“We need each other!”
The Day supported the Euromaidan Public Sector’s project of adding a “unity railcar” to the Lviv-Odesa train
Late on May 20, a train departed the Main Railway Station of Lviv for Odesa, running on schedule but with a special railcar, one of shared values.
“The tragic events of May 2 in Odesa shook the country. We all sympathize with the Odesites and want to support them in this difficult time. We, Leopolitans, are also familiar with pain of loss and understand importance of compassion. All of us are humans first and foremost. We share values, including security, family warmth, and attention to everyone’s needs. Those who seek power at any cost, who are trying to sow distrust and hatred, will have no seat in our common ‘train of friendship.’ This train will carry only people with pure heart and good intentions,” the Euromaidan’s Public Sector, which had actually organized this commendable project, noted on Facebook.
Preparations for departure of the “special railcar” lasted all day: it was wrapped from outside with checkered film looking like a warm blanket, laid inside with plaids and comfortable little cushions, had tables covered with embroidered napkins and windows with merry curtains, while good tableware and food for thought – books in Ukrainian and Russian, including The Day’s Library series, our glossy supplement Route No. 1, and, of course, latest issues of this newspaper – were placed in the railcar.
As a co-organizer of the project, businessman and activist Oleh Matsekh told The Day, idea to create a sort of cozy and nice railcar had originated with Kyiv Euromaidan activists over two months ago. The girls appealed to the leadership of the railway with this proposal and got their approval easy. “The design has been developed by a special group,” Matsekh told us. “They initially planned to paint on the car a current patriotic slogan, like ‘United country,’ but then came to the conclusion that it would be better to restate what are seemingly simple human values, such as comfort, warmth, and calmness, which all of us are now short on.” The railcar’s chosen slogan is words of children’s favorite cartoon hero Karlsson: “Keep calm. Just keep calm,” which are painted on the railcar, too. The whole community lent a hand to furnishing the “calm railcar.”
Matsekh said that the railcar No. 0 would run continuously on this route. The cost of the ticket, despite the railcar’s “special purpose” has not been raised. “We need each other,” stress the Euromaidan Public Sector’s activists involved in the project.
