ANIMAL FARM (SHORT STORY)
I hate Mondays...
I have to travel nearly 130 km, by train, on every Monday morning to reach the place where I work! The only possible attraction is that I could sleep nearly two and a half hours peacefully in the train! But, last Monday... I still remember it as a nightmare. The 'lost sleep' is still there in my eyes!
It was around 6.30 a.m in the morning and 'Parasuram Express' started moving. Suddenly, two men, around forty five, jumped into the compartment and sat immediately opposite to me. The very first thing they had done was switching on the fan and adjusting it to full speed... that too in December!
“Please.... switch off the fan”, I requested them. “I am not feeling well”, I told a simple lie!
“Why should we switch it off? We are not traveling on free of cost.. we have paid for it...”, one of them got irritated as he was too much aware of his rights!
“See, so many seats are vacant there. Why can't you sit somewhere there?”
“O.K... O.K”, he turned off the fan and lifted up the side glass.
“Idiot”, I told myself!
They settled happily and one of them opened “Deshbhimani”, the whistle-blower leftist daily.
“Sridharan Master... please, look here... the Occupy Wall Street Movement is picking up so fast in America”, they kick start conversation.
“Yes... yes... Kunjiraman Master... those guys are so organized... great leftist movement... Marxism is coming back in US”
Easily, I could understand that they are teachers union leaders. I had to kept quiet, cursing them all the while... “Bastards... Shut your stinking mouths” (Whenever Chairman Mao opened his mouth, one platoon opponents used to faint down!)
“OWS is a slap on America's dirty face”, Sridharan Master said.
“Surely... They are reaping what they had sown in other countries... A slap on Big Brother's dirty face!”
“Yes...Yes... Someday, NYPD and FBI will pump bullets on them”
“Yes... yes... all of their websites are infiltrated by FBI... Master... Do you think that common Americans have any sort of freedom? No... They are on constant watch always... He can't even take a couple of photographs of important buildings! If he does that, then his life is under scanner”
“Yes..yes... everything is done in the name of national security... What they call it? Yes..yes... Islamophobia! You cops even put innocent men behind bars just to achieve their target... How sad!”
“See... What have they done to Iraq? What are they going to do with Iran?”
“Yes..yes... Do you think that they fight all these wars for the people of Iraq? No... they want to imbibe Oil! I am afraid... when are they going to attack Venezuela? Comrade Hugo Chavez will not let them easily”
“America is just like an egg shell now, with yoke and white sucked out by Afghan War!”
“Yes...yes... they plundered three trillion dollars of public money there... simply bombing the mountains of Afghanistan where Osama was hiding”
“Ha...ha.. ha... Kunjiraman Master....all the while, he was watching blue films in Pakistan!”
“See Americans are behind every war in the world... their arms trade should grow every moment”
“See... what is the other side of Arab Spring? They created all unrest... they supplied arms and gave training... they pulled down dictators... now, American puppets are in power... disgusting! What do you say Kunjiraman Master”
“America has to be opposed everywhere... They acts against humanity”
“We should shoot that bastard... Gorbachev... He only caused all these”
“Sidharan Master.... He was an American Spy”
“The small countries of the world has to unite and fight against all injustice caused by America... I am going to talk about that in our next state conference.. We should unite and oppose the Big Brother”
“U.K is going to hand over Julian Assange to Sweden”
“Sure... they will hand him over to US.... Master...Will our government increase the dearness allowance?”
“No idea... See Wall-mart is coming to India”
“Then our dearness allowances has to be doubled”, Sridharan Master said
I had to double the volume of the head-phone stuck on to my ears to save myself from their Anti-American verbosity!
At last the train reached Tiruvalla Station. They both got up before me and we all moved down to the platform. People moved like a heavy water surge after a dam burst! Suddenly, some of our attention was focused on two Railway porters. The stronger porter guy had snatched a baggage from the hands of a weaker porter.
“He...he... Samuel... this is not fair”, the weaker guy shouted.
“Get lost... you bastard...”, the strong guy picked up the luggage.
The American woman Tourist, who owned the baggage stood there, totally embarrassed! “He...he... What's wrong with you two guys?”
Sridharan Master stood there, analyzing the situation politically.
“Sridharan Master... Why should we interfere in silly things like this? That foreigner may pay more... The stronger will win... Come fast... otherwise we will miss the bus!”
"Sure.... We should not miss the 'Dialectics" class!"
I too love train journeys as you find Masters and pupils there.Premji brings us the tell tales of of certain things in his short story really admired!
Wow. Very interesting and fascinating. What a ride! Uh oh, welcome to another Monday. I enjoyed your retelling.
Another well told and fascinating short story Prem
Leaving a sour taste in the mouth are some overheard comments on trains - I like the interest you achieve in your short stories Prem.
Interesting Train journey! I too have some short stories about journeys like yours! I am thinking of publishing here soon...!
Practicing double standards is the order of the day...principles are like politics that appeals more to one’s convenience than to taste...nice story
Your stories while on commute and life is the biggest commute ..... Nimal woud say; but, about your stories ... how well you capture the human attitude.... amazing!