Daughter or Granddaughter?!

Stepping out of the Morena railway station, I started the hunt.

Just entered the street of Morena, heard "Ambah?"

Turning around, said - Yep! seat hai?

Conductor replied- "Ji Bilkul", ending my hunt.

Within a minute, the vehicle (a Marshal) started moving.

I found a fat guy sitting on my right with a big suitcase, blocking my view to the outside. To my left were a seats, a girl at the window, her father with another daughter on his lap. Amazingly, there was no obstruction, I could see the outer trail of landscapes. Facing us was another row of four travellers.

As the hot air dreid up the sweat, I started "observing" this same path which I have travelled countlessly and never missed to "observe" it.

At the outfringes of Morena is the age old (alteast older than me) polytechnic college, once a shining entrance to Morena ( Yes! I have seen it in its shining form), now has lost its shine, its bright "government building" yellow color. After this starts the continuous farm land, with which I started my count of Peahens and peacocks. It is difficult to distinguish the two from a vehivle moving above 60 in the ravines of Chambal, since the peacocks are robbed off of their beautiful feathers. So I count them together with a separate entry for "Pankh wala peacock".

Before we could reach D's school, my count crossed 5 (with an obstructed right view). D's school- A shining grey stone building, younger to me but looks quite older now.

More handpumps, more bihad levelled down, more shops on the roadside, a broader road; but the speed of vehicle is still the same. It does not refer to a poor speed. Earlier same speed (high speed) on a narrower hilly track was a ride in "tora-tora"(Roller coaster) of an adventure land. Now, Thank God! we ride on road.

Count=7, saw a pair!

All the while I was sitting silent which wasn't broken even when I spot a "Pankh wala Peacock". But had to when I was few mins away from my alight point.

I asked the driver to stop at "Bade-Bijli Ghar".

One of the front row memeber asked back- "Gopendraji ki bachhi ho?"

Gosh!!

This triggered a chain reaction. Whole of vehicle came to life and started repeating the same question, again and ohh again!

All of a sudden, the father of those two girls, sitting next to me woke up with the ultimate question-

"Varshneyji ki bachhi ho ya poti" (Daughter or granddaugher of Varshneyji).

Stunned! My grandfather a Varshney and so is my father and so are my brothers and my great grandfathers.

What to answer?

My Jugaadu "D"

Every time I cross D's school, it reminds me his greatest "move on" or his so called "jugaadu" spirit. Calling it Greatest will be injustice, he has given lot many such examples. Let it be one of those great exapmles.

For the High School education Dhruval, my D, joined Morena K.V. which was actually in a village, few kms before Morena towards our hometown Ambah. Roughly 20kms from our home, D opted for Daily commutation, the daily up-down. Half an hour journey, normal for a metropolitan, but here you cross many villages, moving on state highway through intercity transport. No Autorickshaw, no city bus, no such thing exist!

Yet transportation was not a problem. But this "was not" converted to "became" on an exceptioanlly active festive noon. D standing at the gate of KV with 2 of his school-mates waiting for a bus or private transport, saw all the vehicles crossing 80km/hr, ignoring their waving hands. Minutes and then an hour passed by, but no vehicle stopped...not even slowed down.

The mastermind came to fore, managed a lift from some bicycle paddlers to start moving towards home. Then they hopped on to some motorcycles crossing a few villages, walked by one in between, got a local three-wheeler for some. At the end, managing with all the available means, he came home slong with the two fellows.

What started with the masti of hanging on the back seat of bicycles, persuading the paddlers to put in extra energy and carry them to the next village, brought D home safely just before the dusk. Mom's panick had just triggered though, but that was a close landing!!!

Love you D,
Your Di.