Blog post of SVRao
“Don't
Travel today! It is Kanuma..”
Today the 16th January being Kanuma, the 3rd
day of Sankranti festival, there is a silence of lethargy all around.
I being no exception got up very late in the morning and sipping hot
coffee started brooding over nothings. There have been a plethora of
activities around for the last few days. People were makinga hell of
noise, some doing a bonfire of remains of old furniture, some
pouring “Badarika” berry fruits, coins and blessings over
children amidst traditional songs, celebrating feasts with relatives
and friends etc. But today there is no activity around but happens
to remind me of something unforgettable.And I start to reminisce:
It was some 35 years ago, may be in 1983, it happened. I had been to
my in-laws' house at Visakhapatnam, having gone for 3 days of
holidays (the weekend combined with the festival) for Sankranti,
with my wife and child at the invite of my Father-in-law. It is
customery to invite the daughter and son-in-law for a family get
together for this important fesival and almost all the sons-in-law go
to their respective fathers-in-law (and hopefully the latter doesn't
go to his father-in-law) not minding the arduous travel in the big
rush of trains and buses. The big cities feel sudden depletion of
population with comfortable traffic on the roads as though there is
an undeclared curfew.
Having taken sufficient rest, feast, fun and frolic I declare that I
need to go back to my work-place on this day. There is a rampant
belief that nobody should travel on a Kanuma day not withstanding the
availability of seats and berths in plenty in the public transport.
“Not even a crow would fly to the neighbour on Kanuma day” is a
popular proverb in Telugu. Sankranti is a festival of harvesting and
the farmers adorn and adore their cattle on Kanuma day as a thanks
giving to the animals helping in the farm.
All my poeple try to pursuade me to stay back but being a young
dynamic bank officer always rising to the occasion of work and call
of duty that I am (suposed to be) I do not relent. So my wife decides
to stay back with parents for a week and reluctantly packs my
baggage. There were new cloths gifted by my father-in-law to both of
us and of course to the child sweet and dear to them and some more
items purchased by her in the nearby streets. I further added my two
gold rings studded with precious stones that I always was fond of
wearing, to be kept in the suitcase with some excuse. The train takes
about 3 hours to my place of work and I decide to go by a long
distance express train which starts about 6 o'clock in the morning.
I start off early in the morning from my in-laws' house, reach the
station well in time and find almost empty train waiting. I
comfortably get seated near the window and observe the beauty of the
steel city under a thick curtain of fog-and -mist as the train goes
past the lines. The Sun also was lethargic and reluctant to rise
like the city of Vizag. I start observing the surrounding nature with
my drooping eyes and the swing and rhythm of the train and slowly
drop into a nap. I woke up with the shouts of Tea vendors on
platform of a station and realize that I must have slept for about 2
hours. That means I should get down at the next station coming after
an hour. 'OK', I say to myself and check my seat and baggage that I
kept under the chair. And Lo! Where is my baggage? My suitcase is
gone. I looked around and searched every seat in the train
compartment, up and down all the berths. O My God! How come my
suitcase is gone? It was there all through my thick and thin and
never left me so far in all my travels and travails. Hmm. What to do?
Just then I saw the conductor and ticket examiner near the entrance,
approach him and narrate. He declred that my bag must have been
stolen by a thief who could be travelling in the Coach observing who
is sleeping and who is careless. He said he saw the Railway police at
Tuni station nabbing a few such thieves with their booty. By this
time the train already started and moving at speed. He coolly
suggested that I should make a complaint with the Railway police at
Samalkot where I will be alighting. I stared and lamented for my
negligent sleep and not caring for my in-laws' advice not to travel
that day or at least in the early morning. There being no crowd and
myself sleeping I must have been an easy prey to the ruthless thief.
Cursing my self to the core I got down at Samalkot station and
registered my complaint with the Railway Police authorities.
Raching home I realized that my house keys- kept in the suitcase-
were also lost. I beg the landlord to break open the lock and close
the door with a fresh lock and key before leaving for office. Luckily
my office keys were at home and I didn't lose. Else I couldn't
imagine what could happen to the career of this dynamic young officer
in the bank! At the office too I had to tell my story to almost every
employee (and some customers too) much against my wish (and
reputation). Almost everyone equvi-vocally said I should not have
travelled on Kanuma day; rather take off and enjoy the holiday at my
in-laws'.
Later I telephoned to my Regional office at Vizag, sought the help of
a few friends to put a word to the Railway Police authorities at
Waltair (Vizag) junction.
Days went off heavily.
My Regional office friends' influence must have worked.
After 3 days a police officer visited me in my office cabin and took
the details of the things lost in the train (including the
suit-case). After another 3 days I got a call from the Waltair
railway police station to come and present my self before them. So I
catch the afternoon train and reach their station on the signal end
of the platform, in the evening. Luckily the officer concerned with
my case was present and he again cross checked the details of my
items lost. Offering me tea, he then with a cool gaze in his eyes
said “Look Sir, since you are working as an important officer of
the bank where we have accounts, we try to help you. The items lost
by you are lost for ever. They must have been disposed off long back
by the thief. However, since you have friends in us we bought a few
items and a suitcase for you using some common pool of money which we
keep for such cases.. You can declare them as your lost articles and
own them under due process.” I said to myself “What is this I am
hearing? Why should they buy for me and with what kind of money?”.
I told the officer “Sir, thank you so much for your generosity. But
it is much against my conscience that I accept your goods. You may
better give them off to some other poor and needy person”. He again
told me with the same gaze “Mister, you are not realizing the
difficulty. We will be calling you every alternate day to come to any
Railway station of our choice and present yourself to identify your
goods. Each time we may call you to different stations like
Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Kazipet or even Secunderabad. Can you afford
to come leaving your office every alternate day? And anyway we cannot
present your lost articles”.
”Oh My God! What a difficult proposition! Slowly I muttered “But
Sir, why all this trouble?” The officer said sternly “Otherwise
how do you expect us to close the case? Your friends told my senior
bosses too to help you? What else you expect?”. I realized the
predicament I put everybody in! After sipping the tea I said “Ok
Sir, as you please. But kindly call me to a nearby station and close
the case early.” The officer smiled at last and said “That's a
good decision. Now please check these articles and confirm. The same
will be given to you within 2 weeks.” He shoved a sutcase on the
table. I find that they kept the articles with a list inside a
cheap-looking suitcase like a godown keeper keeps goods with a
bin-card. I find the articles as listed by me in my complaint but all
at about 20% of the cost of articles that I lost originally. The gold
rings too were so light and cheap that only the micro-weights of a
sensitive balane in a chemistry lab can properly weigh them; else
they could be blown off with the breeze of our breat !
Much against my will I nodded and took leave of the police officer
after profusely thanking him.
Rest of the story is for anybody's imagination. After about 10 days I
happened to attend a Railway court (of weekly sessions) at Tuni
station at about 11 O'clock and declare before the Magistrate that
the suitcase and the articles produced by the police are mine. There
was a farce of the police catching the thief with the booty and the
thief in turn identified me as his victim on the fateful day, all in
front of the magistrate, before my declaration. Everybody played
their role in this episode perfectly, including me. I started walking
off with my newly earned suitcase and articles gifted by the police
replacing the role of my beloved in-laws, after signing the relevant
papers in the court.
However the drama did not end without a flash-finish!
As I was walking to catch my return train to Samalkot, I heard a
voice clling me “Sir, sir..” I looked back and found that it was
the thief identified for the episode that day running towards me. I
missed a heart beat and stood there helplessly. That thief approached
me and said “What about my kick-backs?” I was stunned and
inquired “What do you mean?” He explained “Sir, because I
agreed to your version and the version of police, you got back your
articles. I have to suffer at the hands of the police now. Please
give me something for this favour”. It was the shock of my life. A
thief asking for a return gift for the theft! What to do? I cursed my
fate, gave him a 100 rupee note with a forced smile of a millimeter
on my lips and finally proceeded to catch my train on the other
Platform.
Well friends, That is the story of a cursed travel on a Kanuma
festival day.
So now, will you travel on a Kanuma day –that too against the wish
of your beloved wife ?
I
know it is only a superstition or a method of pursuation to take rest
and not to travel. My incident of losing baggage is only a
confidence. But still the people who came to know my story keep
quoting it to tell others about perils of Kanuma !!"
I leave it to you now.. Bye!
{Disclaimer: all the characters and incidents in this are
ficticious!}
---
SvRao (16th January 2019)
