It was a much needed break from the material city life. Material city life? Yes, that is what I meant to say. These days I think about it a lot and I really wonder if I am in the rat race as well? There is no doubt I am in the race. I have a job, EMI, tax return file, resume on naukri.com, responsibilities which I am procrastinating, credit card and my (many) aspirations.
On this ride I met this German guy at Toni Da Dhaba, Kamshet. He came in riding on his Royal Enfield Electra, and he had the world’s largest backpack on his back. After a critical analysis of his motor-cycle, my eyes went to his backpack. And they couldn’t move. Is he a new generation of hippie who travels with luxuries? Someone who has his entire wardrobe with him including his cuff links, perfumes and hangers. I was wondering what can possibly be in that huge bag.Is he a rat with a backpack?
“Your bikes are lot cleaner than mine” he said with a smile. He was fair (off course he got a table first, though we were there before him in waiting list), he was almost 6”2 (I bet anything smaller couldn’t carry that bag) and he had a face of a kid. I smiled back. Then a conversation followed, which I won’t be able to forget in times to come.
I smiled back and said “Yeah. Hello. Where are you from?” Though, I actually wanted to say ‘Yeah. What’s in that bag dude?’
“Hello. I am from Germany and I have been living in India for two years now.”
“Wow. Two years? Where all have you been riding?”
He smiled “not much. I have been living here”
“What do you do here?”
“I fly”. He answered simply, as if it’s a no big deal at all.
Then it struck me like lighting. Kamshet is known for Para-gliding and it must be his gear in that bag.
I asked “Para-gliding?”
He smiled “Yup”
I threw the big question now “and is that your gear in that bag?”
He said “Yup.” He added “But we might just move on from here.”
“We? Who is we here?” Though I knew it will be his hippie friends.
“Me, my wife and my two kids” he answered.
I was surprised. He sure belongs to some different genre. “That’s nice” is all I could say.
“My wife is an Indian. She doesn’t want to go to Germany because it will be too cold for her. So we have decided to move to Spain. She thinks she will like it.” He tells me in a matter of fact way.
“She also flies here?” I asked, thinking how lucky his wife actually is.
“No. She runs a guest house here. “By this time he was all set with his gear on his Electra. He was about to leave. Another question came to my mind.
“What will you do in Spain?”
He laughed. A child-like carefree laugh. “Don’t ask me that”. He kicks his Electra. “I will live” smiles, waves and rides to Kamshet.
Those last two words just stuck on me. I kept thinking and thinking about it. Some people indeed have their life, purpose and family sorted out.
I have things which I am passionate about and I follow these passions to the best of my ability. Rats do not follow passions, I believe. And there are certain other characteristics of rats that I don’t comply with. So maybe I am a different kind of rat - A rat who is not too interested in the cat and mouse thing. But then it leads me to an entirely new set of questions. Questions, fuck-ups, dilemma, pressures and more questions … what will I do about it?
The very next moment, visual of that German on his motor-cycle comes to my mind. Kicks off, waves, says “I will live.” and rides off ...
P.S. : 'The Departed' is one of my favourite films. Every time I hear the word 'rat', The Departed comes to my mind.
