Neelesh Misra

On the countless train journeys that Neelesh Misra has undertaken as a journalist-author-radio storyteller, there's one that stands out. "I used to study in Nainital and would come home to Lucknow whenever I could. At the time, I was fascinated with the idea of finding a stranger, a female, on a long-distance train and hoping that a story would evolve around it," he recalls. One of the first things Misra would do before boarding the train, was scan the list of passengers and look for the three names around his seat. "I would be thrilled if there was a girl around 20 years old, and be crestfallen on discovering that there's an elderly aunty or uncle next to me. I think that was a defining part of the journey for every young male passenger," he says. If at all, he did get lucky and there was a female co-passenger, he had to ensure that he wouldn't come across as a 'lafanga' during conversations. "I never tried to share food because there were chances of the girl getting offended. I was aware of where to draw a line and also had an idea of what might work. But, for all my efforts, none of the stories got anywhere," he laughs.