Ode to my co-passengers

I do not watch this show regularly but I know this show is about co-passengers, their friendship and their troubles and facing them together. Today I met one of my old co passenger and I remembered the nice time I had together so thought of sharing the same with you....

12 years ago when I shifted to my this address the connection to my office from my new address as not very good....there was one government bus which I tried to avail and in that bus I met these two gentlemen...the first one was Nagbabu....

Nagbabu, was a middle aged man who was always in a hurry, he used to get up from the stoppage before me and always coaxed the driver of the bus to hurry. Initially I used to find him very funny, and then I do not know how one day I started speaking to him....from that time, I had an interesting time in the bus...many times I never got seat next to him but he used to wave at me from wherever he was sitting....One day I was standing waiting for the bus, suddenly heard Nagbabu, calling me from an auto....J, there is no bus for a long time, I am waiting since 7 lets go to Rashbehari we will get something from there....come come....I got up in the auto....we got down in Rashbehari and was about to cross the road, when our bus zoomed past us .....come J, he ran crossing the busy road, dodging cars......when I crossed, he was holding the door of the bus and quarelling with the conductor, for being late and not stopping for us the other side of the road, when I got up eventually, he followed me in and said now hurry up, why are you delaying un-necessarily....

Nagbabu was very apprehensive, his company was changing and cutting down people, transferring them to different locations. He did not want to leave the city, his wife worked here and he had growing children...he was trying to pickup all new systems being introduced in the office like SAP etc., after all I have to fight for my place....eventually the communcation system improved and I took whatever available, once in a while I saw Nagbabu sitting in a different bus or shuttle, we waved to each other and smiled....Few months back I saw Nagbabu standing near my office waiting for a connection when my shuttle was turning, I shouted from the window....After a long time Nagbabu how are you.....He shouted back, J I am fine, still working, they are still keeping me.....I cried lage raho.....that is important, he smiled....

SS : SS used to get up from a stop after me, very refined and sophisticated, white french cut beard, with public school education. We wondered what a gentleman like him doing in a public bus, struggling to find his foothold and too polite to push his co-passengers. When he used to get the seat, he used to promptly close his eyes and start doing jap.....which again did not go with his image.....One day there was partial strike in the city and I wanted to go to office, I went to the main junction by an auto, standing there waiting for the bus....when a person driving an old fiat came and stood in front of me, Office he smiled....I nodded and got up, we started chatting, I got to know him, I also got to know that he knew some of my common relatives...on the way met few of my colleagues waiting for transport, I stopped him and gave them a lift....he dropped us till office....when we got down, my colleagues asked me, who was he, I said my Bus co-passenger...what is his name....I replied I don't know....what you got up in his car without knowing his name!! they exclaimed....and the way you were speaking to him as if you know him for years....I said of course I see him in the bus everyday......later SS changed his car.... from fiat to maruti and many times whenever I got late I went to the main junction to wait for him, so that he would give me a lift till office gate...my colleagues whenever they saw me with him, asked me does your husband know, have you found out his name.....my husband knows and no still I do not know his name....Truly I got to know his initials (I still do not know his full name) when we exchanged mobile nos after two years of knowing each other. During strikes he used to call me up, will you go to office tomorrow, I will pick you up.....we went to office exchanging recipes....one day I was visiting my aunt, got late ...it was past 10 in the evening I was waiting for a bus when I saw SS in his car stopping at the signal...I ran across and got up in his car....he got startled...you what are you doing here at this hour.....I said I was visiting and got late.....can you please drop me to the junction, I will take something from there...he dropped me at home....it was late and you are a lady.....

SS later changed his office, we used to wave while passing each other, once in a while....One day he called me up to say...J my wife has got cancer.....I had no words to console him.....a month or so later I was shopping with my mother in a mall....I saw him....I introduced my mother.....I was too afraid to ask him about his wife, sensing something he informed, she is still there, I am doing whatever I can to reduce her pain....one month later he called me and said, J my wife has died and I have closed my office in Salt Lake....I will now work from home......do you still keep meeting Nagbabu, he asked....I replied yes infrequently...now we only sms our seasonal greetings....

The Nameless Lady: She was working after retirement. The government bus became highly eratic and we became more depended on shuttles...I used to take this shuttle from the junction, the driver knew us, so it was Nagbabu, SS, me and this lady and another person whoever came first to fill up the car later SS shifted to his own car and Nagbabu had no patience to wait till the car got filled up, he ran after whichever car went first....but this lady and me we became regular in that particular car....she loved to travel like me and we exchanged notes of travels to various parts of India....I guess she used to live with her brother and his family, she used to often talk about them.....later the communication to Salt Lake improved with many new offices coming up, the car which we travelled stopped going in that direction and we had take different cars....sometimes we met and meeting became infrequent.....and the first thing we discussed upon meeting each other which new place have you been to....nowadays we get many shuttles to salt lake and I do not know any of my co-passengers now...some common faces are there but we are all listening to FM and we barely exchange a glance, all busy executive working in MNCs.....to engrossed in their thoughts to spare a smile......Today I got into the front seat of the Sumo, when I heard someone calling me......J, how are you, I looked behind...it was her.....I smiled after a long time.........don't you go by this route anymore, she asked.....Yes I do but with many cars now, we miss each other probably....

J this is my last month , at 70 I have decided to retire finally .....my heart became heavy, I still did not know her name even after 7-8 years....when I got down....I told her....Ashi, bhalo thakben.....Goodbye and keep well....she smiled......

When I retire finally will I have any co-passenger to say goodbye to? I wondered.....times are changing and if my god's grace I work my full term, I think hardly anyone will notice that I am not going to office anymore.....

Do let me know if you have such experiences, love Tin

after 12 years you met them again..

thats really amazing..

life is so unpredictable, you never know whats gona happen next =)