Joyride

The Jeep. Travelling from the city to my ancestral village meant taking the jeep. One will find atleast a dozen of them at a time at the central market.Young boys in their teens chewing paan would 'lure' passengers to their repective jeep. "Ima(mother),make your way to this jeep we assure you a comfortable ride!" Women who ran a shop in the bazaar getting back home.Women returning home after the month's shopping loaded with five six spiky pineapples tied together,a plastic bag with a picture of a chubby chinese girl in hand.Old men and women coming back from a 'Sorat'(funeral service) of some distant cousins father-in-law. They would often be carrying packets of sugary prasad or the kabok(puffed rice rolled in sugary syrup) for their grandchildren.Pretty young girls in the traditional wrap called phanek and blouse, and neatly drawn chandons(sandalwood paste) on the nose. One by one these regular commuters pile into the jeep modified to accomodate many."Tomba(a typical name of manipur), lets go", calls out one lady. "Ima,just a few minutes more". By then the girl wearing a red frock and black bata school shoes has gone off to sleep on her mothers lap.The jeep is full. Just then two ladies with oiled hair neatly tied in a bun and a sweet smelling flower tucked in it enter.We shift,shuffle trying not to disturb the sleeping soul. They seat themselves in the cane stool(moras) provided by Tomba.In the molecular spaces of the jeep we place the moras.Tomba finally obliges us all and starts the jeep now joined by Nanao.Well, must say Nanao was a goodlooking young boy. With a little refining of his dress sense(he was wearing a black leather jacket and bandana!) he would look like a gentleman! The jeep makes its way through the rice fields where the roads are kaccha, creating a sandstorm like haze behind us.By this time there is some familiarity among us and the air is pleasant.Everyone joins in the conversations and gossip of the old ladies present.One of the passengers with the kabok offers it to us. One of the ladies would already be browsing through the goods Iche(sister) Thasna is carrying back from her shop…she even buys something.Such unrestrained bonding among strangers, a rarity which i miss in the metros here. After about 30 minutes my stop arrives..the green gate. Keeping the 5 rs note ready I get off and give it to Nanao.He smiles flirtatiously.Suprisingly I’m flattered…