The Ghuguni Story

On a fine afternoon in the rustling October fall, being bored, I counted the number of tiles on the pavement of the parking lot of AIIMS Bhubaneswar. The melanized birds in the sky began camouflaging themselves in the emerging dark clouds. It started raining before I could enjoy the feeling of being dangled in the cool breeze. Since dousing was not an option, I started rushing towards gate no.3.There she was, standing near the door. In addition to comforting herself, wearing an apron, and drying her gear, she held the door for others and me. Momentary, unexpected, and unwanted eye contact was all we both shared. Then I took the lift and went to the third floor, where my kinsman was admitted, and spent the next 3 hours there.

Taking the third sip of my evening coffee the very same day, I decided to go and meet a very dear friend of mine whom I hadn’t met for the last 3 years as he had shifted to Bhubaneswar. The pleasant evening, after the rain, signalled green for the meet-up.

The capital city has its own government bus service, "The MO Bus Service’. One of its bus stops is just outside the main gate. So, I telephoned my friend, noting the address in my Google Keep, and I started moving towards the main gate. As I reached midway, out of the blue, the rain welcomed itself. Running towards the bus stop, I bespattered my clothes and hair, but the bus left. All I could do was wait. Exactly after 3 minutes, another bus came, and surprisingly, there was no one except for the driver and conductor. I dashed inside, ignoring the crowd outside the bus. I grabbed a seat adjacent to the window seat so that I wouldn’t get wet during the journey, as it was raining.

As I travelled on the MO bus alone for the first time, I was worried that I would get lost in this big city. I downloaded the bus route’s pdf and was constantly staring at it. While staring at the route, an unknown voice interrupted: "Side ra seat taa khaali acchi ki?" [Is the next seat to yours vacant?] . I moved my head abruptly and looked at her. Looking at the same girl I saw in the afternoon, speechless, I nodded my head. She then occupied the window seat.

She adjusted her clothes and dried her hands and face with her handkerchief. Noticing me all drenched in rain, she asked me if I wanted a napkin, to which I replied positively. She then asked me where I was headed. I was supposed to change buses at Vani Vihar Square and then take another bus from Vani Vihar Square to Ram Mandir Square. I informed her that I was headed to Vani Vihar because she had assisted me despite being a stranger. To which she replied that she would stop at Khandagiri Square. For the next 5 minutes, there was an unexpected silence. I was looking at the route pdf, and she was also looking at it on my mobile.

She broke the silence by telling how tasty the ghuguni-wala-bhai's Ghuguni tastes. Then she saw her watch and said that she had some work near Vani Vihar Square, so she would be getting off at the same bus stop as that of mine. I still don’t know why, although unwillingly, I was listening to her carefully. But all of a sudden, my cyst of intrusive thoughts busted, and I told her that I don’t like Ghuguni a lot. Believe me, I could see the disappointment on her face when I confronted her about how much I disliked it. The very next moment, with a puppy face, she said, “Thare khai ki tah dekha!” [Atleast try it once.]. Then we argued for like 10 minutes only to conclude that we both will have Ghuguni at Vani Vihar Square and she will help me find another bus to Ram Mandir Square.

We got off the bus. To my surprise, we were the only two people to get off at this bus stop. In a cozy corner stood the ghuguni-wala-bhai, busy with other customers, along with his 90s classic cycle. Attached to it were a colourful umbrella and three big containers loaded onto the bicycle. Pushing ourselves into the crowd, we asked for two plates of Ghuguni. Honestly speaking, it was the best Ghuguni I ever had. After eating, I thanked the girl for forcing me to do this. With an enormous smile on her face, she replied, "Kahi thili naa?" [Didn’t I tell you?]. I nodded. While I was washing my hands, I saw her paying for both of us. So, I rushed to her, but she had already paid. UPI transactions, huh! I urged her to atleast split the bill. Her denial was vehement.

I told her to wait and went to a nearby store to buy two Amul-Cool for us. While buying it, I saw her making a phone call and asking someone about the bus timing. Indeed, she kept her promise. 

[Everything taking place at that time just seemed unreal to me then. A stranger met me in a city unknown to me, urging me to have something I had never liked much in my life before, but it turned out to be the finest I ever had. I was surprised. You never know who may cross your path and make your day. Life is full of surprises.]

She came running towards me and informed me that my bus would reach the Vani Vihar stop in the next 5 minutes. I handed her the bottle. We abruptly unscrewed the cap and started drinking it as fast as we both could. After completing it, we both had a hearty laugh at what we were doing. This was the first time I had enjoyed the company of a stranger. For the second time since the morning, eye contact took place, which ended up bringing smiles to both of our faces.

The evening started feeling beautiful. The blue hour had arrived with a cool breeze. The flashes of the headlights and the streetlights were a cherry on top.

The bus honked. We were both running towards the bus on the other side of the road when she asked me my name. I told her. By then, we had reached the bus. She pushed me to board the bus as it had started leaving. Waving, she shouted, "Puni dekhaa heba tah hele!" [We will meet again]. I waved at her, nodding, unable to say anything. The situation didn’t even permit me to ask her name. I wish I had done that. 

Spring has arrived, but we didn’t get the chance to meet again.