Kochappan; literally.

He was talking over phone to someone. I waited till he finished.

"Let's go up and sit in the balcony''. While climbing the stairs he left an instruction, '' Don't disturb us unless it is urgent''.

"You were in a mood of retrospection the other day. Got over it?'' he had a nurturing smile.

'' Yes. Those days in Bombay, struggle to get a job, the sight of the richest, the vulgar splendour of their money, and the likes of those kids I saw at the rly way station, all had made me feel dejected then. Yes I was in such a mood that day. ''

" Suburban railway is a part and parcel of the life of a Mumbaikar, is it not ?'' he asked.

'' Yes it is. Your mention about the trains brings to my memory two other instances which are hard to forget.''

'' Are they also those which touched you?'' he enquired.

''Yes, in away. Yes. In both instances it was to do with saving the life of two people; nothing heroic. Still,'' I said.

He was ready to listen. I went back to sometime in1976.

'' From Goregaon rly station there was a narrow pathway along the railway track which can take one to the main road. It was very narrow and dangerously close to the track. Lot of commuters used to walk through that path to reach the road easily. I used to be one among them.''

Kochappan's wife walked in with two cups of tea; left it on the table and left, quietly.

I continued, ''That day in the evening after alighting from the train, I was walking through that path, when I saw a man about 30-40 feet ahead of me dangerously close to the track, unaware
of a train approaching us from behind in the same direction. I made a sound; I don't know whether I yelled, shrieked, or howled at him to move out. May be it was act of sheer reflex, he jumped to the side. He had tryst with destiny. He made it in time. He was the winner. Lot of people who were in the scene, walking along abused him for his carelessness. I patted him on his shoulder and walked off.''

''Which is the other instance?'' Kochappan wanted to know.

'' Santacruz station on a Sunday night. Not very crowded. I was returing to Goregaon. The train
had started coming in to the platform. I heard voices shouting from behind me. I looked back and saw two people pointing to a girl clad in saree, standing in front of me at the edge of the platform. The train was coming in, but a bit away. She didn't move or make any effort to do so. Since she was closer to me I called out to her to warn her about the approaching train. She heard me, but stood motionless. I felt something fishy; her neglecting my call. Now the train was coming closer. I ran to her, caught her elbows from behind and pulled her backwards towards me. She was lean and I managed to pull her back.T he train stopped at the station as it does. I jumped into that train itself which I was to board. She was still standing in the platform. There was no expression on her face; she was blank.'' I stopped.

'' Touchy incidents. Aren't they?'' He commented; in the form of a question.

'' The second instance was also touchy but less emotional. I walked off to the main road at Goregaon. Probably after about 5 minutes somebody touched my shoulder from behind.It was that man from the pathway near the rly track. He extended something to me and said
'' Mere paas iske alava aap ko dene ke liye kuch nahi hai''. I looked at it. It was a Parry's toffee
(the ones available those days which had green coloured wrapper) which would have cost him 25 ps those days. What the third one gave me was blank look;a very blank look.''

Kochappan had a smile when he said this to me. ''All the three incidents were touchy literally and figuratively. The first two came and touched you and you went and touched the third one;
the girl.''

Only one conversation I can remember I have had with Kochappan without taking a lesson in English was the one I had with him the other day. I thought this day would be another. I was proven wrong.

'' Your saying he made it 'in time' to move out off the track is not the apt usage. It should be he made it 'on time' because he made it at the nick of the moment and not little early as 'in time' suggests.''

With a mischievous smile he asked me the last question on those incidents.

'' Tell me Aniyan, frankly. Literally was that girl in saree good figuratively?''

Let me tell the truth. Kochappan confuses me a lot; I am telling you the truth he does that literally every time !!!

menon ( aniyan )