Penfriend

It was exactly five days back from today. We were seated in a bus carrying quite a few you-bet-it eminent people, better referred to as personas, from nationwide geography. Over the few minutes we slowly got our hearts beat in its close to normal pace, albeit higher, our eyesight soothed from the initial dazzle, our ears taking precedence to hear what such people, sorry personas, talk about!

And then, when we were almost back in control, we turned our head to talk to a co-passenger friend on the last row of the bus, and then, well, went still.

There he was! The god of our times.

We went numb. We lost words. We tried, we mumbled, but could not really remember what we turned our heads for.

Later in the evening, we met him. Briefly, a few minutes at most. Like schoolchildren, we said out our names and where we stay, and that, we were indeed very, very glad to see him. And then, got clicked, so that we have a picture as a keepsake. For posterity. He was kind enough to share his email id so that we can write to him. Mandatory stuff.

Five days and over many, many, many short-story sized email exchanges later, I think I have a slightly changed view now.

I have had such mutual trust and resonant conversations with very, very few people in my entire life. And more, in such short a while of knowing. If I, and yes I could, peel the image off the name, I’d still call that a historical “encounter” (I borrow the word, I must!). I feel more confident and honest than before. I feel more like myself!

Having you for a pen-friend, dear Mr. Kabir Suman, is the closest brush to godliness an atheist like me can ever achieve. Thank you!

(Yes, I am in my perfect senses as I write this, friends. Believe me, will you?)