Fifty shades of money

Well, I never believed in the phrase which says that a picture used says thousand words, I've always felt and I still feel that a picture needs at least hundred words to describe and explain many things. A picture completely misses to show the anecdote that is associated with clicking that, the moments that made that picture memorable and I feel that those are more important than the picture itself. Sometimes the stories are so awe-inspiring that the picture stays us forever in our mind.

Like it happened now. I was looking for a topic to write my blog on. Just closed my eyes and this picture was in front of my eyes, and I was like 'bingo', there's another untold story. But before I start telling my story, I want you guys to have a look at this particular photo and tell me what do you guys think about it. What story does it tell you? The guy in the photo is one of my closest friends, infact no less than my brother Manmeet Singh Gumber. What will possibly be the reason of him standing there with a Rs. 50 note in his hand and a glum face???

Well if you guys are done guessing, Let me come to the point. Let me take you back to 2009. To be exact 20th January 2009. Manmeet came to Kolkata for the first time to visit my house, which is at about 40 kms outskirts of Kolkata. So after we spent some great days at my place, a day prior to his departure, we went to do some shopping in Kolkata, we roamed around the whole day, ate a lot and came back to Sealdah station to catch down Diamon Harbour local at 6.00pm. Because Sealdah is the first station when the train comes to platform, the daily passengers jump up to the train to occupy the better seats before everyone else. So seeing this 'jumpy act of bravery' by the dailies on other trains, the Sikh blood started boling in my otherwise pure vegetarian friend, and he prepared himself to jump in and get the best seat. 
 
Now as I was a daily passenger myself for sometime during my college days, I knew the rules of getting in a South Bengal local train and I had told Manmeet, not to perform any such stunt. The train came, full of people and same number of people were waiting at the station to board the train. I told Manmeet to wait, let me go in and keep a seat for him. But Mr. Gumber, just to prove his courage, gave it a shot. He actually got up fighting through the flow of descending people. He came up to me smiling and in his eyes I could see that self satisfying smile. But it lasted less than a fused filament does. As he touched his pocket he realised that his wallet has been picked and apart from the money all his cards and papers are gone with it. The whole journey back home was a nightmare for him as he was figuring out what all were there.

The next morning he woke up and came up to our terrace and he had the 50 rupee note with him. Apparently that was the only form of money that was left with him after the incident. Though the incident was not funny, his expressions made it funnier and decided to capture it through his own camera. There he was, standing on my terrace, my friend with only piece of Gandhiji he had. Unforgettable one, isnt it?