DAY OUT IN DHANBAD

Achronology: 004

Start Date: May 15, 2012

End Date:

This happens to be my first official tour especially as an inspector. I am supposed to inspect and clear a supply of acid resistant bricks in Dhanbad which is at that point of time is in the state of Bihar. Now Dhanbad is the capital of Jarkand if I remain correct. I worked in an organization who is specialist in Corrosion Protection Engineering in Chennai. Being the first time one more person accompanied me on this first inspection. It was handing over the mantle of inspection for which I was recruited.

As part of this job we booked the ticket at the last minute and got some wait list tickets. These tickets never got confirmed. I walked with my mentor for inspection Mr. D Solomon and he walked very quietly. I was confused and bit of uneasy as we do not have confirmed ticket. But he walked as if he has got everything.
He simply walked into a reserved compartment and asked me to sit down. I remained him that we do not have confirmed tickets. He replied that it will be taken care. I was just wondering but then later found out that his part of the learning process on official tours.

He sat in a berth as if he has already the confirmed ticket. To cut short of the whole story we managed to get some unoccupied seat and reached our destination. Also the inspection was carried out jointly and final reports were made.
We stayed in Dhanbad for two days and the inspection went off really well. So I am quite happy and we planned our return trip to home. Coming home is always nice. Right now I am in a room far away from my home. Like usual I told him that I will take a walk around the place. This particular practice I do even now. When I move out from once place after a brief or long stay I normally walk around that place. Let it be my official tour, shifting jobs or home.
I informed my colleague that I will be taking a walk around the place. He advised me to remain careful. I also recollected all those many stories I heard about this area. However I decided to walk around. I took a walk in a street closer to my hotel. This road went on into, I saw people walking around, doing their regular works. Nothing to be worried about is what I felt at that time.

I took some cross roads and walked for about 15 minutes. Suddenly I felt uneasy. A group of guys I named them in my mind as gangsters were sitting nearby a tree and were having fun. They were conversing loudly with burst of laughter. They looked like the typical guys who will throw trouble on the passerby like what you see in movie or heard about. They also had gang leader who leads them in their bout of conversation. His voice booming over the rest of them and it hammered in to my head.

I was a bit scared and I thought of turning back and returning to the hotel. However I decided against it and went on. As I was crossing that little group my heart was beating up and I can feel my pulse. I deliberately walked slowly to avoid showing off that I am already panicked and wish to run away.
I started to cross this gang and I am almost through. Then I heard what I am quite afraid off. The voice of the gang leader called out in my direction. I can remember those dreadful words “HEY CHOKRA”. My heart stopped and my mind was in a whirlpool.

What is that I supposed to do now? I though these guys probably will rob me, hurt me or bear minimum will humiliate me. I was wondering on how to get out of this mess. I thought of walking fast ignoring their call. But these guys are huge and look to be rough.

Run. My mind commanded. But the question is where to. This is a new place for me and I do not know where to run. I am neither athletic who can stand up to a fight nor have the physique to do a spirit or marathon. Having known that I am trapped for now I decided to face my tormentors.
So I stopped and turned around to face them. I saw their gang leader face to face, eye to eye. He called out again with the same two words. I looked at him blankly not knowing what to do. Then he uttered the next two words which I was able to understand better. He said “NEECHEY DHEKO” meaning look down. I am in a state of schock as I am in far away place and did not know exactly where I stand.

So I simply obeyed his words and looked down. Then I saw it. A 100 rupee note is lying on the ground. Again his voice boomed. “KYA PAISA NAI CHAEEHEY” meaning what you don’t need money. To this his entire team burst into laughter. I picked up the cash and placed it in my pocket and thanked him. Now I walked again and took a turn at the next corner and moved back to the hotel.

My inner conscious filed a case. There was no summons, no warrants and the hearing and argument commenced immediately. The case is me vs the gangster. Or is he really a gangster or a jolly good fellow who is having a nice team with his friends.
My mind accused me that I called a team as gangster and a fellow as gangster. What he and his team did was having nice time. They might have or he might have seen that the cash has fallen from my upper pocket. This normally happens to me, especially whenever I am quite nervous. What he all tried to do is to help me out.
But I called him as a gangster and accused him off. I said to my conscious that I can not be blamed as I am in far away place. But it never agreed and the sentence was already passed. I am guilty of calling others guilty. Yet again I was improssoned within me for hours.

Later on I learned the meaning for “CHOKRA” it means little one. Yes at that point of time I was weighing only 45 kgs and was about 27 years of age. Even today I weight less compare to my height at around 58. So no wonder he called me as little one with his booming voice which shattered the daylights in me. However he did not do any harm.

I blamed him because of my prejudice on the place where I am. Because of my own mindset I accused others. This is also the time I thought I will write about the same similar to the day when I lost my Grandpa (The Day I Cried – my first writing). I thought of writing this and record it. This should have been my second article. But somehow I wrote it a bit later.
Having learned my lesson that one should not judge the book by its cover I came back from Dhanbad with happy memories. Whenever anyone tells me that places like Bihar are not good, I tell them that they are wrong. There are people, human guys with a great soul and booming voice live in all places.