It Happens in India

Three strikingly similar incidents I faced in three different corners of the country - in less than 6 months.

I had accidental rendezvous with a Marathi couple in Bangalore, a Sikkimese Lama in New Delhi and a Tamil Brahmin in Guwahati.

Incident 1

Yesterday. Near Domlur Flyover. Bangalore.

It was almost 5:30 PM. I was returning from my internship work at National Aerospace Laboratories, waiting for a bus to Koramangala. A couple approached me. There was a young child with them. They were decently dressed and didn’t seem to look like beggars.

The Husband (to me): Sir…Hindi..Hindi ?

I replied: Haan, haan. Hindi aati hain. (Yes, I can follow Hindi)

Husband (in Hindi): Sir, we are from Nagpur. We had gone for a pilgrimage to Kanyakumari. Our entire luggage got stolen in Yeshwantpur Railway Station. All the money we had was in one of the stolen bags. So we were left empty-handed.

Wife (in Hindi): We’re not beggars, sir. But our child is very hungry and we don’t have any money to feed him.

I looked at the child. A four-year old boy and he definitely looked hungry.

Incident 2

May 2012. Near Meghdoot Bhawan. Guwahati

I was coming out of Meghdoot Bhawan the largest post-office in Assam when a young man approached me. He was of the same age as me and he indubitably didn’t look like a beggar. He had a long lines of sandal paste on his forehead – a typical Tamil Brahmin.

The young man (to me): Sir…English aata hain? (Sir, do you know English)

Me: Yes.

Young man: Sir, I’m from Tamil Nadu. I am a worker in the NHPC power-plant in the Subansiri river. I was returning from home when my luggage got stolen in the train. I need to reach the place called Gerukamukh in upper Assam but I don’t have a single penny with me. Sir, can you please give me some money. You can give me your bank account number. I will return back the money to you once I reach Gerukamukh. I can’t comprehend the local language here and I am really feeling scared.

Incident 3

March 2012. Near Old Delhi Railway Station. New Delhi.

I had just arrived in Delhi from Pilani for some one-day work. I was heading towards the Chandni Chowk metro station and was talking to a friend on the phone. I was speaking in Assamese. Someone gently pulled me from behind. I turned back to see a Buddhist Lama.

The Lama (to me): Brother, are you an Assamese ?

Me: Yes, I am.

The Lama: I’m from Sikkim. I belong to the Gurkha community.

Me: Well, I can also speak your native language Nepali.

The Lama (in Nepali): Brother, I am in serious trouble. An hour back, I arrived from Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. And my entire backpack got stolen in the train just before it could reach Delhi. My mobile, ATM card everything was in the backpack. I have a train to New Jalpaiguri tomorrow morning. Can you please give me some money so that I can take an auto and go to my friends’ place in Delhi? You can also give me your account number. I shall return the money to you as soon as I reach Sikkim !!

The Spark

Living with 24x7 internet connection in the hostels of BITS leads to one advantage. One gets access to some of the best movies in the world very easily. Being engrossed in a world where Scorsese, Kubrick, Tarantino, Eastwood and Francis Ford Coppola are the talk of the day, it took me a long time to realize that it has been years I missed the awesome palatable food made at home. Had I not made an accidental trip to Delhi a few weeks back and had I not bumped into an Assamese film festival near JNU campus, I would have remained oblivious of the beauty that is Assamese cinema. The cinema of my native land that has garnered many national and international awards. The cinema that has given birth to legendary figures like Bhupen Hazarika !

One of the remarkable movies I got to watch in the movie festival was ‘Firingoti’ (which translates into English as ‘The Spark’). An award winning movie directed by Jahnu Baruah, the movie won lots of acclaims when it was released in 1992.

I grew up hearing about Moloya Goswami as a lecturer who taught my mom during the latter’s college days. Although Ms. Goswami is more popular in the north-east as someone who won the National Award for Best Actress for her charismatic performance in the Assamese movie ‘Firingoti’.

Moloya Goswami receiving the National Award
from President of India R Venkataraman for Firingoti

Set against the backdrop of the Sino-Indian war, Firingoti narrates the tale of a young widow who is sent as a school-teacher to one of the remotest parts of Assam. On reaching the remote village, she realizes that the village children had not had the privilege of attending a school since decades. The movie chronicles the struggle of this young lady as she sets up a school for the children of this village which had been deprived for so long with the blessings of education and knowledge.

If someone like me – from a generation that grew up on Hollywood and Bollywood flicks would sit to watch the movie, one would keep presuming how the turn of events might take place. A hero might enter the scene and start running around the trees with the protagonist. Some high-voltage drama might take place in the climax!! The new-generation spectator would keep making wild guesses as he sits watching the movie. And he would get it wrong every time. This is where the movie shines. No romance, no action, no high drama and still the viewer would end up watching the movie of a life-time. Firingoti lights up the spark within the viewer with a simple tale narrated in a simple manner. The audience is left enamored in the end, thanks to the brilliant direction of Jahnu Baruah.

PS: Watch Jahnu Baruah’s only Bollywood venture Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara (2005) to see his crafty style of direction. Maine Gandhi….. bagged the Special Jury award at the National Film Awards and also won many awards in various international film festivals.