My job was cut out. I had my sleeper class tickets booked on the morning of 25th November, 2008, on a train starting from Surat, about 10hrs from Ahmedabad that would take me till Patna, about 10 hrs from Purnea! In short, about 1/3rd of my journey confirmed. I had no clue how I was going to manage the rest 2/3rd. I had my classes till 6pm on 24th November and the safest train that would take me to Surat without many hassles, was scheduled to depart at around 8pm from Ahmedabad. Being the lazy bum that I am, I packed up my bags at the last hour, bunked my last lecture, and left MICA at around 6.
Of course it would have been much comfortable had I booked tickets for the train to Surat, but Nope! I wouldn’t book a ticket coz I was only a student and was saving money. So I just went to the station and bought myself a ‘Chalu’ ticket for Surat. And when I reached the platform, I was in for a big shock. There was reservation for the unreserved compartment; something sort of quota for a quota, as people had placed their luggage in lieu of their own selves, to book their entry slots. By the time, the Mumbai bound train came, it was already 2 hours late and I thanked god for making me wise enough to plan a four hour gap between the 2 trains. And so, I haggled my way into the compartment, trying to squeeze into one of the seats meant for 3 persons that was actually occupied by 10; I was the 11th. No really I mean it! And the VIP briefs commercial “please adjust” was running over in my mind.
I tried my best not to think about the gruesome journey ahead, not think about how I would manage to go from Patna to Purnea, just savour the moment as if I was a warrior, an explorer, a fighter all combined into One, the Numero Uno. And just as I was making myself stronger, I felt a little weak. Yes, it was time to take a leak! And I was caught up in the biggest dilemma I faced in many years, “To sit with pressure or stand with relief”. Needless to say, relief was the only way out.
I reached Surat early morning, a good two hours before departure. And I was delighted to find empty seats in the waiting hall of the station. Suddenly, the wrought iron chairs seemed so much comfortable that I chanced a much needed nap on the cold rickety chairs.
In what seemed like a minute, I heard the announcement of my train arriving at the platform and I picked up my luggage. I boarded the train and occupied my seat, which was the side seat with side upper berth. There were about 12 people sitting in my 8 seat cabin. “Of course they must have come to see off their near and dear ones”, “Its just going to be a matter of 15-20 minutes before I can spread my legs” is what I told myself before the train began moving. And I realized I was wrong. “Soon the Ticket Checker would come and show them their rightful place” I told myself again, to be wrong once again. The TC came, he saw and he… well he went. The conversation happened like this…
Passenger 1: “Ee hamar saath hai, eeka kuch arrangement kijiye na!”
TC: “Aaj bahut bheed hai, tanik adjust kar lo”
Passenger 2: “Hamara seatwa confarmed hai, lekin hamare bhai aur ooki lugaai ka waiting hai. Eehan adjust kar lein”
TC: “Haan bahut jagah hai”
Well, the conversation was not so much ‘on the face' Bihari, and yes there’s a little bit of my own tadka to it, but I tell you, I was already smelling, feeling & living Bihar…. all this in Gujarat itself. And I told myself "Oh well! The journey has begun." One and a half days of train journey, meeting all kind of people- people packing their luggage in oil drums; people carrying oil filled drums. Why this fixation with Oil drums? Oh that’s very simple, one of the guys ruined my new sneakers by spilling oil over it while I was happily sleeping on my side upper berth. The best part- He claimed it was just his luggage.
It seemed to be a never ending journey, a journey till eternity when it finally ended, with the train arriving at Patna, exactly 3 hours late at 4 pm, squashing all my hopes of catching a direct train to Katihar or Purnea. I hoped to catch a bus from Patna to Purnea- My hopes turned to reality, I did manage to book a bus to Purnea. The catch- It was scheduled to leave at 8 in the night. I thought well 4 hours waiting is not that bad. So I waited for it and boarded the bus at 7:30. The bus left at 11:00.
The next thing I can recollect is that at around 6 in the morning on the 27th of November, I was approaching Purnea. “Just 45 min” is what the conductor said, but I heard it as ‘just 45 seconds’. My patience had really grown over the last 2-3 days. I felt I could apply for the post of Dalai Lama.
At last, I reached the Purnea bus stand, which strangely looked quite familiar. Maybe I had really attained sainthood. Or maybe Bihar wasn’t so bad after all. It looked the same as Rohtak to me. I think I would have to change the location of living hell on earth. It would be… Uttar Pradesh. (Ok Shobhit, its not an achievement allright!!). At the bus depot, Shambhawi’s brother Ashutosh was there to receive me and even though I had met him for the first time, it felt so reassuringly good to get in touch with someone who atleast knew your name.
And so 27th November it was… 2 years back… this date, that day… I was there for Shambhu’s shaadi.
A Very Happy Wedding Anniversary to the S-Quad (S-Quadà S- 4 timesà SS-SS à any more pointers needed?)
‘Champaign’!! Cheers to the couple!!
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