I reached the Jorhat airport on a cool February afternoon. The flight from Guwahati felt like a family trip. Everyone knew everyone, except for me. I felt like a new comer in a hostel constantly on the threat of getting ragged. It was an indication of what was to come. A flight where everyone knows everyone means I am headed to a small city. It was a small city by all means.
The airport was a very small one and I guess the flight I came was the only commercial fight to Jorhat. The airport is more of a military base. I wanted to take a cab to the hotel. But there was none available. I got out of the airport hoping for some kind of transportation to the hotel. I see an auto stand a little ahead. I reached the auto stand and asked the first auto driver I saw to drop me to the hotel. He quickly agreed. I asked "Kitna" (How much). "Dho so" (₹200) he replied. Not having a clue on whether it was the right price or not and realizing whatever be the case I didn't have too many options, I agreed.
There was a young man in a blue shirt and jeans standing next to us listening to this conversation. His features indicated that he did not come from this side of the world. He asks me in flawless Hindi (flawless as far as my limited understanding of Hindi goes) "Sir, mere ko bhi town ki tarah janna he. Aap ok he tho mein bhi aake saath aaonga, sou rupee mein denge" (Sir, I also have to go towards the town. If you are ok, I ll come with you. I ll pay ₹100 of the ₹200 that you have to pay.) Realizing that the man did not look to be a native and hence realizing that my probability of getting robbed is less and also looking at the probability of getting robbed by the auto driver also gets significantly reduced when there are 2 of us (that's an engineer speaking), I reluctantly agreed
So we started our journey. My fellow passenger says that he is working with ONGC and he is travelling to a location that is 70 kilometres away from Jorhat and that he is going to town to catch a bus. He says he is currently based out of Ahmedabad and he is in Jorhat for a visit. Something in his face says that he is not from Ahmedabad.
I ask him from Hindi "so apka native kahan he" (where are you originally from). He says Kerala. As if i have found my sweetheart lost from the ages, I ask affectionately with a beaming smile "Malayali aanalle" (you are a Malayali!!). He replies with equal or more enthusiasm "athe" (yes).
I have never taken the phrase, "Wherever you go, you will find a Malayali there, even in moon" seriously. I felt it was just an over representation, even though I must confess that there were Malayalis in everyplace in India that I have been. I still remember a place called Karakambadi, a remote village in Andhra Pradesh, close to the temple town of Tirupati. The owner of the hotel where we stayed was a Malayalali and for some reason he was very suspicious of us. Maybe because we were Bachelors then and we had mischief written all over our face. But just imagine this. In the North East corner of India, on a place alien to me, the first person I meet is a Malayali and that too in a pooled auto rickshaw. Malayalis are indeed everywhere.
Binu (his name) and me then starts our conversation in Malayalam. He says that he was posted in Jorhat for 5 years in the past. He gives me an indication of the town, gives direction to the hotel that i am to stay and gets down in the bus stand. Our driver Montu seemer happier than the both of us that he facilitated the meeting of 2 Mallus in Jorhat.
I may never meet Binu anywhere again, but 2 things I know for sure. Firstly, Malayalis are there everywhere, I wouldn't be surprised even if they find one in moon. Secondly, a Malayali can always recognize another one.
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