After the Brazil-Switzerland group match, around 1 am, I lost my way on Rostov street among a deluge of football fans and their commotion. The place where I am put up is called Filiminovskya, but I was clueless on how to reach there. All the buildings and streets looked the same. What do I do? A man with an adorable puppy came by and understood my problem.
He opened Google Maps on his mobile phone and walked ahead of me. I followed him, with my heart in my mouth; Outside in an unknown place, with an unknown person, and that too, at night.
With each turn, I wondered if this was indeed the way to my place. In the end, it almost seemed like he was pulling me along with him, as if it was his responsibility to take me to my room.
We walked for about one hour. I lost hope, often thinking that it would be better to keep walking till dawn. Suddenly, there appeared a wall with ‘Om’ written on it in Hindi. When I had walked to my room the first time in the morning, I had noticed it. Finally, we reached the house numbered 329 on Filiminovskya street. There were tears in my eyes. I asked his name. German Droshin. He lives in Rostov itself. The words of the late Malayalam writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer came to mind―Is your name virtue?
This story doesn't end there.
I had a chance to get to know German when we met again for lunch the next day. And whatever poor impression I had about Russians disappeared into thin air. Though his name is German, he is actually Russian. A thoroughbred Rostov native. He taught at a nearby school. It is not a regular school but a special one for deaf-mute students.
Let's go there, German invited me. It was located within the city centre with several high-rise buildings within fences. As it was a holiday, there were no kids in school, but it was open and functioning. The classrooms were neat and clean. There were facilities for children to sleep and play. In fact, kids have all the facilities they need. But the same cannot be said for the teachers!
Out of curiosity, I asked German about the condition of teachers. The salary is 500 dollars, about Rs 35,000. It is enough to live in India but not in Russia. Though the Indian rupee and Russian rouble have more or less the same exchange value, the living cost in Russia is high. For example, tomato costs Rs 150 a kilogram in Moscow now. A black tea will set you back by Rs 100.
Like teachers, doctors too face the same problem.
Why are you clinging on to this place, I asked German. He smiled and pointed at the puppy. German was offered a job in the US. Since he couldn't take his puppy named Panya along with him, he rejected the offer. With no wife and kids, German has only Panya to shower his love on―and people like me who run into him occasionally!