ok , probably this happens to everyone..still , on such a day , we end up asking "god..why this has to happen to ME ??".. yestday i left my room in mumbai, had to get bak to d hospital in murbad (where i work).. at 4 p.m. ,i caught a cab, calculated d time , about 3 n half hrs it usually takes..so by 7:30 i'ld be there i thought...wanted to reach there as fast as i can, travelling without company is boring.....but i had no idea , no clue at all, wat was waiting for me along this journey...
at station, after punching coupons, thane train was in line..i had to catch a bus from kalyan...still i boarded that train , thinking i'ld change the train from thane...i was just in no mood at all to wait...n felt hurried..( now this is a very imp tell-tale sign of somthing unusual is going to happen, u feel bit restless/irritated...n u seem to be just hurrying things without getting to a point..)... then i eventlessly reached kalyan, then to murbad by bus at 7p.m. i still had to travel 25km (30 min) more...
i should've got into a direct bus to my place, but today i was doin a break-journey, twice !! (1st train , now bus) .. a.s.a. i alighted d bus, i enquired for next bus which was 1/2 hr later...my instant response, without a second thought , was coming out of the stand n looking for alternative..(told u, i couldn't wait) ...it wasn't hard to spot a 15-seater auto parked just outside d gate ( there were many such private autos, which shuttled from bus-stand to nearby villages ) .. also there were roadside stalls of watermelons, lush, red n 'inviting' slices..i was tempted, but my hurry prevailed and my gaze snapped towards that auto, and the last vacant seat in it !!, which gave me an adrenaline rush...i clenched my teeth, hurried my steps, asked d the old man staring curiously at me , "does this go to 'my place' ?...he nodded n i squeezed myself in that dingy vehicle n made it 'housefull' (such autos dont depart until all d seats r occupied)...soon auto started..i admired my luck for it didn't make me wait.....
now was d perfect time for a twist... typically....when i felt relieved, thinking, i was so close,n this was the last ride i have to take...the road i was travelling on was too bumpy for a highway, i realised after 10 min.( my place is just on highway)...sirens went off n red flags popped up in my mind...i asked that old man again" which is d last stop ?", and again, more loudly..."not my place" he replied.....shoot u !!!..my muscles became taught out of frustration....probably this old fella didn't hear me d 1st time...i swallowed it all, took a deep breath..again asked him "how much time, baba".."15 min"... i kept quiet...there was no point in exposing myself, they'ld make a fool out of me...so i traveled till end..sneaked into a return-auto, bak to murbad...after 1 hr .... my bus was missed ... next was after 1 n 1/2 hr....damn !! i came bak on d road.... this time i couldn't resist those slices hitting on me, besides i was thirsty n thought they'ld fix me.. ( yeah, the food im tempted to always does that to me, somehow fixes my mood )...it was 8:15p.m.... but this was far from over.........
.............so after researching for a while, i came to d conclusion, there was no direct auto to my place...one went close, to a place 10km away.means i had to do a break-journey again..."in the name of god !!", i hopped in...it was only half full so i had to wait..but it was the last one, means i caught d last ferry..hushhh !!
thanked my luck again....reached there at 9p.m.....and came to know there r no autos to go further... the market was already closed except for one hotel....i bought a bisleri there, plus one free advice to ask for a lift.....cars went by, none stopped....most of d bikes were goin double-seat, couples, children sitting on the tank....some were single but they weren't going that far.... i was pacing around the road like a stray, asking for lifts, no success until 1 hr ...10p.m.
..........one truck stopped by d hotel, and it was heading in d right direction for me...i hopped in, waited till d driver had his supper...my journey restarted...it was first time i was sitting in a truck ,it felt tall, heavy engine noise...the driver didnt smell of any liquor, so hopefully he would drive safe..he had to go slow because of the load..the view out of the windshield was terrific...headlight lit road, lined by trees on either side...but soon i was dosing off, but speed breakers would wake me up....finally reached my place at 11p.m. (after 7 hrs)...had to take a 15 min walk, on a pitch-dark kachha-road without any street light.. i had no torch.. still i made it with my cell phones screen light, wary of scorpians n snakes.....
hospital looked gravely silent, other staff was sleeping already...i went to my room , fell flat on my bed....re-evaluating my day...typically making a list of resolutions to myself....1) never do a break-journey 2) always confirm the destination of vehicle ur boarding 3)carry a torch 4)never hurry but plan...."its nobody but u, all ur fault, u made all d silly mistakes, idiot !!'...may be i continued making d list even in my dreams........
at station, after punching coupons, thane train was in line..i had to catch a bus from kalyan...still i boarded that train , thinking i'ld change the train from thane...i was just in no mood at all to wait...n felt hurried..( now this is a very imp tell-tale sign of somthing unusual is going to happen, u feel bit restless/irritated...n u seem to be just hurrying things without getting to a point..)... then i eventlessly reached kalyan, then to murbad by bus at 7p.m. i still had to travel 25km (30 min) more...
i should've got into a direct bus to my place, but today i was doin a break-journey, twice !! (1st train , now bus) .. a.s.a. i alighted d bus, i enquired for next bus which was 1/2 hr later...my instant response, without a second thought , was coming out of the stand n looking for alternative..(told u, i couldn't wait) ...it wasn't hard to spot a 15-seater auto parked just outside d gate ( there were many such private autos, which shuttled from bus-stand to nearby villages ) .. also there were roadside stalls of watermelons, lush, red n 'inviting' slices..i was tempted, but my hurry prevailed and my gaze snapped towards that auto, and the last vacant seat in it !!, which gave me an adrenaline rush...i clenched my teeth, hurried my steps, asked d the old man staring curiously at me , "does this go to 'my place' ?...he nodded n i squeezed myself in that dingy vehicle n made it 'housefull' (such autos dont depart until all d seats r occupied)...soon auto started..i admired my luck for it didn't make me wait.....
now was d perfect time for a twist... typically....when i felt relieved, thinking, i was so close,n this was the last ride i have to take...the road i was travelling on was too bumpy for a highway, i realised after 10 min.( my place is just on highway)...sirens went off n red flags popped up in my mind...i asked that old man again" which is d last stop ?", and again, more loudly..."not my place" he replied.....shoot u !!!..my muscles became taught out of frustration....probably this old fella didn't hear me d 1st time...i swallowed it all, took a deep breath..again asked him "how much time, baba".."15 min"... i kept quiet...there was no point in exposing myself, they'ld make a fool out of me...so i traveled till end..sneaked into a return-auto, bak to murbad...after 1 hr .... my bus was missed ... next was after 1 n 1/2 hr....damn !! i came bak on d road.... this time i couldn't resist those slices hitting on me, besides i was thirsty n thought they'ld fix me.. ( yeah, the food im tempted to always does that to me, somehow fixes my mood )...it was 8:15p.m.... but this was far from over.........
.............so after researching for a while, i came to d conclusion, there was no direct auto to my place...one went close, to a place 10km away.means i had to do a break-journey again..."in the name of god !!", i hopped in...it was only half full so i had to wait..but it was the last one, means i caught d last ferry..hushhh !!
thanked my luck again....reached there at 9p.m.....and came to know there r no autos to go further... the market was already closed except for one hotel....i bought a bisleri there, plus one free advice to ask for a lift.....cars went by, none stopped....most of d bikes were goin double-seat, couples, children sitting on the tank....some were single but they weren't going that far.... i was pacing around the road like a stray, asking for lifts, no success until 1 hr ...10p.m.
..........one truck stopped by d hotel, and it was heading in d right direction for me...i hopped in, waited till d driver had his supper...my journey restarted...it was first time i was sitting in a truck ,it felt tall, heavy engine noise...the driver didnt smell of any liquor, so hopefully he would drive safe..he had to go slow because of the load..the view out of the windshield was terrific...headlight lit road, lined by trees on either side...but soon i was dosing off, but speed breakers would wake me up....finally reached my place at 11p.m. (after 7 hrs)...had to take a 15 min walk, on a pitch-dark kachha-road without any street light.. i had no torch.. still i made it with my cell phones screen light, wary of scorpians n snakes.....
hospital looked gravely silent, other staff was sleeping already...i went to my room , fell flat on my bed....re-evaluating my day...typically making a list of resolutions to myself....1) never do a break-journey 2) always confirm the destination of vehicle ur boarding 3)carry a torch 4)never hurry but plan...."its nobody but u, all ur fault, u made all d silly mistakes, idiot !!'...may be i continued making d list even in my dreams........
