A Conversation to remember - Sachkhand Express

16th Feb’20, 2:30 PM,

Pachora Station(Maharashtra)

I was seated on my berth , diagonally staring out as I was trying to avoid to look at my Papa who was standing on the Platform besides my window. As it was housewarming at my Uncle’s Place, So it was my overnight visit to my Parents and relatives.The train blew its horn,

And the Announcement - Yatri Kripaya Dhyan de ,12716 – Sachkhand Express thode hi der me platform number Ek se chalne ko taiyar hai.

Papa kept his caressing hand on my head and said(In Marathi) –

Beta tabiyati chi kalji ghe ani vele war jevat jaa.

(Beta, Take Care of your health and eat food on time)

The train started and so the tears in my eyes which I was holding from long time. With heavy heart I said Bye Pappaji and kept looking at him from the window until the train took speed and he vanished.

In this Sentimental Mode , I almost forgot that there were other people around in the boogie too. Aunty sitting in seat front of me asked me in her affectionate voice in Punjabi-

Beta naraj na ho, Fer Milan aa jae apne Maa Payyo nu. Tussi kithe challe oo.

(Beta, Don’t be Sad. Do come and visit your Mom Dad Again. Where are you traveling to ?)

I replied in Hindi - Hmm…Ji Aunty..Pune.

Accha aae train pune v jandi aa

(So this train goes to Pune too)

Nahi Aunty Ji..Break Journey hai. Yaha se Manmad, Manmad se Kalyan aur fir waha se Pune. Direct train kaafi late thi.

And all the talks , series of Q&A’s she asked made me forget the recent Emotional departure with Papa –

Kaffi durr pe janda hai, Kaddo takk ponnchna tussi , Tussi ki karde oo, Tussi kadi Amritsar aye oo..

(Its really Far to travel, When will you reach BTW, What do you work, Have you ever visited Amritsar)

Nahi Aunty,Par aana hai Amritsar. Hum Manali jaate wqt Haryana aur Chandigarh aaye the, aur Highway par dher saare Kinnu bhi khaye the.

She laughed whole heartedly when I mentioned Kinnu and asked Accha Putar aapko pasand aaye the kinnu.

(Kinnu – A citrus fruit which looks like Orange and grown in Punjab region)

Haan bohot zyada Aunty.

She took a kinnu from her bag and said Sadde khett de hai aae ... Twade lae hi akhri bacheya hoya si menu lagda hai

(Those are from our Fields, It’s the last one. I think it was for you only.)

I hesitated saying - Nahi aunty maine kuch der pehle hi khana khaya hai . Aap kha lijiye.

The whole boogie was reserved by their relatives.They were visiting Gurudwara at Nanded for Darshan. Even they insisted me - Kha lo puttar.

I couldn’t say No any more.

She opened the cover of kinnu for me and gave it to me…Lo Putar…

I said - Thank you Soo Much Aunty.. :)

I ate one bite and that Juicy Extract….Yummyy…I literally closed my eyes to enjoy its taste..So sweet and tasty it was.

She told me about their fields in Amritsar, her Grand Children. She was telling about Guru purab Celebration which they had few months back. And the people whom they feed in the langar.

I was always keen about the reason behind the langar which Sikh people gave whole heartedly to every person, so asked her the same. To that she responded –

Guru Nanak Dev Ji kehnde si seva karan to manukhata aur pyar baddh janda aae ... Aur harr manukhh da aae hi kaam hai ...

(Guru Nanak Dev Ji says – Serving People promotes Humanity and Love. And this is the true Purpose of Every Person)

Tussi chidiya khett Chugh gi atte saccha sauda walli sakhhi sunni aa ya ni ... Me sanandi aa tenu

(I’m not sure if you have heard of the Stories Birds ate all the Field Seeds and True Business. I will tell you.)

Guru Nanak Dev Ji de pitaji ne unna nu khett di rakhwali karan lae khett ch pejeya si , jaddo oo khett ch ponche ta vekheya ki chidya danna Chugg rahe si ,uunna ne vekheya ki aae sarri chidiya bhukhii hai.

Te oo sarri chidiya nu balla balla kar keh rahe si " khao ri chidiya bhar bhar pett". Jaddo unna de pitta g uthe aaye ta sarri chidiya nu uddan lagge. Tadd gurunanak dev ji ne unna de pitta g nu kehha - Inna nu na bhagaoo sab rabb te chadd deooo , rabb nu sab di chinnta aa , saddi v ta aae chidiya di v.

(Nanak Ji's Father asks him to take care of the Fields and keep birds away from eating Seeds. But he realizes that Birds are hungry so he invites them by raising hands to have the seeds. Listening to this incident his Father rush into the fields and was shooing away the birds. To this Guru Nanak Dev Ji Says - Don't shoo them away Father. God worries for everyone - Which includes you and birds too.)

My younger Sister is big Fan of Punjabi Songs, so due to her I was little habitual to listen to Punjabi. But what Aunty was speaking was purest Punjabi and It was not at all easy for me to understand. In between her Grand Children were coming , smiling at me and then running away. But I was completely focused on listening to her.

Aunty told me about Saccha Sauda story(Where Nanak Ji ‘s Father gives money to him to make a business but he spends it on Sadhus Food because they were hungry) and other important aspects too.

I simply realized , Doing good to the people is the way of a Sikh. Sharing with the needy, makes their day. The true bargain(Saccha Sauda) of life is sharing one's earning with the needy and helping in whatever way they can.

Then she sitting cross legged bent forward towards me and continued – Puttar tenu pata aa, sabto waddi ek cheez jo sabto Jada jaruri aa, oo ki aa ?

(Beta, There is one thing which matters a lot and should be known to everyone. Do you know what is it ? )

Kya..?

Changi Soch.

(Good thinking)

Tussi bas apne karam changi tarah bannande challe jaoo Beta ji. Jidda de beej bonne udda da hi fal mil jana . Change karam lae beej aae hi aa ki changi sochh rakho.

(You just focus on making your Good Karma. As you will reap what you will sow, So Good thinking is like a seed for Good Karma.)

(In my Mind)..Hmmm…Changi Soch..

Gurubani ch guru nanak dev ji kehnde aa " ek onkar" sarreya nu bannon walla ekko hi rabb aa.

(In Guruvani, Nanak Dev Ji says “Ek Onkar” – that means there is only one Creator )

Jadd aapa sarre ek aa ta bair kis gall da.

(When we are all one, then why do we need to hold anger for anyone)

Koi tere naal kidda da vyavhar q na kare , tau agar dil to sachi aa aur teri soch bhi changi aa ta bes sabar rakhna penda hai, Aur sab rabb te chodd do. O sab kuch vekh lende hai.

(Even if anyone behaves bad or rude to you, If your heart and your thinking is good then Just have Patience and leave it on God. He will take care of everything.)

Deeedee..Diidii.. couple of little kids came towards us. Aunty and me stopped talking and laughed looking at them and our conversation broke.

Kids were showing me their new toys, the ones they bought in the train. They were making me understand how to play with it. They had numerous talks and things to share and I didn't realized how the time Passed.

It was Manmad Station, I said – Aunty Mera station aa gaya.

Arey Putar , aa gaya Manmad.

Haan Aunty Ji. Mai nikalti hu. Aapse baat kar k bohot accha laga.

Sannu v beta . Tussi bahott pyari ho aate hasdi bahot changi lagdi oo. Hunn kadi rona ni. Thikk hai.

(Same here beta. You look good when you smile so never cry again, Okay ? )

I simply laughed and she hold my cheek.

I got down from the train and came back to the window to bid her and those little kids Good Bye again. She laughed whole heartedly and said Bye Beta ji.

While crossing the Platform , word “Changi Soch” was just there in my mind. I was wondering I have traveled in train so many times but haven’t came across any person like her. What would be the reason behind this meeting and conversation.

From past few days I had observed that I was left with low confidence. Our thinking now a days is the response to the events which occur in our life. If events are good, then we think good.

But there are few passed events which orbit in your mind continuously and gives birth to the negative thinking cycle. It leaves the traces of fear and anxiety on your present moments and hold you from giving your 100% in your day to day Challenges. You think Failure in one past task will bring failure in upcoming tasks too and It becomes difficult for us to be hopeful for good to happen.

As aunty said – Assi kidda changga soche ,sache dil to apna kaam karo jave , sabar rakhe aur baki sarra rabb te chod de ... Rabb sarra kuch vekh lende hai

(The thing is - You just need to have good heart, think good, Work honestly and Have Patience. Leave it upto God, He will take care of everything.)

PS – I didn’t remembered what exact words were said by Aunty. I summarized her sentences in Hindi and One of my Sisters Bestiee(Jaggu) translated it in Punjabi for the blog. Thank You so much Jagpreet for the translation.