Right from the time I've left my school, I've been in different cities all over India over different periods of time. This has given me a lot of experiences, some nostalgic, some pleasant, some unpleasant, and some ironical, like this one below - but they have all been memorable.
So then, what better way to keep them fresh than to blog them here. So, in this category, you will get to share many of my experiences, starting with this first one...
I was in my college days, second year, to be precise. My college was in Trivandrum, a pleasant city in Kerala in south India. Since my native place was just a couple of hours and more from there by train, everytime there was a Friday or Monday off I used to go there to visit my aunts, uncles and grandparents and cousins. And what better way for a hostelite to get his laundry done, right.
It was one of those Friday mornings, and so I collected all my soiled clothes, put on a pair of them, packed the rest in a bag and off I went to the railway station.
I reached the station, got myself a ticket, found that the train was still an hour away, saw an empty bench occupied only by an elderly lady, and settled myself onto it. After looking around at every person in the station for a while, like we all do in a public place when having nothing else to do, I looked at my bench neighbour. She seemed a little worried and forlorn and there seemed to be no husband or son or daughter around returning with a water-bottle or hot masala dosa or tea. We started chatting, well if you're wondering, I speak good Tamil too, and she was from Tamil Nadu. And I learned that she was alone and is looking to go to her home in Tirunelveli. Now, as far as I knew, Trivandrum station was a terminal, in the sense, all the trains leave the station in only one way, and then take their separate routes. So, I knew that she would also have to travel in the same train I was going to use.
The announcement came that our train would come on platform 2, which is across tracks from the one we were on. So, I took my bag and this sweet lady's bag, took her by hand, and led her up the crossover steps and down to our platform 2. We hardly reached there when two men came down those steps in a rush. They looked familiar cause I had noticed these two men were also on the previous platform. They came straight to us and asked me my name, age, occupation and where I was headed for, which they learned as Kayankulam. Then they learned from grandma that she was headed for Tirunelveli. And then I learned with some embarrassment that Trivandrum station is not a terminal, and that trains leave from there in both directions, and that Tirunelveli and Kayankulam were 'coincidentally' in opposite directions. And almost at the same time I also noticed their regulation police boots. These were plainclothesmen, surveying the station for crime.
Now if any of you have stayed in a hostel for a long period would understand that hostelites don't look all that well and decent, what with erratic water supplies, late night chats and card games and booze parties. And add to that the smelly clothes I was wearing. So, with nothing said and done, I wouldn't have looked very different from a local roughie then. The cops quietly led grandma, who I must mention had absolutely no idea what was happening and wasn't in any way interested to know either, to the opposite side and into a train that had been there ever since I walked into the station. And whats written in bold letters on its sides? - 'Trivandrum-Tirunelveli Express'. Ha ha, now how was I going to get out of this?
The cops returned. And how did I handle it? Well, I took in a deep breath, and in my most fluent English explained to them what had happened. I also laid emphasis on the fact that I was studying engineering and was staying in the hostel, and so was an outsider who hadn't a clue as to which town lay in which direction (do I get the Mr. Moron prize for that?). The cops decided to believe me, and with a suspicious look up and down, off they went to patrol the other regions. I could only look around at the staring public with a sheepish smile, and wait for my train to rescue me.
Well, Grandma, helping you, I almost went from railway station to police station and only hope everything was worth it and that you reached your home safe and sound. But the next time you need my help grandma, I will still oblige gladly.
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