India

DAY 3 – SOME MORE FUN IN JANPATH & PVR
C & his wife are total shop-o-holics! I mean I could have never done so much of shopping like the way they did. I took them to Janpath and also to Central Market in Lajpat Nagar. While they were shopping memoirs kept hitting me – of the days spent – of the times that would never come back – both good & utterly disgusting!
I called up Dhyan and we decided to meet in PVR. Dhyan! Well! A friend I’m so close to but it was the first time we would meet! Sounds weird? But that’s what I am! A Weirdo! Sipped coffee at Barissta and exchanged all the latest and hot gossips! B joined us … maybe an hour later. We got planning what to do next but G & C wanted to call it early since they planned to visit Taj Mahal the next day. However we went on a drive and no matter how early we decided to make, we were dropped at Def.Col at around 1.00 a.m.!

DAY 4 – SOME DOWNERS & SOUL SEARCHING ON MY OWN
The first downer of the day came from me! I was feeling too lazy to get out of my bed in that cold and visit Agra! I made up hundred and one excuses. And above all I had visited the Taj once and I guess that’s enough!
I went to the British Council – took a walk on the Kasturba Gandhi Marg and then came back to my fav hang out zone – PVR Saket. I strolled along the sidewalks and bought the Buddha Lounge CD. The music still reverberates on my mind. By the time I was half way through my movie I got a trifled bored? B was on his way back from office since there wasn’t much work on the second last day of the year. He came to PVR and I left Audi 1 when the suspense had just begun! B I knew would love the Buddha Lounge and do I have to say more? He was like a kid in an absolute frenzy in a toy shop! No wonder I call him b-lounge!
With B around its always “Destination Nowhere”. He kept driving and I kept listening to Budda and at times it was Rahul Sharma & Laddakh mesmerizing us. We headed towards Noida and he showed me around Centrestage Mall. Window shopping is actually not me. So we came out in the freezing cold after munching on sandwiches and sipping hot coffee in Barissta. There was no agenda set and we headed straight to B’s den. Minutes before we reached Malviya Nagar, M woke up from his slumber and T was glued to some cricket match on the ESPN and rock & roll playing on the 10000W stereo! What a cacophony! I freshened up, had some juice and we went on a mission called “ARRANGING FOR 31ST” which sadly didn’t live to our expectations. We hanged around in the Def.Col Market. It was for the first time that M and me were actually talking and strangely we ended up realizing the fact that we have the commonest of friends.
G & C had reached Delhi from Agra by the time we went to Saket! This time M wanted to collect some Rizla papers. And consciously or unconsciously I was terribly missing a female company! Pri! Gosh! She was in Goa and would reach Delhi only on 31st. That was just a couple of hours, yet it seemed too long a wait.
As we caught up with G & C, I realized not going to Agra was perhaps one of the smartest and best decisions I had made! Their horrific tales left the rest of us amused!

DAY 5 – THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR & THE MOST WEIRD TOO!
The first thing I did as I woke up was call Pri. Well I was more than happy now. For I had a girlfriend to tag along with! Pri & me had to do a lot of catching up. We kept blabbering non-stop sipping Port Wine & Goan Sausages she brought from Goa. There wasn’t anything planned as yet for 31st and we ultimately decided we’d head-bang in B’s den while Pri would keep shifting parties – not to disappoint her other pals too! It was for the first time in the last 5 days that I applied makeup and took some time getting dressed. I wanted to look good! But plans had changed. We were heading towards Greater Noida to catch some friends there. This sudden shift made Pri stayed back with her bunch of pals and we headed towards Greater Noida.
The drive was a crazy one! Things started getting crazier and confusing when we crossed the express highway. The crossings were identical & so were the landmarks! We kept on moving in circles over and over again and by the time we reached the main gates of the Apartments the clock struck midnight and suddenly the sky went ablaze with sky shots! Phone started buzzing and wishes poured in from left, right and centre! Yet the 6 of us had not even arrived at the party venue… didn’t even disembark from the car!
We caught up with two more couples there and the party was not what I was expecting. I was looking for some solid rocking time with ear deafening music and an unlimited supply of all the stuff that made the senses more sensible! But here we were – in a cozy ambience – with a feeling of home coming and celebrating the New Year in a very mature way – relishing on home made khana (after the regular Mc Donald’s)… sipping beer! Quite out of the ordinary yet so relaxing and comforting.
We headed to Delhi post dinner. We were warned over and over again to go slow and that’s what we did. Infact there was no other way what-so-ever! Thick layers of fog enveloped us. The visibility was almost zero and B who was driving used the sidewalks as his navigation tool. Sometimes when we hit a crossing, G & T would get down walk a few steps and then guide the car…. We got lost… we drove in circles and we avoided ghastly accidents too!
Things were fine inspite of the strangest of situation we found ourselves in. its just another story that M & T got into an unpleasant brawl which left all of us bitter for some time. And G who was driving now did the only practical thing that was available. Once we were inside Delhi, we headed straight to Malviya Nagar and dropped T & M. we drove off to Def.Col as C was getting edgy and cranky too!! (overdose? Or the lack of it?!)
I looked at my watch at it was exactly 5.30 a.m.

It all started when B called me one wintry evening just as I was returning back attending training. I was upset for I had to sacrifice one lazy Sunday on account of my work. All said and done B’s call came in like a breather in my otherwise unexciting journey. I was speaking to him after quite a while – we both term it as the “hibernation” period! He suggested that G & me join him in Delhi during the New Year’s. I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know whether I would get leave from my work and at the same time if things would work out smooth. I needed to discuss this with G and so I did when I got home. G said there was still ample of time left to decide for the New Year’s and I had a tedious routine for the next fortnight. So the Delhi trip remained a distant dream for the time being.
And in the mean time my work took me to Mumbai, Kohima, Imphal… well that’s my job you see, I travel & travel & travel and I don’t complain!
So finally it was decided that we would go to Delhi and join B for the New Year’s bash. In the mean time T, M & C with family had already reached.
This is not a travelogue. Its plain simple me & my feelings for these will remain as some of the best days of my otherwise mundane existence!

DAY 1 – THE TRAVEL:
I reached Delhi on the 27th of Dec at about 20.00 hrs. All the flights were delayed due to fog and zero visibility. Taking a cab as we zoomed out of the I.G.I. Airport I was on the streets of Delhi after six long years. The first thing I noticed were the kiosks at the arrival lounge, which remained unchanged. How many cups of coffee I drank there when I went to the airport everyday in one of my market research projects. The roads looked the same until we reached a crossing. I knew we had to go straight to reach Dhaula Kuan and then take the right turn to touch the Ring Road. But to my utter amazement it was flyovers everywhere! I was completely at loss of words. And all this while I thought I knew Delhi so well! We were camping in South Ex-I, opposite Def Col. and the moment we got down form the taxi I realized that I would be staying exactly opposite to the C block of Def Col which was my home when I was in Delhi then! I wanted to take G for a walk and show him around but the time was not proper. And we had almost a week to explore Delhi my style & my way!
As we unpacked I started calling up friends and everyone were surprised to know that “finally I had come to Delhi”. There is a story to this. Some of the closest friends I have are all based in Delhi and after I came back to Guwahati (for good?) they frequently kept calling me to join them. My answer was always “Yes” but things never materialized and soon they too ceased from calling me to Delhi! It was about 23.00 hrs and we were about to have dinner when I got a call from B. He was downstairs and wanted us to come down for some chitchat! Well the chitchat was more than that and we took a long drive to Mehrauli, then towards Okhla and back to Def. Col. By the time I went upstairs my food was still in the plate untouched and freezing cold. But I had lost my appetite. There was some kind of sheer excitement running all over me; I knew sleep would not be easy; I wanted to wake up in the broad day light and visit places which means a lot to me.
I had two priorities to visit Delhi. First I wanted to watch all the latest releases in PVR Saket and second all my meals would be Mc Donalds only! And that’s the routine I tried to follow strictly!

DAY 2 – BACK TO SQUARE ONE:
After relishing on a Maharaja Mac, it was time I showed G the 232C in Def Col, then K2 in South Ex II and also narrate the thousands and one incident that flashed across my mind all at the same time. B & the rest of the two (T & MB) were to meet us at Ansal Plaza. By the time those three got ready I took G & C to Father Agnel’s School where I did my Mass Comm. I simply got nostalgic; it reminded me of guys like Pooja, Mansi, Raghu… GOD where must they be. We reached Ansal’s and did helluva window shoppin till the guys arrived.…. I bought Notes of a Madman by Osho and did some reading basking under the sun while G & C got groovy with Mary-Jane! It took B & gang almost 2 hours to reach Khel Gaon. But then when you hang around with guys like B you must take things as they come and also leave them upto their own devices! Every one was in the mood to shop and that’s what they did. We went to Monastery.
We called it a day around 1.00 a.m. Late? But then who cares! Do I stick to my tight regime when I am holidaying and freaking out? Guess naah!

The adventure began from here!

Well let me take back to that day again when my Boss called and asked me to fly to Kolkat. I was dead broke, my bank account showed meager 1500/- cash! I had no time to ponder about by finances. I had to travel. The tickets were no issue as they were booked on credit; I did a wise thing by calling the hotel where I was to stay and confirmed the fact that the hotel accepted credit card. So this made the 1500/- cash quite a big amount.

As I handed the credit card, the bellboy said that they would not accept credit card and I need to pay cash. My irritation, which otherwise remains passive amplified! I took the credit card and hurried towards the elevator. I wanted to speak to the manager. The elevator was out of order. I walked down three floors and as I reached the last ten stairs I was horrified to see the entire reception counter submerged! The water went knee deep and the people on the ground floor rooms had been shifted elsewhere. There was no electricity either. I had to report at the airport by 9.00 a.m and it was past seven thirty now. The nearest ATM was in Minto Park but there the water reached up till the waist. I was advised not to go. Time was running out and I decided to cancel my flight. That was the only thing I could do lest I miss my flight and burn some cash for not canceling the tickets too. But then how do I call! My mobile was not working; there was no electricity; the telephones went dead and I could not move out either. The bellboy I guess could feel the dilemma I was in and he handed me his cell phone. He said he would charge five bucks per call – outgoing or incoming and I agreed blindly to this deal! Besides the rickety cell phone with the most astounding ring tones I ever heard there was no other way I could communicate. I called home; boss (well in this order only) and airlines office to cancel my flight. And in the mean time the corridor on the first floor was turned into a reception counter. The printer was not squealing; rather every work was being done manually. Many got stranded. Some acted smart and checked out but they could never make it to the station or the airport and when they came back even the rooms were occupied! The plight of everyone was dismal. Good that I had not checked out. I knew I had the room to spend the night; yet I was tensed, as I didn’t know how to make my payments in cash! The dilemma still persisted. I went back to my room and I actually I had done a good thing by saving a bucket of water! I don’t know why I did! But I knew this is the only bucket of water I had to use for the next twenty-four hours! Someone knocked my door and it was just another bellboy who came to take order for lunch. Well! Since the kitchen was almost under water the lunch was the basic rice, dal and veggies. I tried to get some sleep but nothing could make my eyes or my mind rest. I went back to the first floor; peeped through the window. The level of water had not gone down nor the rains stopped. The Manager did not seem busy and we started chatting. In the due course I told the manger that in no way I could make cash payment until and unless I swam to the ATM counter at Minto Park! The manager devised one option and since there was nothing else I could do I agreed to his suggestion. He said that if I trusted him with my credit card he could swipe it elsewhere on his way back home and return it to me the next morning. Well! I know it’s not healthy to trust strangers you started speaking just ten minutes ago with your credit card but then what the heck!

I went back to my room, got my card and handed it to the Manager. It was late evening and almost everyone had gathered in the corridor and it seemed like we were one excursion team! Candles were lit everywhere. Every room was sanctioned two candles but I smuggled four. I cannot sleep when the room is pitch dark; I hoped the four would last me as long as I didn’t fell fast asleep. Dinner was no better. And I made it early to bed for I expected the worse for the next morning.

The next morning the knock on my door was my wake up call. I opened the door and saw one of the bellboys (who had given me his cell phone) with tea and my credit card and the settled bills. Suddenly everything seemed to fall in places. The rains hadn’t stopped, but the level of water had subsided. I knew I had to walk on the mud-spattered and grimy water hence taking a shower was out of question. Still in my shorts and tee and slippers I swaggered towards the main road and I negotiated with a cab driver to go to the airport. The driver asked me what time the flight was and I replied I didn’t have a ticket! I picked my bags and hopped in the cab. It took me around forty-five minutes to reach the airport. I checked the entire airline counters and booked the earliest flight back to Guwahati. As I handed my credit card I prayed and hope in the back of my mind nothing would go wrong and boy! It didn’t! I walked in though the security, checked in and as I looked at my watch I still had an hour at my disposal. I ordered for a cup of coffee and as I was waiting I for the coffee to arrive I realized that I was still tee/shorts & sandals clad! My baggage had already been checked; marked and sealed and there was nothing I could do but board the flight without trying to look too conscious!

As I took my seat and looked up The Telegraph it read that Kolkata witnessed heaviest downpour since 1971! I didn’t really want to read that news. I was trapped for twenty-four hours in hotel with my life thrown out of gear.

As the airplane ascended I reclined and closed my eyes and got calculating about my next training session scheduled to be in Nagaland within the next two days….

The best part about my job is that it lets me go to places, which I would have never even remotely thought about traveling otherwise. These travels have been either an hour’s drive from my domicile or at other times have been one unending and meandering expedition. Whatever be the roads like or whatever be season, one thing which has left me perplexed is that every place has it own beauty – it’s just another matter that people don’t observe or realize.

Travels have been ample. Some have been adventurous, some dull; and some left me gripping and mad. In three months I have traveled more than I had in the thirty years of my existence! They say business and pleasure do not mix. And sure it doesn’t. But then to look the other way round if I keep my work just to work and try to enjoy the rest of whatever little time I get; it sure becomes a travel so much like me – a freebee… a soul with itchy feet!

Kolkata was one classic example of a roller- coaster ride.
My boss called me one morning and asked me to get my bags packed and check with our travel agent for the earliest possible flight. Within the next twenty-four hours I was airborne. We touched down exactly forty-five minutes later and I was in Kolkata after nearly a decade. As I passed the streets everything had changed. The picture of Kolkata I had in my mind was certainly not the one I was seeing. Well off course for one factor that remains constant – the traffic snarls – that is perhaps one antagonizing phase of this colossal metro.

The driver took a long time to locate the 9 Shakespeare Sarani. As we waited in one long jam the driver popped out his head and asked a passer by in the local dialect where exactly was the 9 Shakespeare Sarani. The passer by looked at me and asked “Aap ko Brook House jana hai?” (Do you want to go to Brook House?) & I affirmed. He explained the driver something. The driver nodded his head and looked at me and said, “Madam, aap ne pehle kyun nahin kaha aapko Hindustan Lever office jana hia”?! (Madam why didn’t you tell me before that you want to go to the Hindustan Lever office?)

I felt like an idiot for reasons I may perhaps never comprehend! But nevertheless!

I reached 9 Shakespeare Sarani and almost immediately I was in the most posh, stylish & sleek office. This is the second office I’ve even seen so very chic. One was the Hughes office in New Delhi. I went there when I was doing my apprenticeship during my mass communication days – a story I will tell some other rainy day! The whole day went by and I didn’t even realize that it was time to call it a day. I was to stay in Camac Street; the hotel booked by the travel desk guys of the Kolkata office. It’s just a five-minute walk from the office. I reached the hotel and was dog-tired. My limbs I knew wanted to relax. I was not here to relax and I had only fifteen minutes in hand to freshen up and get going for the mega programme. Minto Park is again a ten-minute walk from my hotel and I trotted down the aisle rapidly. The awards function was a long one and I excused myself by nine. Ma’am (my boss) understood that I need to unwind and she let me go with a reminder that I should be back at 9 Shakespeare Sarani sharp ten the next day.

The next day I woke up and found a slight drizzle. I had not carried an umbrella. I waited in the lobby of my hotel for a few minutes but there was no respite and the minutes were passing by. I thought of taking a cab but that would not settle my state of affairs as the entire passage is a one-way route and the five-minute would become a nerve wrecking half an hour! So I decided to walk down no matter if I got faintly drenched.

By the time I walked out of office the drizzle was a downpour now. I wanted to rush back to the hotel but the aroma of the kebabs and rolls lured me to stop by in of the take away counters. I looked at the menu and ordered one double egg, chicken and cheese roll. This was sure indulgence but then this is again something I am up-to everyday.

I was soaking wet by the time I arrived the hotel. I asked the receptionist to get the bills ready, as I would be out of the place early next day. I waited for an hour or so but the bills did not arrive. I called up the reception and I was informed that I could settle it the next morning before leaving. No! I insisted that I settle my accounts now, as I don’t like last minute snags. But I was moderately pacified that I could settle the bills the next day.

I woke up much before the bellboy came (he had assured that he would give me a wake-up call at six thirty) to knock my door with the bed tea. I asked him to get my bills while in the mean time I freshened up and got ready. The bills came and I handed out my credit card.

It didn't take us too long to reach Bangalore. Maybe three hours precisely. All throughout the journey I kept wondering how the three weeks went by. Those twenty one days of non stop backpacking travel. Experiences were varied and unique - both pleasant and otherwise. But whatever they were they were all enriching nevertheless!
By 6.30 we were in Bangalore, the PUB capital of India. It was 31st of December and we knew we had to party till we dropped dead!
Bangalore is a place we did nothing else but partied, hopped pubs, did a lot of hip shakin!
The best places we hanged around was 180 proof & Pub World. Purple Haze was good, but then the crowd there was too peppy. Whereas 180 & Pub World seemed more like us - RETRO!
We stayed in Bangalore for 3 days. The routine went something like this - we slept & lazed around the whole day. By evening we would get ready to rock & roll...
& it was the first time in the three weeks I realized how much my back ache was severe!!!
On 3rd Jan 2001 Aerosmith & Ashima took the Karnataka Express to go back to Delhi.
I was to catch the 11.30 p.m Bangalore Express to Guwhati. There was still good four more hours to spend. Called up a friend. Put my stuff in the lockers and then we pub hopped again!