THE LOCAL LOVESTORY
Waking up at stroke of 5 am and running for the bathroom tap and bucket is not a new thing in overly crowded Mumbai with an unending water problem. Then with the bucketful of water get done with your daily chores and set out of house for work. Well, that would have been a heaven for Mumbaikar if you step out of house and land in your office!! But no, a Mumbaikar has to respect each and every second, reach on right platform, at right position where the local train bogie would come and halt before him. Then he has to compete with the other people trying to get in through the tiny door and adjust himself in whatever space is leftover! Somehow he reaches his destination and alights easily as the enormous force of people inside the bogie throw him out of the local train...
Pratik Sathe, one such Mumbaikar! Staying at Diva would have to reach his office at Chembur around 10am. He would usually catch the 09:03am CST slow local and would reach Kurla at 09:44am, catching a bus from there he would reach his office in Chembur at exact 10 am. Missing the bus due to local train delays would always result in a Late-Mark in his muster and a lot of thrashing from the boss.
The only good thing in this monotonous routine was the beautiful eyes that met his, each day at Diva station. A smile would run across faces of both soon after their eyes met! Then she would walk past Pratik and get mixed up in the crowd leaving the Diva platform...
Pratik would always feel like taking a step towards her and accost her. But he was res local trained in his daily journey and would never afford to miss the 09: 03 am local train. He didn't know her name, didn't know where did she come from, where did she go. She was his Miss Unknown! He wanted answers for all these questions.
He had seen her around a year ago and since then liked her sheer beauty and simplicity. But she had not noticed Pratik back then. But it's said if you pray for something you get it, Pratik wanted that she should notice him and one fine day the cupid struck his bow and arrow was shot! Months had passed in this mute conversation of the love birds. Pratik was getting impatient to talk with her and find a way to meet her and get to know her better.
"The new year is approaching and is a good time to start something new!" thought Pratik adjusting himself in the cramped fourth seat.
****
The New Year 2015 was full of hope for everyone. New dreams, new aspirations were in the mind of everyone. Pratik was determined to talk and to his love interest and know about her, pour out his feelings! On 1st Jan, it was Thursday and being week day everyone had their respective jobs. He hoped to meet his girl at their usual platform and so he arrived at the lace a bit earlier. Moments were passing at snail's pace he felt! The 08:59am CST local train came to halt in front of him. Pratik was getting desperate to see her and greet her. The local train started again, caught up speed and went. Pratik's eyes frenetically searched the crowd for his Miss Unknown! Slowly the crowd ceded and everything was calm again. The automated voice on the platform announced the arrival of next local train and the screens flashed '09:03 CST'. He had to go.
"How could I miss her??? But I looked out for her completely... and also I was standing at the very place where we daily meet... I mean see each other! AARGH!! I just missed the right timing!!" Pratik thought about the incident after getting in his local train. "Might be she had partied last night and didn't manage to catch the local train today. Yes! She didn't come. I didn't miss her...she didn't come today! No worries, I will surely catch her up tomorrow". Pratik had come to this decision after guessing lot many reasons of missing the chance to talk her! Soon after his stop arrived and he got down.
Even at office things seem to be out of place. Due to the love issue Pratik had hugely neglected his office work and his boss blamed for some fault and ordered him to mend up the deal. Pratik promised to set things right by tomorrow at any cost. The boss wasn't convinced with Pratik and thrashed him some more in front of whole office and walked away in fury. Pratik stood there in shame and anger, his head hung low...
****
2nd January 2015:
Pratik got ready for office and walked to the Diva railway station. All the way he couldn't stop thinking of his pretty lady and he wanted his approach to be perfect and practiced it in his mind a zillion times! After that he had to reach the office in time and prove himself after yesterday's incident. He had had enough from the boss and the hectic job. Now he wanted his monotonous life to change... change in a drastic manner that he would get his Miss Unknown and a peaceful and happy life with her!
On reaching the entrance of station he saw the crowd running madly and people crowding at the platform, some even on the tracks. After enquiring a passerby he came to know about the broken pantograph which disrupted the local train timings at the peak hours. This had happened a couple of times a few weeks ago. The mob was fed up of these regular breakdowns and so had become violent. Suddenly it dawned to Pratik he is supposed to reach office in time and make up for yesterday's mistake.
Pratik started panicking and couldn't think of anything worse to happen to him. He saw himself being insulted by his boss once again, this time even more abusively, and few of his colleagues mocking at him. The world around Pratik started revolving fast... he was furious at his fate. The New Year had begun to ruin his life! Pratik couldn't bear it anymore; he went down at anything that came his way, breaking the chairs, sign boards, abusing the rail system all the way! He jumped down on the tracks and pelted stones at the standing local trains. It was around 10 am and in no way he was reaching his office today after all this mess. Pratik thought he had lost it and the only way to cool down his anger was taking out his anger on the local trains!
The violence had made the situation go out of hands! The so called 'decent and civilized' people had turned into monsters. They were throwing stones at few local trains that were still going on. Some people had also beaten up the poor motorman assuming it was his fault!
The local trains were already running late and after the violence the motormen feared to halt the local trains at the station. Yet a motorman dared to stop near Diva. It was the 08:59am local train for CST. Unaware of anything Pratik was on tracks and as soon as the local train came to complete halt he hurled a stone at the local train. He continued this act till the local train passed by and suddenly a shrill cry erupted from the centre Ladies bogie. But just like Pratik every assaulter on the tracks was deaf in anger.
The violence continued for few more hours and the crowd was brought under control by the police later on. Pratik had returned home thereafter in more devastated look than usual workdays. After gaining his senses he was reminded of his love and his wish to meet her today! He wondered about condition of his sweet girl in this horrifying atmosphere. By evening everything had cooled down and Pratik got a message from office colleague about his work to be shown tomorrow and not to worry any more.
****
Next day Pratik's life resumed and so did every other Mumbaikar's life.
But the only difference in Pratik's routine now was that he never ever saw Miss Unknown again. He used to reach early in the morning and would wait for few more minutes in the evening at the platform in the hope to see her once. But a month had passed with no luck. Somehow Pratik had accepted the hard fact and was trying to stop thinking about her. And suddenly yesterday, after 1 month and 1 week, he saw her...
Wearing a simple white and golden salwar-kameez, a pink stole draped around her head she got down from the train. A friend accompanied her, and they both cleared their way through the crowd and walked towards the exit. Pratik didn't want to miss this chance now. He came across their way and looked at Miss Unknown. She looked weak, a bit different but yet beautiful. She raised her eyes and looked at him, or it just seemed so... then she shifted a bit to her left and walked straight away to exit.
Their eyes met for a split of second but nothing happened! She didn't even turn back to get another look at him. She didn't say anything. Didn't she miss him for a month? And more important was- Where she had been since so long???
Pratik tried to go and speak with her few times after that but she didn't recognize him and even gave a dirty look the last time! Pratik didn't understand anything. What had happened to her? Why was she ignoring him? Finally he decided to talk with the new girl who accompanied her.
13th February 2015:
Pratik was again at the platform waiting for the local train to arrive. He had to get the answers which were pestering him since a week, and many more since months! Soon then the train came to halt before him and his girl started walking past him along with her friend. Pratik mustered some courage, but not enough to talk with Miss Unknown directly. Eyeing to her friend he uttered, "Excuse me, can I have a word with you?"
The girl replied "Sorry?" with a look of confusion.
Pratik looked perplexed. "I need to ask you something. Please spare a minute for me. I need your help."
The pitiful look on his face made the girl to agree and she stepped aside to talk with Pratik.
"Hey, I know your friend. We used to know each other till last year, every morning we saw each other, smiled at each other. Why isn't she acknowledging me now? What has happened? Can you ask her please?" Pratik explained the girl.
The girl became stiff and serious. She said, "See, I don't know you! But the way you are saying I think you are genuine and so I would advise you to stop coming in our way. My friend is ill right now and you kindly stay away from her."
"But what is the matter? Please let me know." he pleaded.
"I understand your condition. The thing is that she had been diagnosed with Amnesia. Last month during the local train violence incident she got hit by a stone at the back of her head and since then she was hospitalized. 2 weeks ago she got discharge and now she's recovering. I guess you are her recent acquaintance and so she won't remember you! Please don't push it further now! Let us go!" The girl left Pratik and walked towards Miss Unknown.
Pratik was stunned on hearing this. It was hard for him to absorb what he had just heard.
"Who was that guy? What was he saying?" inquired Miss Unknown.
"Well, that is one of my friends and he was asking me out tomorrow!" faked the girl trying to avoid talking about Pratik.
Just then Miss Unknown waved to Pratik and said,"Nice choice, what's your name?" with a joyous look on her face.
"Errr... Pratik here", replied Pratik with choked emotions and automatically his hand was raised to shake hands.
Extending her hand with a glee on her cute face, "Hi, I'm ......."
EPILOGUE-
Pratik stopped coming across Miss Unknown. He had lost his love due to an accident. But was it a mishap really? A bunch of agitated people had started the violence for no particular big reason. Who knows the stone that hit her might be the one thrown by Pratik himself??!!
Violence isn't an answer to any question. It only spoils the good. Had the people controlled their anger things would have been different for Pratik. But he can't blame anyone. Now Pratik knows her name and she knows Pratik, but it doesn't matter now...