Dr. Kripa was travelling. He boarded a second class compartment in the Shatabdi Express. He was going to Kalimpong to spend a small holiday for five days in peace, all by himself. He loved the tranquil climate of the hills of Darjeeling.
It was almost an hour since the train had started from Howrah. The train, luxurious and cosy as it was, provided the doctor an incessant motion, aiding him doze and drool. His face was looking very tired.
As the train picked up a good speed, he gave in to his drowsiness, and fell asleep. He took a brief nap for twenty minutes, and woke up to the sudden intrusion of the waiter serving him the snacks. This is the time when he realised that an urchin was standing just next to him, asking for some food. He came to clean away the dust from the floor, and remove the plastic waste.
The doctor tried to avoid listening to the boy, pretending to look at a direction away from that urchin. Everything was going fine, as long as, the urchin did not touch the doctor, and coaxed him. It was when the doctor got infuriated and called the attendant to take away the stupid kid away from there.
Now that the urchin was gone, he could have his evening snacks. The kid was standing near the door and was staring at the doctor, while he was eating. Since, the doctor was diabetic, he couldn't have the sweets and the biscuits. The urchin was keenly observing the doctor eat, when a middle aged female passenger gave her entire plate of food to the urchin.
The boy started eating the food, and finished it off as soon as he began eating. The passenger sitting beside the doctor started to feel giddy. Because, he had this problem of nausea while travelling in train or bus, he was feeling seriously unwell. And he vomited all that he had eaten.
The doctor helped him with a small tablet that would suppress the tendency to vomit. This was when he saw that a very bad smell from the vomit was emerging from the floor beneath his seat. He called the attendant but no one came, and he started grumbling. As he would turn back, he would find the small boy near the door. He knew what he had to do. He took those sweets and biscuits from his pouch and showed it to the urchin and called him near.
As he came, the doctor said that if he cleaned the floor, he would give him the sweets and the biscuits to him. The urchin stooped in front and crawled below the seat and cleaned the floor and went away without taking the biscuits and sweets that he was offered. The doctor shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly, and kept the sweets and the biscuits in the pouch again.
At night, the train reached New Jalpaiguri station. The doctor boarded off the train and went to a hotel nearby for putting up at night. At dawn, he had to come out in search of a cab that would take him to Kalimpong. He took his huge backpack and took the small pouch containing three sweets and few biscuits. On the empty road, as he was going to the bus stand to catch a cab, he was attacked by few monkeys. The biggest of these six monkeys came up to him, slapped him on his face and took away the pouch from his hand and then let him go.
It was almost an hour since the train had started from Howrah. The train, luxurious and cosy as it was, provided the doctor an incessant motion, aiding him doze and drool. His face was looking very tired.
As the train picked up a good speed, he gave in to his drowsiness, and fell asleep. He took a brief nap for twenty minutes, and woke up to the sudden intrusion of the waiter serving him the snacks. This is the time when he realised that an urchin was standing just next to him, asking for some food. He came to clean away the dust from the floor, and remove the plastic waste.
The doctor tried to avoid listening to the boy, pretending to look at a direction away from that urchin. Everything was going fine, as long as, the urchin did not touch the doctor, and coaxed him. It was when the doctor got infuriated and called the attendant to take away the stupid kid away from there.
Now that the urchin was gone, he could have his evening snacks. The kid was standing near the door and was staring at the doctor, while he was eating. Since, the doctor was diabetic, he couldn't have the sweets and the biscuits. The urchin was keenly observing the doctor eat, when a middle aged female passenger gave her entire plate of food to the urchin.
The boy started eating the food, and finished it off as soon as he began eating. The passenger sitting beside the doctor started to feel giddy. Because, he had this problem of nausea while travelling in train or bus, he was feeling seriously unwell. And he vomited all that he had eaten.
The doctor helped him with a small tablet that would suppress the tendency to vomit. This was when he saw that a very bad smell from the vomit was emerging from the floor beneath his seat. He called the attendant but no one came, and he started grumbling. As he would turn back, he would find the small boy near the door. He knew what he had to do. He took those sweets and biscuits from his pouch and showed it to the urchin and called him near.
As he came, the doctor said that if he cleaned the floor, he would give him the sweets and the biscuits to him. The urchin stooped in front and crawled below the seat and cleaned the floor and went away without taking the biscuits and sweets that he was offered. The doctor shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly, and kept the sweets and the biscuits in the pouch again.
At night, the train reached New Jalpaiguri station. The doctor boarded off the train and went to a hotel nearby for putting up at night. At dawn, he had to come out in search of a cab that would take him to Kalimpong. He took his huge backpack and took the small pouch containing three sweets and few biscuits. On the empty road, as he was going to the bus stand to catch a cab, he was attacked by few monkeys. The biggest of these six monkeys came up to him, slapped him on his face and took away the pouch from his hand and then let him go.
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