My Fellow Traveller

Continuing the tale of humorous incident and anecdote in my life, I am reminded of a hilarious encounter which I had in the very 1st year of my job... It was the year 2006 and I had come home to attend to some domestic work for few days.... I had booked the return journey to Chennai by the Coramondel Express... 

I boarded the train at my home town of Cuttack... While traveling by train, it has always been my habit of booking the upper berth as it helps me to sleep all the way and  also is of little interference to families traveling in the same compartment who require a bit of more space than singleton like us...As I had just joined job newly and was short on leave, I had planned my schedule ahead which looked no short of the blueprint of a war strategy... All my activity which I had to carry out back at home were listed down with timeline for completing them... So much so that I had few works scheduled which I had to address on the way to the station ! 

As a result you can imagine the state in which I reached the railway station... I was worn out, dog tired and ready to fall down asleep at the sight of the 1st closest place for sleeping... I bid my younger brother adieu at the station and headed straight for my seat... It was a relief for me as I could get a seat in the 2nd A/C Compartment despite last minute booking... The A/C was on full blast and the temeprature (though it was freezing inside) was of the right degree to me given my state of tiredness... I threw my bag on the upper berth, hastily climbed up, fell on the seat and immediately  was fast asleep...

A jerk in the train woke me up.. The train had reached the Bhubaneswar station and some passengers were getting in for the onward journey... I saw a fairly tall, dark and well built man making his way to our section... He gave me a broad grin and immediately I knew that it would be a good journey given the friendliness of my fellow traveller...

The gentleman got talking and from his conversation I came to know that he is a black belt (of the highest category) in karate and is a popular fight master in the Southern film industry... He had come on a short assignment to direct fight sequence in some Oriya movie... He narrated how he was made to slog day and night (for the last 3 days) to complete the fight sequence of some new movie... This may be due to the hefty amount he charged for his trade and Oriya film industry being not so affluent industry wanted to get all work done at one go... He looked completely exhausted and ready to drop down for sleep as much or more than I did...

However, his sleep was short lived as there was some confusion and commotion with some passenger who claimed the seat to be his seat... Both of them were arguing ferociously and in the end went to meet the Ticket collector to settle the matter... I could not bear to keep awake to see the conclusion of the fight (my eyes were already heavy with sleep) and hence I went to sleep... It was almost late evening by that time...Although I had a slight cold, I did not take the blanket due to heaviness of the sleep...

I floated to another world in my sleep and saw myriad of strange images, tale and story (as happens when one is totally worn out and tired) which I could not really comprehend.... Suddenly I heard a thud and sensation of somebody shaking me wildly....

I opened my eyes with difficulty and what I saw in front of me was a incredible sight...

The tough man was standing with his arms in akimbo form in front of me, staring at me with bloodshot eyes and talking loudly...

"What is the matter" I asked dazed and bleary eyed barely able to open my eyes to the broad morning daylight around me..

"Ah... 'whats the matter' the laat sahib asks me" he almost shouted down at me... "the matter is, my most honourable master, is that I have not been able to take even one miserable wink the whole of last night" He was furious and it seemed that he will hit somebody as a logical conclusion to his fury

"But what could I do if you did not sleep... am I to blame" I said innocently

"Blame... no.. no... no... no blame.... you are to be given Bharat Ratna award for your feat" He said sarcastically

"Sir" I said, now irritated and angry... " Would you tell me what is the matter and why did you wake me up so rudely"...

"Now the great Nawab Saheb wants to know why I woke up His Highness" His voice sounded more frustrated than sarcastic

"Come on... I will tell you" He said almost menacingly and threateningly... " It is the thunderous sound of your highness' snoring which prevented this humble servant from having any sleep last night..." He said with a disgust and contempt in his voice which was unparalleled..

"I am really sorry... I had a cold yesterday and also due to the freezing coldness in the compartment I may have snored a bit " I said genuinely apologetic of something on which I had no control

"SNORED A BIT" He thundered down upon me... now Sir says that he snored a bit" He was now getting ready to pulverise me, or so I thought.... " Each snoring was like the blast of canon as that of the late Nizam of Hyderabad from the Golconda fort... and no sir (now he was referring to all others wide eyed passengers around him) it was not like it came at all the time... It came in heavy installments... Sir will unleash his canon on me and when I thought that the worse was over and try to get some sleep, it will come thundering down to wake me once and for all".... He said in a frustrating tone. ... " The whole night yesterday I was trying to get some sleep.. what with all the hard work that I had to do and then the seat dispute.. finally when I thought that I was about to get some sleep.. along came Sir... gentleman and all by his look... bulldozing my entire night's sleep with his royal snoring.."

I was really getting embarrassed and tried apologising but he would  have none of it.. Thats when his cellphone rang and he just kept on saying 'yes' yes' in to the phone... He hung up the phone and said almost like a tragedy character right out of the Greek myhtlogy " Now thats what you all call luck... after Sir here succeeded in spoiling my sleep, my producer at Hyderabad calls me up to tell me that we have a day long shooting for the fight sequence which will take most part of night too.. I tried to reason with him and get today off... But he will have none of it and threatened to replace me with some new comer..." He said almost at the verge of tear... 

"Thank you Sir.. Thank you very much for all you did" He said as Hyderabad station neared.. and he went in to his own old histrionics and lamentation.. This was becoming too much for me... so I just turned and faced my back to him as he went on for another 10 mins till his station came... 

That day I realised what a bad cold and choked up respiratory pasage can do and unwittingly make you the possessor of the deadliest WM(S)D (not Weapon of Mass Destruction) but What My Snoring can Do(? To You) ...   ;)