Wednesday, October 8

Changed Strategy...

It’s always like this. He had never reached the railway station without all those last minutes hurry ups. When he reached the station the announcements were echoing all over the platform. He checked the list and hurried to the second platform. The train was there ready to leave. It looked like a big python.

Before entering his coach he checked the reservation list which was hanging outside the door. He was delighted to see his name, Anup Tiwari. He looked all around as if his name was there in some national newspaper only to realise that no body was bothered. Laughing at himself, he took his baggage and jumped inside the coach. Suddenly, something pulled him back. He checked the list once again, who all are going to come in his cabin.

Seat Name Age Gender From To
S8-37 Ram Prakash 54 M LTT KKDI
S8-38 Jagadamba Kadam 48 F LTT KKDI
S8-39 Archana Sahoo 34 F LTT RHA
S8-40 Meera Shah 22 F PNVL TCR
S8-41 Rajesh P 37 M RTGI ERS
S8-42 Jagdeesh Pujari 39 M RTGI ERS
S8-43 Anup Tiwari 24 M LTT MDGN
S8-44 Mangal Sahoo 37 M LTT RHA

His eyes then got stuck on one name, Meera, his eyes glinted happiness. But the boarding was after two stations.

He reached his birth, a side lower birth. He kept his baggage beneath the seat and settled. His eyes scanned all the passengers in that cabin. Next to him there was a man with a thick moustache, maybe in his mid thirties. ‘How boring it will be to travel 1500 kilometres with this guy’, he thought. An old man was reading a magazine, oblivion to the world outside the train in the platform. The lady who was sitting beside him was looking much younger though, enough to be his daughter or daughter in law. Anup stared at her; she was stacking their baggage here and there. Twelve baggages, he counted. There was a not-so-bad-looking female sitting by the window seat. Wearing a big round bindi on her forehead, she seemed to have befriended solitude for this trip, if not for life long.

He sighed! This trip is going to be boring unless berth number 40 hosts a smart girl. ‘Meera Shah, sounds Gujarati!’ He thought. More than her name it was her age that excited him. Only two year younger to him, he imagined her like a mirage. Various prospective faces of Meera flashed through his mind, together with thoughts involving how to impress her to gain her friendship and flirt with her till destination.

The train started its journey with all its passengers. The sleeper class he was in was almost full. Tea and coffee vendors went here and there shouting their product, serving and collecting money.

“Do you mind to exchange your seat with my wife’s ticket? It’s a window seat.” The husky voice from the moustached man interrupted his imaginations about his yet-to-be-befriended friend Meera. “Yeah, no issues”, the answer was quick since this time his brain worked faster than a supercomputer. The tough, rough moustached person was giving an offer to sit near berth number 40, Meera’s seat. He wanted to jump with joy. Recalling the award for the best actor in his school days, he made a so-so face in front of him. He exchanged the seat and watched the couple sitting together in the side berth. “Happy for you, I will somehow manage over here’ was the expression on his face. He only knows there was huge crackling joy bursting inside him.

When the train slowed down at panvel he took a position nearby the door. Each passenger entering and exiting were under his eagle eyes but no one cleared the criteria of a 22 year old beautiful lady with all those womanly features to the perfect as he had imagined. Suddenly a face caught his attention. Wheat colour face, black, straight and silky hair, she wore a beautiful smile. Her eyes were green which excited him and her lips were rose in colour, wide and full! The ear brows were perfectly shaped and the nose ring adorned her totally. Wearing jeans with a pearl white shirt, she was nothing less than a movie actress. She was far above from what he imagined. ‘The entire trip is going to rock!’ he thought. Flirting which is his forte is going to be the main weapon.

That is when he saw something odd; something he missed because of his excitement. A kid, maybe in his second year after birth, trying to tug at his mothers arm. Before the train started moving she raised the kid and placed him on her hips. Both waved to those who came to see off them. After few seconds she took her luggage and headed inside to settle in her berth.

Anup stood there standstill.
“Strategies should be changed” he thought with a grin.

77 comments:

Cess said...

he he nice one, poor Anup :)
hopefully he will be lucky on the next trip :)

C.

Priya said...

How sweet and sad:)

Cinderella said...

Amazing !

I knew sum kinda twist will come up...but the way you ended it was gr8 !!

vimmuuu said...

LOL.Do you write stories from your personal experience?? I do the same thing before entering a train and I never went inside the train with a smile. Its like some conspiracy against me !!!

Good story, very realistic!!!

lukkydivz said...

lol poor him!

btw somehow even my eyes rested on that name meera :P

Hemanth Potluri said...

:D...nicely explained...but it says all guys do nothing but flirting that is soo rong :P..but nice one to read had fun :)...next time better luck for him :)..

urs..hemu..

Heart'n'Soul said...

hi hi hahahahaha
tht was super kool Vinu.... i had fun readin it...LOL

Anonymous said...

hey good one. guess all guys do the same :). i think the seat numbers are wrong here though it does not matter. 37-44 can not be in a single compartment with 8 seats...

Diana Sahu said...

Lol....I can imagine the look on Anup's face......poor guy

BTW, I saw two names with Sahoo titles...that means two Oriyas were travelling with Anup....Mangal and Archana....so the moustached man might be Mangal Sahoo and he wanted to exchange Archana's seat with U.....aha...am imagining a lot these days!!!

Lucifer said...

nahhh d strategy jus needs to b modified a lil ;)

Vinz said...

@cess,

yeah, poor anup..!!
but he was not unlucky..he just changed some strategies..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@priya

sad..!! i dont think so..he can make it a happy end..!!

;)

Vinz said...

@cinderella,

thank you friend...great you liked the ending..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@vimal,

my stories definitely got a realistic touch...

Hope if again you travel by train you get some smile...!!keep on exploring..if not in one compartment, it will be in the adjacent one..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@divz,

really...what should i infer from that..

;)

Vinz said...

@hemanth,

dont worry..guys are not generalised in such a way..this is only one character..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@divkiran,

Dank you girl...
great it entertained you..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@diana,

no hidden interests...since it was a train journey i just wanted to include people from different states..

and it was not a seat exchange with me..!! it was one with my character..

;)

Vinz said...

@anon

thanks for visiting this space..yeah, i made some blunders with seat numbers...will take care to be realistic with figures..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@mayz,

exactly,...that is what i wanted to say also..!!

:)

Saim said...

am sure Anup managed to modify his strategy a bit to suit the circumstances...he seems 2 b a smart chap after all:)

Preetilata【ツ】 said...

gosh the twist was excellent.

me too 1st time here. and surely u deserve a pat :)

Keshi said...

This is what happens to guys who r employed in the Flirting industry. It comes with sudden shocks n surprises. LOL!


Keshi.

Anonymous said...

ha ha ha, there, it got the better of him...time to shift paradigm indeed! ;)

Arv said...

funny one mate... he should have travelled first class :)

take care and have a nice day mate.. cheers...

Anil Sawan said...

man.. u r a genius story teller..

Vinz said...

@siam,

:)
if not he would be a dumb ass..!!

Vinz said...

:)

thank you preeti...
great you liked it..
keep visiting..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@Keshi.

:) yeah, maybe..!! But those who adapt themselves to the situations get the designation of 'casanova'

:)

Vinz said...

@mariposa,

rightely said..
:)
thanks for dropping by..

Vinz said...

@arv,

thanks arv...first class..do u think that will offer him something better...

;)

Vinz said...

@sawan,

thanks for flattering compliments..
i will try my best to entertain you all like this...(and myself too ;))

Keshi said...

and sometimes get a promotion to 'senior casanova'. :):)

Keshi.

Vinz said...

@keshi,

oh yeah, but i think this same happens with girls also..if not to the extend of what guys do..!!

:)

Anwesa said...

a hilarious read...nice ending..i liked it very much..

Cess said...

ha ha, so are we gonna a part II for that story? now i m looking forward to it :D

C.

Vinz said...

@anwesa

thank you...
i am happy you liked it..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@cess,

maybe, you can expect a second part for this..but havent clicked on anything worth writing..lets see..!!

:)

Vinz said...

Crystal Had Commented For this post on the previous one..!!

So reproducing that over here...

Crystal says..

The stratergies ought to be changed.
Ahh..I liked tht line!

nice thingie..

@ crystal,

thanks friend..great to know that line made an impression...and i wanted to give that special effect..!!

:)

RiverSoul said...

:-)
Nice story.
:)
Anoop seems to have had a case of bad luck. Hee hee.
:)
But i'm sure the strategy needs just slight changes.
:)
Nicely penned, brother.
:)

Priya Joyce said...

I told u ..u r like the author Saki ..the last part of ur stories always hav a punch in it. niiicee!!

Vee said...

Hahaha... This must have touched the nerves of many here I guess including yours truly.

Agar mera bas chale toh I give all the 'short story' awards to u only..

Kartz said...

Heh heh heh... Niiice..! Loved reading it...

Peace.

rainboy said...

i second mayz
;D

rolled you mate :D

Vinz said...

@riversoul,
thanks friend...yeah anup need to change the strategy..and now what strategy will be something interesting..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@priya joyce,

thanks girl..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@oxy,

friend oxy, i know...those who had travelled by train will be almost like this character..i framed this one from all those guys..!!

:)

thnx mate..!!

Vinz said...

@kartz,

thanks man..great you enjoyed it..!!
Peace..

:)

Vinz said...

@vicky,

:)
thanks man..!!
any suggestions how it should be modified..??

:)

Solitaire said...

I would have been optimistic and told myself..."maybe she is taking her sister's child somewhere". LOL!

Vinz said...

@solitaire,

:)
you muffed my my sequel plan...!!

:(

Think Tank said...

so wat new strategy? after all the planning 2 ..poor guy

blogrollin u btw

Cяystal said...

Absolutely LOL at Solitaire's line..lol..!!!..
too good..
Btw..come chck out my new write up

Chakoli said...

Hahahahahha LOL..

poor guy :DD

I thot Meera would be her ex or soemthign liek that :PP

my inner world said...

hahhaaaa

that was funny but an extremely interesting read:)

DMulan said...

lol.. typical train journey...
nice ending ;)

AV said...

rofl! but then.. i hav heard tat to flirt wid a girl, u really don need to look at her marriage status now do u? may b this time u cud jus practice on this female.. get better for the next time.. :)

AV said...

rofl! but i hav heard tat for guys to flirt, marriage status doesnt count in ne case? then wat? hope d kid didnt disturb u much! :D

Meghna said...

a nice nice shock u gave at the end...though I expected a shock...I didn't expect anythng like this....lovely :)


Read many of ur other psots and enjoyed them tremendously :)

Vinz said...

@think tank

will have to think about the new strategy...

:)

thanks for dropping by..!!

Vinz said...

@crystal,

yeah, she got out the theme of my sequel for this plot..

:(

Vinz said...

@chakoli,

oh, thats a nice twist girl..i should have thought on that line

:)

Vinz said...

@my inner world,

thank you and thanks for dropping by..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@divya,

thank you..
yeah a typical train journey...
and a goof up too..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@av,

its not ME..!! its my character..!!
:)

and yeah, u were right..flirting got no boundaries..thats y he decided only to change the strategies...u see..!! he didnt give up..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@meghana,

thank you meghana..do keep visiting..thanks for reading my other posts too..!!

ur comments were indeed flattering..!!

Zubin said...

This one is nice...I was smiling through out.. :)

I can relate myself..in a totally different situation though..plus..strategise dynamically my friend..(my suggestion is for Anup the "character of you story".. :p

Vinz said...

@zubin,

:)
got ur hint..!!

Anonymous said...

Hey Vinu,
Really interesting post.... after all those train journeys we've made, I'm sure theres a bit of you in Anup! ;)

Anonymous said...

Poor Anup
Nice story! Was predictable though...the arrangements and seating were too gud to be true ;)

Anonymous said...

:) Poor Anup

___________The End_______________

Vinz said...

@praveen,

thnx da..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@priya,

:)
thank you friend..!!

:)

Vinz said...

@anon

:)

Vinod Ramamoorthy said...

This is exactly why you should befriend a person called Murphy....

Reets said...

Hey

Sounds realistic.... did this really happen to u ...seems like that!! anup aka vinz!!

falcon said...

Dil ke tukde hazaar huer..ek bar nahin har baar hue..
in every train journey..
lol