Couple from Gujarat

It has been almost a year now that I visited Gujarat. That time I was in Goa and searching for a job took me to Baroda (as known as Vadodara) I wanted to join some job immediately as I had left the course at Goa. Searching in news papers applied for couple of jobs, got to hear from an employer in Gujarat. I went to Baroda boarding the Konkan railway service and to my surprise I met a couple whom I know were also travelling to Baroda. They were from Baroda and taking PG course at Goa University. Journey was pleasant and reached the venue of interview, finished the formalities and was waiting for my turn to come. But the queue was so big that it could be of very late in evening. I requested one person in the interview panel that I need to go back on the same day and it will be late for me as am planning to leave on the same day. She arranged for the interview soon.

Interview was successfully over and I was offered with the job of Assistant Professor with a condition to work for them for the next two years but the joining was in June another six more months to go! It was not possible for me to wait till that time without doing any job. Meanwhile, I met a lady working in the college from Tamilnadu and moved there after her marriage.

I went to railway station and there were no trains moving towards Goa that day. I didn’t have any idea of hotels or lodges. I somehow fear to stay in the unknown hotels or places without taking suggestion from anyone. I called the lady from Tamilnadu whom I met in the college asking for any idea about nearby hotels or something to stay. She said she will inform her husband and in few minutes her husband called me asking where I am. I told my location and was waiting for him to come. I went to Madras Cafe near Baroda to railway station to break my fast and had idly. In sometime he was there introducing himself as Nirmal. His down to earth nature didn’t take much time for us to converse. He took me to his home. I did not know where to stay for the night, I thought he will show me or guide me to the hotel!

He took me for a ride in the evening discussing about our families over the popular Guajarati chats and returned home around 7.00 PM. Then they told me to stay at their house only for the night. I agreed readily as I felt it is better to stay at known people’s home than to be at unknown place. I agreed readily stayed there for the night. They served me with delicious Aloo parathas. I left their home next morning.

The care and the comfort they made me to feel is what I remember most, how they can believe an unknown person and treat him as their own? I hope that is India and Indian culture.