This was a long pending one, previous two parts are here:
A few conversations and a train journey
A few conversations and a train journey - 2
As the man took out his luggage and started moving towards the exit, I jumped on the opportunity to take the window seat. Incidentally now I was face to face with the old man who was trying to make a conversation with me.
"You working?" - boomed the baritone. For such a lean frame that deep voice seemed out of place, as if he was hiding an amplifier in that flowing kurta of his to multiply his original amplitude or pitch (honestly speaking it has been years since I revised acoustics or physics for that matter).
"Yes in Bangalore".
"That is a nice place, pensioner's paradise". That is easy to guess how he knows this, he would have weighed his options of retiring in Bangalore.
"I guess not anymore, it is quite crowded now and the traffic there sucks", though I had no intention of offending the old man with my choice of words, I didn't know how else to put it. May be I should read more!
"Well India in general is crowded. We are all trying to survive and everyday is a struggle for existence, it is like a war here...just look around", I was not sure whether that was a condescending thought or he was just bemused by so many people fighting for a sitting place. Of course we are a billion strong country but what is lacking is not the resources but civic sense in us.
It seems that old man almost read my thoughts. "What matters is how we behave. You know when we were growing up people around used to talk how being independent will make us self-sufficient and powerful". Oh one of those midnight children!
"We believed every word of it, I still do. We have so many young people. Even if one guy spreads his knowledge and good sense to two, we can be a much better nation".
"But does anyone care? I mean why should anyone, when things like daily bread is the topmost priority and people would do anything to get that", this was my response. It was not senseless lines that I just blurted out. It was a response that had built up over time after seeing such stark difference in our society. Even I have travelled across length and breadth of this country and have seen a lot.
"Beta beg, borrow or steal is not what makes a great nation. Haven't you heard of this - A noble soul has reverence for itself".
I had definitely read that somewhere...but where?
"Our religious texts say what you do is what you become. Spread the goodness, do good things and become good. Good karma will make things around you beautiful. Geeta says though that you should not be attached to your karma." Wait a second, where are we going. There is a sanyasi in saffron robe sitting next to us and this man is quoting Geeta. Isn't it blasphemous of a bhogi to chatter about karma and life in front of a yogi!
"I don't think I am qualified enough to talk about that", was my terse response. However as soon as I uttered those words I was feeling the guilt.
After some pause, I callously asked "Are you in service or retired?"
"I am a doctor, once a doctor, always a doctor. Doctors do not retire". God! This man is so full of words!
"I have a son and a grandson, who would now be of your age I guess". Nope I am not telling you my age, even if you ask.
"They stay with you?"
"No, they are in Columbia". Wow! So that his how he is so glib in making a conversation. He must have travelled multiple times to the Americas.
"How often do they visit, or do you go there?", I never know how to frame my questions.
"We have not met for fifteen years now!", was his response. I could feel the remorse and a sense of anger in those words.
Another long pause and then he says "He married a Columbian and had brought her to Allahabad, what a shame that was". Now that is hypocrisy. Wasn't he just quoting all religious texts sometime back and now all of a sudden sulking about his son not marrying according to his wishes!
"May be it was my mistake. He returned back and has not come back to India since. Some twenty-four years back I had gone there with my wife on the birth of our grandson". Sometimes it is so easy to open up in front of strangers. You tend to speak your mind without caring about any prejudiced response. But none of this was my concern. I have a basic flaw when it comes to numbers. If there is any glitch in arithmetic my mind seems to just get stuck there.
The man of experience gauged this even. "Well my grandson had come with his mother some nine years back on his grandmother's funeral".
"I have learnt the lessons of my life the hard way. Beta you should never have a parochial outlook. Open up. A person of means can be a mentor to his subordinates, his juniors. That is how a society is built. You can not impose rules for such simple logic".
Just then a tea vendor appeared near our bay and interrupted the old man's speech. As I turned to ask for tea I could see at least a hundred eye balls gazing at us. That is bound to happen if you hear two people talk in English in Hindi heartland. I took two tea and offered one to the old man.
And then it struck me - "A noble soul has reverence for itself", Fredrich Neitzsche! Even Ayn Rand had quoted the same in her foreword to The Fountainhead. And this gave me goosebumps - you do not expect people to quote Neitzsche in a train from Allahabad to Patna. I do not remember what exactly we talked about after this realization since I was in complete awe of this man. But what I do remember is the old man's last trick off his proverbial hat, when he handed me his business card. The name on it was - "Dr F.N. MS, FRCS"!
A few conversations and a train journey
A few conversations and a train journey - 2
As the man took out his luggage and started moving towards the exit, I jumped on the opportunity to take the window seat. Incidentally now I was face to face with the old man who was trying to make a conversation with me.
"You working?" - boomed the baritone. For such a lean frame that deep voice seemed out of place, as if he was hiding an amplifier in that flowing kurta of his to multiply his original amplitude or pitch (honestly speaking it has been years since I revised acoustics or physics for that matter).
"Yes in Bangalore".
"That is a nice place, pensioner's paradise". That is easy to guess how he knows this, he would have weighed his options of retiring in Bangalore.
"I guess not anymore, it is quite crowded now and the traffic there sucks", though I had no intention of offending the old man with my choice of words, I didn't know how else to put it. May be I should read more!
"Well India in general is crowded. We are all trying to survive and everyday is a struggle for existence, it is like a war here...just look around", I was not sure whether that was a condescending thought or he was just bemused by so many people fighting for a sitting place. Of course we are a billion strong country but what is lacking is not the resources but civic sense in us.
It seems that old man almost read my thoughts. "What matters is how we behave. You know when we were growing up people around used to talk how being independent will make us self-sufficient and powerful". Oh one of those midnight children!
"We believed every word of it, I still do. We have so many young people. Even if one guy spreads his knowledge and good sense to two, we can be a much better nation".
"But does anyone care? I mean why should anyone, when things like daily bread is the topmost priority and people would do anything to get that", this was my response. It was not senseless lines that I just blurted out. It was a response that had built up over time after seeing such stark difference in our society. Even I have travelled across length and breadth of this country and have seen a lot.
"Beta beg, borrow or steal is not what makes a great nation. Haven't you heard of this - A noble soul has reverence for itself".
I had definitely read that somewhere...but where?
"Our religious texts say what you do is what you become. Spread the goodness, do good things and become good. Good karma will make things around you beautiful. Geeta says though that you should not be attached to your karma." Wait a second, where are we going. There is a sanyasi in saffron robe sitting next to us and this man is quoting Geeta. Isn't it blasphemous of a bhogi to chatter about karma and life in front of a yogi!
"I don't think I am qualified enough to talk about that", was my terse response. However as soon as I uttered those words I was feeling the guilt.
After some pause, I callously asked "Are you in service or retired?"
"I am a doctor, once a doctor, always a doctor. Doctors do not retire". God! This man is so full of words!
"I have a son and a grandson, who would now be of your age I guess". Nope I am not telling you my age, even if you ask.
"They stay with you?"
"No, they are in Columbia". Wow! So that his how he is so glib in making a conversation. He must have travelled multiple times to the Americas.
"How often do they visit, or do you go there?", I never know how to frame my questions.
"We have not met for fifteen years now!", was his response. I could feel the remorse and a sense of anger in those words.
Another long pause and then he says "He married a Columbian and had brought her to Allahabad, what a shame that was". Now that is hypocrisy. Wasn't he just quoting all religious texts sometime back and now all of a sudden sulking about his son not marrying according to his wishes!
"May be it was my mistake. He returned back and has not come back to India since. Some twenty-four years back I had gone there with my wife on the birth of our grandson". Sometimes it is so easy to open up in front of strangers. You tend to speak your mind without caring about any prejudiced response. But none of this was my concern. I have a basic flaw when it comes to numbers. If there is any glitch in arithmetic my mind seems to just get stuck there.
The man of experience gauged this even. "Well my grandson had come with his mother some nine years back on his grandmother's funeral".
"I have learnt the lessons of my life the hard way. Beta you should never have a parochial outlook. Open up. A person of means can be a mentor to his subordinates, his juniors. That is how a society is built. You can not impose rules for such simple logic".
Just then a tea vendor appeared near our bay and interrupted the old man's speech. As I turned to ask for tea I could see at least a hundred eye balls gazing at us. That is bound to happen if you hear two people talk in English in Hindi heartland. I took two tea and offered one to the old man.
And then it struck me - "A noble soul has reverence for itself", Fredrich Neitzsche! Even Ayn Rand had quoted the same in her foreword to The Fountainhead. And this gave me goosebumps - you do not expect people to quote Neitzsche in a train from Allahabad to Patna. I do not remember what exactly we talked about after this realization since I was in complete awe of this man. But what I do remember is the old man's last trick off his proverbial hat, when he handed me his business card. The name on it was - "Dr F.N. MS, FRCS"!
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