Delhi Kalling…!!!!(PART-2)

Part II : (Delhi Kalling!!!!)

My bags are packed and i am ready to go to Delhi. My train is at 8 pm, still two hours to go. Whatever i cud fit in my bag, i have packed it all. Mom is busy preparing food for me which i will have it in the train. Meanwhile i was checking whether i am carrying all the essential documents or not. I don’t know y but i was sad somehow. I should have been happy because i have got what i wanted to but it was not true in case. I was going away from my home for the first time and it was not going to be easy in any case.

“Arjun , come and have dinner “ mom screamed.

“yep!!! Mom m coming….” i replied.

I sat on the table waiting for the dinner to arrive. Suddenly dad arrives. He ogles at my luggage as there was a bomb inside and i was a terrorist. He asks mom for the time of the train and then rings up the railway enquiry system to check whether the train is at right time or not. He informs that the train is at scheduled time and i should hurry up. Mom had made my favourite aloo paratha. I loved it. It was my favourite dish but today i was in no mood to eat it. I could see my mom’s eyes were filled with loving tears for her son and everyone in this world could have sensed it easily. Seeing it i felt like crying but somehow stopped myself. She asked me several checklist questions with those tear-filled eyes and it was nearly becoming impossible to answer those questions. I managed to nod my head as Indians do to answer checklists. People in India really speak a lot with their heads.They say yes and no with the same style of nodding of the head.  Finally i succumbed to her emotions and could not control myself. I got up, went to wash room and broke down there. There was no other option left i think. I went to wash room because i never wanted my mom to see my crying. I am a strong boy MOM…!!!!!

“ Arjun !! take the curd ….” mom said.

“ i will get cold mom….no i will not have it. You know i am allergic to curd. “ i replied.

“ Ohho !! Atleast taste it. Its good to have curd while you are going out for a journey. It is good luck… “ mom said angrily.

I just had a spoon of curd. I checked my wallet for the ticket as dad was insisting whether you have got the tickets or not.

“ Beta !!! take this also. It is Tuesday and it is considered good for journey on Tuesday…” mom said.

It was a small slice of ginger. According to traditional Hindu culture, eating ginger on Tuesday while you are going out is considered good luck. I just asked myself what was that curd for then. I thought the curd was universal for every day and the ginger specifically for Tuesday. Somehow i managed to eat a tiny slice of ginger. Dad went to bring a cab and asked me to wrap up all the things fast. I was all set but not ready to go though. I had been brought up normally with all the feasible wishes accomplished but i was a little worried about going out of my home. At home it was awesome, everything you would get on time, whether its great Indian spicy dinner or heavily ironed clothes, tea, coffee etc etc. I just thought whether it all would be available when i am outta here.I was on a mission though and that was what inspiring me from within. So many thoughts were chipping in from all possible directions in my mind. Many of them were negative though.

Dad had come with the cab waiting outside for me to take me away from this heaven of love and care called home. Dad asked mom to give me some bucks as they are very important in this world. Mom opened the good old godrej almirah and gave me a bundle of 100 rupee notes. The godrej guys do make great almirahs(a cupboard made of iron), they remain intact for years and years and all of india stores their cash in them. .Mom asked me to keep the money inside the bag and gave a lot of other unwanted instructions too. Those were quite common instructions which you listen and forget like don’t talk to strangers, don’t take anything to eat from them , call home as soon as you reach and bla bla bla…!!!

“ You are getting late…!!! “ shouted dad.

“ Take this 1000 Rs and have juice daily…” mom gave me the money from her savings and asked me to keep it aside because it was her money.

“Coming dad..!!” i said and picked my bag.

Dad took the bag from me and went outside to keep the bag in the cab. I was only left with my bag-pack on my shoulder. Mom asked to pray to the almighty and took me nearby puja room where there were so many powerful almighties. I could see snap of every one. She had insured that she had not missed anyone there.  I said hii to all of them and then was about to leave. I bowed to touch down my mom’s feet. Mom wished me all the best and and then accompanied me to the cab where dad was waiting for me with all set. I bowed down there too to touch dad’s feet this time. Dad dint say anything.  .Finally i sat in the cab and slowly the cab was moving away from my home sweet home.

I just rang up my Sis down there in delhi that i was coming by Lovelife express and would reach there by twelve next day. My sister used to live in delhi. She was elder to me and was married .Mom had already conveyed her my wishes of delhi and she was very happy to receive me there. Suddenly the cab stopped at red light. There was huge rush of traffic. But what i could see was the place looked very familiar to me .I had a smirky face at that time. It was the locality where bela lived. Her house was just few metres away from the red light. I just said a virtual bye to her too.

Finally the cab had reached the station. I got down fast from it and went to the enquiry counter to see which platform i had to go to. I got to know that my train leaves from platform seven. I got a bit exited as it was my lucky number. Things had started to be brighter seemed. Everyone at the station was so busy and it was crowded like hell. I was slowly moving on the foot-over-bridge and it was a difficult task as i had to cross seven overbridges. Just like having seven(saat) feras is good and auspicious and one gets life partner after doing the rounds, it felt as if i would also get something, someone after the seven crossings. Positive thinking helps you certainly, at least in this case i managed to cross the bridges easily.

I took a cup of coffee and sat at the desk on the platform waiting for the train and also looking around to find some pretty ones nearby. Pretty gals do are good timepass at the station atleast. You can just play hide and seek with your eyes with them and certainly they make you feel good. Well thanks to my good luck i dint find any nearby. I heard the automated sweet enquiry voice conveying that my train was about to enter platform number seven. I got up just like everybody around me did. I checked my ticket to get the coach and birth number. Again it was S-7. And Again i was happy. 

As the train came the place became a complete nuisance with people shouting in different languages to come here and go there. Though i was comparatively relaxed but still to be honest i was anxious too. After so much hustling with the crowd, i also managed to reach the door of my coach. I wanted to check my name on the reservation list which was stuck on the side of the door. But actually what i wanted to check was not my name but people around me in the train. [;)] i first checked the sex and age column to see f 20, or f 22 somewhere on the list…!!! To my disappointment i found only two entries relevant. One was f20 upto delhi and another was f21 also upto delhi. I checked the names too. And i will not mention here.

“hey boy!! Get inside fast…don’t waste time there at the list…your name is there….” an uncle in 40s said to me while i was completely lost in checking the names.

“ yeah !!! sure uncle..!!! “ i said and got up the train.

Well that uncle surely dint knew my intentions of looking at the list. Checking reservation chart when your ticket is confirmed is such a stupid thing. But he felt i was ignorant. He would have been really surprised knowing what i was looking at.

I entered the coach struggling with my heavy bag and asking people to get aside. Somehow i was at my berth. And as always in indian railway u will rarely find your berth unoccupied. I asked the people sitting over there to make room for me. Finally i was allowed to seat on my own berth after requests. Its so ironic. Now after settling my luggage , my first job was to look at those two f20 and f22. But they were at quite far distance from me. And i had to take risk to go their side by leaving my things near my berth. I took the risk and beauty does deserve some risk. I just passed by to have a look and i only managed to see one of them. I was more concerned about my bag down there and came back in hurry dropping the idea of going again. The train was really travelling fast and making a lot of noise. I was sitting thinking and thinking and thinking about my future……….

“Tea…coffeee…. Tea…coffeee…. Tea…coffeee….” vendors shouting.

Listening to the vendors’ loud appeal for tea and coffee, suddenly i wake up and look at my cell to see the time. It was 5 o’clock in the morning. I always used to see time in my cell. It acted both as cell and watch for me. I hated wearing wrist watches as i had this undeclared ambition that my first watch would be a rollex. I asked one of the vendor as to where the train was at that time. It was in UP(the state of famous mayawati).Delhi was far away and so it was better for me to sleep again. I slept again.

I wake up. The train has stopped. Almost everyone had got off the train and only few were around. Slumdog millionaire type kids were busy collecting used water bottles to resell them. I got to know that that the train will reach Delhi in 10 minutes from one of the kids. I reassembled my bags to get off the train. My sis had asked me to ring her up when i would be about to reach the station. I just called her up. She gave me directions as to how to reach to her and be careful as it was Delhi “the capital of India”. India is really great, people advise you to be careful because you are in national capital.If national capital is so safe, then what about the rest of the country.

The train had stopped and the cute lady on the announcement speakers was greeting all of us. I got down the train and could see a large placard on which it was written in bold welcome to delhi. I was moving out of the station slowly.Suddenly at the exit i saw a ticket collector who was so beautiful.She was wearing the black coat and had a bodyguard too with her.She was asking every one to show the tickets.She was a girl may be in 20s. I just thought like throwing my ticket away and surrendering to her.But later dropped the idea Finally i was at my destination and i was happy.

I went to the prepaid booth for an auto-rickshaw. Autos are really a blessing in disguise for mango people in delhi. Finally i got one and was on my way to sis home. She lived in rohini in new delhi. After so many questioning of people around for the address of her house i reached her home. She was happy like hell.  She asked to change fast and have lunch. I had lunch and then i was asleep.

I woke up when it was almost dawn. Then i had that outstanding session of passing news from that side to her side with my sis. She did grilled me up for all sorts of news from the home. We had tea together and then she took me out to see how delhi life was. She would explain every bit and corner of how things go on there. She used to live in a very congested society with houses adjacent and adjacent from every side you would imagine. And shops there were also pretty different from what everywhere has. Shops were really versatile, one can just imagine this from the fact that even the general store was selling Chinese junk food seeing the demand and to make profit. Everyone had different accent there and as they say it was their stylish delhiwala accent which i was finding a bit hard to get. After getting some daily stuffs from the shops around we came back home. I just forgot to acknowledge that i had a sweet nephew too and his name was harsh. He was so sweet that the whole society knew him. During all this he was in the house of my sis next door neighbour and that aunty really loved him. We went to get him and there my sis introduced me to her and her two young daughters. Both were in delhi university and they seemed quite congenial at first instance.  May be they were Punjabi and that helped them being cheerful and loving all the time. One of them was elder to me and the other one was nearly of my age. Both of them advised me to go for IIT again and not D.U as D.U ruins you. After giving so many introductions, finally we came back.

( next day morning….!!!! )

My first day in delhi was quite boring. I had to make it interesting somehow.So i decided i would go to delhi university campus and would fill up forms there and do my research on how to move ahead. So i asked my sis as to where it was and how i would reach there. Whatever information i would ask my di she would pass the question to her next door neighbour’s dughters and then they would come running to me and would give their free advice. But ya they were really helpful and infact the younger one even suggested di to let me go with her as she knew all about d.u because she was in first year and she had some work over there too. My sis first hesitated as she thought they might lure her beloved bright-futured brother. But she dint had any choice as it was best for me to go with them. So she took the risk of her brother getting married for free. That was too early though.

Finally me and poonam were on way to north campus of delhi university. She told me the whole plan how we will be going there. She was good by heart and was very helpful. I was impressed. U were right di…!!!

“We will walk few metres and then vl catch the metro..k ?? “ she asked me.

“ yeah !! sure “ i could only manage these words to speak. I was really feeling shy with her. She was looking quite stylish wearing jeans and with goggles and plus her swagger….awesome!!! I was being so formal as i was a bit nervous. I had never walked out with a gal so stylish and that too alone. I would look at her from side to have a glance of her and i made sure that she is not watching. Meanwhile we were about to reach the metro station.

“Are you not comfortable with me……i m like your friend..!! “ she asked me.

“ No no….itz alrite” i said to her. ( Cmon i need words. And i dont know why people really lack them at important situations… i said to me )

“ Ohh!! then why are you so silent ?? “pat came another question.

“ I am a bit shy and…” she interrupted.

“Cmon U are going to be in college now. Be cool and be bold…otherwise people here will really embarrass you..” she said.

“well i can adjust pretty easily “ i said confidently.

“Doesn’t seem so….whatever forget it but atleast be friendly to me…..u seem like stranger ” she said laughingly.

O gosh!!! how could i explain this to her that i have never walked with such a girl in my life till then and how nervous i was. But it was better for me to open up rather than get distracted.

We got the coins from the counter and boarded the train to vishvavidyalay station. It took near about 15 minutes to reach there and when i came out of the station with her, i was totally amazed to see the place. The place , the people around, the ambience , everything seemed rocking to me. I could see all colleges’ name on the direction board. I was walking with poonam and interrogating her with so many questions. Now i was more confident and at ease with her. She took me to the dean student welfare office where i got the form for application, filled it up quickly and then submitted it.

“ Lets have something cold…its so hot !! “ she said.

“ Yeah !! sure !! delhi is really hot “ i replied.

( Another reason of delhi being hot is the number of hot girls around there…bad joke hahahaha.)

We both went to CCD and had ice tea there. CCD i must tell is the short form of cafe coffee day which is a very happening place in youngster’s life. The number of your visits to this outlet defines the level of your success as youngster.  More you are seen there means you are damn cool as they say. 

We chatted a bit at CCD and then decided to go back home. Beating the scorching heat we both managed to get back to the metro station. Delhi metro is the best thing i think which has happened to delhites. Its so clean and well maintained plus the ac. And also the crowd which gets in is good too. Finally we were home.

Even poonam was gone, i was cherishing the moments spent with her. Her smile, the way she carried her, her voice……  I don’t know why but my heart always gets out of control and it is really the style which catches me up. Am i in love again ?? not again Arjun…. its too soon . I just want to know “How is it that something as big as the earth can spin in perfect harmony on its axis, while something as small as my heart, can go wildly out of control……..?? How can this be when they are both in God’s control? This really pins me down. “

(to be continued……..)

I just hope u liked it. Plz comment even if u dint…..!!!!!

Part III – “ OH Sh**!! Not Again…!!!! “ coming soon.

Keep on reading. Have a nice day.

Niket

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