Train diaries! - The Soldier and the Artist

The Soldier

On one such occasion, I had a chance to converse with Tapu, a tall and lanky person, who seemed to be jolly with everyone. His closely cropped hair style indicated that he was of defense fraternity and my guess did not go wrong. He started off the conversation by referring to the winter and the immediate question that came up was “where are you from?” His answer was – Indo Chinese border! To talk and know about our soldiers at border guarding us, interests me always and I started asking and discussing about the present Indo – Chinese tensions over Arunachal and other bordering states which Chinese eye to annex. The talk drifted to the NSG commandos who fought the painful Taj episode in Mumbai against the Pak terrorist and I came to know that he lost his room partner and a very close friend- a commando, with whom he shared a wonderful relation, in the battle. A talk with him made me realise that whatever we are doing is but nothing as compared to what they are doing for us. To keep in touch with the brave heart, I took his contact number and hope to meet him some time again in near future if I get a chance ever.

The Artist

I met Mr.Surjit Kumar, an artist by profession and an entrepreneur most importantly on way home. I boarded Falaknuma and first walked into the bogey and interacted with a grandfather who was travelling all the way from Kolkata to Secunderabad. A small inquiry and I passed the test to get a seat in the reserved compartment with a star mark condition – if the actual occupant comes then vacate the seat. I was comfortably seated by Grandfathers side when a man with a bag came up to the old man and requested for a seat, he failed in his interview as his time of journey was of 3 hours, mine was just 30 minutes. After him, in walked a girl who seemed to have the herculean responsibilities burdened over her. With a couple of bags as luggage to travel to the same destination as mine, she tried her luck and was lucky enough. I offered her my seat and stood for some time (not to flirt ok. She seemed too tired and fighting with the bags she carried) and then walked towards the door to stand in the crowd which had a portfolio of short distance travelers. It was then that I decided to try my chance and requested Mr. Kumar (who was a stranger till then); I passed his interview as well!

The interaction started with his question as to where I was going and it continued with yet another question – are you doing MBA? A smile and a polite no from me meant that the conversation would continue and it did. I told him I was a faculty. He praised me for my young looks (ufff! Why don’t girls ever tell me this??? Too much of boasting here…) and then it became interesting.

We then started talking where I asked him about painting which was his profession, what themes he adopted for his oil on canvas and came to know his main theme was peace and he found landscapes to be best associated with serenity and peace than the chaotic world that we live in. The talk then drifted to North Eastern states which are not the luckiest to be cared for by the ones who rule them.

While the talk continued and we started talking about entrepreneurial bend in both of us and how the same can be inculcated in today’s management students when the train entered Khurda Road junction. I shook hands with him and took leave for the day.

End of another day’s travel and a new acquaintance.

Train diaries!

“Chalte chalte yu hi koi mil gaya tha…” the song from the movie “Pakheeza” where Meena Kumari sings to the hoots of the coal driven rail engines, reminds me of my daily travel by train and the people I come across. It is not that I interact with all of them but at times some people are too interesting to be ignored. It either happens that I start a talk or that they start talking about something and it leads to something interesting.
Train travel which was at a time, a medium, only to travel long distances has now become a regular affair. A month ago, I was unaware of the train timings except for the Bhubaneshwar- Mumbai Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal, Konark Express, 11020 (don’t stare in awe! I remember this only because I have to hear the sweet lady announce this repeatedly every day, at least for 30 min. till a train picks me up :P). Now I can speak about the timings with the same ease as I can speak about the subject I teach.
Going to station every day is never a bore.
Watching the sun rise in winter mornings, early morning walks, whiff of freshness which was missing in Bhubaneshwar, the butchers mercilessly but with precision slitting the throats of helpless goats and chicks ( being a vegetarian, these murders grind the bowels more than what Baba Ramdev can do as a yogic gimmick), the sound of conch and drum and the smell of the aromatic agarbatti’s from a temple on the way, the vegetables market which opens up early morning to “boli” by different vendors who purchase their lots to be sold for the day, the tea stalls, Tiffin vendors, coconut vendors and the mobile paan BD shops are some of the visuals I come across every day.
Life is the same for them and so is it for me every day, I cross them twice every day and yet we are strangers to each other. The strangers with whom I travel every day in train also are familiar by now and yet, interaction is either zero or kept to minimum as if it’s a protocol to be followed. It is only when Prakash (attendant) or Anupam (student) accompany me that I talk when I go to Bhubaneshwar.
However at times I come across some people with whom I talk and wish to keep in touch with. I will give an account of the people I came across in the posts to follow...

Till then,Happy reading!