RiCkShAw......
It was kinda dark night…the only two things which shone brightly, showing us the way ahead, were the moon n the headlight of the rickshaw I was sitting in…My journey was from Fatehpur (a place in Rajasthan), to the Pink City in one of those large spacious rickshaws, found in Rajasthan…I was earlier about to travel by the bus n had enquired enough only to find out that those VOLVO buses would be leaving only after the next 2 hours….just then I saw this rickshaw n the thought of goin all alone in that rickshaw pulled me towards it….I asked the driver whether he wud like to ride his rickshaw for the next 4 hourz so that I can reach to my destination and in turn, he replied. “Saab, humko farak nahin padta (Sir, it doesn’t make any difference 2 me)”For the first 1 hour, it was truly exciting….but as soon as it struck 2 am, things got worse as I wasnt able to sleep properly….the cold and silent night was rather strange and to add a bit more to the strangeness were the wolf’s howling, the dog’s barking and the driver’s silence..For the first 1 hour, I had kept my mind preoccupied with differences between the rickshaw’s of Mumbai and Rajasthan, which movies I wud be watching next, etc.etc….also, the rickshaw driver kept updating my knowledge by pointing his fingers n showing me a few places which came in the way..starting almost all his sentences with. “Saab woh dekho, woh jagah hai na…….(Sir, look @ that, that place is…..) in a very monotonous tone….I knew he was a kind man but his silence made me think whether this was actually his profession or was it sumthing else? After all, he was the only rickshaw driver there @ such a time, when otherz sleep.This thought had again occupied my mind whether was I traveling with the right kinda guy…I had not noticed even a single rickshaw during these two hours…I stopped thinking about it after sum time as I knew it was useless as far as he’s taking me to Jaipur.I was looking out, staring across the deserted areas on both the sides, which hardly had 2-3 trees…
i was completely blank.Just then, I noticed that a girl was heading towards us…n then , I realized, that WE were heading towards the girl, not the girl towards us..After clearing my concepts on this, i asked the driver to stop near her and as we reached there, I said to her “Excuse me….suniye….kya main aapki madat kar sakta hun? (Listen, Can i help u?)”…I asked the same question thrice, but she was rather a stubborn a girl, luking down, refusing to show me her face n speak to me…I set my eyes on her face, trying to see whu she was n then, after the next 5 seconds, with immense shock and fear, I asked the rickshaw drive to speed up and get miles away from her, as soon as possible.I was filled with shock and fear was just not letting itself get outta my mind and heart due to whateva I had seen…The driver, after a few minutes, asked me…”Saab kya hua?(Sir, what happened?)”..I remained quite for a minute n then, spoke to him .”Tumne uske pair dekhe??....woh ulte the!!!”..To this, the driver just replied in one sentence..”Toh kya hua saab?! Woh toh mere bhi hain…”………
