UNSAVOURY APERITIF

[This is purely an act of fiction. Names, characters, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Content designed may provide helpful information on the subjects discussed along with presentations/illustrations for highlighting the plight of an aggrieved. The author assumes no liabilities of any kind with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents. Any resemblance to persons living or dead may be purely coincidental]

With credits to Mrs. Papia Kundu nee Mondal a friend from childhood

Dipak had barely completed his diploma in civil engineering when he landed in a job as a junior engineer in a central government department. Such personnel were the eyes of the organisation at the ground level. It was a mass recruitment of sorts where, the country was reshaping itself, a couple of decades after independence.

Observing his deft skill-sets, he was selected by his peers for a foreign posting, most immediately. Everyone at home felt happy that their lad, barely in his early twenties, had bagged a lucrative offer of a lifetime. A jovial persona, was occupied by the thought that he'd have to go away at his prized place of posting, leaving behind his friends and the adda, without which life would be a beautiful building on a barren stretch. The opportunity was his most underrated life decisions, the one that we are least trained and supported to do.

After many a crisscrossed thoughts that were troubling his mind, he finally set off for the place of posting abandoning all for future good. It was first the railroad and then, the dusty and bumpy roads, deep into the interiors of that neighbouring country that our government had agreed to help rebuild their buildings and roads. The point where the railroad ended, the bus stand was nearby. It was a small border town, from where the lone bus of the day would take them to the capital city through the winding Himalayan roads.

The journey by train had its own pains. Wooden benches as berths in not so clean coaches and dirty toilets without water were common that didn't spare the first class travelers even. He hailed from a well to do family and wasn't used to harsh vagaries in life. They were four of them traveling together. Those days were far off when catering services in railways had begun.

Tea was their saviour on stations where the train with a huge steam engine would chug to a stop apart from dry food that they carried. The dry food consisted mainly of puffed rice, flattened rice, sugar candies (batasha) and jaggery, nicely tucked into tin canisters that were tucked in the freshly painted steel trunk they carried. The opportunity to board a train with a secured berth was a luxury in want of transparency of the entire booking system with most travelers trusting the ever complying touts for a price. The train would leave the platform on time but, the time at which the train might reach its destination, was a great mystery compounded with untold miseries and sufferings.

Everyone collected their baggage, of which the hold-all formed an integral part carrying the bedding material and trudged towards the bus depot with a steel trunk on one hand. It was decided that they wouldn't take the services of a coolie to save money as they weren't carrying much money and salary for the month would take months. Moreover, they were young, energetic and could take care of their baggage themselves. There wasn't strictness of passport and visa. The departmental identity card was sufficient to grant passage. The quartet now boarded the bus to their destination. The roof of the bus had a huge carriage rack that was loaded with everything possible, right from luggage of passengers to commodities that came by the train in its luggage van. Everyone trusted the driver who would reach them safely with his adroit driving skills. It was very much essential for driving on hilly roads with an overloaded vehicle.

After about half and hour, started the winding roads. Many had started vomiting, especially those who never have been through any hilly roads . While Dipak's head reeled, he just tried to grab a nap that was too difficult on the extremely difficult road. It was a relief when they heard the whistle of the bus conductor, calling out in a loud voice to deboard for freshening up and have lunch as there wasn't any hotel for miles together till they reached their destination. Again, they decided that they would have have the cheapest thali (an all inclusive lunch/dinner platter) to save on costs. It was a plateful of rice with bhindi fries and daal. It was nicely dressed as shown in the picture above. Dipak, with a scorned look, finished his meal somehow and left to wash and, excused himself.

Once out of sight of the paranoid trio, he motioned the waiter, who was a boy barely 10, to show him a secluded place where he could eat to his fill. Asked if fish or chicken or mutton was available, to which the boy brought him a plateful of chicken with rice. A sumptuous meal that he had for the first time after leaving home. He paid for it and tipped the boy who was overjoyed on getting ` 2. That was a good money for the boy as the chicken spread cost ` 2.25p. The trio, not getting too suspicious, asked him as to what made him take so long, to which he replied that he went searching for a toilet to relieve himself. Their suspicion subsided up to a greater extent and joked away how much he could shit a day.

It was dark when they reached their destination. A light drizzle added to the chill in the wind. A chowkidar was there at the bus stand to receive them and take them to the guest house. He confirmed if the four plainsmen were from the department. He greeted them and arranged for the four sets of similar luggage to be towed with all falling behind the porter's thela.

A couple of days into their first job, it was decided by all that they were there risking everything to earn and save money, to which everyone agreed and showed commendable zeal in preserving and protecting the sanctity of the mutual understanding. Everyday, money was dwindling from their pockets and none knew when they would get their salaries. Everyday, the urge to abandon the group too was brewing within him due to the menial mentality of the trio. The stay in the guest house was proving costly that had to be vacated for enhanced savings. It was then decided that they would move to a cheaper shared accommodation. The chowkidar knew the traits of such freshers and showed them into a fragile double storied wooden building that was dirt cheap with equally cheap food. Now they could save a lot!

Apart from a cup of tea in the morning, it was a plateful of rice and daal with a vegetable dish. Consider that breakfast or lunch, choice was theirs that they named as brunch. The evenings would be spent under a lantern and card game till dinner was served. The dinner was again a repeat of what was served in the morning. Due to the cold weather, food cooked early in the day wouldn't rot till that night. The strict code of compliance was in force, adhered to by all members.

Given the enforced dietary regime, Dipak's health took for a psychological down-slide more than physical. He was getting sick and more of it as days passed. He getting tired of the coterie by the day. Something had to be done. He was never used to such frugal measures, leave aside coming to terms with such culture of thrift. In the meantime, he learnt that they would do away with the brunch and have only flattened rice with curd and jaggery. It was like sounding of the death knell. He could never eat that brunch alternative while others in the group ate that scrumptiously. The pungent odour of the curd and the heightened sour taste was revolting enough from a distance rather, eat that. With loads of lies, he would escape from the horrible food everyday to everyone's disbelief. But then, the agreement couldn't be breached for sake of trust within; in a foreign land. So, he stayed with them and had his dinner to show excellent camaraderie. His jovial nature was boisterous to the hilt and everybody liked him for that. He secretly began to eat outside and enjoy his entourage to various eateries with a request not to disclose that he was there in the day.

He had to tolerate that unsavoury aperitif of an unbreachable agreement for over a month or more of it with the three colleagues and, eventually had to part ways on receipt of a handsome salary.