared that the co-passengers, being disturbed from their sleep, may despise him. 

“Quiet babu, quiet! He pleaded with his son. After he cooled down a little, he enquired, “What baby, what, not getting sleep?” 

“Getting.” 

“Then sleep”, said he. 

“Amma…”, said the child. 

“Ah! Amma?” asked Babji. 

“After putting me to bed, amma used to lull me to sleep besides singing a lullaby….” said his son. It seems amma used to put him to bed and sing a lullaby! He now wants me to do all that. He can be put to bed, he can even be lulled to sleep but how to sing the lullaby! Babji became quite angry. In the meanwhile, the son has intensified his crying. 

“Sleep babu, sleep”, said Babji. He put him on the berth. He also lay beside him. Lulled him. Yet, his son has not stopped crying. Babji realizes that the only thing left is to sing a lullaby. But how to sing a lullaby? Of course, he has heard his wife singing lullabies, but…it immediately struck his mind that if he stays awake for long his son might ask him to perform all else that his wife was doing. He felt his prime duty should be to put him to sleep. He looked around the compartment. Every one was sleeping. Even the gentleman who awakened him was also sleeping. Slowly, Babji started humming:

“jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA!
 rAvE paramAnanda rAma gOvinda! 
jO, jO…”