UPPER BERTH

     

Just after the exams got over, we got a winter break  for a month so most of the students decided to visit their hometown. I was also one of them.

After putting so much effort, my roommate managed to book a ticket for me.

Being a disciplined but oblivious sucker, I packed all my stuff and reached the station by four in the evening as my train was at seven in the night.The deadly winter was also responsible for me arriving so early. I struggled for few minutes to find my seat but finally found that. The ticket was of upper berth and what could have been better than that for a college student like me. The seat number was U-45.

           Without any due, I placed my suitcase below the lower berth and keeping the handbag with myself, I climbed up to my berth.

Bye the way, upper berth has its own advantages. It gives not only the comfort to us but also boosts our love towards being lonely or may be, solitude in some cases.   

 Because of not having sleep at night for exam preparation, I decided to sleep rather than replying to those irritating whatsapp messages on the phone. Being genius, I decided to use the handbag as the temporary pillow.

Before I could close my eyes, I heard an “okay bye” in a high pitched tone. Yes, it was a girl…..who had entered in the coach making everyone’s mouth open. Everyone was now aware like a deer whom a lion was chasing ever. One 40s waale chacha ji became excited enough to beat his 6 years old son to show himself a lion in between the lambs like us. I saw her and her- don't know what, may be face assured me that the efforts of my roommate had finally paid off. I composed myself to look calm and unaffected in between those crying kids and bald uncles. The girl came near our berths searching her seat and found her seat adjacent to my berth. It was U-52. Few moments later and realising that i forgot to carry the headphone, I thought to give it a try by asking time but couldn’t ask. I could hear her talking on the phone, as she was saying “Haan college mein chhutti ho gayi hai. Ek mahine ki hai.” I wanted to start the conversation with her but I was so exhausted that I didn’t know, when did I fell asleep.

 After few hours in rainy dreams, I woke up. Of course, sound of the train was the reason behind that.I opened my eyes inside the blanket and it took a moment to realise, “oh, I’m in train and a girl is also there.” To see the time, I checked the area inside the blanket but I could not find the phone by my side. I looked around for help but everyone was sleeping. The girl was also sleeping. I threw a sarcastic laugh on her, thinking College students kab se raat ko sone lage.

   I looked down and I saw a dim phone light on the lower berth.

       “Time kya huaa hai, bhaiya”, I asked.

        “Haan….?, he replied in an interrogation tone. 

 He was a middle aged man(may be in 50s but age doesn't matter here) sitting on the lower berth. The area he had on the seat was the space which was left after someone was already sleeping on that berth. I could feel the continuous cold wind hitting my face. He had covered his body with a thin blanket.

He did not tell me the time but he was continuously pressing the buttons of his feature phone. His way of pressing keys and looking uncomfortable was telling me about his mental condition right then.

“Uncle……time kya huaa hai?”, I asked again.

After pressing the buttons again and again abnormally, he said,”TIME KHARAAB HAI ABHI”

I didn’t get that. I rubbed my face and enlarging the eyeballs, I looked closely to the screen of his phone. The time showing on the display was “00:05 AM.” I got that totally. It was the phone that resets the time every time you turn it off and on.

All he wanted to say was, “GHADI KHARAAB HAI”. Seeing his condition in that frozen night, I thought his , “TIME KHARAAB HAI was more relatable.”

HIs conditions forced me to smile like a bullied boy in that dark night. Holding back that smile and feelings, I covered my body with the blanket and tried to sleep again. Realising that a girl is also travelling with me, I thought, “ At least, my day won’t be that bad”

      

Out of a sudden, something struck my mind……Who was the guy, whom she had greeted, “Okay…..Bye”…..was he her boyfriend……may be her brother…..college mein bhai….Naah…. Oh..No.

 All my pre-planned collection of tactics to impress a girl was seeming to get wasted now. That smile was back again on my face under the blanket. Suddenly, I wanted to console that bald uncle that you are not the only one jiski GHADI KHARAAB HAI.

                              But who could have dared to take out the face in that frozen coach. 

                              AB KAMBAL SE BAAHAR JHAANKE KAUN.