“Let’s call an auto to the railway station”,“Do you have change da?? I will give you once we come back”,
“Why don’t you take food while travelling?? Fool”
Few statements which were paralyzing my mind, making the occasion of going back home a horror-filled affair. Even before my mind was analyzing these questions and doing a “google” search on possible alternatives, (Though the mind knows that this search returns Your search - “…” - did not match any documents through experience!!!!) the first question started pouring in. In front of me stood Gans, Saba and Thakkali – the trio with whom I was supposed to travel till the railway station. I returned the regular nod ‘Yes’ though I was questioning inside why Nagpur does not have other cheaper means of transport like local buses or trains.
Having done my college education 1500 Kms away from home, I return to my home once in a semester (app. around 5 months). The normal emotion that can be associated in such a scenario would be happiness. But in my case it was a mixed bag: A combination of horror, and pleasure. It’s a real pity to be in such a situation, but to be truthful to my heart, neither was I responsible for that nor was I willing to carry that emotion. To put it crisply – It was a pleasure for common sensical reasons: Meeting parents, friends, relations, free from work, etc., It was a horror for most simple ‘strategical’ reason: The weight of my wallet was not allowing me to answer the above questions and made me queasy.
Hundred Rupees was a fortune which I simply didn’t possess. I had around 70 Rupees (including all 1 rupee and 50 paise coins) in my wallet. Though this was really not a strange situation for me. Time and again, every semester break placed me in such dire straits. It is not a wrong thing to loan some amount from friends before leaving. But precursor to that I was helped by friends on various occasions and I did not want to trouble my friends by asking them. Moreover, my experience made me believe that it was not necessary!!
We took an auto to the railway station. I was alongside Ganesh. All along my mind was harped onto dividing the 70 odd money into my various possible expenses – Managing food for a day and a half, purchasing water on the way, and the final frontier, two buses from station to reach my home 20Km away. I was even cursing myself that I shouldn’t have nodded at first place. When we reached the station, the Auto owner scowled “Pachas rupya”. That sounded like a death knell on my ears. That takes off Rs.25 out of my 70 (a considerable amount really when I was expecting him to ask 40 rupees meaning 5 lesser!!!) if we divide it by 2. My mind was frightening me saying that even a single meal over the rest journey has become doubtful.
Just when my mind was analyzing these and calculating on how to manage with the remaining amount, Ganesh jolted me with the second question I shuddered about “Machan Do you have change da?? I will give you once we come back”. He doesn’t know my situation. (Why should he!!!) With time running we had to do something fast. I was slowly picking up all the ten and 5 rupee notes totalling 45 rupees. When I was picking up the coins which I had, suddenly out of the blue he plucked out a 50 rupee note struck somewhere inside his purse. (Inside my purse I would have groped at least ten times before starting and found nothing like that precious!!!). He handed it over to the Auto driver and started collecting his things. Then he said 'Machan we will adjust later' and walked ahead. I was thoroughly dreading that moment. I did not want that to happen but it did happen that way. Certainly the horrors of travelling back home came back to haunt me at full throttle. Right from the time I was inside the train, I was consoling myself, scolding myself, pacifying myself…. But the fact was I did not have a solution. Just when I was toying with all my emotions, my friends who accompanied me in the train asked “Why don’t you take food while travelling?? Fool”. That was like a Midas touch!!! I remembered in whatever deepest of plunges I am in, I still have the same 70 odd rupees inside my wallet which can cater to my one time meal at least.
Tightening the purse strings is definitely no easy task but what if there is just no money left inside that purse in order to fulfill the most basic needs of life. While it’s a hard situation to deal with I had my own ways of handling it. One time meal may sound cheaper but if not analyzed tactfully can extract the last straw out of the wallet. My one time meal was catered to at the Vijayawada station rather than at the train canteen itself. When I reached home, I still had around 20 rupees to carry an empty wallet!!! I thanked Ganesh but the horrors of travel kept haunting throughout the eight semesters at college.
I have strangely found that during every travel that happened like this, there was a small incident that was giving a twist in the tale. The next semester travel had a similar run up to the final travel. Around 70 rupees in the wallet and an Auto journey till the railway station. This time around I was going with Ezhil and not Ganesh. Again all along my mind was harped onto dividing the 70 odd money into my various possible expenses. When we reached the station, the Auto owner scowled “Pachas rupya”. When I was drawing out 25 Rupees out of my wallet, Ezhil jolted me with the second question I shuddered about “Machan Do you have change da?? I will give you once we come back”. But the difference was, Ganesh did not have the change, but this guy was not having any change at all!!! (If I am poor, then this guy is a beggar!!!) After giving out the 50 Rupee note, I was wondering about the tricks played by nature. The worst part now was an empty stomach journey. There were words from Ezhil that he would take care of food during the journey. (Pichaikaranukku security pichaikaranae!!! ‘Security for a beggar is also a beggar himself’) Till Chennai his words never came true. I understood his position, but he was a man who never had such horrors like I had. He was in fact happy that he had a partner alongside him.
There was a person opposite to me holding a banner carrying many quotes. There was a quote ‘Every man has his own quirks and twists’. Just when I was questioning the validity of the quote, Ezhil called me and said that ‘we can go and purchase a biscuit packet’. He had a 5 rupee note in his hand and I got the meaning of his words ‘I will take care of food’. The train started moving and we were hurrying at the shop. In a strange quirk of fate, for Rs.5 the shop keeper gave two biscuit packets actually worth Rs.20. This is when Ezhil smelt a golden chance (To be honest he is worse than a dog in smelling such chances) and asked me to rush soon. I came back to my senses and realized what had happened but those were one of the days when my hunger got the best of me. We got back into the train with the happiness that we have filled our stomach with just 5 rupees. This time around, I still had the horrors of travelling haunting me but more than that, I had the pleasure of not burdening anyone (like Ganesh, the earlier time). The man opposite to me with the banner was closing his manner when I read the last quote “When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart”. I was figuring out, why this time around the horrors I dreaded did not haunt me as they usually do!!!!
