Blue Jeans and Yellow Kurta (Top)

This was the year when I had seen the US land, a second time. I came back to Bangalore after a while, went to Jaipur to my parents and came back again to Bangalore. By now, I had a severe urge to go to Kerala, and to see my grand parents and other relatives. So I packed my bag as soon as I got an opportunity to go to Kerala. It had always been an exiting affair for me to go to Kerala (yeah, except only one time at the time of demise of my uncle). There's a train or buses always running to and fro from Kerala to Bangalore; Only during seasonal times (times of festivities like the Onam or X'mas) you won't get any tickets even 2 months before. Anyways, I had the train ticket this time, and I started on a Thursday evening after the office hours.

The roads at the BTM Layout were as usual, full of their crowds; bystanders, vehicles, two-wheelers rattling against each other. I put my backpack on my shoulders, as if a kid is going to a school, and started walking to the BTM Bus station, which is around 1 KM walk from my home. People were busy as usual, drenched in their own affairs; That's the predicament of big cities; No one cares or dare to care about others affairs. This is in stark contrast to the village life in Kerala...People do care; and in some cases do care more than what they are allowed to be cared. Me, as I was brought up a metropolitan way, is still retract-ful about these 'care' by the people there. And I has several occasions when a near minor altercations ensued between me and my grandparents over some of the inside stories, which got spewed out to some of the neighbors in and around our house in Kerala. The contrasts between the metropolitan life and the village life shows up everywhere...For instance, go to a temple in the village. People will look right through you, that you will feel that you are some one just landed from an UFO from Outer space. Some who dares to talk to you will ask your whole family history, what you are up to and your marital status, and about your children. In one occasion, I was with my cousin brother, and one granny, asked me who I was. I told I am so and so, and relative of so and so. Here comes grannies assortment of question...At last she turned to my marital status. As I already have been ripened by her questions, I told her that I am married, and the boy, looking towards my cousin brother, is my son. Well, I could see a dark shadow passing through her face, as soon as I told that I am married :-) My Cousin brother came home happy; he was happy that he got a new father :-)

Anyways, I reached the BTM bus stand, and there were some 4/5 buses going towards Majestic (Bangalore Central Railway station). I thought of going in the Volvo, whose charge is double that of the ordinary one, but which is far more comfortable than the others...The conductor and the Bus drivers are professional looking, clad in their white dresses. The bus started in time and onlooking the people and the objects passing through the window of the bus, I reached the Bus station at Majestic in around 1.5 hours. The Railway station is a 5 minute walk from the Bus Station. I reached the Railway station and the Island Express, was scheduled to come at 9:45 Pm at Platform number 4. Well, I looked at the time on my watch and it was just 7:50 Pm. I walked towards Platform No.4. The platform is a little towrds back of the main platform of the station. I could see only 2 or 3 group of people sitting and waiting for the train, which I could distinguish are mallus. I saw a group of girls sitting in a bunch, and talking non stop about their affairs or god knows what, cackling at regular intervals. Amongst the bunch I saw a cute little face of a girl, looking towards me; and as soon as I fixed my eyes on her she had turned her face to another side...I looked towards the empty platform, thinking of what to do for this gap of 2 hours. I thought of calling my friend in Noida, and pulled out my mobile from the pocket, when suddenly a warm and soft whispering "Hi!" reached my ears!

I turned around and I was dumb stuck. A girl, well as far as I could guess, in her upper 20s, was standing and smiling to me, with her soft silky hands stretched towards me for a shake hand. She wore a blue Jeans, and a yellow shaded Kurta (or top, I don't know what it is called actually!). She was so cute, her face glistening like a dew drop glistening with the rays of the sun. I replied to her stretched hands; All the strings attached to my body began to play out as soon as I touched her hands.

She asked, "How are you?"

I replied, "I am fine...Well, I am not getting you ., Do we know each other?"

She smiled...Her smile, in her heart shaped face with her white teeth and soft cornered jaws made me think of Madhuri Dixit's smile.

She replied, "Well, I don't think we know other. I am also a fellow passenger of Island Express. Felt boring, so thought of talking to you, if you don't mind!".

How could I mind talking to her. She began to introduce herself. She was from a small city of Northern Kerala, had done her graduation in Engineering and was working as a Software Engineer in a company whose name I have never heard before. She joined the company some 1 year back. She was staying with some relatives in Bangalore. And her parents are in their home town, with one younger brother studying in 12th grade. Well, these information was all I could collect from her.

Why is this girl interested in talking with me? There are other people out there in the platform...The group of girls, the mixed group of guys and girls...Why had she came to a lonely me? Is something going on her mind? Befriending and beheading later??? I thought of the Jaipur-Agra or Jaipur-Delhi roadways mishaps...Well if you call it as a mishap...Some guy, or girl, after ascertaining that you are alone in the journey, starts befriending you. They will ask where you belongs to, and then give some fake references of their relatives staying there...You gradually feel interested in the guy or girl, and that's it...They will offer you some biscuits or chocolate or some edible, and you are inclined to take the thing and eat it for sure. The next thing you see, if you are lucky that is, will be the Hospital bed with doctors nurses and probably your relatives (if they have been informed!) and police man around you...And all your valuables, will be with your friend of the roadways bus ready to be used or sold...

I Don't know, she should have read it from my face that I was some what not comfortable of she talking to me. She said with her peculiar smile, "Vipin, I came straight to you because I felt you are also feeling bored. And two bored people can make a good journey!". I just smiled on this remark.

She asked, "Are you married?"

"What do you think?"

She asked again, "Arranged or Love?"

And again with an exultation, "Wait a minute...You are not married I guess".

I replied, "Yes, I am not married."

"Parents looking? "

"Yes!"

I asked, "What about you?"

And then for the first time of our 15 minute conversation I saw a dark cloud passing through her face. She tried to conceal that but I could read her from her face. In a low monotonous voice she said, "Yes and no!".

Puzzled, I asked, "What do you mean by Yes and No!".

She said, "By law we are not married, but by time we are married!".

"So who is the other one in 'we'?"

She smiled again and answered, "His name is A****h. Working in a small Construction company in my home town as a Junior Contractor"

"Well, so when are you getting married? "

And for the second time, I saw a dark cloud passing through her face again. She said, "Don't know. God has some other things decided for us."

I didn't understand the meaning of the last sentence she said. I looked on her face and the once smiling face is now grave with fear and horror. I didn't had the courage to ask any more about it and I quickly diverted the discussion.

"What's your brother doing? "

"He is in 12th Standard. "His exams are just going on."

"And what's he gonna do after his 12th?"

"He is interested in Chartered Accountancy. So I think he may go for that."

"Cool, so playing with number?"

She smiled and said, "Yeah!"

I asked, 'What's your parents"?

"Father was in government service, now retired. Mother is an housewife."

She asked all these questions back to me, but I was cautious not to reveal anything more personal than she should know about.

"You look good in this T-Shirt and Jeans"

I stared her hard. Finally said, "Thank you!".

"My love also likes T-shirt and Jeans; especially blue Jeans"

"Yeah?". She nodded.

I said, "By the way, you also look gorgeous in this dress!"

She smiled and said, "Jaan also says so!"

By this time, I got irritated by her affectionate calling of her love. I looked at my watch and my watch seemed to be stopped...I thought, "What the heck? This watch has never stopped till now and at this need of time, this stupid thing has gone!". I then looked at my mobile and to my astonishment found that the clock of the mobile also stopped working. It was still at the same time when we begin our conversation...Around 7:50 PM.

I asked, "Do you have watch?"

"No"

"OK, let me check the time on the display board."

It was 8:30 PM already. Around 1 more hour to go. I talked with her about her job, and other stuff, which she discussed more cheerfully and with enthusiasm.

The reservation Chart was put on the train by 9:00 Pm.

I said, "Seems like the reservation chart has been put. Let's go to the coaches. What's your coach number? "

"You go ahead Vipin, I will board after some time. There's plenty of time."

"OK, have a nice journey, and very nice talking to you"

Smiling she said, "Yeah, to you too!"

I turned towards my coach number and was about to leave when she grasped my left hand. She looked into my eyes, and in an instant with her eyes closed and moving forward, gave me a peck to my cheek...I was astonished. I looked at her, and she was looking at me with her contagious smile. I looked around, and no one was watching us.

I asked, "What was that?"

"A memorabilia of an unknown friend", she replied

I didn't know what to say or do...I walked slowly towards my coach, looking back frequently to the girl, who gave me an unforgettable memorabilia in just a 2 hour meeting. I boarded the train, found my seat number and sat down there pondering about the happenings of the nearly past 3 hours. There, a girl, whom I don't know anything about, befriending me, giving a kiss while departing even when she was in love with some one else. Utterly in confused state of mind, I sat there on my seat pondering over the whole matter again and again...

The train blew it's final departure whistle and it slowly started crawling in the railway track. There was a plump couple and their 2 kids as my fellow passengers. I looked out of the window, if the train has really started moving. Yeah it has started to crawl in the track. Suddenly the train passed through the girl who was the subject of my pondering some minutes back. I realized, or was it just my imagination, that she was transparent. I can see people moving here and there right through inside her. I closed and opened my eyes fast some two or three times, and yes, it indeed was. She was looking at me, with the same smile I could die for...I ran towards the train's main door, opened it quickly and looking towards her shouted, "What the hell are you doing there? Get in. The train has started!"

She stand there where she was, smiling at me, and now waving her hands towards me. I can clearly see other people walking and running, right on the other side of her body, like I see objects through a transparent plastic sheet.

A fellow passenger asked what was the matter. I asked that the girl standing there was supposed to board this train. He looked through the door, and puzzled looked back to me and asked, "Which girl are you talking about?". I looked out again and point to the girl, "That girl with the blue Jeans and Yellow Kurta (or top)". He looked back again. "Boss, are you drunk? There's no one there with Blue Jeans and Yellow Kurta".

By this time the train left the platform and nothing was then visible thereafter of it. I quietly came back to my seat, now pondering even harder than before of what I just witnessed. Why she didn't boarded the train? Why the other passenger didn't see her? An unknown chill began to settle down on my spine...I tried sleeping, and after counting some 1000 sheep, got asleep. I woke at around 7:00 AM the next day

Everything of the previous night seem'd like a dream to me. I descended down from my Upper birth bed , refreshed myself, had some tea and some edibles. By 12:30 PM I reached my Home town in Kerala.

I got down the train and was passing through the basement lobby of the station, where suddenly I got a glimpse of a poster pasted on the wall. My heart started beating loud on seeing the picture and the content of the poster. The picture was of the same girl I met in the Bangalore Railway station the night before. She died in some mysterious circumstances a week and a half before at Bangalore and some Student Union was suspecting a foul play in the plot. The poster was about carrying on the case to CBI (the premier investigation agency in India) by the student Union.

I don't remember anything afterwards...I don't know how I came to the Autorikshaw stand, how I got in the Auto and how I told the address to my grandparent's home to the driver. When I got my senses back. I was entering the house of my grand parents. They saw me pale and blue and may be they realized some thing is wrong with me...They give me some water and inquired what's wrong with me. I told it's OK, it's just due to the afternoon heats...

I sat down in the sofa, and looked through that day's paper, and suddenly got my eyes to the second horror of my story. There the girl again, but this time with the photograph of a guy in Blue Jeans and T-Shirt. The paper states that both the people were in love, and after knowing the girl had passed away in mysterious circumstances, the boy hanged himself to death in his house...With a Blue Jeans and a Yellow Kurta(Top) tied together to the ceiling fan...

I fainted and the next thing I had seen was my panicky grandparents trying to comfort me in the bed.