The Bus Encounter

Writer: Abhiraj Sengupta

15 August 2021, Sunday
18:32

Hello Diary!
It is my first time writing one! My old friends at the Billu Tea Shop advised me to write one as they think that writing often let emotions flow and make us feel lighter and better..Is it true?. After the death of my wife, I felt very lonely and as I was sterile, we couldn’t have any babies.Adoption was always a second option but the walls of social embarrassment and disapproval were to hard to break through..Don’t judge me as a weak man. I tried my best but the God’s destiny had something else…Writing was always my passion and after a long time I got something interesting to write. Many complicated things keep coming in my mind and when all the thoughts and feelings get entangled and intertwined, I feel perplexed and often hopeless. The other day, I was on my way from Noida to Delhi. After ages, I stepped outside the house. Our Vegetable vendor, Kalu’s son was now a big man,still the same fellow,greeted me with a Namste and Bimala,the mango seller waived me a hello. My house was in a remote location in east of Noida. I had to walk 3 minutes from my home to reach the bus stop. Paglu’s barber shop was still the same,dilapidated and shabby, but the talented man still bargained for a high price,poor man. I know am rambling a lot but the excitement is such that I cannot hold within..I am simple. I write things I see, I feel and I think. Breathing the fresh air was so exhilarating though many of us can’t feel the importance nowadays. Yes,my readers,don’t worry, I had a mask put on.. Even Jaya, the newly wed, was enjoying an ice-cream with her husband and Mishti, the 15 year old, was gossiping with her boyfriend. Chimpu, the dog with his master were roaming around and Malku, the little cat, had 6 kittens,two black four white. The world was healing and the globalization was on full swing. Two adjacent malls were under construction and Seth Jaimal, was sitting on his bag of black money. I boarded the bus ND-DEL 9567 at 3:10 pm… Had to go to Delhi regarding Pension work. At Akshardham, A lady boarded the bus. She was almost of my age. To be honest, I was not that old though but a lingering widow-pain was always there with me. She was not pretty but beautiful… She sat next to me… I kept staring at her…She was busy with her book “Conundrum” by Anuj Dhar and Chandrachur Ghose, the one based on Netaji Theory. I waived a hello and she couldn’t see me of course. I was confused how to strike a conversation with her. No words were enough to start a friendly chit-chat….She started the chat, “Hello sir,where are you going?”…I said “Delhi and u?”….She said “To my niece’s house, in Delhi too! ….I felt after a long time, someone wanted to know about me and it was wonderful to talk to her….We talked about dogs,movies, Cricket, Tennis and social work. When it was the time to leave, I bid her goodbye and deboarded the bus. When I was buying a cigarette from the nearby shop, I saw a man talking to the lady,using sign language. I could understand it very well. The person was mute, I ascertained. Later when he was about to go, I called the man and to my surprise he answered. His lips moved and I could very well guess he was not mute. Being a deaf person, I could always predict words and answer in fluent speech. What he told left me spellbound. The lady,named Kamala Das, was the principal of The School of Deaf,New Delhi. I never guessed her deafness, could you my readers? Even mine? No I guess. Well how fluently she spoke and even she interpreted my words so well…Every question was perfectly answered without any chnaces of me guessing her to be a deaf person..Could she guess mine,I thought?…It would be odd for someone else to even think two deaf people talking effortlessly. Sorry for taking your time my readers,I hope my description and the little incident lightened up your day.. We often joke about people with disabilities but their struggle and their pain only they know…

Take care my readers and I hope you will help people to know that disability is not absence of ability but the presence of a special power!

Thank you diary for tolerating my nonsense, well it’s the first one though!

Yours always,
Mr.X (I always liked detective novels, not a bad name,huh?)