"Chhotee See Kahaanee Se,Baareeshon Key Paanee Se "....a real experience ....
About a year ago, on a dark night, I was caught in a heavy downpour while returning from a concert in downtown Chicago. The distance to my hotel was about a mile away and I was trying to take shelter under the heavy iron girders of the the elevated Chicago metro station on Wabash. Breathing a sigh of relief , partially soaked, I saw a girl walking hurriedly towards my direction.
She was trying to cover her head with a poly bag . There was hardly any traffic or human presence on that rain stormed night. I stood still. She came straight to me. smiled. Before I could clearly see her , she said " Sat Sri Akal ji, tuhanu pata hai ki _ di bus ya train kitho milegi?" ( Do you know where can I get the bus or train to _ )
Pleasantly surprised, I tried to focus on her question, thinking that I was a stranger to this town myself, and there she was, young girl, speaking Punjabi and asking me directions. I smiled and told her I didn't knew exactly but wish I could help her. For some moments, we both stood under that shelter, like two familiar strangers , my heart skipping a pleasant beat and anxious to help that young lady who looked so beautiful and unassuming as I tried to notice her again. Breaking the silence, I gave her different options of how she could take certain routes and she sweetly responded saying those perhaps will not help her reach her home. At last , I asked her how she knew Punjabi. She said she is from Pakistan, raised in US and everybody speaks Punjabi in her home. I got curious and wanted to know more but she seemed to get anxious as she was getting late. I desperately looked around for help but there was nobody except the sound of rain lashing down , blurring our vision and my mind. Restless, she started to get into the rain again. I volunteered " Do you want me to accompany you to the nearest bus stand ". She looked straight into my eyes , smiled and said " You have helped me already. You don't know how scared I was until I saw you standing here. Actually I noticed your turban from a distance and felt safe at that moment only , even before meeting you. And the last few minutes , I wasn't expecting any help, I just wanted to stand here in your presence. I wanted to trust you and I was not wrong. " I froze in that moment , as she smiled again, stretched her hand and whispered " Shukriya ! ". I felt her wet soft hands and asked ' My pleasure, my name is Sumran' . She kept the poly bag back on her head , took 2 steps towards me and said " I am Nadia, Khuda apko salaamat rakhey Sumran!" ( May God Bless you ) , and then like a butterfly she leapt into the rain , disappearing into the street. I kept looking , thinking I could see her board a bus into safety but all I could see was rain . Completely soaked, I looked up and down and with a dash , made a splash and started running towards my hotel, a smile on my face , water in my eyes, a zing in my heart......
"Chhotee See Kahaanee Se,
Baareeshon Key Paanee Se
Saaree Waadee Bhar Gayee,Naa Jaane Kyo,
Dil Bhar GayaNaa Jaane Kyo,
Aankh Bhar Gayee "
She was trying to cover her head with a poly bag . There was hardly any traffic or human presence on that rain stormed night. I stood still. She came straight to me. smiled. Before I could clearly see her , she said " Sat Sri Akal ji, tuhanu pata hai ki _ di bus ya train kitho milegi?" ( Do you know where can I get the bus or train to _ )
Pleasantly surprised, I tried to focus on her question, thinking that I was a stranger to this town myself, and there she was, young girl, speaking Punjabi and asking me directions. I smiled and told her I didn't knew exactly but wish I could help her. For some moments, we both stood under that shelter, like two familiar strangers , my heart skipping a pleasant beat and anxious to help that young lady who looked so beautiful and unassuming as I tried to notice her again. Breaking the silence, I gave her different options of how she could take certain routes and she sweetly responded saying those perhaps will not help her reach her home. At last , I asked her how she knew Punjabi. She said she is from Pakistan, raised in US and everybody speaks Punjabi in her home. I got curious and wanted to know more but she seemed to get anxious as she was getting late. I desperately looked around for help but there was nobody except the sound of rain lashing down , blurring our vision and my mind. Restless, she started to get into the rain again. I volunteered " Do you want me to accompany you to the nearest bus stand ". She looked straight into my eyes , smiled and said " You have helped me already. You don't know how scared I was until I saw you standing here. Actually I noticed your turban from a distance and felt safe at that moment only , even before meeting you. And the last few minutes , I wasn't expecting any help, I just wanted to stand here in your presence. I wanted to trust you and I was not wrong. " I froze in that moment , as she smiled again, stretched her hand and whispered " Shukriya ! ". I felt her wet soft hands and asked ' My pleasure, my name is Sumran' . She kept the poly bag back on her head , took 2 steps towards me and said " I am Nadia, Khuda apko salaamat rakhey Sumran!" ( May God Bless you ) , and then like a butterfly she leapt into the rain , disappearing into the street. I kept looking , thinking I could see her board a bus into safety but all I could see was rain . Completely soaked, I looked up and down and with a dash , made a splash and started running towards my hotel, a smile on my face , water in my eyes, a zing in my heart......
"Chhotee See Kahaanee Se,
Baareeshon Key Paanee Se
Saaree Waadee Bhar Gayee,Naa Jaane Kyo,
Dil Bhar GayaNaa Jaane Kyo,
Aankh Bhar Gayee "
1 comment:
Wow..nice to read this..you are indeed an eloquent writer..very nicely portrayed...In fact i could visualize the situation...
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