BANGLA YATRA

With a lighter heart (well…lets ignore the weight of the heart for the time being) , I boarded the train back home …. KHARAGPUR>>ADRA>>ASANSOL PASSENGER. Inside a train with THREE towns (?) of BENGAL in its name, with lots and lots of PASSENGERS, I was ready to be BENGALIFIED. (BTW I am writing this with due respect to Bengalis, no offence meant…really). Slowly and gradually the train was gaining weight. I occupied a ‘single’ seat and entered DIGITAL FORTRESS. But I could not withstand the POWER of BENGAL as I was dragged out of the FORTRESS by a fight….a typical BANGLA FIGHT. After 15 minutes of High-Speed Fight ( in terms of number of words spoken per second), it stopped and I could understand nothing. And let me tell you…with a pseudo-Bengali Mother, a Bengali one-of-the-best-friends, 7 out of 10 friends in school being Bengali, 5 Bengali neighbors and 3 years in Kharagpur…I can understand BANGLA a bit…and NO…. I WAS NOT BROUGHT UP IN BENGAL !!!!

Anyway, I re-entered the FORTRESS and was wandering inside when the POWER of BENGAL pulled me out for the second time…..

“cha koto taka ?” ( how much does the tea cost?)..the boy sitting in front of me enquired

“Teen taka” ( 3 Rupees)

“Locaale TEEN taka !!” (3 rupees in local ?)

“Hain.. Teen taka.” (yes.. 3 rupees)

“Aaar…expresse?” (and in express?)

“Chaar taka” (4 rupees)

“Locaale TEEN taka aar expresse CHAAR taka !!!” (THREE Rs. in local and FOUR Rs. in express!!!)

“hain” (yes)

“Locaale to DU taka chhilo” ( it was 2 Rs earlier in local)

NO REPLY………

“Aachha ..diye daw” (okay..give one)

He accepted the cup of tea and had a sip…..thought something…..and asked the chaa-waala for another cup…...I wondered if he really felt hot…or…….

I re-entered the FORTRESS only to be dragged one more time.

“Aapni ki Bankura naamben?” (will u get down at Bankura?)

“Na”, I replied. (No)

The man talked to his friend standing beside him. Then his friend asked…

“Aapni ki Bankura naamben?” (will u get down at Bankura?)

“Na”, I was wondering who didn’t understand Bangla…me or the first guy !!!

I entered the FORTRESS yet again…and thankfully BENGAL decided against testing its POWER on me again.

I remained in the FORTESS thereafter, occasionally looking at the world outside. Two things knocked on me…..

1) A man offered his seat to a standing lady. I mean….how many of us offer our seats to a standing lady in a crowded train.

2) The people, children and grown-ups alike, in the fields passing by were waving the train a GOOD-BYE. I know this happens quite often…..and I love the innocence of this gesture.

Humanism isn’t extinct yet !!!