TRUST LOST

These are the days of suspicion and care. One can’t believe in the other that fast and so one needs to take much care about oneself both in known and unknown places and with both the familiar and unfamiliar people. To present you a comic (or tragic) situation of the present generation (mostly urban), I am providing you with an interesting (can I use this word; it is you no that need to decide it!) conversation here below. Sumanjali is a doctor in the US and presently in India. She is waiting to take a train to some place in New Delhi railway station. Amit is a Hardware Engineer in an MNC in India and is trying to go to the US soon. He came to the station to receive his friend, who is coming from Chandigarh. Both of them have to spend about half an hour to attend their respective works scheduled, if everything goes normal. They happen to sit on a bench and luckily there is none between them. Sumanjali is 28 and a great beauty to be precise. Amit can also compete with her in physical beauty, but, if placed on a public platform, attended by jurymen, she wins the race. In India, mostly it is males that take the initiative (while females are involved in the event or account concerned) in starting a casual conversation or any such appreciable or objectionable act supposed to attract the attention of the other fellow in a fast pace. Please enter the actual scene (curtain raises and the two fellows on the bench in New Delhi railway station are supposed to be visualized by you (the readers)):

Amit: Hai!

Sumanjali: Hai!

A: Are you waiting for somebody?

S: I presume it is none of your business.

A: Why you girls make the scene embarrassing like this. What is wrong if you try to be a bit polite with fellow beings?

S: I don’t need to be polite with unfamiliar fellows like you.

A: I am waiting for my friend. He is coming from Chandigarh.

S: As if Chandigarh is some internationally reputed place!

A: Why do you talk lightly about India? Aren’t you an Indian?

S: I am not a writer or critic. I can’t comment on those bigger issues.

A: You can answer that as an ordinary Indian also. Don’t complicate yourself.

S: I didn’t say that I am an ordinary Indian. I am working in the US.

A: You think that working in the US makes one great. Please shun such misconceptions.

S: I deal with conception as part of my profession. I don’t like to comment on other things. Please learn to be a silent and decent fellow in public places. Why do you mess up yourself trying to do something with me? I don’t like a chatterbox being beside me.

A: What is difference between a corpse and a living fellow when one fails to talk with the other fellow for the sake of courtesy at least? You think too high of yourself.

S: You are crossing your limits.

A: Nobody drew them on this bench and mind you I have not moved even a bit from my original position. I know how to deal with women. I don’t need to be taught by you.

S: I am not a teacher and even if I were, I hate students like you.

A: We are actually beating about the bush. Let me come to the point.

S: I never misbehaved with Bush though I met him once or twice. I am aware of minimum standards of manners unlike you.

A: I mean to say, why can’t we touch a bit of personal affairs.

S: Meet the Ministry of External Affairs; they will tell you how to behave with NRIs.

A: I am a Hardware Engineer and I am trying to come to the US just to check how you Indian girls are behaving over there with the Americans. These days one needn’t go to the US for high salaries. In fact, they are coming to us.

S: Don’t talk rubbish. You are a great sociologist and so intend to go to the US to observe the social behavior of the Indian girls over there. You say that the Americans are coming to India. They are coming here to see our places as tourists and their companies are coming here to recruit our fellows to generate a bit of employment for poor guys like you. They are not coming here in search of jobs.

A: Let me be frank, don’t I look like a sensible human being. Why are you so aggressive in your words? You can tell the same with a bit of smile on your face no! I can’t sell it somewhere stealing it from you no!

S: I can’t put on a smiling face while defending myself from the useless talk of a fellow like you. I also don’t need to please everybody that comes across me at every place.

A: You think that you are a great beauty and so you are supposed to talk harshly with new fellows like me.

S: I didn’t say it and I don’t mind if you infer it from my talk. These days guys are learning lessons fast just with a bit of observation of the girls around. It is not a bad trend.

A: How much do you earn a month? Do you spend all that or send something to your fellows back at home?

S: I don’t like guys that ask about the salary of a girl, that too face to face. I am earning a lot and I am not sending anything back to home. My situation doesn’t demand that.

A: Why don’t you tell me the place where you are working? I like to meet you when I come there just like that.

S: Try to show interest upon such people that like you in some sense. I don’t have any concern for you. Don’t bother yourself trying to meet me even there. I don’t have that much time to talk with everybody over there. It is not India; US, a place that honors dynamism and professionalism of fellows living in it. Otherwise the world doesn’t need to look up to it today to salute.

A: Because you are living there, you are talking all this. Don’t you have patriotism?

S: If patriotism expects me to be irrationally proud of my country and idiotically averse toward appreciating the greatness of the other countries, I don’t like to be a patriot.

A: Have you recited these words or what before coming here?

S: You dullards think that a beautiful girl can’t talk about the vital issues of a nation or world. While half of the male population runs after us in the useless pursuit of admiration of beauty or some such other waste stuff whatever you call in your terminology, we focus on our personal lives and the ways to be followed to reach the heights of success and glory. When do you wake up from your illusions about beautiful girls and women?

A: But you fear to tell your name also to your neighbors. This is the advancement you have achieved so far.

S: You are trying to misguide me.

A: I don’t use guides while talking with girls like you. You are a great intellectual or philosopher or what to keep a guide or dictionary with me to search for the meanings of the words or concepts you are talking about. Any ordinary Indian girl can talk like you. Please cool down.

S: This is the problem with you guys. You try to act smart and wise with girls thinking that they are nuts. Please eat some fruits every day. It activates your brain a bit.

A: Where are you presently staying, asking just out of curiosity?

S: You have failed to collect my US address and so now turned your focus to my Indian status. Can’t you simply forget me the very moment I leave this place? Why are you so interested in my personal things?

A: How can human relationships flourish unless someone takes the initiative? Girls rarely dare ask a male fellow about his personal details. At least tell them something while they ask for it.

S: I don’t like to be a victim of harassment. I know about you guys. First you take our address; then you haunt us wherever we go; then you begin to comment about our dress; then you say that you like us for some unknown reasons; then, on some fine day, you say that you can’t live without us or that you like to die for us. Do you think we helpless girls should invite all these developments into our simple and peaceful lives being polite and possessive toward you crazy guys? Personally I don’t like such nonsense taking place in my life. I hope my stand is clear to you now.

A: Whether you say it standing or sitting, truths are always truths and you can’t misinterpret them, particularly while dealing with a bit intelligent guys like me.

S: You have any certificate or what to make others believe that you are intelligent. I don’t think so after observing the talk you had with me so far.

A: I hate the very word of certificate. Can’t you assess whether one is skillful or wise simply giving him a chance to show it in some way he likes subjectively or objectively.

S: Go to an employer and ask him if he can’t give a great job to you without worrying about your certificates.

A: My expected train is coming with my friend in it. I talked with you for about thirty minutes but I failed to convince you that I am not a rogue that harasses you if you share a bit of personal information with me. I don’t mind it. Anyway let me tell you that I liked your beauty and your words a lot. This is just a compliment. Don’t take it seriously and irritate yourself thinking in that direction even after I leave this place. I am just an image and I don’t have any visible attachment with you once I leave this place. Bye.

S: Bye, I am sorry if I hurt you. Really I didn’t mean it.

The conversation is over. Curtain comes down. I would tell you what happened afterwards. Amit moves from that place and receives his friend to mind his schedule of life. Sumanjali catches her train and moves in her desired direction. I too don’t know at which station she detrains. She provided a bit of her personal information to me (which I mentioned in the beginning of this narration) when I nagged her for about one hour finding her alone on the bench in the station. Only she could feel my physical presence and the associated words from me asking her details. All the other passengers could not notice me for I remained invisible to them. Amn’t I talking (writing) too much? You are exactly right if you have got that doubt on your own.

Datla Chiranjeevi Raju