I have become laziest creature these days or else you can call moody. The incident which I am about to narrate was actually occurred on last Friday and after lot of convincing effort from my ‘second’ mind resting somewhere inside me, I have made my fingers dancing on keyboard to transform that incident on paper (e-paper yaar!!!!)
Well, It was Thursday evening, I packed my bag and left office little early for Nashik. It was one of my good friend’s paintings exhibition in Nashik, scheduled on Friday and anyhow I was insisted to attend it and encourage her talent. (“agar apane friends hi encouragement nahin denge toh dusare kya denge?” this was the invitation tag line of her over phone. I tried to recall when last I had seen any painting in real?) I reached at venue on Friday morning & no doubt hotel’s banquet hall was looking very colorful due to all the paintings. My artist friend shown and explained all the paintings, we stopped at a painting, I don’t know what to call that art either Modern or abstract. It was like this- a nude girl was showing her back standing in some flower garden surrounded & touching her knees from ground. Though that girl was showing her back yet her half face was visible and directing downwards like looking at ground & till reaching to this painting My friend had already explained me around 10-12 painting but that explanation too couldn’t help me to at least ‘read’ this painting, I said reading cuz I was just seeing it and finally I surrendered and asked her, “what’s this?”. She cleared her throat and taking the pride of disclosing the unreadable theme (at least unreadable for art illiterate like me) “Yeh Haya hain….”
“Kya hain??” I asked again. (It was tough to take off the eyes from painting)
“Yeh HAYA hain ek aurat ki…. Ek Nari ka Sharmilapan” She explained it in one line.
I was speechless, not on her painting but it was very hard to digest her explanation. If it was shyness then what the hell is she doing in floral garden and that too naked? But I dint make this feedback vocal, (her parents, uncles-aunties, brothers, sisters all were present and I was all alone.) I avoided risk; after all I wanted to reach my city safe and sound.
“Wah!!! Kya khub soch hain tumhari..” I commented and looking at exit door moved to next painting.
Somehow I dared to see all the paintings and listing to it’s contradict explanation but real irritating task came when I been introduced to each and every member of her family. I simply couldn’t restrict and after toughest panel interview when I checked my cell screen it was indicating 3:47 PM. Ohh shit,….. I had a reservation for 4’c clock train from Nasik to Mumbai and it was impossible to reach station in 13mins.
Now how to return to Mumbai in comfort was a big question to me, and on this situation I received around 22 suggestions from 11 family-members, and I made believe that if I want comfort (sitting place in train) I should catch 09:30 train on same day and additional plus point is that I will easily get reservation and if not then I need not to worry since at night time most of the trains will be empty towards Mumbai, resultant it would be more comfortable journey rather than chasing at evening, so till then I should be with them and ‘enjoy’ the exhibition; and foolish me, I agreed.
After balancing my patience level and cursing myself for missing my train I waited till 8PM and finally waved goodbye to my artist friend and her artistic family. I came out in hotel lobby praising god for helping me in safe rescue. Along with these ‘lovely’ memories and new awating challenges I was on the way to station to catch my ‘comfortable’ transport, but still time had sworn on to screw me till the possibility. I came to know that there is no such train on 9.30 and next scheduled train is on 11.00 but that too around 30 mins late.
I was really not in a situation to think over it. I took cup (glass) of tea from stall and literally sat on platform, (on ground actually) sipping that tasteless tea and waiting for train for which I had no reservation.
About an hour passed and I was still sitting on platform & looking around. On same platform just about 50 meters away a girl was standing, beautiful and modern, HOT infact. A good figure, with nice dressing and color sense, tight fitting Capris with white fitting top with Micky mouse’s picture on it (ahh!! Lucky Micky…). Her haircut was wavy with burgundy color touch. A sunglass/day-night was hooked to her capri’s belt holder, and wearing high pencil heel sandals. In short this girl was hotter than the tea I had just an hour ago and pretty enough to hold attention of tired passengers crawling on platform.
Just murmuring some code words this girl removed her wallet and took out a coin and stepped on… ohh it was a weight checking machine. Now this act was hiding her face from my view and I was desperate to go near to weight checking machine from other side to ‘face her face’, but since I was tired and still sitting on platform I preferred to observe her from the place I was sitting. After an attempt; machine shown some flashing lights, some weird voice played (I could hear it away from 50mtrs) a card ticket came out, girl looked at it something disbelieving expressions, she kept that ticket in her jeans’s back pocket and removed her wallet again and took out another coin (I was puzzled, what for this now?) but this time she bent little (??!@#@$$$@*****) touched her feet and after little effort removed her right foot’s bigger and heavier sandal than her hand, same way other too. Collected the pair of beautiful footwear in her left-hand, this attractive and ‘very smart’ babe inserted a rupee coin with right hand in machine. Again light flashed, roller rolled, weird voice played and this time little later another ticket came out of machine in tray. She collected it, read it and with right hand swinging half the back with cringe fist yelled something with happiest expression…. Probably it was “YESSS!!!”
I just couldn’t read the tickets but I could sense that there was some difference in weight between both the attempts but till now I simply couldn’t calculate how can it be possible and how this beautiful babe was without brain that made her believe the removing sandel from feet & holding it at hand will reduce her weight….. of course it was magical machine but I was amazed on her intelligence that made her sense machine’s magic. She surely dint notice me but I was sitting on platform and after her second attempt I burst into laughing and till I reach Mumbai I was hardly controlled.
I thought to check my weight too, but horrible honking smashed in my ears and my train arrived on platform, situation was still worst for me, rather than getting vacated; train over crowded with more passengers and with no choice I got pushed in compartment called ‘GENERAL’. My right foot was on floor and bent in knee while left was untouched and floating in a tight grip of two people’s crushing body, my one hand was raised and moving like flashing light in a search of some handle to hold (but it was unavailable) and other hand was busy in rescue of my bag from two other squeezing bodies. I was unable to see outside, after sometime I lowered my right hand took out my cell, it was indicating new sms, I checked the time; it was 11:57PM. Message was from my artist friend,
It read “Hope you have reached safe to Mumbai…..”
