127) On Bridavan Express

On Tuesday, the 18th December, I found myself on Brindavan express for a one day trip to Bangalore. I reached Central in a recently introduced AC bus by Pallavan and it looked international as the conductor slipped in a printed ticket from a hand held gadget.

As I sat on the train, I noticed a rather spry old man and he introduced himself,” I am so and so and retired from Hindustan Motors”. At the other end of the coach, two people got tangled into a fight over where to place the baggage and that was turning physical as each swore in the choicest words unmindful of other’s presence. The din was grating the nerves and I shouted: go out and fight and spare others the trouble. That quietened down a bit.

In walked a very loquacious woman; looked in her 50s, wore a large diamond ear stud, and dressed in a polyester saree. She was shouting like a fisherwoman who has lost her wits as she alternately directed and commanded as to where to place the luggage. She carried 3 people’s luggage on her; one plastic bucket, another rice bag, and lot of small parcels mostly wrapped in plastic covers. She irritated me and the Hindustan fellow to no end as they kept their pieces all over. He was rattled and shouted to match hers,” Don’t keep it below the seat for where would I keep my feet”. I too joined in the verbal melee dissuading her from making too much noise. I said,” Over 100 people have boarded this coach and no one has made such a commotion”.
She smiled saying,” Only when I shout will my son obey me”.

I instantly took a liking as I watched her direct her son on where the place the luggage pieces. Though she was making a ruckus, somehow I did not feel the strain.

At last all the pieces are arranged to her satisfaction as if solving a jigsaw puzzle and everyone heaved a sigh of relief as the train departed.

She was my neighbour and proved an engaging co-traveler. She said,” my husband is a good for nothing fellow. He earns to gamble on horses and I have driven him from the house. That fellow cannot see life beyond drinks and horses and none can straighten him,” she said with contempt.
“Three years back, I got my eldest son married and he left the house within a year. I have written him off too and don’t bother whether he is alive or dead”.

I said,” Please don’t say that and especially coming from a mother bodes that fellow no good”. This seems to remind me of my own situation in the house.

She said,” Anyone not useful to the house has no place in it”, with a finality that brooked no stopping.

Thereafter she spoke about what serials she watches on the TV, how her son drives a car for a living earning Rs.7,000 a month and how she manages her house. I asked,” why are going to Bangalore and that too with a truckful of baggage?”

She answered,” For my married daughter there and I have made a lot of pappads and vadams. In addition, the usual pickles. Look, cooking oil is Rs.60 a kg here in Madras while it costs Rs.70 there. In addition, she wants Nellore rice and all that adds up”.

“My son-in-law has is own car and he too drives for a living”.

The Hindustan Motors fellow also warmed up and so much that they were soon playing pranks on one another. He said,” This train will only go up to Kuppam and from there you will have to take a bus to B'lore because of sudden floods”.

She was smart and sharp enough to see the humour.

The lady opened her chappatis breakfast from home and she even drank water from his mineral water bottle without his permission as he had shifted to a vacant seat in front. When he found his bottle half empty he was really shocked. She said,” there are a lot of rats in the train and they might have been thirsty”.

This woman was obviously unlettered but life had taught her a lot of worldly wisdom. I found a deadly commonsense about her and that made me respect her more.

As I helped her get down with all those baggage at Krishnarajapuram, she thanked me profusely besides blessing me, ” Sir, you are a good person and you will do well in life”. I cherished that compliment. Here we were without even sharing our names but had a good rapport.

As the train meandered its way to Cantonment, I thought: these people are really at the bottom of the economic ladder and yet their faces had cheer and confidence written all over. I thanked destiny for the lesson it taught through this earth woman.