FARE OF A PARROT

This incident was occurred during the English calendar year 1934 while India’s constitution was functioning under British Rule. Once clodhopper Tarak visited to his aunty’s residence at Kolkata and gained a parrot in cage from his maternal grandmother. It was a grand gift to him and he became too happy.

In next day morning he decided to return early to his village at Tarakeswar which was near about 60 kilometres distance by train from Howrah railway station, with an intention to show the Parrot of Kolkata among villagers and relatives in his village. While he was travelling by a local train from Howrah station to Tarakeswar, a British Travelling Ticket Examiner suddenly entered into the compartment and asked him to show the ticket of parrot in cage.

Tarak was illiterate and he had no idea about the ticket of his parrot. He hesitatingly produced his own ticket only and requested to excuse him for his fault due to his ignorance. Seeing the one ticket of Tarak, Ticket Examiner laughed at and pressured him to pay full fare of that parrot with fine. Tarak had no such money to pay extra fare with huge fine. He politely requested repeatedly to pardon him so that such payment could be avoided, but the Ticket Examiner connived him and replied with harsh voice to pay fine immediately.

Although Tarak was an illiterate, but he was familiar as a humorous in his village; later he became agreed to pay the fine. Being pleased Ticket Examiner started to write a challan quickly hanging down his head, while Tarak let fly the parrot outside window of the train opening cage silently. After a while the TTE prepared to hand over the challan to Tarak, pulling up the empty cage which was kept below of his seat, Tarak started shaking the cage again and again and further tell “where is parrot?

Parrot has flown away.” Being puzzled Ticket Examiner looked at the empty cage with big eyes holding the copy of challan at right hand. Now Tarak told laughing, “Where is parrot? Parrot has flown away; consequence of your action you have to pay the fine,” telling this words Tarak got down from the train shaking the empty cage once standing in front him. British TTE kept the challan in his pocket for depositing the fine into Govt treasury from his pocket.