A Train Friend

Someone asked me "Why do you keep writing blogs, when a very few people follow it?". That's the question i kept asking myself over years. Writing was never my medium. I was only a vigorous reader. News Paper, Magazines, Novels. Reading was the only way i could pass time and get some knowledge on social factors during my school and college days. At that time parents were living away from us. Emotions were running high. There were very few people i could share my feelings and thoughts. But something barred me from sharing sad stories. I always wanted to share lighter stories and make people laugh and keep them happy. I asked myself "What do i do with sad feelings and thoughts? If i keep it inside. It will burn and swallow me in no time.". One of my teacher told me to try writing personal dairy and share my thoughts. Initially i started writing in Kannada. After my engineering, when i got a job, my English was very bad. I believe it still is. My beloved friend Manish alias Matter encouraged me to write in English. Eventually he later quit IT and became a journalist. After some time, i stopped writing diary but started writing blogs. Even today i try to maintain my emotion quotient in my writing. Only few will catch that.


Anyways. That's how i started writing blogs. You might be wondering the episode i told till now is not complementing the post name "A Train Friend". Yes, you are absolutely right. So lets not waste time. 

It was on 13-Aug-2015 evening 6:30 PM, i boarded a train in railway station of Birur,

Chikmagalur District. I was traveling back from a life changing journey. I was tired after marathon walk of 40 days covering few hundred miles from Dharwad to Birur. And i was excited that am coming back home. Train left the station on time. I had few hours to kill. So i started reading a book. A few minutes after train left station, a family came to our bogie searching for place to sit. Father, Mother and their Son. As it was a weekday, there were many empty seats in our chair car. They settled in 2 rows behind me. I saw them settling down. They looked very familiar. After scratching my head for some time, i  found that they lived in our street sometime back. 2 house next to us. But i never spoke to them. They remained strangers to me. 

But this time, i was coming back from a jorney which had tripped me. I lived with complete strangers for 40 days. I had learnt to talk even to stones.  I called that boy and said "Hi". He was totally puzzled. I told him that we lived in the same street. We introduced ourselves. His name was Ganesh. A graduate in literature, aspiring to be a public servant. Very humble and gentle. His literature background propelled me to share my journey experience and read few parts of the book i wrote in my journey. I was very tensed and eager to know his reaction. Because he was the first person outside my family to read my writing. Initially he had doubts, but when i started sharing experiences for each chunk of my writing. He said he is very much convinced. He was so much convinced, he even shared few contacts in literature who can review and critic my book. I was very thrilled that i met this person. Our discussion traveled across many topics in that 4 hours journey till we reached Mysore. I wondered he was the same neighbor whom i ignored to communicate for more than an year. I was enthralled to encounter the very evident change that journey had brought in me. 

What is more fascinating about travelling in public transport is, it throws immense opportunities to meet strangers and many times they become friends. It will dissolve any inferiority left over in us. We see people from so many different shades of life, it gradually keeps our ego at bay. It forces equality. It promotes integrity. Most importantly, travelling in public transport keeps check on traffic congestion and pollution. It's more eco-friendly. People should understand this.

Few weeks later when i finished typing my book, i chose the person whom i met in the train to read, review and share his opinion and suggestions. I wanted to let him know about this but i became busy with other things. Few days later, a super coincidence happened. On 05-Oct-2015, i was travelling in a train to Chitradurga to attend an opening ceremony of a meditation  center. I just happened to remember him in the train and called him to request to review my book. To my surprise, he was travelling in the very same train. I was like what the hell? That too he was sleeping just few seats next to mine. I was delighted to experience this serendipity. We laughed and shared the same excitement of this coincidence.  That was only our second meet. Comfort level was so high that he shared few of his personal things too. He was very cheerful and agreed to review my book. I was very fortunate to hear that. 

This might look so ordinary incident to you guys. But these type of coincidences brings so many questions to me. How our mind works? How our universe works? Is there a science which can explain this. There is one more repeated attention which has confused me. Since many years, i have very frequently seen this same number 4:20. It might be time in my computer/watch or vehicle registration number. Initially i ignored that as a coincidence.  But later 4:20 crossed my eyes thousands of times. It's so funny, but many times i was worried if god was telling me that am one of the 4:20 guys. That questioned my credibility. :D :D :D

The reason i highlighted the guy i met in train, is the way a stranger can push your limits to achieve more. In my case, he was the first who was practically injected hope in my first book. 

I also experienced the other side of the coin today. Couple of our friends threw a surprise party to my wife. I thought of refreshing memories in our marriage so far. So i took her for a walk in our neighborhood, i sat in front of her on the ground and wrote a poem. As i was writing on our life, words came out quickly and naturally. When i read it in the party, it was emotional for many of us. I liked it myself. My wife uploaded few of party pics in facebook and one of our friend mentioned the poem in a comment on the album. One person from our family, who has been constantly making fun of anything i or my brother did, showed her sadistic part today on my poem. Words i used in the poem might look very ordinary and familiar. I agree i have limitations in English language. Am improving day by day. But she crossed her line today and accused me of copying from others. What can i say? The only thing i copied from her was, i became an engineer too. I hardly speak to that person. I can easily count number of times i spoke to her since my birth. I doubt her intentions were right this time.

Negative vibes are so bad. It is discouraging. Sometimes it is humiliating. Being a critic is an art. An art to push to improve oneself and others. If your intentions are right, you should guide, suggest, help and provide references and platform to rise. Otherwise you should shut your mouth and watch others doing that job.

With this blog i want to thank my train friend for positivity and hope he filled in me :) Thank you my friend.

With Love,
RaDa