Bangal Express

It was a long weekend and the weather outside was truly inviting. My body cells were pushing me out of the four walls of my house. I with my friends decided to expend the holiday travelling to a new place. After some permutation and combination we decided to hit the city of joy, Kolkata!

We checked the trains online and found that we had just half an hour in our hand before the best available train would leave. We quickly packed our bags and rushed to the station and found the train, already standing in the platform and whistling to get set go. Tearing the rattling crowd we somehow managed to land our seats safely on time. Within a minute the train set off.

Our 6.5 hours of journey to Kolkata was full of excitement and fun. The classic card game Uno added to our laurels the Uno championship one by one. Booking tickets in the eleventh hour had given us the luxury to enjoy the non-AC coach, where there was a non-stop chain of entertainers passing by, giving us jam packed fun. Entertainment included free magic shows, vendors trying to sell off their local products in the most amazing tunes, the physically challenged beggars drawing our ears to their melodious tribal songs, and finally a Bengali family quarrelling among themselves over something we couldn’t decipher (but we enjoyed that)!

We reached the station right on time. The city I tell you, is hell crowded. We ventured to a friend’s place in Dunlop, a location far from the station. The weather was hot and tacky. But we managed to keep ourselves engaged discovering the old city, admiring its architecture and vivacity. Our taxi driver was a Sardar, a rare sight in Kolkata. He added to our ongoing amusement with his superb Punjabi accent.

This good friend of ours had prepared mouth watering dish and we wasted no time pretending decency and we jumped into the dishes like gluttons.

After a couple of hours of rest, we were set to taste the all new flavor of the city. We were suggested to start with a nearby mall. When we stepped out of the house, a friend pointed out that she could hear the roaring clouds and that we might be trapped in rains. We looked up, saw a clear sky, ignored her warning and moved on. We rushed to catch the earliest local train from a nearby station.

The wait for the train in that scorching sun was troublesome. It was fifteen minutes but seemed like hours. We watched numerous local trains passing by, before we could see ours, coming finally.

It was my first (and I wish the last) travel by a local train there. The train stopped and we were instructed to squeeze into the door as soon as possible as the halt was a mere 45 seconds long. F-o-r-t-y f-i-v-e seconds.  It was like a nightmare, believe me. We looked out for the ladies coach and figured uncountable ladies hanging out from a door. Looked like they would jump off before the train stopped. As the train reached the platform, we waited first few seconds for the doors to clear off. But to our greater amazement, the zillions of figures hanging at the door were standing there like statues, not at all tending to come out. In the very next few seconds we realized that we were supposed to barge in to the same doors, make room for ourselves there and become just another count of the hanging figures.

We did exactly what we were supposed to do. This is still a mystery how I got that vigour to enter the mad crowd and freeze myself in.

As the train moved, I heard a shriek. I somehow managed to turn my face to discover the source of that sound. It was a lady shouting as her little child was left behind on the platform while she was pushed into the stream of ladies and the train had already started.

Freezed. This is what best describes me in there. Each part of me was tightly packed in that jam. While one of my hands was holding the handle hanging from the top, tight, I could not feel my second hand at all. My left leg was resting under a lady’s air bag and my right leg was safely lost somewhere, I didn’t care at that time.

I was a little behind the frontier, trying to feel safe with my friends around.  We had to get off at the station next to the coming junction. And of course my next challenge was to hold myself tight in that box on the coming station. As the train stopped, I felt my energy reserve coming to action as I forced myself in against the out-streaming crowd. One of my friends failed to keep the grip and flowed out with the swaying stream. But fortunately we managed to pull her in somehow.

After a grand ropeless tug of war, we reached our destination junction. I was more than happy to jump off the pack. But only when I was about to thank God for ending the misery, here came another one --  A sudden downpour that was already predicted by my good friend in the morning. We strode into the nearest shelter and waited for about half an hour for the rain to pity us. The shelter was a thick black plastic that had started to sag. Had we spent few more minutes under that thing, we would have ended up getting drenched by the water burst out of it. As the rain thinned down, we managed to park us into an auto rickshaw that took us to our destination of the day – the shopping mall. Needless to say, mall was fun and relaxing. We took a taxi to come back by the sunset.

We had an upcoming festival in our city, where we were supposed to wear ethnics. So we decided to shop the next day too, assuming we would get a better variety and cheaper price there.

Our next destination was New Market - An ultimate shopping hub. The arcade is spread in quite a good span. The businessmen here are the blessed lot. Pick any shop and you’ll see swarm of shoppers humming in. A good thing is, think of anything and you get that here.

We enjoyed picking some Kolkata special items, had some street food to our tummy full, took some crazy candid snaps and moved on. The best thing this day was the weather that was cool and friendly.

The challenge ahead of us was again the travel. We decided to take the metro train that was stationed just near the New Market. The station was Esplanade. Nice name.

This metro train again was overcrowded but I somehow managed to get a seat. The entire metro route in Kolkata is underground. In that ephemeral moment of rest in the metro, I was wondering how diverse the lifeline of Kolkata is! On one hand you can see the age old tram strolling in the already congested old

network of streets, and on the other, the ever busy local passenger trains whooshing through the quiet railway tracks. On one hand you witness the pain of hand-rickshaw-pullers carrying by their angelic limbs, some fatsoes, while on the other hand these superb metro rails leaving all the other means behind!

During our travel we also visited the posh Salt Lake City area which is also a major IT hub there. It is a planned satellite town of the state. It was developed in the early 60’s to accommodate the mushrooming Bengal populace.

Every good thing comes to an end. And so did that weekend. This time it was an AC coach well insulated from all the adventures and vividity of the passers by. Luckily it was a night travel; there was anyway no room for any intruder to our sleep. Our journey finally came to a smooth end with the alarm buzzing under my pillow at 5 in the morning. We quickly got ready with our luggage when the train decently stopped and we stepped down, welcoming ourselves to our very own town.

These two days were not enough to explore the diversity galore. The experience though was refreshing. The Bengali family treated us with warm hospitality. Machh bhaat(fish-rice), roshogulla, sondesh andother peerlessBengali sweetsare still lingering my mind. 

I wished we had a little more time to savor the effervescent life of the mighty Kolkata. Had I got few more days to explore the place, I would end up writing a thick novel that would have a full Bangla tone!

घोंसले की आड़ से

घोंसले की आड़ से  

देखी जो भीड़ को परे  

एक सिहर सी दौड़ी इधर  

मन सहम सा उठा डरे 

अपना जो बिस्तर था नरम  

और प्यार भरी ममता जो थी 

जब सब कुछ धुंधलाता दिखा 

एक चींख अन्दर से उठी 

अब वक़्त आया पंख से 

तैरने का इक नया गगन 

नयी टहनी पे बसरने 

छोड़ अपना ये आंगन 

उन टहनियों पर नव नवीन 

जो पंछी कर रहे बसर 

उस नए गगन की राह का 

है उनके संग करना सफ़र

From a Little Boy for His Sweet Crush..

   O girl,

I see you daily 

In assembly hall

You talk with girls

And smile like  doll

You no see me

Why you no see me

I make spikes

Wear Gucci gogs

Shine my shoes

Walk round you

You no see me

Why you no see me

I solve the math 

And raise hand first

I turn around

And  look at you 

But you no see me

Why you no see me

I become class head

Keep everyone quiet

But when you talk 

I look and smile

You no see me

why you no see me

In my birthday I bring 

Sweets big and small

I give you big candy

And see you smile

You also see me

And give cute smile

I very happy smile

I give you more

You take and sit

And laugh with friends

Again you no see me

Why you no see me !!

Through the Timeline

I hear the tick of running clock

I see the sand passing through

Time – the master -- gliding by

With a steady silent move

I see the faces big and small

Happy sad all size and shape

Some festive with the love around

Some gloomy blaming their bad fate

With all the feelings high and low

The timeline keeps growing by

What matters in the end of all

Is the imprint left behind

When a hard time comes around

I see the passing sand and clock

I ask myself will this matter 

Years to come down the line

Let the trifling worries be shed

Let the thread of life go loose

Let the kite fly higher 

Against the strong wind passing through

A Sunday

With my eyes set on the target pins, I rolled the bowling ball with the thrust just apt enough to knock down all the pins in one go. All the other pairs of eyes were moving in sync with the sliding ball. The silence was what could be called a pin drop one. Only the sound produced due to friction between the ball and the floor could be heard. With the ball approaching its target, my heartbeat got louder and so did the thrill that rose exponentially with the moving ball. I had to win this time to become the champion and to self-applaud the player in me. It was the tenth game in the row that I had to knock down all ten heads in a single blow. This would decide my name getting inscribed in the champions list that was displayed in the hall.

The ball was just about to hit the target pins that a bell rang. I ignored and refrained from getting distracted with my eyes still fixed on the target pins. I had to confirm that all the pins are down in that very shot. Suddenly it turned to a slow motion scene in which the ball started touching the fore pins one by one and the pins started falling in a rhythm. I started counting – one-two-three-four-five-six -- as the balls were falling. Finally three balls were left to be knocked down that the bell rang again. I ignored. Seven-eight- damn it! The ring again. It was very distracting. And the very next moment everything went off the scene. What was now visible to me was a cream colored ceiling with some floral design in it. I closed my eyes tight and opened again to understand what is happening. I discovered that I just woke up from a dream -- a super exciting and thrilling one.

Oh this is terrible. I was on the brink of getting the victory. I was about to become a champ. Damn this awful call bell. And it rang now for the fourth time. I felt like murdering the person standing on the door,who spoilt my fanciful dream. I sprang up from my bed and strolled towards the door with my eyes half open. I opened the door and guess who I found. No one. Yes, there was no one standing out. Probably the person ringing the call bell had got an intuition of my semi murder plans.

I looked all around again but no one was found. Thinking it to be a prank played by the neighboring kids, I was about to shut the door when my eyes fell on an envelope lying outside. I picked it up and found something penned on it in red. I couldn't read it as it was written in some script resembling Chinese.

 I flipped the envelope and found that it wasn’t sealed. I raised the flap and pulled out the light yellow paper kept inside. I unfolded it in order. It had a strong lily fragrance that was refreshing. There was something written in it in blue. But there was no way that I could help myself reading the letters as the language was completely alien to me. Perplexed, I turned to my room and started thinking what it could be. Also I wasn’t sure that the letter was intended for me.

I kept the letter back into the envelope and put it aside. I decided to approach my friends in case any of them knew the language. I quickly got ready, had my breakfast, gave a final peep into the mirror, took the envelope and set off to one of my friends’ home on my scooty.

It was a cloudy Sunday with a soft breeze on -- Just perfect day for an outing. I reached my friend’s place in few minutes. We had prior plans to go out shopping. My friend was ready, all set to leave with me. But that day I was more excited or curious per se, about the letter, than about shopping. I asked my friend to hold on for a while. Though I hardly had a belief that she would in any close way be able to make out the inscribed words of the letter, I showed her the thing. Her mocking reaction was, “Oh a love letter! So you got a Chinese boyfriend!” I rolled my eyes and told her about the mysterious letter. She took a deep breath and said, “Hmm…so the matter looks grave! Let us consult a linguist. But before that let’s go shopping. And I will drive!” I agreed. Both of us wore our helmets, I sat pillion and we set off under the overcast sky.

For the first time in my life I was disinterested in shopping. In few minutes I realized that I was just following my friend behind her through the mall. My thoughts were dangling through the letters inscribed in red and blue. And finally the shopping and billing was done. We came out and as decided, we were to consult a linguist.

We had a friend who knew Kanji(Chinese), Italica(Spanish) and Arabic(Urdu) scripts apart from Roman(English) and Devnagri(Hindi). We quickly approached him to decode the letter. He looked at the envelope and said, the envelope reads, ‘Doh je sin’, which means, ‘Thank You’.  All of us got amazed and our curiosity grew. He pulled out the letter and read the lines to himself. I constantly kept staring at his face with my jaws open, waiting for him to read through and translate. He smiled, took a long breath and started..

Hello,

By the time you read this, I would be far away. I am a 10-year-old Chinese boy and saw you at a tourist place with some of your friends last Sunday.

Last Sunday I had visited an old fort with my friends. And yes, there was a Chinese group too! What could this little boy secretly have written to me?

You seemed to be indigenous so I thought of sharing this with you. I’m sorry I followed you that day to know your address, as it’s an urgent matter. So here I go!

My name is Dingxiang. I came to visit your place. During my tour, I saw a sweet girl of your land. Must be of my age. Her mom called her ‘Lara’. She was with her mom and dad throughout the trip. Her black curly hair was very cute. I can hardly find a girl back in my school with a curly hair.  In fact she also saw me and smiled looking at me. I think I am in love. I need your urgent help. There is a neighbor of mine back in China, who likes me and is after me. But I don’t like her. Please save me. Please help me and convey my message to Lara. I really want to talk to her. At least find her number and pass it on to me. My number is +86-9934562215.

I will always be thankful to you if you do this. I will also send you Chinese chocolates from my pocket money. You look kind and I know you will help me.

Waiting for a phone call from Lara,

Ding.

There was a short silence after my friend finished reading the letter. Then we looked at each other and burst out in laughter!

The Magic Droplet

I sit into the purple shade

Of twilight beam all over me

The dry air with a singular hue

Pushes me to a lazy spree

I feel my eyelid shutting down

Drowsy gesture captures me

 I pull my face, stare up above

And find a silent starless sea

While I’m lost in aimless dive

A magic drop falls over me

A thread of sweet smell of the earth

Captivates me on high degree

Soon ahead of that moment

A pool of sweet air passes by me

I feel the tender chasm across

I feel my bound spirits go free

This is onset of the season

Much awaited by parched me

I spread my arms and hug the space

Welcome the season that has the key

Key to good hope key to fervor

That unlocks freshness in me

Key that makes me bright again

That lets my true self be me

The earth beneath and my soul within

Whisper to the nascent me

The moment that just went alive 

Has promises held across the lee

Let the droplets bring the charm

Let the spirits go divine

Let the monsoon fill the lives

With the brightest of sunshine

Lost in the Fog

It was a foggy path in the joggers’ park. I was stretching out and easing up before I could jog. In a corner a group of elderly people were tightening their skin by laughter therapy. Just ahead of me were two middle aged ladies, on with their daily gossips. Far to my left I could hear a sweet cooing coming from some cuckoo, probably sitting on a tree top.

The fog was thick and smelled great. I was enjoying every bit of it. Only the next 5-6-meter path beyond me was visible. I started heading towards the ladies and soon overtook them. On my way I saw a little girl sitting on a bench, looking straight in void. Her cheeks were chubby and eyes deep. There was tranquility in her sight. I stopped by and parked myself on a bench across.

She looked at me suddenly, as if woken up from a dream. She looked chubbier with some life on her face. Blinking twice, she threw her sight far into the fog, lost again. Then again she came back from her reverie and peeked towards me from the corner of her eyes. Her pink-colored frock with white socks made her look adorable.

I smiled looking at her innocent mime. She blinked again and got off her bench. With an undecided gait, she moved towards me. I gave her a welcoming smile and offered her to sit by my side. She sat hesitatingly and looked at me with a pink face. I asked who she had come there with. She said she is the daughter of the gardener there. She used to come to the park everyday with her dad. But she lost her dad recently. She had come there all alone.

Out of grief and curiosity I asked what happened to her dad. She said, ‘My dadda was my best friend. I used to play around the park with my dad. I would keep hiding behind the thickest tree trunks and my dadda would magically appear from nowhere. I would shout and scream like mad and we would play around for hours. One day while my dadda was trimming the fence, he felt a sudden jerk of pain in his chest. He shouted for me. By the time I reached, he was laying down unconscious. I shouted out for help and the passers by took him to the hospital where the doctors said, he had cancer. He was in the hospital for a while and then left me behind, forever..’ By the end of this sentence, she choked and her eyes filled with tears. I felt tight from within.

I consoled her and tried to cheer her up. She was finding it hard to come back to a peaceful mode. She further explained her tragedy. I gave her my ears to lighten her mood. She said, ‘I have no mother. He was my everything. He was my hero. Despite our poverty, he never ever let me feel any less than a princess. Yes, I was his princess… The princess has lost her hero! ’, with these words, her voice got rough and she got filled with big tears and sorrow again.

‘Do you smoke?’, she asked after a good pause. I shook my head in denial. “Then can we be friends? ‘cos  I have promised I shall never be friends to a smoker, as the smokers leave me all alone”. And her already swollen eyes filled with tears again. I said, ‘Was your dadda into smoking?’ She burst into an even louder cry.

I understood and refrained from talking about it again. I gave her a much needed hug. She was a real sweet heart filled with purity and innocence. Her dadda, or our hero must have been a great soul that gave such a beautiful princess as my friend. The only mistake he committed was, he had got into a bad habit without the thought of its ill effect that indirectly was also a curse to his pretty daughter.

This is in fact true for all our deeds. Anything good or bad we do has a sure impact to our kith and kin. Our little princess is left all alone in this world. I pray for her wellness and a less miserable life. She has lost her sweet yesterday in the foggy path. The thick tree trunks have witnessed her jingling giggles and laughter.  I pray for her painless tomorrow and for a real sweet laughter all her innocent life.

Achha Lagta Hai

Rasta to hai rangeen
Safar bhi hai suhana
Par kabhi mudd kar peechey dekhna
Achha lagta hai

Samundar to hai vishal
Lahrein hain aati shandaar
Par chup chap si nadi ka kinara
Achha lagta hai

Zindagi ki daud me
Agey nikal jana, deta hai muskaan
Par kabhi jaan bujh kar peeche reh jana
Achha lagta hai

Naam shohrat daulat chamak se
Aati hain khushian bilkul
Par saada shant sukoon ka pal
Bhi kabhi kabhi .. Achha lagta hai ..

Just A Count

From a tower I see

The bee-busy heads 

Carving their own pot

Playing their own wit..

I then stare up

And find a sky

All gleams with solace,

And all peace-lit..

To the sky, I then feel

I'm just a count

Gazing up - up there

Like every other bit !