“anyways I am Imran Khan” He said with a smile.

“I am Parth Walunjkar”

Not many people I am with on my way to home have been telling there names. May be I am a lil’ scary.!

“where are you heading to?” He genuiningly asked.

“Gwalior. AND you?”

“Shivpuri.”

“I am a student. What do you do?”

“I am a mechanic. Come to shivpuri and ask for Imran. Everyone know me there.” Wasn’t that too much!

“oh good.! So, you work for any company or you got your own workshop.”

“No I work for someone.”

“kewl.”

“Anyways Prath bhai. you were right saying that we are the one to blame.”

“Its parth.”

“Oh sorry! Parth bhai. you were right.”

“Yeah. But who cares to think this way. we just blame everyone else and away as soon as we can.”

“hmmm….quiet right. This is what happens every now and then in India. We get bombed somewhere or the other and the blame game starts. “

“Hindus blaming muslims for the blast but I suspect if there are hindus involved.!”

“In this mumbai attacks also??”

“Yeah may be.”

” i tell you .there may be only muslims in those attacks. I hate muslims because of this.” I was surprised to hear those words from a muslim.

“you are also a muslim. right?”

“yeah I am. But the point is those terrorists aren’t muslims then. Because my religion isn’t the one which teaches all this. My most friends are hindu. you know shivpuri is a place with hindus in majority. So, its obvious. But I fear even my friends might have doubt on me, just because I am a muslim, just because the terrorists are muslims.” Impressed!!!

“may be you are right.”

“Prath bhai…” Again PRATH! “….I haven’t studied much but I can still sense what people think.”

“I don’t get you.”

“I am muslim knowing this you also would be thinking about me as an alien.” Was I ?

“No . NO .no…Don’t think like that.Anyways change the topic. How much have you studied?”

“uptill 8th.”

“why not more?”

“i wasn’t good at study and I wanted to do something good. So, I started this.”

“good.! But imagine if you were an engineer! It would have been much better isn’t it?”

“I don’t think so.”

“why?”

“coz i once met an engineer who wasn’t able to solve the very lil problem which is the daily problem for us.”

“you haven’t seen good engineers then.”

“But still I think, PRATH bhai, even if I dont know how to work on a computer, i would be able to work ob it just that my speed will be less.” Hearing this, my mind got an Idea! An imaginary bulb shone bright over my head!!’*’

“Look, Imran bhai, today the world is fast. Time is more precious than money! So, if given something to finish we have to finish that work quickly. And this is what you can get with studying.”

“hmm…you talk right. Actually, even I want to study but I dont where from?”

“Go for NIOS.”

“NIOS?”

I explained all about NIOS to him. He was quiet convinced hearing it.

“Prath bhai, should I say one thing?”

“yeah, go on.”

“By the way you talk, you look to be one who will be successful.”

“oh..thanks” I said smiling. One comment I will look whenever I am down.

We talked about each other than. He told me he had a family. And that he had someone who he loves. And that he had told his parents about this. I wonder if  I would have the guts to do this!

He told me about shivpuri and his area. Everybody knew him there and even the influential personalities.

I  found a new friend in him. He wasn’t into his school life, but he was much more sensible from many who are PhDs. He knew his job best. As Shivpuri came, he invited me for tea.

“But bus wouldn’t stop buddy.!”

“Don’t worry ’bout it”

“why?” Hearing this he told something to a person standing beside him. That person went on to the bus driver and came back.

“Now it wont go until you drink tea.”

“what did you do?”

“that person went up to the driver and just asked him if he wants to still run his buses through shivpuri.” oohh!

We had tea together. As promised by Imran, tea was delicious. I am not a tea enthuciast but sometimes I too drink tea nd specially it is this good.

Tea was over and finally our journey together was also over. Not many times you meet starngers and in about 7-8 hours you make friends with them. It happened to me once and I don’t think it will happen to me again. Thank you IMRAN.

FROM,

PRATH BHAI