THE VIKRAM

THE VIKRAM,
It is a desi term for a three wheeler customized auto rickshaw not closed from back where people sit facing outwards on a wooden plank.Generally for 4-6 people but in Noida this figure fires up till 15-18 people.


Last Monday, I got ready somewhat earlier for office as the day before I bought a pair of Red tape shoes and lee cooper trousers and I was impatient to put on them on first weekday. I just reached the main traffic road with in 10 minute, from where every colony person catches any public conveyance.

The very common and popular mode of transportation here in Noida are cycle rickshaws, public DTC buses, and the above all Vikram (which always remain full of people and every one just keep struggling for their presence in the vehicle against the all the forces which can chuck them outwards; I can’t tell the nature of the forces whether they are cohesive or adhesive???).

Anyways, I generally go by slower but safer cycle rickshaw instead of those killer machines which can topple on the road any time. The day was sunny after many foggy winter mornings.While waiting, a thought came to calculate worth of my attires that day( learnt form Rahul). One by one, I just estimated worth of all the current belongings (shirt 800, trousers 1100, and shoes hummm 1800….No don’t use your mind, please leave few things :) . Within few minutes found myself worth around 4.5K.
Wow..i was in high spirits.
Felt like a Nawab[ Royal person in India ].
Broadened my shoulders.Hummmm…gals will remain speechless after seeing such a well dressed and handsome guy.

Suddenly a well packed Vikram stopped in front of me, and the guy hanging on its side, stepped down and holded the hand of a rural man in front of me and made him sit on the back side; ignoring what the poor fellow was saying. In next 5 minutes I saw the rear portion of Vikram, where 4 persons were almost popping out including the rural guy, tightly holding anything whatever they could. The scene almost made me laugh .Suddenly I found that somebody had hold my right hand, I was being dragged.
?????
What have I done??
???
Till I could understand I was on the back side of another Vikram running fast on road. I asked the hanging guy ( a sort of conductor for the Vikram) to stop it, but he was smiling at me and said” you will go to JSS na, I know”
?????
I was taken aback, how does he know???

Then I thought .Come-on yaar, 20 minutes journey why to make it an issue to get tensed up, otherwise whole day would be scre***.So I kept quite and tried to be normal.
Vikram was moving at a tolerable pace.Holding pipes, I was seeing outside. Suddenly I saw once again my brand new shoes…
Wow!!!!!!
What an inauguration of it…worth 4.5 K and sitting in a 3 Re Rickshaw among all the sweating countrymen..Great man keep it up…felt a bit frustrated.

I turned my face right, next to me a dark guy with long hair, plastic framed goggles and metal earring... hardly had bathe since birth, was smiling.. great company!!!

Within 10 minutes, it stopped to pack the remaining intermolecular spacings in the Vikram !!!!But started soon thankfully!!

I was looking on the road to freshen the mood.A lot of boards and advertisements.

On each light pole, Hutch or Idea have put their Ads each one with the latest schemes, std 5 paisa less the other one.

Then “Yahan angrezi sharaab milti hai”. [We provide you English Wine]
The Nation still seemed very much obsessed by “Angrezi” [ English]; anyways, a hackneyed way of advertising …I would say.Every one knows that the thing sells in India with a label of “Angrezi”.

Few minutes passed ,suddenly a women inside in sari (I was not able to see her ) asked the driver in Bhojpuri [ a country language] accent, “Bhaiya, jara gaadi roko, bacche ko jara bathroom aa raha hai”[ her child wanted to pee].The auto rickshaw braked and shouted “Arrey Bhen****[slang]….., seat gandi mat kariyo ..“ [Don’t spoil the vehicle]
Great!!!
So this also happens in a 20 -25 minutes journey.
What next??? Chaiwala, samosewala or some midway resort????


Thankfully, it came to life again .I was seeing poster..our own desi Bollywood on a wall , wall with all possible Indian shades. A fair skinned girl with voluptuous figure, with deep necked top.
Things were ready to come out any moment there also, as we were in this vikram.The movie named some “Pyaasi Jawani” .It reminded me some horror memories. It was 1st year when I and Mota went to some Durga talkies for a flick named some “kamsin Jawani”( Mind you every thing in India happens in Jawani only). The so called kamsin Jawani (35 years old buffalo as dark as pan ) came to the minimum clothes (..No yaar no bikini, only blouse and petticoat) in 2nd half. We both were traumatized till next morning .No one could speak while returning to hostel. Thankfully she did not come in my dream ever.

Soon on a crossroad, it stopped due to a traffic jam. Till now i was saturated.Undisturbed, I was seeing out only. Hundred of people, men with bicycles, women having bag on shoulder every one was busy in walking .A hustle all around, to get their bread for the day.

A lot of “Thellas”[movable stall] along the roadside. Then I noticed two children, the 15 year old boy in damaged and dirty clothes was cooking some chapattis and serving it to the pedestrians coming there to have their breakfast and a 10-12 year gal with running nose, probably his sister was cleansing the utensils.Their “Thella” had board with “Pesal Poori Sabzi written on it .Seeing it... I was lost .

In front of the rickshaw, people were shouting, increasing chaos, trucks horns were more irritating. But I cud not get senses, eyes were still fixed to the two children. One person yelled casually “Abe maa mar gayi kya teri, jaldi kar Saale[ a slang] late ho raha hai”.[make it fast ] The poor children paced up their activities.

I was benumb for few seconds, have forgotten my worth, life’s worthiness …
Every thing was seeming worthless .Though I was not seeing the scene first time, but don’t know why I was lost that morning.

Finally the traffic came to life, rickshaw moved again. The two dark eyes of the boy were fixed on me without asking for any kind of help, they had a spark to struggle till Armageddon.
Lot thoughts had suddenly flooded in mind.
Life teaches everybody how to struggle for livelihood!!!
Why doesn’t God treats everybody same???
If I were there, could I be able to work like them??
Am I, a fortunate person??
A voice broke me from it.
I heard,”Sector 62, JSS, JSS”.
I asked the driver to stop the rickshaw.
My voice was choked. Few eyes in the rickshaw followed me.
I got down, paid a 5 Re coin and forgot to take the change; moved straight and stopped at a “Thadi”[ Desi tea stall under a shed..life in the most primitive and original form...best place for any kind of bakar].
Asked “Bhaiyya ek cut dena”[ Gimme a tea].