This R- Day was an eventful day for me. The adventures began right from the clock ticking 12 midnight. The entire day gave me a number of reasons to be proud of the country envisioned by the likes of B.R. Ambedkar.
I was to catch a train at 1 AM to my home town from Kota. Since I had my reservation in AC coach I did not carry any woollens with me and reached the station at 12.30 AM. No sooner had I located my platform that the divine voice boomed : "Train No. ......is late by 50 minutes. The inconvinience caused is deeply regreted". Here I was right in the middle of the night, at the corner of the station awaiting a delayed train clutching my bag to my body to save me from the harsh winter. I located a coffee kiosk nearby and bought myself one. The warmth of coffee reminded me of an old book - tea coffee or me. I just had coffee :( The clock struck 2 and the train was still awaited when the heavenly voice boomed again : " Train No..........is late by 1 hr 20 minutes. The inconvinience caused is deeply regreted". I swear to devil I have never cursed the power of speech more. Finally my train arrived at 3.30 AM and I boarded.
Scene 2: I have reached Udaipur at 9.00 AM in the morning and have to catch a bus to Ahmedabad at 4.00 PM in the evening. Before that I have to take my pneumonia ailing mother to a Doctor. I take her to the Doc at 12.00 cause the appointment is for 12.15. We wait in the long que wondering if all these people are before us or after us in line. At around 1.00 PM the patience of one patient is lost (wonder if patient was derived from patience) and he rings the bell. His plea for consultation is met by a ferocious looking Mrs. Doctor who barks saying "Doctor Sahab (not sure why all Doctor wives add that suffix.....we never wish to address them so) has some urgent work and hence he will not come to clinic today". Wow!!! we have even started celebrating a Doctor's day now....what more do they want from us. I take my mother back home promising her a telephonic consultation with a better doctor.
Scene 3 : It is 3.30 PM and I have left for the bus station. My colleague's family comes to pick me up as both of us are leaving for Ahmedabad together. On a very safe crossroad a biker comes zooming past and bangs in our car. BOOM!!! I am out of the BB IM chat sessions. I look up to find a tall black sloshed man with blood shot eyes and a cut on the lower lip picking up a fight with my colleague's dad. Like every other roadside drama there is a huge jam and a crowd of onlookers debating on the follies of rash driving. The drunk fellow has entered in a scuffle with the senior citizen and is abusing him physically and verbally. The traffic police present on the spot is very diligently performing their duties. One is picking up the motor bike to park it on the side and the other one is instructing my colleague's wife to take the car on the side. I shout at the policemen to do a better job of controlling the harassement. Boy oh!!! Did I shout at Indian police, I every bit deserve the 'daggers in the eye' cold stare. Some wise man is calling up the ' actual police'. 10 minutes have passed to the entire episode and we are all sitting locked inside the car surrounded by 'his' men (The gracious traffic police advised us so). Finally the police van arrives and murmurs something in uncle's ear. Uncle nods and asks the son to drive to the police station. I am lost and out of league. The idea given to us by the policeman is to mark an attendance in the station and that should pacify the other party. What's the harm. Yeah!!! what's the harm if that helps us in catching the bus on time. Finally we board the bus at 4.30 and heave a sigh of relief. Hang on!!! if I thought I could catch my breath I was seriously mistaken. The driver was a 'chela' of Rajnikanth. Yenna Rascala.....how dare any heavy vehicle shoot past me.... Iy yam tha fastesta. The entire stretch of 350 kms I sat with my heart in my throat telling god how much I love my family and how much would my mom love to see me getting married and produce babies. He owes at least this much to my parents.
I reached ahmedabad at 9.30 PM with a splitting head ache and a parched throat. Hardly did I realise I had not gulped a single drop of water in the six hours journey. I reach home, wash down a few Dispirins and fall flat on my bed.
HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY
No comments:
Post a Comment