OS/TS/SS- BB Anidita(Ongoing)

Two Strangers..

"So, where are you all going?", a girl in her late 20s asked to the group of teenage boys who all were making kerfuffle over some girlfriend boyfriend thing among them.

It was post dinner time; all the passengers have had their meal. After the train crosses one next busiest station most, people will rest their spine on their seats, some were already got in that relaxing position.

By 1:12 PM.

That girl had boarded in the sleeper coach of train from very small junction where train stops for only 5 mins. She was alone just a big fat black trolley bag accompanying her. She safely boarded the coach and settled herself in her reserved Lower Berth. The train no 12130 starts from Howrah Junction and completes its journey at Pune terminal. Even though it was good noon, she slept covering herself in one light travel-suitable comforter as soon as her bag was fixed under her seat. She was fast asleep after gauging the surrounding, it looked safe.

Her sound sleep got disturbed when she found someone was sitting on her feet's side. Her sock's covered feet were peeping outside already, she got up with a jerk adjusting her navy-blue palazzo pant and high neck pslane yellow T-shirt.

The person shifted himself on the edge of the seat when he found the girl got disturbed because of him, He immediately apologized.

"It's okay.", She said with a trivial smile on her lips and after folding her comforter and got busy in a novel कायाकल्प, written by Munshi Premchand Ji.

A teenage boy's group was busy in their own friend circle, making fun of any random member of their group or the hawkers roaming in the train. The sun was setting in the west, wheat and cotton planted fields in middle east region of Maharashtra state were humming sweet melody along with the train's chhuk chhuk. The girl was observing nature's own splendid no filter art with tranquility in her mind and heart. 'The window seats are blessings while travelling.', she muttered under her breath feeling different level of placidness in that moment.

Another person sitting on other edge of her berth too was appreciating the beauty of nature, glancing at that girl in between. His headphones were on, yet his humming made it clear he was listening some Bengoli songs.

The girl too gave him a good glance, when with a beaming smile he helped the lady and her three kids to get down when their station came from side upper birth. The lady too passed a healthy smile at him and her youngest baby boy of about 2-3 years gave him a kiss on his both the cheeks because he had helped him get down picking up in his arms.

When everything got settled again the boy who was the most active among those teenagers asked that person in Bangali, "Bhai, ai pasher uporer barthta tomar sanrakshit asan, tobuo, tumi ai bhadramahilake neme asate bolni? ebong ekti aramdayak asner jonnyo sangram. ken?"

("Brother! that side upper berth is your reserved seat, yet you did not ask that lady to come down? and struggled for a comfortable seat. Why?")

Another person replied smilingly in their mother tongue, "apni ki dekhenni ye poribarer mukhe santwanadayak hasi chill, kichu aparichit byaktir bhromonke aramdayak kare tolar puroshkarer jonnyo 5-6 ghantar aswasti noy."

("Didn't you see that comforting smile the family had on their faces, isn't 5-6 hours of discomfort worth in reward of making some stranger's travel comfortable.")

"Bro, it is rare to find someone like you. We too offer the seats but to our known ones only.", The young teenage Usman replied in ease and again got busy with his friends.

The girl simply listened their conversation while reading the book as the train departed from Bhusaval junction. The other person who too was just a 24–25-year boy got busy in his own world may be in Insta surfing or watching some video on Youtube.