 |
| What a style. |
 |
| लंगोटिया यार |
 |
| मास्टर जी Tension Me |
 |
| Model in the making |
 |
| पढ़ाकू लड़के |
 |
| सीधी बच्ची |
 |
| मुँह में खिड़की |
 |
| पक्की सहेलियाँ |
This was
just another official trip to Jaipur. Unlike my colleagues in the field
offices, who are regularly on trip to one station or the other in their
respective states, being at CAG HQs, I have comparatively eventless life
without many trips. This was my second trip in a row after trip to Ranchi.
Having woken up at 3:30 in the morning to catch the 06:05 Ajmer Shatabdi, I was
feeling asleep and was almost in the other world when sudden laughter and
shouting of some 50 odd 5-6 year olds woke me up, I knew this journey is going
to be somewhat special, other than many others that I have undertaken. I found
the experience too tempting to add one post on this to my blog.
Soon after
they were on their seats, jumping and fighting started. Tea kit was served to all. I saw one girl
making tea with the cold Rail Neer mineral water that had just been served. Her
friend mocked at her and called out for “ Miss” saying “मिस-मिस देखिए
इसने क्या किया?”. While some were looking at tea kit with
wonder, some tore it apart to find their favorite stuff: the dairy whitener. I
still remember the golden childhood days when the dairy whitener meant for
emergency situations to serve tea to guests could not last longer due to the
three mischievous two legged rodents of the home.
Isn’t it
unfair to offer children with something they should not be having at this age? Why
doesn’t the Railways provide for some other healthy alternative for the
children?
Two boys
were busy in the usual डिशूम-डिशूम until the teacher intervened. After a while I
wanted to use the washroom. I was about to enter when I was stopped by one of
the teachers that, children are waiting in line, please let them use it first.
OK, I knew this line would not end till I could wait, so I took the wise
decision to use the lavatory of the other compartment.
In such a
huge group of 50 children, you usually find children of all sorts, not so
troubling, shy and speechless variety, children whose voice box seems to have
been made specially at the Bosch Sound System’s factor, children who are born
mountaineers, trying to ride the chairs in the Chair Car compartment, children
who were asking for ‘lunch’ right from the moment they boarded the train (“मैडम आपने तो कहा
था कि लंच मिलेगी? कब मिलेगी ?) My seat was right behind their last row. After watching them for almost
an hour, I could not resist asking their teacher “ Would you mind if I take
photographs of your students?” He permitted me with a smile. I have posted the
best of the photographs and some videos that I took. Though I wanted to take
photographs of them doing their usual stuff without being conscious of being
videographed/photographed, the moment I took the camera to them, they all
started being good guys giving nice poses, some of which were really worth
applause.
The
attendants on trains are found to be serving usually with expressionless long
drawn faces. They were found smiling all along. The TTE told me “कान खा गए। इन्हें तो बस लेडिज़ ही संभाल सकती है। ऐसे ही थोड़े ही न कहती
हैं, एक दिन सम्भाल के देखो तो समझ में आ जाएगा ।“ co-passengers could not resist a laugh.
Though I was
sleep deprived, I could not complain as they had made my journey memorable.
