Platform 2

 

Annoying strangers

Platform 2

 Hi, it's me again standing on platform number 7 waiting for my train to arrive. It has been 5 years now and I'm accustomed to travel between Thanjavur, my hometown to Chennai, my college city by train, bus or car. I am returning to my home after my graduation that takes me back to the younger version of myself and compares with the current version.  The tasks to check and arrange my luggage are done unconsciously with less effort and I am standing on the right platform for the train to arrive but one thing has not changed: annoying questions by total strangers. 

My brain is accustomed to these stations and people who act like a board of recruiting panelists intervening young people for unknown reasons. Though I am no longer worried about traveling alone and tolerating all dramas, random people and total strangers are worried that you are traveling alone. They enquire all about your place where you're heading towards and coming from and the purpose of travel just to make sure "your" safety. This could be reasoned out as a common curiosity of every person to know about each other in a public space. But sometimes they dig into nonsense affairs and post you ridiculous questions. For example, 

Stranger: “Do you study well?”  

 Inner me: “Does it bother you if I fail?

Stranger: “How do you go to your college? 

Inner me: “Oh, you have free shuttle service from my hostel to college?”

And the most irritating question is, "Do you have parents?" 

When girls travel alone I guess they assume they are homeless. I wonder what could be their imagination about me at their first look. I am staring at this person for a second or more wondering to figure out how I look to his eyes. “Do I look like an orphan or only an orphan girl travels alone?”, inner me started shouting inside. Until this question I was patiently answering the old man. Now completely annoyed, I turned to the other side and kept my big luggage in front of me to cover my face and calm myself. Being short in height is an advantage at these moments, I can easily hide myself behind the luggage. Despite showing hesitancy, the strangers peered inside my luggage and continued his interview and started free counselling service also. This irritating person did not stop his so-called concern for this imaginary "homeless girl" and suggested ideas to get a good job in the customs office just like him. If you don’t find his piece of advice valuable, he decides to add some spices to make it look like a padayappa movie. Spice 1: He came from a mediocre family and raised 3 children through his hard work. Spice 2: He had a personal contact with the CEO of Hyundai company. Spice 3: He helped many youngsters to get a job in that firm through his “high profile” recommendation. Inner me; Enough! God please save me! I guess god heard it. Soon, the announcement for the train started blaring and I escaped to my couch that's fortunately far away from his seat. 

He is just one of those ridiculous people in a million whose psychology that I am trying decode. You know, people just talk about all things that are real or imaginary just to kill their time with co travellers. Often these conversations makes us laugh within and to keep a calm face but gives content for my blog too. All these started with the simple question, does this train goes to this* place...My question to you all is, “have you ever encountered such ridiculous questions? If yes, have you ever tried to irritate them back and how?”   

With a calm face and an irritated mind,

Yours exasperated

Harini Sha