For part I:  http://isparku.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/a-cup-of-happiness-i-coromandel-express/

That day when Gobind had left he had a rupee in hand and had promised to bring back happiness. Today she waited for all three, Gobind, Keshu and happiness.

Puspa was a simple woman who wished all the happiness and comfort for her only son Keshu. Everyday was a struggle with Gobind’s meagre income but Keshu was mad about rosogollas. Any moment when he had a rupee in hand, you could find him buying a couple at Mohon dada’s shop round the corner, across the railway crossing.

Kharagpur. No sign of the new ticket babu who got in at Cuttack yet. Keshab looked out in hope. Two more hours and he’ll be in Puspa’s lap. He saw the platform move backwards, the train pick up speed, and voices rushing to catch up with it. Keshab imitated the clank of the wheels. Somewhere inside he still loved the trains. Suddenly he felt the entire compartment go silent. A black image passed by and stood right before his seat. Terrified, he tried fleeing to the nearest escape, the toilets. The rosogolla hawker stood, blocking the way, serving some passengers. Another reason to hate the rosogollas he thought.

That day Puspa had gone to her ailing aunt’s place and Keshu had the uncontrollable desire for a rosogolla. Gobind was helpless with no penny in hand. Helplessness came out as anger and irritation. Keshu was an adamant child. Puspa came late in the evening and Keshu was crying. He complained and fell asleep on her lap, tired.

Keshab woke up happy, thinking he was still on Puspa’s lap and all his tantrums for the evil rosogollas was a dream. The train’s whistle told him otherwise. He cursed himself as the cause for his mother’s misery. Thanking his stars that the ticket babu was in a dream, he turned to the lavatory, when out of nowhere a voice asked “Ticket please!”

Puspa sensed Gobind’s helplessness and gave him the only ruppee she had in her pallu to get Keshu’s rosogolla from across the crossing. As Gobind faded into the darkness, Puspa smiled at Keshu sleeping on the mat.

“Ticket Please”. Keshab was stuck to where he stood. The new ticket babu had an air of authority about him. “Are you travelling alone?” asked the babu. “No sir, er I mean yes sir. I don’t have a ticket sir please forgive me” and he started crying. “Stop crying” said the babu. “What’s your name?” “Keshab”. “Did you run away from home?” “No sir. I came in search of my father who works at the Cuttack railway station” “Why, did he leave you alone or did you get lost?” “He got lost sir”. The babu laughed.

Gobind clutched the rupee hard in his palm. And it pained. It pained in his heart. As he got the cup of rosogollas from Mohon, he felt happy. One thing at a time he thought. Soon he will provide Keshu with all that he desired. As he ran across the level crossing with the cup, the gates fell without warning. Gobind looked up in alarm.

“Do you want something to eat?” ” No sir”. “Some Jhalmuri or rosogollas perhaps?” Keshab was tempted to say rosogollas but then he remembered why he was there. “Nothing sir”. “Do you have anybody else at home?” “Yes sir, my mother” “Does she know where you are?” “No sir” “Never run away from home without telling anybody from now on Keshu. Do you understand?”

“Do you understand?” Gobind shouted at Keshu. Keshu stood wailing at the door for Puspa’s return. He wanted to sleep in her lap. He wanted no sweets now.

Puspa awaited the return filled with hope after the phone call. She stood at the doorway, waiting eagerly for his return. She was almost certain he would come today. There was still time before the Coromandel reached Howrah.

Keshab nodded. Soon everybody around prepared to get down at Howrah, as the train pulled into the station. The ticket babu wouldn’t leave Keshab alone. He seemed to be a nice person, but Keshab was terrified if he would hand him over to the police. “I will take you to your home. Don’t worry I won’t tell your mother that you ran away. Let us just say you were lost. Okay?” Keshab nodded. There was something peculiar about the way the babu talked and his walk. Something he had said bothered him.

Puspa saw Keshu as a tiny dot at the end of the street. With him was a man with a black coat, which she recognised as that of a ticket babu. When they were at the door she hugged Keshu tightly. Then she hugged the babu.

Keshu was thinking hard of something the babu had said. Suddenly his eyes lit up. “Never run away from home without telling anybody from now on Keshu. Do you understand?” The gold badge on the black coat caught Keshu’s eye. On it was written ‘Gobind’

*****

Court proceedings of a case on May 6 1999:

“… due to negligence on part of the railway authorities. Hereby the court instructs the concerned department to undertake full responsibility for the mishap and award compensation for the victim, by making arrangements for his face reconstruction surgery as well as promoting him from the catering department to a ticket inspector…”

P.S: Have I redefined hell?!