BLACK NIGHT(MD. SHAHBAZ KHAN) I remember, it was the month of December. I was coming out of Sultanganj.
The train was very late that day. Local trains do not run in the night. It was Howrah-Jamalpur train which was not on time due to some technical reasons. I thought to sit on the berth of the station. I saw the time, it was 8:25 p.m. Suddenly I heard a sound, "Chay Garam Chay." This sound attracts passengers when they are on a journey. But I was not on any journey. It was on my daily routine to go up and down to Sultanganj. I called the Chaywala and he came quickly. "Give one glass of tea", I said. "Babu ji, here it is", Chaywala said after filling the tea in the glass and giving it to me. He was a child, age nearby 12 years. His front tooth was dirty due to having tobacco and some other intoxicating materials.

"Why do you sell tea?" I asked. "Sir, If I don't do it then how will I run my family?", the Chaywala replied. "Tell me, why do you take such intoxicating things?", I said hinting at his tooth. "It is none of your business," Chaywala showed his ill-manner. The Chaywala wore a dirty cloth but there was a different taste in his tea.

Soon the train arrived 30 minute late nearby 9:00 p.m. Passengers started taking their seats. I sat down on a berth and the train whistled and started. "It is none of your business", these words were pricking to my inner self. Well, I reached home peacefully and after the dinner I prepared few notes for my students and then I slept.

After 2 days the same incident took place, but this time the train was one hour late. Suddenly my cell phone rang. I saw it was a call from Anuj who studied in class VII in our school. I received the call, "Sir, I have a problem in understanding Tense. Will you please help me in it?" Anuj said. I saw the time by the watch. It was around 7:45. "Ok, I am coming. My train is late today." I walked down towards the streets of Sultanganj. In Sawan the streets look beautiful even in the night. The sky was calm, stars were twinkling because the night was moonless. Suddenly I saw an aged woman beating her child brutally and I heard too, "Bastard, you can't give me money while you have money for tobacco. The light of a van flashed on the face of the child. It was Chaywala. I wanted to interfere but suddenly a man stopped me, "Sir, don't go there. They are not good." It was Anuj's Dad. "Why?" I asked. "Actually Sir, she is the step-mother of this child and a prostitute. We are trying to wipe out the evils from our society but we are helpless due to our administration. They take benefit of it and remain silent," Anuj's father said in a monotonus tone. "Well, never mind", I said and entered in Anuj's home and taught him for a while.

I returned to the platform after teaching and I saw the Chaywala on the station. "Why was your mother beating you?" I asked. "It is none of your business", the same reply came in a depressed tone by the Chaywala. "Yes, it is not my job, but to give you a solution is my job", I tried to sympathise. "No need to help me Sir, I have a better solution." "What solution?" "It is none of your business", again he replied in a rebellious tone.

Well the train came. I saw him taking tobacco from the train. The train was about to start and I saw him running like mad. What happened that night I don't know. But I know I could not sleep peacefully due to the words, "It is none of your business." Though it was a black night, full of fog, but the darkness was thematic.

Next morning while taking tea at home I was reading a newspaper. Suddenly my eyes stopped on one of the headlines. "A 13 years old boy died in a train accident at Sultanganj." I read the whole news and tried to ask myself, "Why did he die and why did he do that?" And I felt a voice saying, "It is none of your business."

(S.KHAN)

FEW HINDI WORDS:
Chaywala - Tea-man
Chay - Tea
Garam - Hot
Sawan - An Indian month of Rain.

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