Travels and Encounters_Episode 2: A valuble Encounter with an old rationalist
well, It has been a while since i had traveled by public bus back to my home. Last time i traveled was a couple of weeks before. Ofcourse exams are back and i am compelled to take a bus back home , as usually they do not provide private vehicles for us to get back home at these mid-day hours. I had no other choice than to travel by two bus for two hours back home. Wishing for a bus to come soon, without much crowd and expecting it to be super fast as it can be,so that i could reach home as soon as i can, I came out of the campus to reach my stop a 200 meters away.Suddenly to my surprise, a town bus passed by. God was too kind to answer my prayers very quickly. It was impossible to run and catch the bus. But the favored me this time, the conductor was kind enough to have the bus stopped as an old passenger took time to get down. This time was more than sufficient for me to get into the bus.Here starts the voyage. Thanking the old lady in heart( for being slow in getting down) i got the ticket from the conductor. Rs 9 for kelambakkam in town bus, and Rs 13 if it a city bus. Perhaps this price difference is because of the thought that, people in cities can lavishly afford a higher price for the same distance and comfort. Paying Rs 9 to the conductor i searched for a seat. Everything seemed to be occupied. The conductor, actioned a place handing over the ticket and change. An old women had occupied 2 seats in the place where the conductor had actioned. Seeing me the women cleared a seat for me keeping her heavily loaded basket down. She smiled at me. I acknowledged her gratefully. Unlike other young blood, i do not show any interest in pampering my phone while traveling. I see people around, see how they interact, or look out for some conversation people carry out during the travel. If nothing interesting , i peep out of window to glance at the beauty of the city , but ultimately end up admiring the garbage everywhere. This time bus were full of villagers, old souls, and ladies. Who else could u expect in a town bus, at this time of the day? Minister of transportation? I developed a fascination to old people, may be because of their adherence to the old way of living still. I saw the old lady beside me glancing at me. she was old, very old , as old as only 5 of her teeth showed up, rest all had fallen out. She had wrinkles all over her face, all her hair were gray and cut short. I expected her to initiate a conversation. She did so, in few minutes. "Kelambakkam hu?" she inquired me. I said yes. she then said," u know even i have to get there down. i am meeting my daughter." Ok, now why should she say me all this? "Can u call her?" . I nodded and took my phone out. She showed me a bit paper all crushed with 10-20 names written in Tamil and phone nors on it. She then told me " call Karpagam". I asked her " what number should i call?".
"See where Karpagam has written her name and number, i dint know i am illiterate" she answered me back. I found where Karpagam was and diled her number and gave it to her. " hello! hello! karpagao! yaar ma pesarudu? karpago?" she shouted in high pitched voice. For a second I thought, Karpagam was in line. When she gave me back in dismay, i realized that it was not karpagam, but was a recorded voice which said the phone is busy in English. I tried it thrice and got it connected in 4 th try. " Karpago! I am comming to kelambakkam, pick me up there. No! this not a prank! i am on the way" she said. Meanwhile i interpreted what the conversation in other end would be. After talking to Karpagam, she turned to me," Karpago my daughter, she would have been busy as she is a nurse in the government hospital. Paavam she would have been sleeping. She does night duty . Pongal is gonna come, i am taking her some gifts" she said showing 2 baskets and a big luggage. I wondered what would be inside those. " I am a farmer, i have 4 kids the other three are boys , 2 are married. the last one is earning in Chennai. Karpago is the first child. Night shift i tough." she said. I too accepted her statements and nodded , sometimes acknowledged her with a sentence or two. I learnt that she was from Dindukal, and all those goods have the harvest of the season. She proudly told me about how she was capable of lifting a sack of rice single handedly, when she was young and compared to her inability to do so now, as she was only carrying 3 loads this time. She suddenly put her hand inside one of the basket and took a hand full of groundnuts and gave me. I gratefully denied it. She then said," U have helped me providing me your phone to talk, take it". I told her it was nothing, it cost me only 1re for the call. " nothing is free ma, if u were my grand daughter, wont i give u? take it."she said. I was very much touched by her words and her values of not taking thing for granted.I was very much astound by her value of not taking anything from anyone for free, even if she is poor. She was poor, only with a farming land, widow, but still independent in this age and with high value system. I have seen old people only expecting some help, i have not seen one who is willing to pay for it. " Kelambakkam" the conductor shouted. We both got down and bid a adieu. I saw her carrying three bags , heading towards a lady( possibly Karpagam). I cherished the moment waiting for my second bus to start another new journey and an encounter.
"See where Karpagam has written her name and number, i dint know i am illiterate" she answered me back. I found where Karpagam was and diled her number and gave it to her. " hello! hello! karpagao! yaar ma pesarudu? karpago?" she shouted in high pitched voice. For a second I thought, Karpagam was in line. When she gave me back in dismay, i realized that it was not karpagam, but was a recorded voice which said the phone is busy in English. I tried it thrice and got it connected in 4 th try. " Karpago! I am comming to kelambakkam, pick me up there. No! this not a prank! i am on the way" she said. Meanwhile i interpreted what the conversation in other end would be. After talking to Karpagam, she turned to me," Karpago my daughter, she would have been busy as she is a nurse in the government hospital. Paavam she would have been sleeping. She does night duty . Pongal is gonna come, i am taking her some gifts" she said showing 2 baskets and a big luggage. I wondered what would be inside those. " I am a farmer, i have 4 kids the other three are boys , 2 are married. the last one is earning in Chennai. Karpago is the first child. Night shift i tough." she said. I too accepted her statements and nodded , sometimes acknowledged her with a sentence or two. I learnt that she was from Dindukal, and all those goods have the harvest of the season. She proudly told me about how she was capable of lifting a sack of rice single handedly, when she was young and compared to her inability to do so now, as she was only carrying 3 loads this time. She suddenly put her hand inside one of the basket and took a hand full of groundnuts and gave me. I gratefully denied it. She then said," U have helped me providing me your phone to talk, take it". I told her it was nothing, it cost me only 1re for the call. " nothing is free ma, if u were my grand daughter, wont i give u? take it."she said. I was very much touched by her words and her values of not taking thing for granted.I was very much astound by her value of not taking anything from anyone for free, even if she is poor. She was poor, only with a farming land, widow, but still independent in this age and with high value system. I have seen old people only expecting some help, i have not seen one who is willing to pay for it. " Kelambakkam" the conductor shouted. We both got down and bid a adieu. I saw her carrying three bags , heading towards a lady( possibly Karpagam). I cherished the moment waiting for my second bus to start another new journey and an encounter.
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