College kai lai khawng summer vacation chiang bang diak a inn lam mah mah a zat nuam kisa chiat hiven, lawmte toh train ticket bulk in kha nih ma’n ka la uhi. Exam zou innlam pai ding ngak ahi mai. Vaipathian thohma a kisa, college dorm i nutsiat a le khua vak nai lou, Chennai Central railway station i hong tung bang chu ki phe lep lep mai ai chu. Kholum in hon na muak pah a. Khua vak plih phelh chih ding in ka tuan na ding uh train hong ki khin niit niit ta chu nuam ei inn apat 3000km+ agam la. "Inn kon zuan, inn kon zuan khial nawn lou ding in" chih dan chu hivial lou. Ka lawmte khat Sam kichi, Darjeling apat tawh ka ki thuah tuam deuh se ua. Amah' pianpih pau leh namdang pau li leh nga khawng thei leh pausiam ahih khah ken le ka phattuampih na mah mah khat hi kiit zel.

Zing ann ne zou, the telegraph newspaper ka sim zoh in dak 10 bang  ana hita. Sleeper class S10 lower berth side a om te hiven ka seat, ihmut zual ka sawm a ka kisak lai in ka zinpih lawm numei te boogie dang a tuangte kiang a va pha te sithunam zen in hong tai phei duam duam mawk ua. "Bang chi uh e, lauh mel theih chih na uh chia!" ka chih le hon dawng om lou in toilet lam a khuttal un a kawk zo zot mawk uhi. Bang va tuak kha le uh amai de aw chi kawm in ka lupna'ng puanphah ka bawl zom zel. Sam kiang ah, "Sam, bang va mu kha uh a ilawm numeite'n?" chi a ka dot le, hong nui ek ek a. "Bang ziak a na nuih maw?" chi a ka dot nawn le ama sa'ng mah in ngaih zaw sem in hong nui tei tei a. "Na nuihtawp chiah hon hilh mai in le" chi'n ka lupsan hi.

Lum mah leng ka ihmut a suah tuan louh ziak in ka novel lei thak "When Lightning Strikes" sim di'n ka hong khonung kisak thak hi. Ka tu tou a, sim pan chih ding in, ka liangkou hong ki beng thauh thauh a, "Bhai a" chih numei aw dan chet toh kituak ka zak tawh ki ton in ka biang hon sik sak cheuh cheuh zomah lai. Ken leng ka laibu sim khup in, ka et touh le a khutpek hon dawh hi. Kei leng paa deuh chih ding hia aihkale ki gos sak sim in namsate chi dan in ka khutpek nih thuap let lat kawm in, " Bhen, mera bhajan mein hung tho badh mein aja", kisuanglah sim ahi ngei ding bang  dang gen lou in hon paikheng vanglak. Thumna nei ka hi den lam chiah hong kik thak in chih chu ka hi peuhmah ka vaipau theih sun sun in.  Kizen ta kawi zo zen. Ka laibu sim bible dan a ngaihtuah leng a hi mai kha diam ah ka khonung ngaihtuah thak kik le.Gilkial gawp ka lawmte ann/lunch hon order sak ngak in ka ngaklah gawp. Dak1 bang hong gintaak hial chian hong pe khong ua, deihkhop lou sim chuh ka hi peuhmah nahtang ka nek beh lai hi. Train sung a ann kizuak te khah a gim/taste hih Assam state te bawl gim ka sa se mawk ven. Suunung dak nih lak in ka ihmut hong suak in ka lawmpa kiah ka kiat le na hong phong di aw ka chi hi.

Zan khat leh sun nih bang ka hong ki sawi touh nek nek chiang un New Jalpaiguri railway station tun na'ng dakkal khat in a sam hi. Ka zun suah sim toh toilet kon zuan hi. Sunnung lam dak3 lak hi'n ka thei. Zun tha khin kik dia ka kisak le, khat single seat a tu lusu sim diai diai in adang khat pen kong bul (exit) ah newspaper phah a tu ka tuak hi. Kin tak in ka compartment ka zuan a, ka lawmpa Sam ka va sam hi. "Sam, koi lak kitung ta a? Ken ka mi muh ut te nih ka va tuak kha tua toilet kiang a tu uh, va houpih ni". Sam khah vaila khawng sa a tongpeleng tawh mi a na tok phur hi ven huai hun in. Ka gen hon ngaihsak lo khol lou sim, "Kya hu a?". Ken le dong thak nawn in, "Koi mun ki tung ta a?". A tongpeleng  tum hong khawl in, "NJP ki tung dek eimah ve, pai aw le a om lai lai un" chi'n hong ki sa hi.

Single seat a tupa paa threk throk in chin maingal huai lou ka sa tuak ua, exit bul a tupen ka va lawm bawl zaw mai uh. Coffee zuakte hong pai toh kituak hunlem la in ka lawmpa'n Bengali pau in, "Lawm, coffee i dawn khawm ding uh aw?" a hon chih le hong nui sei sai in, "Ka gilkial toh, kipak" hon chi pah a. Ka lungsim in ah eh kamsiam na e! Kou leng newspaper phah in ka tu til tel uh hi ka thum un. "Lawm, kei ka min Sam, amah Mang. Kou maw na tanchin thei nuam, na hon hilh thei diam?" chi'n coffee dawn kawm in ka hon dong ta uhi. A tu'ng in chuh ut khollou sim a bang. Ken bengali pau thei lou ka hihman in, mangkangpau in ka dong a, ka lawmpa'n amau pau in hon let sak (translate) zel hi. Atangthu hiai bang in hon gen hi.

“Ka pian in ka taksa bukim lou, ka zunthakna leng a omkei phial. Ka pianna khua ahih le NJP railway station apan km34 a gamla. Ka pian nitak in ka nu hi'n ka pa hileh khoisa vung vung leh lungkham tak om ahih a khonung in ka hon thei ka hong pichin in. Ka pianni zing nitak in kho mi pi'n hi chibang naungek khosung a om thei lou ding, pai khia un chi'n hong kipun khawm ua. Ka pa'n leng kho mipi khem in naungak lem bawl tawm in diil ah amit ngei mah ua a muh di'n apai hi”. “Phalvak ma deuh in ka lawmte, hiai a tupa heu in ka inn uah hong pai in hong la uh. NJP khah ka mun pi uh ahi. Hoihtak in hon kem ua, kum li kum nga khawng ka hong phak chian ki zep ding dan, pau, laam leh laa sak khawng banah numei te gamtatdan hon sinsak uhi. Kum 14 ka hong phak in nektak zon ding dan hon sinsak ua, hiai munpi kalkhat sung ka nuse zel uh. India state pumpi ka phak louhna a om kei ding. Tun kum 27 ka hi ta. Solkal in panpihna kou te a ding in stipend kha khat in Rs.1500 hon pe zel. Atam tawp in mi li ka kizui ua, sum dong in train sung ah ka vak deuh sek uh. Khenkhat kholak khawng ah. Nou bang a taksa bukim nei te khenkhat chiah ka eng tun tun. Zum leh zah khual lou in mi leng ka subuai thei mah mah uh chih ka thei. Nipi kal khat sung sumdong in ka zin khia ua, ka ngah zah zah uh ka munpi uah ka pekhawm sek uh. Tua dakkal kim khat ching nawnlou a tung ding ka hi ta uh”.

Kam ka heu hou in ka lawmpa hon kam let ka na ngai khia khia hi. Tawl khat chu hong khase sim a, a sari bat in hong kinul hi. Sam kiangah, "Tu tung a sum don khiat zah uh bang zah khawng pha a bang a zang uh hiam chih hon dong lai in" ka chih le, "Theitui i dawn pih lai dia kon dong ding" chi'n a zun tha din hon din khiatsan hi. A mel ka et chian hehpih huai kasa mah mah. Etlawm kasa mawk ven! A khutzung ngat zit zet, a sari pink,a mittang dum kir ker, a nail polis colour leh a lipstick toh. Numei chiah chiah a hi mai. Mingou sim ahi a, a dinsan dan le 5'6" ft bek a hi ding.

Ka lawmpa leng sawtlou kal in theitui hon tawi a atanchin ka hon dong nawn uhi. “Ka sungkuante’n "Mira" chi'n ka min di'n hon phuahsak mah le uh hiai mun apan khang khia ka hi a, ka heutunu'n ka min di'n "Yehuda" chi'n hon sam. Hiai munpi ah ka nu'n kha khat in nihvei hong pha zel zel. Sumtam lou ka neih te bang kana hawm sek. Kap kawm a hon paisan chiang bang in ka zui ut tun tun mai. Ka pianna khosung lut phallouh ahih mah mah ka ngaihtuah chiah ka kha sia. Ka pa bel teklei bawl a nasem sungkuan khosak enkol ahi a, tuni tan dong in le a mel ka munai kei. Muhleng ka ut mah mah ka sungkuanpihte. Sanggam numei 3 ka nei chih ka nu'n hon hilh a, ka munai kei khat lel leng. Kum 45 ka phak chiang in ka tawldam (retired) ta ding a, huai ni chiang ka ngaklah”. Sam, "Yehuda, kon panpih theih dan uh om hiam?" chi'n ka lawmpa'n a hon dot le, "Den in na lawmte'n akigawm in cheng sawm leh nga hon pia uh. Den a pasal khat in hon thusim louh dan ka ngaih tuah le ka heh sim a.." chi kawm in a hong khase lo thak mawk ven. Kou leng a zia ngakkawm in a theitui dawn ding ka pia uhi. Hon gen zom zel in, "Ka munpi uh hong pha thei le uh chin kon deihsak mah mah. Tua tung ding petmah ka inn uh. Hi chi bang a non houlimpih uh ka ki pak lua. Ka tuah pat na leng ahi. Ka mangngilh ngei kei ding ka damsung in". Ka tuanna train uh horn hong ging chiai chiai in hong awltai sim ta. Amunpi uh NJP train station (West Bengal) tung phial ka hi mai uh.

Alawmpa ihmu hit hit hon phawng in, kum di'n hong kisa uh hi. Ka lawmpa'n bengali pau a kigelh gospel pamphlete khat tuak pia in mangpha chi'n chibai kibuk in ka kikhen uhi. Train a pat a kum khiat un ka en tum veng veng mai a. Tua lai a ka ngaihtuahna a hong lut thil khat bel, amaute kiangah hotdamna thu bang chi’n i gen thei ding hiam!? Amaute mullit thoh maimah aihka le tuam koih i hi hiam?

PS: Palm Sunday nitaklam March 2003 aituh hiai conversation