Zara's Long Distance Journey

"Remember, do not engage with any strangers on your journey!"

The disclaimer of caution was given to Zara by her mother continued to ring in her ears. It had already been three hours since the train she boarded left for Mumbai from Delhi. It was her first time far away from home. And, as is customary with many families, one has to carry along with the many wishes a huge coach-load of advices and cautions:

"Drink only bottled water from the platforms."

"Buy only dry food, not packaged ones."

"Don't eat what others offer."

"Don't leave your baggage unoccupied."

These are just a few of those many 'quotes of wisdom.' While some are quite helpful, many are outright ridiculous. Yet, Zara had to remember all the advices her mother showered her with; of those, the most sustainable one is to not talk to strangers. She had it ringing in her head like the bells at a temple during a puja. this was because of the situation at hand. A few stations after Delhi Central, Zara encountered a young lady with hair the color of burnt amber. She was lean and naturally charming. Right from her entry into the coach she was warm and cordial with everyone though there was a sense of nervousness that she carried. She seemed like a first-time traveler.

Zara and the new girl were co-passengers sitting opposite each other at the side berth. By nature, Zara would have loved to talk to her new neighbor. Yet, her mother's advice and the nervousness seen in the young lady seemed to be like the Walls of Jericho - a difficult impasse to cross. After brooding over the consequences of breaking the ice, Zara decided to initiate a conversation with her co-passenger. Yet, there remained a problem: 'Which language do I greet her in?'

It was a grave problem especially when you look at a diverse country like India. Though Hindi is said to be the national language of the country, every part of the nation has its own varied dialects and languages. For Zara the problem was whether her co-passenger knew Hindi or Marathi. She decided to begin with the customary Namaste. What followed can be narrated in its original language. But, I would do it in English for two reasons. First, it is quite a challenge to transcript the whole conversation and then put it in italics. Second, for the sake of the wider audience, I intend to use the universal language: English.

"I'm Zara. And you are?"

"Mira."

"It's so nice to meet you. Is this your first time trip."

"Yes. It is my first long-distance journey."

And then, Mira went on telling Zara about her new job at a fashion-designing start-up at Bandra, Mumbai. Zara, who as mentioned earlier was like her first-time traveler told Mira about her reasons for traveling to Mumbai. She had got admissions at St. Aloysius and was excited about her far-away-from-home college experience. All through the morning hours of the

journey, the two would converse at length; getting to know each other better by every hour.

Towards the end of the trip, Zara had a good companion in Mumbai with whom she could feel at home. She also realized that at times the strangers we meet become good friends. After all, all our friends were once strangers to us.