The train had started. I ran along with the moving train and jumped inside
to one of the compartments.
I hurried onto an empty space and found myself comfortable. “Thank god!!!
Finally seventh semester of engineering was completed. Only 1 more semester to
go. Tough though”. I looked at the hall ticket inside the bag. “Now, you are a
useless fellow my friend”, I joked at it.
I looked at the girl sitting across.”Wow”!! I couldn’t help but have a
closer look. Her beautiful eyes were running through the water on the window
pane. Her long fingers caressing the free-flowing elbow-length hair. So
graceful. A typical Bengal beauty.
”Get Connected”, my heart shouted.
I noticed the man sitting next to her. With his wide forehead immersed
inside a newspaper, sat a gentle man with an elegant but tanned face.
“Looks like her father”. I cleared my throat and politely asked, “Uncle, You
look tired after a long journey”.
The man folded his news papers and gave me a
do-I-know-you look. I smiled. “Am Nikhil, doing my Engineering graduation at
VJTI College. Going home for the weekend. Where are you heading to uncle?”.
“Uncle” seemed to be impressed after he heard I was doing my Engineering.
“Me and my daughter are coming back after the Engineering counseling. She has
scored well in the Entrance. What stream would you suggest Nikhil? Which all
colleges should we prefer? What are the placement chances? How is the market
now?”
“Too many questions. But am gonna rock. This train journey is going to be
awesome”. I could see the girl looking at me.
“I forgot to introduce. This is Moumita”. She smiled and nodded her head. I
acknowledged. In Bengali, Moumita is one with a sweet smile.”But this one has a
very very sweet smile. I wish if I could be your college-senior, babe”. I
smiled as sweet as I could.
I started from her entrance grade and went on
about what all streams she is likely to get, how Engineering colleges should be
carefully chosen, what streams would earn good jobs in the current market
conditions and on and on. Through the corner of my eye, I noticed that her eyes
were focused on me. Uncle asked questions every now and then and was trying to
utilise the train journey to the fullest. I too intended to do the same.
Utilise the journey!!
As I sketched and narrated his entrance exams and scores, I could make out
from uncle’s face, the conspicuous impression that I had created. “If I cant
get her contact number, at least I could shine like a knowledgeable engineering
graduate”. I smiled inside.
“Where is your ticket?”. The growl of a gigantic man woke me up. He was
enquiring ticket to the person sitting next to me. I looked around. No means to
escape. Squads came from both the sides. As all his neighbour passengers and
his ‘uncle’ showed train tickets, I did an express-fast scanning in his mind to
find out a reason why I did not have the ticket.
“Where is your ticket, boy? Fast”
“Uncle, my ticket is with my friend in the next compartment.”
The squad smiled. He sat next to me. “So “uncle” will not do any good. S**t
man!!”, I was thinking hard. “There has to be some means to escape or it is
only a fine of Rs.350/-. But the Eiffel -tower-tall impression that was
skillfully built before Moumita would collide in seconds”.
Travelling without tickets in the train used to be fun and adventurous for
me and my friends. And to boast over those stories at college was heroic. This
was not his first, but umpteenth time without ticket. But this was the first
time he got so close to the Train Ticket Examiner.
“These days lot of college students travel without tickets. That’s why they
have appointed us, Railway Squads, in addition to the TTEs. Travelling without
tickets is an offense. Don’t you know my son?”
“Please uncle, I have tickets. It is with my friend who is in the next
compartment”.
“I know all kind of excuses that you students make. So where are you
travelling to?”
“Pune”.
“Good. We also need to get out there. You are fined 250/- for travelling
without ticket, and 76/- for the ticket”, came another voice from above. I
looked up and so did the other passengers.”Am the squad leader. You have to pay
the fine boy”.
“No, I have tickets uncle. Please you have to believe me. It’s with my
friend in the other compartment”. I sticked on to the same story.
“Please don’t trouble the kid. I know him for long and he will not do an
offense of travelling without tickets”. It was uncle trying to help me.
”If you do not believe me uncle, please keep my hall ticket. Am from VJTI
Engg College and my next exam is after 2 days. I would come with the tickets to
your office at the station and get the hall ticket”.
The squad and the boss looked around. Too crowded to go and get the tickets
from another compartment. The boy looked decent enough not to lie. He
definitely has to come back and get the hall ticket to appear in his next exam.
Who would compromise his future for paying fine. They looked convinced.
I handed over the hall ticket and looked at Moumita’s father. Both daughter
and father had crystal clear impressive faces. But the squads looked sad. “It
is our duty or we would not trouble you boy. Please come on Monday to get the
hall ticket”.
As Pune was nearing, the squad sat some more time with me, patted on my
shoulders and stood up to get down.
“See you on Monday”, they told me.
“I too hope to see you around some day”, Uncle said.
“Thank god for the presence of mind. It was a narrow escape”, I hope I never
come across this beauty and her father”, I prayed as stepped out of the train.
I don’t know whether the squad waited for me, but I definitely enjoyed a
great heroic college hour the next week....
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