Ram Balak Prasad at the controls of a Metro Railway train on a Puja night. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

Little Sahsra couldn’t spot her father in the audience before the lights dimmed and her performance — a solo dance to a Bihu number — began on a Behala puja stage on Saptami. Dad Shubhendu Sarkar, 48, was on duty at Tollygunge Metro Rail station.

“We didn’t tell her I won’t be able to make it to her performance. My wife filmed the dance on a camcorder and I saw it when I got back home at 1am after seeing off the last train,” said the station superintendent, forcing a smile.

The Class III student of GD Memorial Institution, Sahsra, was crestfallen. “Every one else’s father was there,” she told her mother, Anjana, after stepping off the stage.

Sarkar, who joined Metro Rail in 1984, has got used to duty in the time of festivity but being away from his daughter on these four days hurts. “Since I started work at 24, I have forgone the adda sessions with my para pals during the Puja — which used to be so precious. But this is another kind of pain…”

With Metro Rail services extended to midnight on Saptami and till 4am on Ashtami and Navami, most employees were unable to spend time with their families to make sure revellers got to their destination of delight.

Late on Saptami evening, Metro travelled with motorman Ram Balak Prasad, 46, in the cabin from Tollygunge to Dum Dum. His three children “constantly complain” about his absence when “all other fathers are home”. Originally from Bihar, Durga puja is “the main festival” for the Prasad family. “My wife, Meena, and daughter, Bhiva Rani, who is in college, are regulars at the para puja mandap. My sons Kundan and Chandan, born and brought up here, are extremely excited about the pujas. They really miss me,” rued Prasad, as the train shot like an arrow through the tunnel before screeching to a halt at Shyambazar station.

Glancing back at the jubilant crowds waiting to board the train, Prasad said: “It’s nice being of service to so many people, helping them have a good time. The constant chatter behind me is quite amusing and even motivating.” But this duty is a double-edged sword. “Sometimes these same sights and sounds make me so sad,” he admits as the train sprang to life once more. “I would happily trade places with the commuters. I do feel like spending time with my family...”

Some Metro Rail drivers altered their shifts, working extra hours so that they can take a day off during the pujas. “Our normal shift is for eight hours. I worked an extra two hours on a couple of days, including Saptami, to get a holiday on Ashtami,” he smiled.

The rest of the days was all about driving pandal-hoppers around and wondering what the festive evening spent with the family might have been.