in. I still get goose pimples on the mare thought of it. It actually came true!!! I was my way back from Kolkota. I had fallen in love with the place and the people there. They make the most amazing sweets (really, I am not exaggerating, it makes your soul smile – its so sweet), politest people they are, so cultured and civilized. Anyway, I can go on and on forever on this, but coming back to the point – the dream coming true. I was in the train, happy to know that my WL 25 had been confirmed to B3 23, and the best part – it was a Jab We Met seat, next to this huge window in Rajdhani. I sat down smiling looking out of the window. Things were going so great. Just then this gentleman came and requested me that if I could shift to another seat as I was traveling alone and they were some 5 people traveling together who could not manage to get seats together. I was so fulfilled from my Kolkota trip that I didn’t feel like saying no. So with my 4 heavy bags, I went all the way to the next coach (as informed) only to realize that their seat was not in the next coach but in the same coach only – there had been some confusion. Sweating like anything, I marched back to B3 again and located the birth I was supposed to occupy – B44. As I was putting my luggage on the upper birth, I saw my book lying on the table thingy we have in the trains right between the two windows in every compartment. “Hey! That’s my book!” I said to myself, “and when did I take it out of my bag?” and then it struck me - it was someone else’s copy and someone else was reading it!!!!!!! (The thought did not come so instinctively as the only hands in which I had always seen my book were mine.)“Hey! Where did you get that book from!” I exclaimed. I was louder then I usually am, oozing with joy. All the fatigue had just evaporated.
The young man sitting next to the window gave me a weird look; “I bought it from Delhi some days back.”
“When! And from where?!!” I knew the book had been out of stock most of the places. From the Delhi railway station.” That is all he said. He didn’t ask anything else. But I just could not help telling him – “I wrote that!” with a huge smile on my face.
Now he had an expression of… confusion and … well, I think he felt that I was just trying to fool him. “No, you have not!” Yes, believe me, these were his words, or that was what a voice said in my head.
“I have,” I said. Can you beat that? I had to prove that I had written the book I have written. May be I should have put my picture in the book. “Wait, let me show you.” I opened my bag to show him some 6 copes of my book I happened to carry.
His name was Ram (yes i did get flashbacks from Main Hoon Na - Major Ram)and he did not seem to believe what was happening. But it was great fun! He took some pictures of me as he said it was for the first time he met an author whose book he was reading. And I took his pictures coz he was my first reader who I saw reading my book in a train!!!
It was after like some 30 minutes later that he told me something about himself that overwhelmed me way more than he was by my presence in the compartment he was traveling – he turned that he worked for the Indian Air Force!!!!!!! Meeting an Air Force person is an honour, talk of the one who appreciates the book you have written!!! It was a dream t
hat came true with a double bonus!So, once again, for Mr. Ram and his Friend/senior officer (as I could sense it) Mr. Bhupinder (If I remember the name correctly – I suffer form a weird case of amnesia), thank you so much for making my dream come true. It was truly fantastic meeting you both. And sorry for forcing you for the morning ‘photo session’ when you eagerly wanted to move out of the train. This is a set of memories that is gonna stay with me forever (despite of the amnesia;) And by the way, I have been trying to find you on Orkut and Facebook, but no luck. I hope you still have my contact and would be sending the pictures, as I want the picture you got clicked with me. They are more important for me then you can ever possibly imagine. And I am waiting for your email id also, to send the ones I clicked.
And yes! Shekhar! If you happen to read this! (I met him on my way to Kolkota) I am still waiting for you to contact me! Don’t you want the pictures I clicked for you? please shoot me a mail.
