Guwahati-Calcutta.
We woke up to some hustle bustle at the gymkhana behind our rest house. They had had an early morning flag hoisting ceremony and the place was full of members taking advantage of the holiday to use all the facilities. We had our train at noon so we freshened up and had our staple butter toast with black tea. Sudha wanted some emergency medicines and we decided to go around the corner to get some fresh air too. The receptionist did greet us with a raised eyebrow when we ventured out. We realised later that the time till noon is especially sensitive as it is then the traditional period of flag hoisting. The roads were completely deserted excluding the gun toting army personnel at every corner. Today I feel quite strange looking back as it didnt affect us then, two girls roaming as if they had no care in the world. Finishing our chores we returned back to pack our things and rest before the start of the journey. Sudha came with the idea of having a light meal as we might not get anything ahead in the journey and it was a way to kill time. We had some rice curry and decided to move out and wait the remaining time at the railway station.
Carrying our luggage we moved towards the station next door and came across two army personnel checking some passenger's luggage a few yards outside the station. We passed them and when not stopped decided it must be random checking. Ahead there were metal detectors to check the baggage and beyond that each and every piece of luggage entering the railway station premises was being checked! Hmmm.. This was the reason for random checks outside! As we were getting the luggage checked the security personnel started enquiring about our train and immediately informed us that 'ALL TRAINS ARE CANCELLED!!!' Now this was something absolutely shocking. Since yesterday we were killing time to get out of here because of this shutdown and now this. Still we decided not to lose hope and get the information right from the horse's mouth. At the enquiry counter we first came across a white board hastily written over with pink felt. The news was anything but pink. One after the other all trains were cancelled and amongst this the only silver lining was that our train, the Saraighat Express along with the Rajdhani were actually postponed and were to leave the next day at six in the morning. Really!!
A person was there behind the desk and we asked about the information displayed. He first gave us a look-over and then made his disapproval clear to us.
" what are you two girls doing here?"-
"not even a dog is on the streets and you two girls are roaming around!!"
This kind man with a sharp tongue wanted to convey us the foolishness in being there at the railway station at 'that' time. He was more than surprised firstly that we had booked a train on the Independance day and then expected to board it too. No train had arrived or departed from the Guwahati station on Independance day in his living memory. Quite shocked ourselves we thanked this stranger who was so genuinely concerned for us and then after confirming about the departure of our train the next day at dawn we exited the eerily empty railway station.
Retracing our steps we were back at our hotel, to again book a room for the day. It seemed Guwhahti didnt want to let us go. Thankfully this time we got the same room and didnt have to go through the whole procedure of getting it cleaned again. At the same time a young Bengali couple was checking in too and the wife was volubly complaining about the cancelled and delayed trains. She told us that they had been visiting Meghalaya just like us and had made a hasty dash to the station to catch the noon train. They looked quite tired, especially the husband who was carrying all the luggage as the wife had blisters in her feet after a day's trek or something. The privileges some people have!
We retired to our respective rooms, on the way carrying the day's newspaper with us. I read the local news with amusement as only a person ignorant to those issues can be. There was especially an interesting article written on the lack of development done during the years the country had been independent. I pointed out to Sudha how it was an opinionated article rather than a report based on facts. Sudha who has worked with reputed newspapers was duly impressed, atleast I think so. After a while she dozed off and I entertained myself with watching the movie 'Hangover'. In a while Sudha too got up due to my continuous guffaws. Still the evening was just starting and we were at our wits end about how to occupy ourselves. I was just as sad about tomorrow which would now be wasted and I would get just a day in Calcutta!
On the way to tea Sudha chatted with the receptionist and tried to get some suggestions about going out. He was quite against the idea of anyone going out even for a stroll on this day. Then we got an idea about the situation through him. The extremist point of view was to not recognise themselves as part of India as not a treacle of development had reached them in more than half a century of independence. And there was no point in celebrating the Independence day if the nation itself wasn't recognised. We sympathised with the people and their hardships but not their viewpoint or ideology. Sudha asked this guy after a while if by chance he knew any person with such an separatist viewpoint and his answer was "Maybe."
We had tea and as if in a trance Sudha got up and said "Lets go out." And I never say no. When we were around the corner from our hotel, we saw a bus going to Kamakhya, ready to board. And even before I could say or even think of anything my 'mature, steady, sensible' friend was moving towards it at a pace and inturn before the end of the minute we were onboard. Wow! As the bus moved ahead I encountered what a 'curfew' must be. There were gun toting security personnel everywhere but as we reached the road parallel to the Brahmaputra river the situation was a little better. Atleast a few civilians were visible. In the circumstances the bus ride was quite exciting and there were butterflies in our stomach. We were sitting in our usual seat parallel to the driver and in a while his curiosity gave away and he enquired about us. When he came to knew that we were just killing time he suggested that we take the same bus back from Kamakhya. He would be making the return journey in half an hour and hence we would be back in the city before dark. Again I felt the kindness and concern of this fellow human being and it changed my mood from anxious excitement to pure joy. We reached Kamakhya and were surprised to see quite a few people there. We had earlier decided to walk down the hill and catch the bus wherever it crosses us but on the way up we noticed few young boys quite drunk and creating a racket. So we dropped the idea and just strolled down a few hundred meters. Here we actually came across a view point where we could see the whole Brahmaputra valley. The vista was so beautiful, green after the rains and with the blue serpentine moving amongst it. We could also make out the Guwahati cricket stadium. After enjoying the view we walked back to the bus stop and boarded it to wait for it to fill and start its journey back.
We werent expecting so many people but the bus was full of pilgrims from as far as Bihar. They were going to wait at the railway station till dawn, many of them probably just sitting in wait of the train. This intense, complete 'faith' never ceases to amaze me. Will I ever possess it?
It was twilight by the time we returned. An apt end for the trip, an end hopefully. Now without being too adventurous we made way towards the safety of our hotel. It was time to relax, forget about the inconvinience of that day, and adjust to a dinner without our favourite paneer. Another casualty of the Independence day. Just when we thought the day had ended more predictably than it had started we had a knock on the door. Sudha and I had already called it a day and were quite surprised by this unexpected disturbance. We had had a safe trip until now without any untoward disturbance towards our safety and now..."its me, its me!"
Ohh this was that Bengali wife we had met in the morning! She entered with the force we were expecting from our Saraighat Express in the morning. She introduced herself again and then started a conversation with us. Although she did majority of the talking and we had to bear with almost all her life's story we enjoyed this intervention. After gently coaxing her to end this interlude as we had a train to catch at five in the morning we finally called it a day.
August 16th 2011
The day started with a little thought eating away, 'what if the train is cancelled today too?' Yet we pushed it at the back of our mind and started for the train station in time. The bengali couple was with us too, again the husband picking every piece of luggage and the wife making a big effort to walk with him. I counted the no. of hands he had, just to be sure. Anyways it was no time to be wicked, our anxiety was making us speed up towards the station. Outside there was a long queue of army trucks and buses, all full and ready to move. Maybe to a new destination, to douse some new fire. The station was in complete contrast to yesterday, at this early hour the place was buzzing with activity. The Rajdhani to Delhi and our Saraighat Express to Calcutta were both waiting on the platforms. Only these two and hence the rush. We entered our boogie to find it about half full. And that was the state even as we left Guwahati. Maybe the other passengers had made other arrangements yesterday itself. There was a north eastern girl with us and she too in a while moved to some other compartment to be with her friends. So it was just Sudha and me and the lush green rice fields of Assam outside. It was a pleasure to go click, click, click. People wearing that Mandarin hat and bamboo poncho toiling in the fields. The conversation also moved to the activity. I find farming one of the hardest, noblest, necessary, compassionate, professions. What could be more beautiful than feeding humans, working along with nature and hands full of earth too.Also it is something where humans stay humble in front of the force of nature because of their constant dependence on it. I would love to do it but I'm quite lazy and irresponsible for it . Unlike Sudha who is very serious and has concrete plans to pursue it at her place in Kerala. In a very short period we crossed into West Bengal. The scene was exactly same only with different hue of green to it's fields. That is when it realised on me that somehow every state in India has a different shade of green to it and that it is what make them unique and belonged at the same time.
As we were agreeing on this phenomenon we neared that dreadful 'Alipurduar' station. Reliving all those memories, spotting where we had stood and what thoughts had passed through our minds. The station didn't look so dreadful today during the day. Maybe the night when combined with the situation had played that trick on us. We bade it a happy goodbye as the train moved out of the station. Sudha was now reliving her earlier journey a decade before. She was getting excited pointing one landmark after other. Then I heard all about this fantastic sweet rice dumplings she had had on this very route on one of the stations ahead. Village women come with their steamer and make them there and then when the train arrives. So we started a vigil for them at every approaching station.
It was noon by now and the train used to slow for a while and then halt for a while. By now it was a mystery about the time when we would reach Calcutta. We heard all kind of theories with water logging on the tracks or heavy rains ahead. But time and again trains from the other directions too passed us and surely that was a positive sign. All this train traffic made me wonder; it was in complete contrast with the economic situation all around. When people don't have their basic necessities catered to, do they really need this? Then the Railway Ministry was with the political party from these parts. Maybe hence this extravagance in newly built stations, choc a bloc running trains. Keeping the matter aside I started pestering Sudha on information about Calcutta.
Sudha has spent a few years in Calcutta when she was working for the Telegraph and hence an apt person to guide me. We had chalked out a rough plan when we were supposed to have two days in Calcutta. But now the whole thing was dependant on this train reaching Howrah! Still I had one day in hand and Sudha started guiding me about the best route, mode of transport, etc. We were still keeping an eye on the coming stations for that 'puttu'-sweet rice dumplings. Finally in the evening, just before approaching the New Jalpaigiri station we heard those village ladies call out. Sudha excitedly bought those dumplings but immediately realised these were different. Definitely not like the one's in her memory.
Suppressing our disappointment we just hoped that this train would reach Calcutta at a decent time. We had looked for places to stay for me nearer in the city. This is the most uncomfortable part for me in a travel, staying alone in a hotel room. I feel extreme discomfort in the situation. The LP suggested some places, and also recommended the Yatri Niwas. It is like a guest house run by the Indian Railways and anything government atleast gives me some sanity at the place as against private hotels. So we decided to check it first thing next morning and then decide the plan ahead. On this note we called it a day and went off to sleep without any idea when the night would end.
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