Travelling to office using a public transport has always been more of a choice than a necessity for me. It allows me the leisure to read anything I want and I have completed many books on my way to some destination. For all detractors who think its not a good habit, I agree, but i refuse to relent.
As usual today morning while travelling to office in a PMPL bus, I was engrossed in my book when there came a lady and sat next to me. I would have never realized her presence if she wouldn't have confirmed the destination of the bus. That was the beginning of an amazing conversation I have not had in years.
She: Are you studying medicine? she enquired looking at my book and the sun coat.
Me: Nopes, I am working.
She: Have you done your graduation?
Me: Yes, I have done my Post grads.
She(in an awestruck tone): Graduation nahin kela????? (Haven't you done your grads)
Me(in no mood to justify): Yup have done it in computers
She: Hey even my son has done MSC-IT. Do you know he earns 15000 per month?
Me: Hmmm!
She: Even my daughter is working as an assistant to a senior advocate
Me: Alright
She: We are looking a guy for her. The last one who came was not at all good. We didnt like him although he was very rich. We are going to say no. Whats the point if the girl doesn't like the guy...thats all that matters ,isnt it?
By now i was like, What the hell? How am i supposed to react to something like that. She was talking too earnestly and not responding with atleast with an occasional nod would have been rude. And my nodding was being misinterpreted as interest probably for she continued
She: Wait I will show you the photo!
Me: Hmm.....Hmmmmm.............Hmmmmmmmmm. (Does that really convey my hestitation?)
She actually took out her daughters and the guys photo and asked me to comment on what i thought.
Now I was in a fix!!! I do not venture opinions about nouns (yeah any name, place, animal, thing) unless absolutely necessary. Here, I was being asked to do matchmaking and give a rating to some girl and boy.
She: What do you think? Bol na lavkar
Me: I agree with you completely. Go ahaed with your decision. (Now that was not really my opinion but when in doubt always use words stuffed in your mouth. Saves your gray cells you see)
She: See I told you , even you agreed.(as if i had a choice)
By now, we were well past half way my destination. I had closed my book and had kept it back in my bag. I was enthusiastically talking to her now.
In the next 20 minutes I got to know why her sis-in-laws daughter refused such a high-profile marriage proposal, how she had been a teacher and had quit after her operation, how she planned to get down at Swargate at go to Kolhapur, etc, etc
When i reached my stop and bid adieu to her she smiled and said "Kalji ghe haan bala" (Take care child).
Somehow every methodical and logical conversation that I generally have seemed lackluster with respect to the senseless chatter i had with this lady.
As I walked towards the gate I realized there still exist people who are not conscious about talking to a stranger. And its not always that you meet such oblivious-to-the-norms kind of people :)
3 comments:
That's the beauty of travelling in a PMT (now PMPL) bus ... and you are right ... there is a dearth of people who can talk absolutely anything to a stranger ... Cheers ... !!
nicely written.. it made me miss the days i used to travel by PMT.. thanks for that.. the thoughts of traveling by PMT atleast once a week have got stronger.. and one day they will be strong enough to make me step out of the house without the bike keys.. :D ( yes... "I" need time to take such (brave) steps (pun!!) :P)
about talking to strangers..i guess its the price people may pay to get to the higher(?) level of sophistication, tradition or culture or watever u call it.. But yes .. there are still people who just for no reason come and strike a conversations ending interestingly.. i remember, once in childhood while traveling by train with my family, we had met a women who was traveling with her two small kids, the conversation started with sharing some food we had got with us and ended with sharing each others addresses and promises of coming to each others home.. which never happened though...
hushh... long comment.. khup diwasanni kahi tari lihila.. its high time i put up some post nahi tar sagali kade mothe mothe comments takat basel..
~sabhtarsha~
Remind me - I see a guy in the bus everyday, whose always chatting with the conductor, driver or someone else - and there is a good smile on his face, that makes for a good start to the day :)
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