Stranger is not a stranger to me now…

We have had a lot of pleasant conversations with random people on the street while our social norms almost discourage us from sharing with others, telling us that we had better be quiet if we don’t want to be perceived as strangers.

Unfortunately, though some strangers can be dangerous and it’s impossible to tell who’s OK and who is not. A dangerous person doesn’t necessarily look scary or mean but might look nice during interaction. Thus, it is important to follow certain safety rules all the time like making your whereabouts known, sticking with a friend, picking out safe spots, avoiding places that are not safe, staying away from strangers’ cars, making a lot of noise if you are scared, trust your instincts.

My meeting with a stranger on the train is still alive in my old memoirs whenever I go back to old times and every time I am put wiser and pen down to share with the readers. The person who met me on the train had long hair, a middle colour look, neither blackish nor whitish look but looked educated as he kept an English magazine in his hand. I could not glance over the title of the magazine except for the start word “Fr” and the last words as “Thoughts”. Even I could not make out the complete title as to whether it is Free, Frightened or Frozen – Thoughts as the magazine was in a rolled position in one of the stranger’s hands. But, he was moving his eyelids and constantly watching out of the window and sometimes to me and the paper kept inside the magazine. By his side, he was also having one small weekend bag. Perhaps going back to his home as it was Saturday evening Shatabadi from Delhi to Chandigarh.

Starting a conversation with a stranger can be daunting but it doesn’t have to be impossible. Every conversation runs its course within a similar outline – make first contact, introductions, speak with each other, and then end the conversation hopefully with plans to meet again.

As a child, I was always told we should not talk to strangers. For children, this is wise advice as there are many abusive people out there who wish to hurt and sexually abuse innocent children. For them, a precautionary approach is best. The advice also holds for people who are making their way home in sketchy urban areas late at night, where muggers and rapists sometimes lay waiting. But there are many occasions when conversations with strangers can be wonderfully illuminating.

Anyhow, to break the silence, I got a chance to look at the magazine when he got up from the seat to go the washroom and left the magazine on the seat, which he was seeing again and again, then the tile of the magazine.

Having glanced over the title – Frozen Thoughts and the paper inside the magazine, it was a matter of pleasure as it was his promotion orders but the sad part was his transfer orders in the same order on promotion from Delhi to Chennai in nationalized the bank might be a far-off place from his hometown.

My all presumptions about his look as a stranger were false and I was normal when he settled back into his seat. I could now well understand his frequent gestures of seeing the paper inside the magazine.

Frankly speaking, later on, he narrated the whole story of promotion and transfer with a glimpse fraction of a second; he saw me reading the contents of the paper kept inside the magazine while coming back to his seat.

During further course of discussions, we exchanged our views and even contact numbers. I, however, consoled him that transfer is a part of service as I too had to serve for about ten years away from my hometown. The stranger often calls me from his new place of posting but he is no stranger to me now.