Rabindra Sadan to Dumdum

As I read my sister's post on her blog today about how three little kids playing in the murky waters gave her and also a lot of onlookers a much needed break from their drudgery , I could not help smiling cause kids can really do that to you....they can lift your spirits when you think that nothing can be done....

It took me back to an incident 3 or so years back.I was coming back from a job interview and I boarded the Metro (good ol Kolkata...where else)..... in a very dismal mood.The interview had not gone very well.I did not want to think about that.

I wanted to think of other things, pleasant things.And this is where I realised that I was incapable of thinking about anything else other than him.The more I wanted to get away from his thoughts, the more I found myself thinking about him...I wanted to get home as soon as possible , knowing very well in my heart that his thoughts knew the address and they will not knock before they enter my mind.......That is if they leave me alone for some time....

I tried looking in vain at my fellow passengers to come to my rescue and take my mind off him.....there weren't many....There were these little kids coming back from school...little ones...they still had energy to jump around ...they were giving me a headache with all that noise...and the only thing I said to myself when I got irritated with them...." You poor things, you don't know what you have got into....soon we will see you sprawled across the compartment doing your home works so that you are in time for your fine arts, dance , swimming and what not classes"....Going by the looks of their moms....well they were already there...they would push their kids into everything not wanting to be out done in anything..

And there were moments when inspite of the kids and everything I found myself thinking about him...and indulging myself with it.....No, I did not want to think about him.

All this was getting too much for me and these kids were keeping up with the train's racket and sometimes out smarting it.We had just left the second but last station.When ,as I heard the lady announce the last station on the voice over ,I saw the kids , all of them ,climbing on to the seats.They had cupped their faces and trying to see outside the glass windows.It was all so quiet now....this was wierd...there was not anything to see....it was all dark outside ...we were underground...surely they knew....then what?

Suddenly the train shot above the ground, we were under the clear blue sky now, sunlight flooding the compartments with all its might...it was all so clear.........And the children.........well, they were all over the compartment shouting, " good morning, good morning" to everyone and to no one in particular.......

I could not help smiling .....and life seemed beautiful ......again.