The naughty boy
I remembered that day very well.It was the nineth day of the Velankanni Virgin Mary's festival.I tried to catch the special passenger train which had come from Velankanni to Ernakulam, Kerala , the land of spices.Due to last day of the Velankanni festival,the train was fully crowded.When the train reached Thiruvarur railway station, I rushed towards the train to get a seat.I met the family members who visited Velankanni and returned to Ernakulam ,their native place.Later I came to know about the family details.They adjusted themselves and had given a seat for me to sit.I thanked them frankly and occupied the seat comfortably.The gentleman who sat near me was the head of the family who asked where I was going to?.I said politely that I was going to Thanjavur to renew my passport.For courtesy sake, I asked him where he was going to?.He replied that he was going to Ernakulam and he added that he had come from Saudi Arabia,last month only.He also said that they had come to Velankanni for the tonsure ceremony of his son.He said that they were stayed Velankanni for a week and finished the religious ceremony.He said further that they attended the first day of the lady's flag hoisted function at the shrine basilica.He had a doubt whether I had visited the shrine basilica in Velankanni .I cleared his doubt that I had visited the shrine basilica so many times.I added further that more than million pilgrims had visited Velankanni every year including more hindus like me.Then he asked me what were the miracles happened in the village Velankanni?.I answered them,it was believed that three miracles had happened in the village Velankanni.First miracle was that Mother Mary had appeared in that small coromandel coastal village with infant Jesus in her hand.The second one was that she had saved the Portuguese sailors from a violent sea storm in the Bay of Bengal in the 16 th or 17 th century.Virgin Mary had cured a lame buttermilk vendor, a shepherd boy was the third one.Then the catholic christian asked which month was suitable to visit Velankanni?.I said that the best time to visit Velankanni was from December to February when the weather was pleasantly cool with mild temperature .I asked the last question to them ,what was highlight of the Velankanni festival? They simply replied that the daily masses prayer in different languages like English, Tamil, Malayalam and Marathi during the festival.Atlast the whole family members were astonished by the informations which were given by me.They invited me wholeheartedly to visit their native place, kerala and then they exchanged with me their mobile numbers. I promised them to visit their native place within that year.In the meanwhile, I noticed a tonsured boy who was nearly seven years old and he was sleeping in his grandma's lap.The shouting of the tea and samosa vendors made the boy to awake from sleeping.He urged his grandpa to buy and give him a samosa.His grandpa bought two samosas through the train's window and gave them to him.while he was eating samosa he noticed me.He pointed me and asked his grandma who I was?.The grandma said that I was a co-passenger just like him.He also asked her why I was sitting with our family members.His grandma said that his grandpa had allowed him to sit with us.After the boy had eaten the samosas ,he continued his questioning.He asked his grandma where I was going to?.Her grandma told him that she didn't know about me.She also advised him to inquire about me to his grandpa.Then he jumped towards his grandpa and asked about me.His grandpa said that I was going to Thanjavur.Likewise he asked so many questions about me and co-passengers in the compartment of the train.He turned my side and said that his grandson was a naughty boy.I told him that most of the kids were very naughty and troublesome nowadays.Soon the next station had come.The tea and samosa vendors shouting made the passengers to tempt for drinking and eating tea and samosa.The boy asked his grandpa to buy a cup of tea for him.His grandpa called the tea vendor and bought a cup of tea for him.He also said that the tea was very hot and handle it carefully.The tea was too hot to handle and he was not able to bear the heat.The train moved after a few minutes.The boy walked with the hot tea slowly towards his grandma's seat.Suddenly he poured the hot tea on my white shirt and black pant.I felt the hotness of the tea and got up hurriedly.The grandpa shouted the boy and his grandma pulled the boy and beat him on his back severely.The boy cried bitterly and ran towards his mother who was sitting nearby seat.The grandpa and the grandma of the boy apologised to me.They said sorry for so many times and requested me to pardon his grandson's mistake.I didn't know what to do?.I went to the train's restroom and washed my shirt and pant.The tea stain was not disappeared from the white shirt.I was a man of wearing neat dress and always maintaining dress code very well.I was totally disappointed but my file was saved luckily.When I returned from the rest room I noticed a vacant seat infront of the family member's seats.I went slowly towards the seat and sat on it.The family members had seen my saddened face.The naughty boy looked at me fearfully.Even I didn't have the courage to see them directly.They felt that I didn't not sit with them was a great punishment for them.Their face had reflected the horrible incident which was done by their naughty boy.Even I didn't turn back to their side.When the train had reached the Thanjavur railway station I went towards to exit with the head bending.I closed the tea stain with my file and got down from the train silently.I hurt the noble hearts of the Christian family members.I felt that I had nailed the whole family members on the cross.Atlast I turned back slowly and saw the train with my dimmed eyes.The train moved towards its own destination with different stories.
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