Ayush Baweja, Class X G
The moment Johnson stepped down from the train, he was greeted at the platform by the people of his small town. They had gathered there with garlands and a band’s loud music added to the cacophony.
Johnson stood dazed. He was sure he got off at the right stop; he even recognized some of his neighbours. In the small town of Panjam, everyone seemed to know everyone else. So he couldn’t have been mistaken for someone else.
After his vacation to Goa had flopped, he was uninterested in any more commotion. He called for the band to silence and went over to Mr. Jai Jain, the Mayor. He asked him what all the celebration was about.
For a second, the Mayor seemed astonished and then understood. He replied, ‘Don’t be so modest. We all saw you on TV yesterday. You’ve really put the town of Panjam on the map!’
All of a sudden, it clicked to Johnson what was going on. They must’ve seen Johnson on some regional news channel after the incident in Goa but didn’t understand what the news was really about. Johnson flushed red and then pale. How could he tell these people that he was wanted?
In Goa, he was mistaken for a notorious thief. Ever since, wherever he would go, the police would chase him and he would narrowly escape only after proving his identity. He had even seen a picture of himself in a Goan daily. How could he break it to these innocent people that the ‘Hero of Panjam’ was just a thief’s look-alike?
