In the local train journey

"Abiding in the midst of ignorance, thinking themselves wise and learned, fools go aimlessly hither and thither, like blind led by the blind"
                          -Katha Upanishad

Part 1: He tweets and believes

Everyday he boards the same Mumbai local train from the Ville Parle station and stands at nearly the same spot close to the gate leaning on the seats. He would take out his mobile phone and open the twitter app. Everyday, without fail, during his daily travel, he becomes a social media warrior, vehemently commenting against anyone who had tweeted against the current Indian Government. He is a die-hard fan of the current Indian Prime Minister and is one of his biggest silent crusader on social media. His everyday thirty-five minutes local train journey is his tribute to the nation and in making this country a better place. At least that is what he firmly believed!

Part 2: They play and hope

The two boarded the same Mumbai local train from the starting station and that is how everyday they managed to get a corner seat by the window. Everyday on their fifty minutes local train journey, they would play ludo on their mobile phone. At times she would win and at times him. And in that losing themselves in the losses and wins, they would hug, peck, pat, emote. Few times, celebrating his victory, he would kiss her on the cheek and she would nudge him by reminding him that they were in local train and not some private space. And in love, playing the game of luck, they would reach their respective offices (probably same or different) gleaming in hope of a common destiny together...

Part 3: He sells and prays

He would board the train relatively for a shorter period of time. He had the loudest voice of them all and wore even a louder sandalwood paste on his forehead and neck. He had a melodious voice as often he would sing hindi religious bhajans to himself. And in between the bhajans, he would take out his phone and put his tiny earpods which were so invisible that if anybody didn't know that earpods existed would think that he was crazily talking to himself. Most of his phone calls were sales calls where he sold expensive flats to people. He would negotiate hard smooth-talking, exaggerating, cajoling and once his call was over, he, like a devout, would touch his forehead and then his heart as if asking God to intervene and help him close the deals. And then post his mini-prayer, he would mumble few abuses to his clients for being stingy and few to the Government for killing the real estate market in Mumbai. Finally when his destination came, like a daily ritual, he would again touch his forehead and heart, walking back to his office, hanging his lunch box, singing his bhajans and praying for a sales closure...

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Epilogue:

And in this daily clutter of life, she reflected on her life and realised her sense of loneliness in that endless ebb and flow of that crowded local train. She smiled at the thought that each one of us are ultimately islands, in our universe, running to barely manage our own businesses of living, far beyond the grasp of others, hoping, thinking, praying for solace from these daily ephemerals.. 

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And it rained

Part 1:The Office

The clock had hit few minutes past six in the evening and she rushed to finish her work so that she could step out early and spend some time by herself. As she was trying to concentrate on her last mile of work, one of her colleague came and asked her as to when was she leaving for the day. She responded "just a few minutes and I am done." To which her colleague smiled and left for her day. It was only a minute later her another colleague arrived and asked her as to when was she leaving and that why had she not left. She responded "just a mail sweety and I am done". Her colleague also left with the satisfaction of having reminded somebody of the work-life balance she very well deserved. And just few minutes later, third colleague arrived and reminded her of why she should leave and that the company didn't pay her extra for sitting any longer. She patiently responded she would leave in a minute as she had some work and that she will be done soon.
And before any fourth colleague came and reminded her of anything further, she packed her bag leaving her work unfinished and left for the day. And in the lift, on her way out, she forced herself smiles to the people heading homewards...


Part 2: Marine Drive

Rather than heading home, she took a taxi for the marine drive, as if the sea was pulling her. The marine drive wasn't that far from her office, her tiny 1bhk flat was. Sitting calmly at marine drive, unwavering thoughts kept coming to her like the tides in the violent sea. Her thoughts trembled from her failed past relationships to the couple sitting next to her, from her difficult boss to the old man strolling with his dog, from her best friend leaving the city to get married to the three ladies wearing scarves passing by her. It was in those pelting thoughts, it started drizzling and everybody around (the couple, the old man, the dog, the scarf ladies) started running for a shelter. Contrarily, she decided to sit and get drenched in the rain. And as the rains grew stronger, her thoughts had changed to the beautiful yellow streetlamps necklaced at marine drive, to the music she had last danced to, to the carefree street children playing around. After few hours of having soaked in rain, wind and light, she decided to head home and effortlessly, she was smiling at everyone around..

Part 3: Home
Footboarding on the local train, jumping on a puddle near her society gate, greeting the old security guard, she reached home all drenched. She ate her dinner which somehow tasted better today. She realised that she hadn't called her parents since long(they were the ones who always called her). Her parents felt relieved by her daughter sounding calmer and happier. In the phone call, her mother even warned her of not falling for any stupid guy again to which she laughingly responded that her taste for men had improved. And as the day was about to end, she switched on her old radio and smiled to the serendipity of the song:

Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si..

Tan bheega hai sar geela hai

Us kaa koyi pech bhi dheela hai

Tan ti jhukti chalti rukti

Nikli andheri raaton mein

Mili ik ajnabi se

Koyi aage na peechhe

Tum hi kaho ye koyi baat hai

Ek ladki bheegi bhaagi si..

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Tale of the two

"This is true happiness: to have no ambition and to work like a horse as if you had every ambition. To live far from men, not to need them and yet to love them. To have the stars above, the land to your left and sea to your right and to realise all of a sudden that in your heart, life has accomplished its final miracle: it has become a fairy tale" - Lines from Zorba, the Greek

Part 1: North East India

One beautiful morning, in a serene and humble homestay in the hills of North East India, She sat on the porch engrossed reading a fancy looking book. Meanwhile in the kitchen of the homestay, the lady of the house finished her daily household chores and went on to prepare two cups of her favourite tea. On being offered the tea, she happily received the elegant teacup with an equally pleasant and aromatic smile. The lady of the house realised that the tea had distracted her out of the book and that the time was apt to sneak in a conversation. And then they both started chit chatting where the two ladies conversed to know more about each other. The discussion went on from recognising the happy married life of both to the common joyful preferences of simple joys of life. The lady of the house told her "You are different, you are more like us. Simple, positive, calm and smiling. Other people who visit us from the Indian mainland are so restless, chaotic and demanding. Your husband is surely a lucky man." To which, she silently responded in her mind, " you haven't met my husband, if you meet him you will realise how lucky I am. He is far more calm and alive.".

Part 2: Meiringen, Switzerland

One beautiful morning, in a plush hotel room in Central Switzerland, He pressed the send button of his email and went on to dress up for honouring a lunch invitation from one of his departing employees at his Swiss Office. The old man had worked in his office for around 33 years and during his farewell dinner, in an emotional and inebriated state, he had invited this Indian colleague to his house for a lunch. From the hotel to the old man's house was a beautiful walk surrounded by hills. The quiet hills reminded him of his childhood days back in India; for those were peaceful and irresponsibly great days of his life.  Finally when he reached the house, the old man and his wife greeted him at the gate and in response, he handed over the the wine bottle he had bought at a store in Bern. The lunch was sumptuous and homely and the following discussions even more welcoming. And in the evening before the sunset he asked for leave from the family thanking them for the lunch and the conversation.  The wife of the old man went in and brought two elegant Swiss watches for him and handed him as farewell gifts and said one for your lucky wife who has such a charming man as her husband. To which he smiled and silently responded in his mind "you haven't met her, she is one bubbly, jovial person. I am far more luckier that way".

And coincidentally after the sun had set for the husband by the Swiss lake and the night had crawled in for the wife sitting on the porch, they both gazed at the open sky enjoying the play between clouds and stars while serendipitously their earphones hummed to the common melody of Beatles playing....

There's nothing you can know that isn't known
Nothing you can see that isn't shown
There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be
It's easy

All you need is love
All you need is love
All you need is love, love
Love is all you need

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