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Published: April 2nd 2009
As you now know, most of my blog episodes are long on photos and short on text, well sorry, this time it has to be the other way around.
The taxi trip back down to Siligur was a lot less stressful than the trip up. I now realise that the taxi driver on the way up, took me the “quick route”, for that read, “scary as all hell route”.
At NJP railway station the taxi driver found a porter to take my bag to the correct platform. The coolie was going to come back (for payment) and put my bag on the train once it arrived. Naturally being India it was running 45minutes late. A bit before that the rain arrived and my coolie was not in sight, so I grabbed another one and we hurried onto the train. Well, somebody was sitting in my seat!!! I started getting a little anxious, then a railway employee came along, looked at my ticket and said “wrong train”. I jumped off that train so quickly just in case it decided to leave and the coolie followed. Naturally I still had to pay him his porterage fee. When the original porter came
and looked at me a bit strangely, I had moved a fair way along the platform, I just smiled.
The right train eventually arrived and we had trouble getting on as there was some sort of Guru as I thought, blocking the entrance to my carriage, with a crowd on the platform of fifty to a hundred people all chanting and shouting and putting garlands of marigolds around this neck. Who was this man? Naturally I wanted to know.
Once the train got moving and I was settled into my little area, I noticed that Mr. Guru was just a little further down from me and he appeared to be travelling with about eight minders. I decided to leave well alone and keep to myself. I was the only western woman and virtually the only woman, full stop.
The train slowed down for a station and I could hear the chanting well before we stopped. Mr. Big arose along with a couple of minders and proceeded to the door to receive his salutations. I decided to walk along a little to look out of the window at the crowd and that was. My first step towards becoming a
star!
“Would you like to meet our Secretary General?” said a man. I ummed and ahhed but he insisted that I “come sit”, and then told me what a great man he is and how he has been working for the rights of underprivileged railway workers for 14 years. He then took me to where Mr. S.G. was being heralded and I was pushed next to him.
Second step toward becoming a star. “Come, come.” Said Mr. S.G. and the next minute there is the Secretary General and I standing together with cameras going off like crazy. I didn’t know what to do, so stood there like the idiot I felt and just smiled. I could just imagine the Delhi Times the next morning - “S.G.’s wife files for divorce after he was seen in the company of an unknown foreign blonde bit! “
As the train pulled away, I left my adoring public - hang on, they were his not mine, and we all sat down for chai and a chat. Now in all honesty he seemed to be an amazing man. We talked for about an hour (with 8 or so of his entourage hanging on to
our every word) and we discussed everything from education, human rights, religion to poverty and more. We shared food and drink (no alcohol I’m afraid) and I felt I had become a friend. I then bid them goodbye and returned to my little bed and dinner and thought what a wonderful serendipity is..
About an hour later, the chanting could be heard again as we were approaching another station. I stayed where I was.
A Bollywood star is born. This time they actually came and got me! What is going on? Mr.S.G. then gently stepped me down off the train (oh, oh!) so that one of his men could take a photo of me with my adoring crowd, sorry, his. And I have the photos to prove it!!! Is this crazy or what? What I thought would be an uneventful train journey was like something out of a novel.
to Become a Bollywood Star by Train!
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Pauline
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Serendipity indeed!
There's no doubt about you Beverley - you always seem to be in the right place at the right time. That's a story for the memoirs - bet you're glad you've got the photos!