Winter Mist

Have you ever had a dream about something and experienced it later in the very same manner? Have you ever woken up with a song running in your mind and ended up hearing it everywhere you go that day? Did you ever think of a friend you haven't spoken to since a long time and get a phone call or e-mail from him/her moments later? We have coincidences every single day of our lives - some strange interesting ones and some boring forced ones. But one thing is certain about coincidence - the phenomenon fascinates believers and skeptics alike. It's a porthole into one of the most interesting philosophical questions we can ask: Are the events of our lives ultimately objective or subjective? Is there a deeper order, an overarching purpose to the universe? 

It has been happening since yesterday - a sense of deja vu and a connection between each of those incidents. I woke up yesterday morning at 4:40 from a dream (a nightmare precisely) that I had my Medicine viva-voce of my Final MBBS exams in the morning. Phew! Thank God! Its just a dream and all that is over years back. A couple of hours later I was travelling from Sealdah to Jalpaiguri - a district in the northern part of West Bengal known for its forests where Rhinos meander fearlessly. A couple of hours from Sealdah station, as I was looking through my train compartment's window at a lush green pasture with trees and a river flowing close by, the weather outside seemed unlike the sunny weather of Kolkata and it seemed as if the sunrays were trying hard to find their way to the ground through the winter mist. The view was amazing - as if painted on a canvas. But as I looked at it, all of a sudden it hit me - I have been there before - I have seen this view before - the pasture, the river, the sun, winter mist et al. But where? It was probably during my med school (VSS Medical College) - possibly one of those places that we went to during our class picnics in winter. Haven't figured out which one though but the weather was certainly identifiable - winter in Sambalpur looked exactly the same.

A few moments later, I heard someone speak in hindi with a slight Bihari twang and the voice sounded extremely familiar. I could tell from his conversation with his friend that he was an engineer. I turned around to see who it was and was left agape with wonder. I knew that face yet something was not the same. One of my juniors from VSS - Avasthi ! But it wasn't him - this guy was a lot fairer, a lot younger and of course, he was an engineer - it can't be him but what uncanny resemblance - looks, voice and mannerism - FREAKY!

It was 6:35 p.m. by the time we reached New Jalpaiguri Junction - I had to get a ticket for Jalpaiguri Road from here. You can't get a reservation at this hour, so what I got was a 2nd class ticket. I rushed back to the next train starting at 6:50 for Jalpaiguri Road. After I squeezed my way through the human mesh and found a small strip to support my derrière on, I looked around to acquaint myself with the people who will be travelling with me for the next couple of hours or so and there we go again - another familiar face. A woman in her late forties or early fifties who looked freakishly similar to the mother of one of my closest friends in VSS, Smita. Had it not been for her speaking in Bengali and the looks and activities of the rest of her family in the train, I would have immediately initiated a conversation with her. 


Although I have always made connections between such incidents in my life, I have never tried to interprete what they meant because I believe, certain things ought to be left to unfold for themselves. If there is a meaning to this, then time will tell what it is. As of now, I am pleasantly surprised by each of the events and so no matter how tiring the journey was, I was left with a smile in the end of the day.

After around 14 long hours of train journey followed by a ride on a rickshaw in the cold densely foggy night with minimal visibility (we could barely see beyond a couple of feet) again reminding me of the VSS winters, I finally reached Jalpaiguri Seva Sadan where Fr. Sudarshan and his team guided me to a nice cozy room and offered me a scrumptious dinner. I am truly touched by their hospitality. 

I couldn't wait to see the foggy dawn and the sunshine piercing through the winter mist. Finally its here now - but its cold out here - really cold - so cold that I thought I'll die of a vasovagal attack as I washed my face after I woke up. I am writing this blog while I wait for Fr. Sudarshan to return from his prayers so that we can discuss regarding today's travels. I couldn't but help use my cellphone camera to take a picture of this wonderful place and its enhanced beauty in this amazing weather. I end this blog now sharing this picture with all you folks - soothe your eyes with the greenery of rural India!