The Bombay Tragedy

I happened to read a recent post on Bohemian Rhapsody and i suddenly remembered a very similar incident that happened to me seven or eight years ago. Thought this would be an apt time to blog that. I think it was when i was in my second year of under graduation in college and for one of my holidays I decided to take a trip to Mumbai to explore the city. I boarded the train from kerala and this was not the Konkan route so this journey would take two days, but i didnt care. The longer the journey on a train, the better for me.

My father had given me close to Rs 1500, which according to him was a huge sum for one person to spend in Mumbai. The advantage was that i was staying with relatives and did not have to worry about my stay, but the sad part was that i did not have any friends in mumbai at that time. So, anyhow, i boarded the train and got into my 2nd AC coach and settled in. The train halted at Cochin and in walks a stunningly beautiful lady and I couldnt resist looking at her. I took my eyes off as i noticed that her husband was right behind her (damn). Imagine my excitement as she placed her bags right in front of my single seat. I was watching where her husband would take his seat, but it so happened that he had just come to see her off and he was not travelling with her (*sly smile*).

The train departed and she took her seat facing me. We exchanged smiles and the rest of the day passed without any conversation between the two of us. Its at times like these that i really curse my communication skills. On day 2, i wake up and take my seat again. Still no conversation but i did manage to steal a few glances at her often. Couldnt resist that. Maybe an hour or so later, she broke the ice and asked me my name. Imagine my relief. The conversation took off from there and in a short while we knew the basics. It appeared that her husband was a navy officer stationed at Cochin and she was going to her hometown in Punjab for a holiday. She expressed her interest in Philosophy and Psychology and we talked about that for a long time. By evening i guess we were running out of general topics to talk about.

She stares at my face for a long time, after which she says a few things about my personal life and family, which happened to be true. There was no way she could have know all that, but i swept it aside as very general assumption. Someone who is interested in psychology and philosophy, and has good observation skill could have guessed that, and chances are that they could be right. I did not take that seriously and start thinking that she had some amazing powers. However she made one statement, which at that time i did not take seriously. She said, "be careful, because i see that within the next three days you are going to lose a large sum of money". I laughed about it and soon even forget about it before i went to bed that night.

Woke up at 4am the next day and got off at Dadar, where one of my uncles received me and took me over to his place. I stayed at home most of the day and the only trips i made was to meet some of my relatives who lived in Mumbai. On the second day i decided to explore Mumbai and so i set out alone, with Rs 1500 in my wallet. Took one of those one day tour buses called "Mumbai Darshan" which would cover most of the important places in Mumbai. By afternoon the bus stopped near some garden and everyone disembarked and set off to explore the garden. I was on my way too, but was drawn to a small crowd on the road side. On taking a closer look i saw that it was a man who was playing some game with three cards where one could double his money. One out of the three cards has a star on it. He shuffles those cards and lays it face down. People place their bets on the card that they think has the star. If your guess is right, you get double of what u placed. The minimum amount for the bet was rs 50. I was excited. WOW...!! This is going to be easy cash. Trying to be smart, i observed the game for a long time, trying to understand his style and tricks.

When i thought i had mastered it, i placed my first bet for Rs 100, and lost it immediately. I was not going to give up so easily. I could recover the lost cash. My next bet was for rs 300. The outcome? Yes, you guessed it. I lost that too. Now come on, im not a quitter. I can succeed. So, i watch him lay the cards more carefully and place a crisp note of rs 500. I was thinking that i lost 400, and if i win this i would make an overall profit of 100 and i would be off, a richer man. I was sure i was going to win this. It all happened so fast. It was like i was hit by lightning, as i watched my 500 note disappear forever as he turned open the cards and i did not find the lucky star. I had rs 600 left with me.

A man with some common sense would have walked away atleast at this stage. My greed for more money was all over me and i decided that i would place one last bet for 500 and make 1000, and walk away happy. This time i was careful and more observant. The man lays down the three cards and i wait for others to make a move first this time. Two others who were among the crowd placed 500 each on two different cards. I knew that the lucky star was on the third one. I say my prayers and place another 500. I am just too embarassed to even mention the outcome. I was lost. I felt this sudden darkness come over me. I was shocked. I froze. How could i be so stupid. I wanted to shoot myself. I slowly pulled back to hide my shame from the crowd. I thought the best thing for me to do would be to continue watching the game and watch other poor loosers place their bets and lose some cash. That would make me feel better.

As i continued watching i noticed that the two people who were placing bets along with me were still playing the same game. They were having the same conversations with the new players that they had with me. Shit. The two of them were his accomplices and they were all in it together. I was completely duped. I have never felt so worthless in my life ever. To say that i felt worse than a load of crap would be an understatement. I almost wanted to cry. I walk back to the bus. The people board the bus and we take our journey back to where we started from. I couldnt think properly. I had just rs 100 left with me. There goes my holiday. I runied it and did a good job at it. Congratulations to me. My head felt empty. I couldnt think anything. On the bus ride back, one line i had heard before came to my mind and it stayed with me through the whole journey. You can guess which line that was, right?
"be careful, because i see that within the next three days you are going to lose a large sum of money".