An Old friend

This is an account by a second person as told to me,Iam narrating the story in first person.

"Iam already late and this train..." I was at dadar station platform 4 waiting for churchgate bound slow train..
"I was better off in college..job life is a hell..but then...Its always greener on the other side..no matter..u r never satisfied", all these thoughts of arguments and counter arguments were going on through my mind.

The station was busy with business as usual..Coolies..Beggars..Hawkers..
I had been witnessing such a scene every day and night and this day was another of such a day.

The station was a living to many and a world to many others..!!

Waiting for the train,my eyes couldn't ignore some street beggars with tattered and dirty clothes lying on the platform below the stairs.It seemd to me a family of four.The women was busy preparing the meals for the family.
The children aged less than five were playing....rolling on the platform with mud all over.They were happy ,no matter wherever....whatever...
Children who had born..grown on the platform listening to the hustle and bustle of people and trains everyday...everynight.To them silence was unknown.To them this was a world.

I sometimes felt lucky and thankful to god for the kind of childhood i had got...but at the sametime unhappy with the world those small wonders were going through..compromising with the daily meals..compromising with there childhood.
"India is the land of hideous human sufferings" I muttered with a deep breath.
A sense of disgust surrounded me for a while.

"What are you staring at those urchins for so long and talking on own,haan...." an elderly women spoke from behind,interrupted my thoughts.
With a smile..pointing to those small kids she said "Yes!u seem to be in deep thought..eh?"
I had compltely got lost in there world for a while until when she had interuppted.

"The train is arriving..." she gestured and tried getting up from seat.
She was struggling to get up..trying to get up with difficulty, I gave her my hand to support.

"Well, beta sometimes i curse this age of mine...and with diseases apart,I feel i had enough of my life..." the old lady was continuing to tell her miseries.
I was not at all in a mood to hear miseries after a long rest less day...but then..sometimes it becomes a duty to make others feel happy when they are seeking happiness.

The train had almost stopped and some 'seat savvy' men were already starting off with there usual habit of dashing inside the empty compartment.
It was nothing new to me and so i was not at all amused..like some onlookers new to the city...watching with eyes wide open..refusing to miss any action.. :)

I held her hand and slowly helped her get into the second class compartment.I made her seat in near the window seat.

"Thank you beta..i..iam pretty impressed by your compassionate nature" she said
She was looking at me with extreme satisfaction while saying this.
"Its all my duty...",I uttered my first words to her...with a feeling of worthness.

Not less than 60 years..i guessed..!She was all alone carrying a huge bigshopper bag. With jewelleries all around the neck and plastic bangles all over her hand, she seemed to look like a perfect bridegroom or rather a perfect 'slightly overaged' bridegroom. [:)]
I sat close to the window opposite to her seat.

The train started moving slowly..!I too had some thoughts running through my mind..!!
The lady was too old to be left alone to travel..old age is a real curse..or may be she is not among the luckier ones..

The thoughts about her as to how she would manage to get home..where she is coming from..what about her children..grand children...
"Beta..arrey..beta..yeh..train..kahan tak hai..?" she was alomost shouting at me..
perhaps..i had became deaf...prhaps in deep thoughts...

"kya.?.aapko waise..kahan jana hai?Koi to ayega na aapko..lene..?Beta..ya beti??"I asked her back..

I was looking at her with anxiousness...waiting for her reply..but..
she was silent..
for a while..i had a feeling that..she was confused with my questions...but then..
Perhpas..she didnt knew what she wanted to say..

For a while,i wondered...if she too was a victim of ageing..

I looked at her..eyes..and held her hand..
A drop of tear from her eyes fell on my hand..

The drops were not mere tears...it was what life has given to her during her old days..
I was to get down at the next station which was not more than 3 minutes of more travel...but I was ready lost in her emotions..

She clasped my hand more tightly..as if she knew that i was going to get down at the next station..
as if..she didnt wanted to be left alone..

This small meeting..had now turned into a emotional bond..
an emotional bond of lifetime..
she was shivering...

I felt her pulse immediately..and looked at her eyes again..
she had turned pale..her eyes red...

I could sense something was terribly wrong..

By this time..she had already laid her head

"Dadi....dadi..what happened...dadi...." I was shouting...and screaming...
She wasnt saying anything..
I was in a state of shock..for a while..
"Please... say something..dadi.."
[Guess next or Read the rest soon..!!]

Letter from Punjab!!

This is a letter written by a Sardarjee mother to her son..Courtesy:some unknown Genius[but awesome]..hats of to u sir..!![:)]

On public Demand:
Pyaarey puttar,
Vahe Guru.
I'm writing this letter slow, because I know you cannot read fast.
We don't live where we did when you left home. Your dad read in the
paper that most accidents happen 20 miles from your home, so we moved.
I won't be able to send you the address as the last Sardar who stayed
here took the house numbers with them for their next house, so they
wouldn't have to change their address. This place is really nice. It even has
a washing machine, situated right above the commode. I'm not sure it works too well.

Last week I put in 3 shirts, pulled the chain and haven't seen them since. The weather
here isn't too bad. It rained only twice last week.

The first it rained for 3 days and second time for 4 days.
The coat you wanted me to send you, your Aunt said it would be a little
too heavy to send in the mail with all the metal buttons, so we cut them
off and put them in the pocket. Your father has another job.

He has 500 men under him. He is cutting the grass at the cemetery.
Your sister had a baby this morning. I haven't found out whether
it's a girl or a boy, so I don't know whether you are an Aunt or Uncle.
Your uncle, Jatinder fell in a nearby well. Some men tried to pull him out,
but he fought them off bravely and drowned. We cremated him and he burned
for three days. Your best friend, Balwinder, is no more. He died trying to
fulfil his father's last wishes. His father had wished to be buried in the
sea after he died. And your friend died while in the process of digging
a grave for his father. There isn't much more news this time. Nothing much has happened.

Love Mom.
P. S : I was going to send you some money but the envelope was already
sealed.

Oye..Pajji...Pajji...Oye!!

"Mumma..i will be der in anther 45 minutes..rt nw iam at dadar station..okie!.."
I answered the call from my mom..

"Another hectic day at office...and i can soon relax at home.."i muttered..

Walking along the streets of dadar market,i felt my heart for the dozens of people
sleeping at the footpath..
"This is Mumbai.."..i said to myself and prayed with a sober heart..

I rushed towards the plaza junction...hoping to catch a bus..
rushing along the street..climbing the footsteps..i reached the main road..and

looked along the road..hoping to see bus number 172..Dejected..again..!

I look at the watch..and counted on each minute...
10.45..10.50...10.55pm..

still no sign of bus..

I had made up a mind that day not to overspend..whatever may be the reason..
I was quite adamant to catch a bus instead of a taxi..
but sometimes..a compromise or rather giving up is the only option..!

and..today seemed to be another such an instance..

Even before i could realise..tht it was not the right time to be stubborn with such

ideas..a cab driver..driving at snails speed slowly..parked his taxi in front of

me..shouting..or may be trying to shout..!!whatever..!

"bas dus rupaiiya..antop hil..antop hill..do(two) seat..bas dus(10) rupaiyya.."
I had no intention to think or rethink..on whether to get in or not..!

I opened the front door...the doors were almost into tatters..but then..it still

could function as a door..!
I wanted to ask him.."if it really was a Post 93 model..do u carry a license for
this vehicle..and what not..."
but then..
sometimes..stupidity vanishes soon..even before the act of stupidity is
committed..!![:)]

The Driver was busy shouting..hoping to catch another anxious prey..!The sound was
so loud that i couldn't rule out the possiblity for his sound to be one of the
reasons for the miserable condition of the doors..!
[human voice can have a woofer effect.."Bang Bang the Door.."[:)]]

I was getting impatient..eventhough such stupid thoughts were already keeping me
busy..
but then..a sudden realisation of getting late and thoughts of 'sambar' made me anxiously
ask him..
"Oh pajji..,ab kitni der aur rukauoge..?"

"puttar..bas aur 5 minute..koi to mil jaaye..fir niklate hain.. zara dheeraj
rakho.."he said with his bold voice.
Even before he finished saying this..a young man could be seen running towards the
taxi..
panting..he bends near the drivers window and asks..
"Bhai..VJTI..chaloge?..thoda jaldi hai.."
He was showing an extreme sense of urgency..and that backed my need to reach home
fast..!

"haan bhai..kyun nahin..baith jao" replied our grand old..pajji..with a sense of
relief..

I too with a sense of relief sighed..and helped him open the door at the rear..
I was already an expert on techniques to open 'tatterd doors'..a successful result

of 15 minute research..on this subject..!

I couldnt stop myself looking at the watch for the 7th time as he started the taxi..
I looked at him..signalling a sense of urgency..to reach home..

but the old man seemed to show no reaction..

I was pretty hungry..and I could already feel the "sambar smell"...unconciously..!

"ab kya karein baccha..log..kamai bhi jyada hoti nahin..aur phir..log pareshan.."
the same bold voice but with some pain interuppted my thoughts..
I could barely understand what he wanted to say..
but his gestures showed that he wanted to talk about his sufferings..
..sufferings which i could hardly understand..at this age.

His sound had all the experiences of his life..80 years of real life..
A long white beard..and wrinkled face...
His face had all the signs of pain and sweat...

Each fine line had a story to tell..story of emotions,shock and hunger

The taxi was already on move..and i too was
Sometimes..it doesnt take much to change your mood..

"Everyone has a defination for life.." I thought.
but now the feeling was something beyond..life..!!

Eventhough..I was frustrated and in no mood to listen to any sufferings 5 minutes

back...but nw..something had touched my heart..!

I couldnt stop asking him..back..
"Kya huva pajji..,itni pareshani kyun?"

I turn back to look at VJTI guys reaction..but he seemed to be completely unaware of

any such dialouge..

Pajji was silent for a while..
He seemed to have heard what i was asking but he was still silent.
He dint reply back..neither did he look at me.He wanted to forget whatever has happened.

He was driving the taxi in a pretty slow pace.
Some thoughts of loss and pain were going on and on in his head.

I was too busy looking at his expressions, thinking about things which could have made the grand old man appear so disturbed.

Suddenly a loud sound interuppted.
"Pajji..oye pappajee..zara roko to yaar..!!,Kab se chilla raha hun...behre ho kya??"
The guy sitting at the back seat...shouted..!!

Pajji pressed the breaks all of a sudden hearing him shout.

The taxi halted with a screaching sound...
We both started looking at the guy but he seemed to be busy shouting.

"Oye driver..jahan rokna tha wahan to rokte nahin.."
Saale...Pata nahin kahan kahan se aajate hain..."
He was complaining and shouting with no respect for age.

Pappaji was silent and i too was..
I was feeling deeply embarassed on his behaviour and language.

"Yeh lo, das rupayya..aur haan..aindaa..dhyaan se....Nahin to kaheen ke nahin rahoge.."
He said this mocking at him.

I was shattered and was feeling deeply hurt on this behaviour.Even though the guy hadnot pointed any fingers on to me but then it was a representation of the 'so called youth'.
Pajji was silent.
I held my head low with shame as It was dificult to even hear all this.

He closed the door with a big bang and left.

I wanted to console and talk to him .
I wanted to get the pain of thoughts out of him, but then i was feeling it hard to gather enough courage to console him.

Taking a deep breath he looked at me and politely said..Wiping out the tears from his eyes
"Bas do minute beta, aur main tumhe antop hill chod dunga..thoda dukhi hun is duniya se..duniya waaalon se...bas..do minute beta...".

I knew he was in a deep pain but he had already mastered the art of hiding pain..from his face.
This was nothing new to him.

Sometimes it gets really painful to see an old man who had given all his life for his wife, his children and grand children...suffer so much in a City of Dreams..or a city of Shattered Dreams.

To cool him down, I opened my bag and offered him some water to drink.
"Yeh lijiye pappaji....ise peejiye..aur thoda araam kariye.."
I said to him.

"Nahin beta,main theek hun....main theek hun..koi pareshaanee nahin.."
He said this again wiping sweat from his forhead.

He started to drive the taxi again..

Letting off tears had made his heart more light and healthy for a while.

"Pappaji..waise yeh Lassi sabse achi kahan milegi is samay pe..wahin lekar chaliye.."
Trying to kick off a good friendship..I asked him this.

"To tum lasse peena chahte ho..?abhi...waise..ab punjaabee se yeh poochoge to...hum kabhi naa nahin bolte.."he replied with the same politeness.

"Batao..beta..Punjabee market main..le chalun..wahan par milti..hai..ekdam..Punjaab dee Lassii"

He seemed altogether a diffrent man when i asked him about lassi..

This is the character which has been always a trademark for all Punjabees.
When it comes to courtesy, there is no one else who could beat them.
And our Pajji too was a proof to this.

We moved slowly towards the Punjabee market .He was drivng at a snails pace.
The air in the market was filled with the smell of tandoori and chicken.

He slowed down his taxi and halted at a lassi shop.

"Puttar,chalo..utar jao..ab main hi tumhe pila deta hun..punjab di lassi.."


It was all of a sudden.I had found a new friend...a great old friend.
It was an amazing feeling to be on the recieving end of the courtesy but then..his painful face ten minutes back was still afresh in my mind.

I came out of the taxi and Pajji ordered..the boy.."Oye do lasse pila de yaar.."
I still was not convinced if he was the same old man who was in so much tension and tears a while ago.

May be, a small gesture of respect had changed his mood altogether.
After all getting respected is an altogether a diffrent feeling.

The boy brought the Lassi and kept on the table.
"Waise main...pichle tees saalon se gaadi chalata aaraha hun..aur aaj bhi..chala raha hun.."
and we started the conversation..

We talked about all the topics right from Lassi to ....what not...
soon we were cracking jokes....sipping lassi once in a while though..[:)]

We had became friends... really good friends.

Infact, it was my responsiblity to be a good friend...
because you never know, when can You be a Victim...

A victim of Old Age
...A victim of your own blood or the....so called children!!

H'AIRLine' Academy

2200 hrs..'am I late?'
I run with all my energy..!!
'Oh..Thank God..!!'..It Isn't closed..!I felt relieved when i said this to myself..!

'Good Evening ,How can I help you Sir?' asked the man sitting at the counter..!
I looked around..I see men dressed in black coats and thin lined trousers..with Welcome kit containing shining scissors and knives in hand..!

'Please Sir,have your seat..!'said the manager politely..as if trying to pacify his customers in the shop suggesting me..i am not the only one who is frightened..!![:P]

Yeah..sure'..I said..hiding my nervousness..!

I was in queue with four other 'beauty conscious' Indians ahead of me!
"Welcome to Hair Line Academy..!"

'And these are my employees with EHD's..!'said the Manager..!
'Eh..Sir..did i hear it right,..did you mean PHD's??'I wanted to ask the manager..!

'He means "Experts in Hair Designing" someone sitting besides me answered..as if reading my mind..!

I looked around like a child confused....confused with weird abbreviations..or confused with the atmosphere..!!whatever..!!
The atmosphere around sometimes made laugh out loud with all of my heart...!!

I have always been thinking of reading Mahatma's book..'My Experiments with Truth'...but for a while..i was thinking of how these Hair Experts..were going to conduct 'There experiments with hair..'..some coming up...with innovations..if u r lucky...else...
....
........ a total disaster..with no disaster management!!...[except a Wig..][:D]
I was relieved of the fact that i was not the first one to undergo the experiment and so i had ample time to decide whether..to subject myself to this 'brutal torture' (as i have always been calling this from my child hood).

But even before i could realise that i was the the next one to go for hairlinez experiment....a 'bass'y sound hit my eardrums..
"Welcome Sir!..this is Hairline Pradeep Ganjawala..how can i help you?"
with utmost proffessionalism.

I was almost tits and bits into laughter..but i controlled myself...somehow..!
I politely asked him back with the same proffessionalism.."err..excuse me sir..do u mean it's my turn fr haircut..?"
"yes sir!" he replied back.

"So sir..we have a wide variety of 'ishtyles'..right from Ompuri..Mogambo 'ishtyle' to Aamir Ghajini...." he paused..!
I completed his statement by saying 'ishtyle' and looked at him with utter dissatisfaction as if i wanted an 'ishtyle' which have both the flavours of old and new.

I couldn't resist my inquizitiveness on all this Hairline Academy..!!
I asked him back.."Sir!is it necessary that i chose from either of these two actors or may be other actors?"
"What about other personalities like Lalu,Abdul Kalam..?eh?"

There was silence..for a few seconds.I could see the EHD degree holder sweating ...and finding it a bit difficult to digest kind of a situation.(jaise lathi ki dukaan pe AK-47 maang raha hai) [:D]

"Sir,but right now...if u have a ghajini style..there is a 25% discount..aur woh bhi ekdam Flat!!"
I could see all his yellow teeths when he was saying this with not anyway near minimal confidence..!
"Haan sir..ekdam flat hai..koi tension nahin hai..aap par ekdam mast lagega!" He said with his dirty yellow smile...[I hate to recollect this]..[:P]

[Rest Soon]

Relationships..!!

Fifteen

"'Vidya.Vidya.Vidya-her name rang like an alarm in my head.I ran through tomato sellers and marble playing kids to reach her house in time.I had tons of work.There were waiting suppliers,stuck stocks and unattended orders.However,Vidya's thought's ....."

"But bhaiya,yeh Vidya kaun hai?''
"Aur...yeh bhaag kaun raha hai..?"..My 7 year old cousin was flooding with doubts even before completing a paragraph of Chetan Bhagat's the 3 Mistakes of my Life..!

'Kya huva Varun,why are you reading this book from chapter 15?Its Govind running for Vidya...read it from the beginning,you will get to know all the characters' I was already expecting too much from him disregarding the fact that he was just following his mom's strict orders with utmost sincerity.

'He was asked to read English....no matter how,what or from where..,and that is what he is doing..Let him do that..'I thought looking at him,as if seeking an apology...hiding my expressions..
He was just listening to me with the same obeisance as he had listened to his mother.

But even before he could start implementing my orders,scenes of Govind running for his Love were already flashing in front of my eyes..
..all of a sudden I could feel Govind's anxiousness,excitement to meet his love Vidya.

'How would she be now?'
'Would she smile to me with the same innocence?'
'Would she have missed me all these days?'
...All these questions must be going through Govind's young mind..

It made me wonder ,how a business savvy Govind,who could keep on staring at numbers for the whole day without eating anything...was in no way bothered about his goals,suppliers,stocks..nothing....!
'He had only one mission in his mind..he was blind...blind in Love..'

'He was madly in love with her...'

'Running like a mad dog..he reaches her home.....and there she stands with the same cute smile...with the same innocence...with anticipation...as if she knew..'
'..she knew that he would come..'

'Bhaiya...Bhaiyaaa...Bhaiyaaaaaa...aa...aa!!'
'eh....?'
My cousin was shouting for the past half a minute...with his sound getting louder and louder..as if growing exponentially..with time..!
For a flash of a second..I was lost...Lost in an eternal life..

'Lost by the power of Relationship..'

Morning Thoughts..(June 15th,2008)

Its another of those...Sunday mornings..!!I am still in sleep,thinking and rethinking on my decision to wake up..!'Is it too early?','Should I?'I kept on asking this question looking at the clock which said,30 past 7.As if deciding to start a new venture..thinking about the pros and cons,analyzing the market,shares,growth...Oh..do i need to think so much about getting up on a Sunday morning??

Sometime I get so stupid to make a decision..I was thinking..what am I gonna do..when I get loaded with serious responsibilities..All these questions going through my mind while I am looking at the mirror..!'Now is that a more serious sounding Sree??Neah..!!Never..!!'

'Sree,get a packet of bread from the shop',Mom's sound interrupted my thoughts..!I looked out of the window to check if its raining or not. 'So,I don't have any Excuses!'

I checked my wallet for some change and then another thought..!'When am i gonna get a hike?'..Oh..am I becoming too materialistic?..Sometimes i wonder,why does a thought always follows another thought making it a 'Train' of thoughts..Why doesn't my brain ever stops thinking about these stupid things..!!

'Which one do u want?12 rupiya walla ya 10 walla' asked the Shopkeeper.
'12 walla dedo..' not thinking much..because I know,I am too good at thinking long and really long
on unimportant issues...!sometimes my thoughts would go to an extent where i would calculate the profit percentage of buying 10 walla and then carrying out a rigorous thought process in my mind to decide..how much does the quality matter over....!!
'Oh..now please don't get into those stupid 'Series of Thoughts' again..!!'

'yeh lo,12 walla bread' handing the bread to me.
'Thanks'
'Aur bhai..aajakal dikthe hi nahin aur Cricket nahi khelte, Kaam main busy ho kya?' he asked.
'Nahin,jyada kuch kaam nahin..phir baarish hai na..isilye'..I was trying to be as much down to earth as i can.

'Chalo..and how is your business moving on?' signaling ,I am gonna go. I have a habit of saying 'Chalo',before concluding any conversation..
'Bas theek!'he replied..with a funny smile!
And that sparked another 'Train of thoughts' in my mind...he should have taken part in something like 'The Most Funniest Smile Contest',he would for no doubt emerge as longest winning champion..for his funny plus sarcastic smile..!!

[Rest Soon..!!]

18th May(Train to Mumbai)

18th May..at Kannur Railway Station..waiting fr another yatra..!!
As usual..late by 15 minutes..!!
2125 hrs...and still no sign of train..for a while i wondered...if iam waiting at the right platform..for the right train..So i check and recheck my train ticket...Iam waiting and waiting as the announcements continue...

2140 hrs..I get into my B3 coach..unexpectedly crowded..and good mela atmosphere...with noise and fun..!
"Thank God..!!I guess..it shouldn't be a boring train journey.."

I bend down and try to keep my luggage below the seat...
"It's already full...son!!" said an Elderly voice...I turned back to see an elderly man..!!
"Yes,I guess u may find enough space to keep the bags under that side seat" He smiled...
"Thanks..!"I said and stood up with respect..and smiled back at him...

2200hrs and iam well settled in my seat..
"Not even a single soul awake.." I muttered..
I was already feeling lonely and bored...
For a while..i thought...how am i gonna spend my next 25 hrs and 30 minutes in this boring atmosphere..?

I switch to some cool music on my mobile..
"Oh!..Man!!"I cried with joy...
My eyes fall on a face....a cute face..
...for a while i couldn't keep my eyes off...

Next Day:19th May