Details of a travel chipped in my brain cells

5-7-2005, from my home after extra relaxing myself.

The trip to the capital city of Maharashtra was eventful.

The first thing that happened to me was bitter experience.

I was happily sitting in the bus to Arakkonam with a kid of a thin, suffering mother in my lap, getting the soft and opulent feeling of a baby in my bust.

When I got down near the Railway station, I was hungrily looking for a book shop to buy my favourite Reader’s Digest. When I browsed my bag for money, I found that the three hundred rupees I had rolled around my duplicate driving license was missing.

I pulled out the standby purse from my bag, paid for the digest and calmly placed myself in a bench in the noisy platform. I felt like everyone was looking at me pathetically for losing money in the very first step of my journey.

I was feeling stupid and trying to guess where I had lost it. I couldn’t find any loopholes at all. The thief must have been very brilliant or it must have simply fallen down somewhere along with the license, since the other rupee notes were intact in the purse.

Anyway in ten minutes I had started to forget this because I should not feel that I am a loser.

Then in one and a half hours, I started my journey in Mumbai Express.
My coupe was packed already with a newly married couple in front of me, two middle aged guys above me and myself couched in the lower berth with the seat number, which is craven by world beauties (it is 36 ;-)

I sat there and started gazing outside, soon Andhra Pradesh appeared in front of my eyes. I don’t have a flare for Eastern Ghats. However when I imagined myself working for Hornbill populations of Eastern Ghats, I had started loving the dry ranges to some extent and felt a curiosity about visiting them. One of my family’s own houses is constructed at the foothills of the broken Eastern Ghats and it has a scenic beauty in the evenings with the second largest lake of Tamil Nadu (Kolavaa lake) lying nearby.

Back from nostalgia, the huge landscapes expanded in front of my eye and disappeared faster than they appeared because of the train movement.

The hues of the farmlands were far-fetched for human understanding of colors. The clouds had shadowed certain areas, the rain has colored certain areas, and the cattle dung had painted its dark tinges along the margin of the farmlands.

The total picture was a feast for eyes.

In the evening, it had started to rain - the most wonderful of nature’s gifts.

I tasted a few drops, when the couple in the opposite had grown more cold and hot and started touching each other that distracted me a bit.

I flashed my mind with my beloved in my frame. It brought a warm feeling and excitement inside my body. Immediately I shivered I cannot stop this and I got to attend an interview in two days.
A full stop that was sharp and bold was drawn on that thought.

I started gazing back at the sexy landscapes. Soon fell asleep and night fell.

In between I had given missed calls to my friends and family.
And felt happy and revived reading their friendly messages and felt that I am a rich human being.

It was 6.30 am when I woke up to find that it was still raining.
The window panes were covered with rain droplets, the sun has hidden behind clouds still.

There was the virgin earth in front – it was Kandala, passing Pune.
Oh, the most beautiful railway route in India – with so many tunnels.

It was a wild journey – we had reached Western Ghats and that had a thunder running through me. It was like Silent Valley, the routes covered with threads of water streams and silver cascades; the huge black rocks patterned with wet water droplets, the dense mud covered with coffee nut brown water, the wind humid with the elixir of life.

People shut their windows insulting nature; I had always kept my windows and soul open for rain at any point of my life. I enjoyed the purity of the rainwater, fresh like baby’s smile, lively like the puppy love, light like the seed with wings germinated through anemophily… and so many such things…

The afternoon was there and so was Mumbai Chatrapathi Sivaji station; amazingly one hour before the scheduled arrival time…Kudos to Indian Railways!!!

I was amazed at the population, noise, crows, pigeons, rats, cats, plumpy dogs, dirty bed sheets, the announcements, the digital displays showing electric trains tracks and routes…. And so many amazing things of a cosmopolitan city.

I started to wait near plat form ticket counter for the friend I was supposed to get help from. I was mentally calculating the figure I am going to meet, whether the following two days will be full of adventures and interesting talks?

Whether he will be as adventurous as his relative who brought the Kunthi water for mixing with Vodka? Who showed me shades of adventures and tinges of thrill.

Suddenly someone disturbed me with a question ? "Kaise he, Kithna he?" with a nasty winking of his ugly eye and horrible dentures showing out…

I hastily moved away and found the reservation hall more safe. Unfortunately I dint know the Hindi word for "mother fucker"…otherwise I would have called him by that, he is one.

The reservation hall was huge, centrally air conditioned, buzzing with people and activity. I felt safe there and I did my favorite job – people watching.

I watched some interesting people and felt satisfied.
He arrived after one and a half hours – he was looking like a guy who is perfect and good. So I can definitely not have an interesting time; only slightly bad guys can be interesting ;-)
We went to the hotel and the room was really more than what I expected – A/c,TV, walled with mirrors… wow.

He left me by 6 pm, and then I started enjoying privacy.

Wow – I watched TV, went for a walk, called up my beloved ones and spoke for a long time and fought too ;-)

Then I ordered for some tea – they served a mug of tea which can be around three glasses. I devoured it happily.

By 8.30 pm, I ordered for Rotis and curry and again a mug of tea; It costed me 120Rs. Ho... Sometimes luxury is required ;-)
I watched Jhankaar Beats and Flavors movie till 1 am.

They were funny movies and somehow I liked both of them. I enjoyed watching them and slept happily.

Around 3 am, I woke up because the maxilla of the bed mite had chewed a bit from underneath soft skin of my right breast.

I killed that fellow immediately and switched the A/C to full swing and pulled the rug till my head and went to a cozy sleep.

I woke up by 7.30 fresh as a babbler after a bath. Took a cold shower, worn minimal dress and ordered for Cheese Sandwich and a mug of tea with Times newspaper.
Read newspaper till 9.00 crunching the sandwich and gulping half of the mug.

Then I started dressing, and pinned the dhuppata for half-an-hour. It should look formal, slightly casual and the lighter shades should be exposed(it had two shades).
And rehearsed the question and answers for three times in front of the mirror, studying and altering my body language and accent, facial expression, lip movements and direction where my eyes looked.

Oh it was 11 then, when he came and we checked out, took electric trains (where I resumed with face watching) and reached CST, took a cab to BP office.
He was not an interesting guy at all. However he is a very helpful guy and took proper care of me.
The interview was over and I was back with other events (Mr.Rohan) and now at home.
Since today morning, I had been getting scolding from my mom, sis and other beloved ones.
I have promised myself to stay calm.
There is happy news however; I am going to Coimbatore this week end to meet my friends
Bye then