OOTY
After every one finished beating me, we settled down and started enjoying our journey. I opened my bag and distributed dairy milk chocolates to my friends, something that I have been doing since many years. Usually my friends will be planning a cake cutting, but this time there is no sign of such activities. I thought its ok we were on journey it might not possible for them. I took a glimpse of my friends usman,ravi,wilson,praveen and told myself how lucky I was to have such friends..
“sanju , hey sanju”, usman bought me tack to the train. I gave him a satisfactory smile and turned towards window to hide my feelings. After a while we thought of playing Dum sharrads, as we fall short of a member I enquired my co passenger.
“Hay, I am sanjiv, these are my friends, and we are playing dumsharrads why can’t you join us?”
“Yea sure”, he said as he closed the window and changing his blank face to an agreeable smile. I, Wilson, Praveen on one side. Co passenger, usman and ravi on the other side. We played for a while and train stopped at some station. Ravi, praveen got down to get something to eat. I started talking to the co passenger.
“So what is your name, where are you heading up to?” I enquired.
“I am Devaraj Iyer, working for Indian Army. I am on my way to my home at kallar. One more hour from here. My wife gave birth to a baby 2 months back. Now I got leave and rushing home to see my sweet daughter. Its almost 2.5 days journey from Srinagar.”
He is not much aged, hardly 3 or 4 years elder than us. We all exchanged looks with an awful respect for the brave soldier. We continued our game again as the train started. As we were around 10km near kallar we stopped the game and Iyer started to gather his luggage and we helped him. He showed the toys he bought for his little daughter and shared us about how he missed his family all these days and about the life they spend at the border, the odds they face while doing their duty during winter rains and early morning fog, temperatures and so many things. He is almost in tears by the time he finished. We are almost there at the station, our train got the clearance and the driver slowly started off again. We all hugged him and got our luggage(very small compared to iyer’s) also as we have to get down here and catch the train to ooty.
We shared our phone no’s and mail ids with him and as we accompanied up to the station entrance one last hug with Iyer, which told how much he enjoyed our company and how much he need a person share his pain and feelings. We all said bye to him.
The train we have to take is 3 platforms away. We all indulged in that senti scene and an announcement saying that our ooty train is about to leave got back us to the station. This time we all ran to catch the train. J
From kollar to ooty we have to travel by a diesel engine train on a meter gauge track, as it would be difficult to run those broad gauge and electric trains through that hilly areas.
“From kallar journey to ooty is a very great experience. All the way can see vegetation, valleys, small water falls, and beautiful mountains. One has to experience this journey and it’s a life time experience”, I said with Pepsi bottle in my hand taking it as a mike.
“What are your views usman?” saying that I handed over the mike (pepsi bottle) to him.
“Ah well sanju, to face these type of questions from you I came prepared and this is how the answer goes”, he said as he rolled out a paper from his pocket. Idiot he got a print out from Wikipedia about ooty and he read it aloud for all of us.
“Ooty or Udagamandalam (the Tamil version of the original name) rightly described as "Queen of Hill Stations" by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, now sprawls over an area of 36 sq km with a number of tall buildings cluttering its hill slopes. It is situated at an altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level. Ooty still woos people from all over India as well as foreign countries right through summer, and sometimes in the winter months too. An added attraction for the tourists to Udagamandalam is the mountain train journey on a ratchet and pinion track which commences from Kallar, near Mettupalayam and wends its way through many hair-raising curves and fearful tunnels and chugs along beside deep ravines full of verdant vegetation, gurgling streams and tea gardens.
The scenery, as it unfolds during the trip, is breathtaking, awe-inspiring and fantastic. One can notice a marvellous change in vegetation, as one goes from Kallar to Coonoor. At Kallar it is tropical and at Burliar-the next bus-stop as one proceeds from Mettupalayam-it is sub-tropical. Near Coonoor, it is humid with pines, blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) and cypress trees. As we go from Ooty to Gudalur…………."
“Hey, hey stop it…yar”, snapped Wilson. By sheer coincidence as usman stopped the train also stopped on a long bridge. It’s a very nice place and the view from the window is damn good. The train will stop here for a while to get the clearance told the coffee Walla serving us. All of a sudden, something happened, my friends started behaving weirdly and some sighs, I cannot understand. Before I questioned them Ravi and Wilson went out first. After a moment usman got a miss cal, and then Praveen and usman took me out.
“Where are we going?” I asked with a confused voice.
“Oh you don’t know we are kidnapping you…idiot just shut your mouth and follows..”, Praveen answered sarcastically. Having nothing to do, I followed them.
We got down from the train on to the bridge and started climbing the bogie using the iron rails provided on each bogie. As we were on the top, a birth day cake is waiting for me.
I was more than thrilled. On the top of a train, that to on a bridge surrounded by mountains, tiny waterfalls, cool breezes, cloudy sky, and partly visible sun. At such a scenic place I am going to cut my birthday cake.
There comes my friends started singing happy birthday song lighting the 24th candle on the cake. I was unable to utter a word and put off the candles on the cake. It was the wonderful birth day I ever had. After having face full of cake we slowly climbed down the bogie and got in to the train. It took around 15 minutes to wash our faces and we all sat down in our places….. Train started moving again.
“Hey did you see the girls next compartment?” asked usman.
“Yea… I am about to ask you about that , we went first na to arrange the cake, then itself I saw them and thought of talking to them, but this idiot stopped me telling that it would be late and the train may move” said ravi pointing Wilson.
“Take light yar….”ended Wilson.
Praveen who didn’t see them was anxious and to have a look at them and asked me, “Sanju lets go...Have a look”. I said ok and we stood up.
“Cut my life into pieces ,this is my last resort,suffocation,suffocation”
My phone rang and it’s from an unknown number, thought it would be a call to wish me and sighed Praveen to carry on and I sat down to answer the call. After a while Praveen came back and started discussing about those girls. After finishing the call, not much interested in joining their discussion I took a nap.
After some time, engine siren woke me up and we are entering the tunnels now. I felt a bit giddy and took a walk to wash my face. As I was sleepy I didn’t observe the surroundings much, I started washing my face.
“Excuse me….” Some women’s sweet voice , as I bend forward to wash my face. As I applied soap I can’t see who was that but as she passed by I felt a beautiful fragrance. Definitely a jasmine perfume but much much different one and I ever felt that fragrance. Something is happening, my heart started to beat differently... I quickly wiped off my face with water and take a step to have a look at her. But I am late. She just reached her place and sat down. I didn’t see her clearly.
“OK, what is big issue, go now and have a look at her”, I told myself. As I took few steps I realised that she is one of the girls batch about which my friends are discussing. I came to a halt.”Now what? Move ahead or turn back. Will it be cheap if I go down there?” asked my self.
Some where from my old films one voice told me that “BELIEVE IN DESTINY.”
“YES, BELIEVE IN DESTINY, if she was my destiny she will definitely come to ooty.” I told my self proudly and turned back…. L
Gosh…!! My friends are behind me and saw the whole scene… I was caught bold enough. As usual one can expect that scene; first they popped me with so many questions…
“Noting yar...Nothing”, I can’t cover up. L . We all went back to our seats and they didn’t stopped teasing me. “Don’t you have guts to go and see her?””you timid…” etc.. I want to shout at them “I believe in destiny” and all that stuff. Thought it would make the scene more worse and I kept to myself with out uttering a word.
A beautiful journey came to an end when we got down the train at the station and we took a cab to the hotel, where we have our rooms booked. Due to journey tiding we all went to our rooms for getting fresh. We have to meet at the restaurant at 8.00 sharp I told my friends. Generally I am punctual but that day attending some phone calls made me late. At 8.10 I reached the table where my friends were waiting for me. As it was my birthday obviously it’s a treat. The food was very nice and we are all hungry, we ate a lot. After that we parted saying good night and told my friends “tomorrow sharp 8.00”. Every one nodded. I know that they were not going to keep it except ravi.
Right then, I m not sleepy, so I walked down the corridor of my room and leaned on to a steel rail having a gaze at the beautiful scene. Heavy fog almost as the size of a cloud passing at a height of ten feet’s, I began to fell cold and took a cigar to feel some warmth and had a one deeep puff.
“Happy birthday.” Some one said from my back.
I turned and shock to see a teenage girl. I dropped the cigar without her notice.
“Hi, I am shruthi, today is your birth day right? I over heard you and your friends at the restaurant”, she said as she put forward her hand to wish me.
“Oh thank you so much…” I said shaking hands with her.
“Ok then, bye good night”, she ended and marched towards here room. As she moved away, I felt the same fragrance again, the same fragrance which felt in the train and my heart not listening to me this time. It is jumping over and I can’t control it. I felt an A.R. Rehmans orchestra right now surrounding me with song…
“oh cheliya na priya sakhiya chejarenu na manase……e chota adi ……………..”
I got back to my mind and asked myself “should I ask her or not, is she the one I saw on the train.” I was in a dilemma, by the time I took the stand to ask her, she reached her room and shut the door.
Once again I heard that filmy voice telling me…. “Believe in destiny.”
I told my self, “no worry buddy... you have time to work out….!”
I am going crazy... I m out of my mind. I climbed over two iron rods over the rail and shouted…
“I LOVE YOU….OOTY……………………….”
“I LOVE YOU….OOTY”
“I LOVE YOU….OOTY”
“I LOVE YOU….OOTY” my voice echoed………
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