Meet This Railway Station Master Who Goes Beyond The Call Of Duties To Help People Find Their Lost Baggage

Rakesh Sharma, a Station Master working at the New Delhi Railway Station, has been going beyond the call of his official duties to reunite passengers with their lost luggage. Known as a saviour, he has so far helped 430 passengers find their lost luggage and sees it as a way to serve people.

Hailing from Punjab's Gurdaspur, Sharma started his job in Railways when he was 24-years-old but has been taking the initiative to help people since April 2016. That year, he first got involved with assisting a passenger in finding his lost luggage.

"So far, we have located and brought back the lost luggage of at least 432 passengers. When the porters bring us the luggage left behind in the pantry car or on the seats, we ask them for the coach number. Then we use either the PNR number or any ID cards, like Aadhaar or PAN, to locate the passenger. That is how we deliver their luggage," Sharma told NDTV.

Until Sharma took up this initiative, all lost or missing luggage of passengers would be deposited in the railway station's Lost Property Office and remain there until someone came to claim it. But now, Sharma proactively hunts down the passenger whose missing luggage it is, be it Indian or foreigner. It isn't just the PNR he uses to track down the passenger, he actively uses social media as well.

Passengers Share Their Experiences

While talking about Rakesh Sharma's impeccable service, Udit Saumya, one of the railway passengers, said, "I thank Mr Rakesh Sharma, who is the station manager at NDLS for bringing back my lost purse. I had lost it when I was boarding the train at the cantonment. It was found by the two coolies and they later submitted it to the station manager. This gentleman has been kind. He immediately contacted me and sent me the wallet through Himachal Bhawan."

Nikunj Jain, a resident of Friends Apartment in IP Extension, was coming from Jaipur to New Delhi in December last year when his trolley bags were exchanged. Taking another passenger's bag, he reached Sharma and deposited it. Then the latter immediately looked up the passenger's mobile number through the PNR details from which Nikunj's luggage was exchanged. He says that Rakesh has returned the bags of many people. All this isn't easy, but he traces it to his hard work and dedication.

On another account Santosh Kumar, a passenger shares his thoughts during his travel from Patna to New Delhi in December last year. He recalls that he was carrying a lot of luggage, and so a bag was left behind on the train. Rakesh Sharma returned his lost luggage within just two hours. Ironically, a bag stolen from him from the platform just a year earlier has not been found yet.

"I never thought the railways could take such quick action. A year or so ago, a similar thing happened when my luggage was stolen. But I never found it. This time, I thank Rakesh Sharma, and I am glad the railways have officers like him doing such good work", Santosh Kumar said.

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