Industrial visit: Day 4

 Where were you when I was burned and broken
While the days slipped by from my window watching
Where were you when I was hurt and helpless
Because the things you say and the things you do surround me
While you were hanging yourself on someone else’s words
Dying to believe in what you heard
I was staring straight into the shining sunLost in thought and lost in time
While the seeds of lifeand the seeds of change were planted
Outside the rain fell dark and slow
While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime
I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the moment had arrived
For killing the past and coming back to life

I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the waiting had begun
And headed straight..into the shining sun

In this way, the forth day started with Pink Floyd. I always feel spiritually elated when I listen or sing their songs. The previous day’s frustrated mind was right now idle and I was ready to conquer the world. ok..this is getting too much…

Now, the story proceeds with our sight seeing session at banglore… I guess those crazy snaps will speak better than my words… so here are few of the happy n’ crazy snaps…

At ulsoor lake (morning 9:30) The big fat James Bond is our Vise princy and the man at the bottom right is Buzzy…

Ulsoor lake… though the snap has come good, the lake is not so good…. its looking so only  because of my photography skill…  

Well well well!! look at these cool studs! All waiting for the 3D show to begin…meanwhile all tried different poses for the camera… not bad eh?

The 3D show was at Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum and was a terrible experience though we enjoyed it alot. During the show Vrunda slapped Khadye Sir…. She tried to hold that flying saucer…

We at the famous Lalbaug Garden… trying to climb the tree… failed badly…

  Lalbaug again…. Sometimes I feel I should change my profession and go for photography ..(mind you this picture is taken by kodak click camera…lacking any damn feature)

I found this structure very much interesting. This was the last place that we saw during  our sight seeing session.

Date: 4/11/2006
Time: 5:30PM
The bus was moving back towards our hotel and I was sleeping with my head down on Vrunda’s shoulder.
“HEYY MaalvaN paNyaamadhye killaa shivaaji aat kasaa shiralaa”Huh?? What? STOP IT!! I need some sleep….zzzz….
Suddenly the noise sharpened! All were singing this in chorus…
“Hey MaalvaN paNyaamadhye killaa shivaaji aat kasaa shiralaa… shiralaa to shiralaa tyaane zendaa kasaa rovilaa…” The boys were now singing at the top of their voice!
My sleep fled away… I tried to look out. Huh?? Am I drunk?? Why is everything so foggy?? It was drizzling. I wiped the window and looked out. The roads were shining…trees were smiling… I was in a poetic mood…
“SIMAN!!! GO BACK!!!” Suddenly the boys screamed, followed by “**** aage badho!! Hum tumhare saath hain!!” What and why the hell these boys are screaming!!
The poet within me died before he was born.

Date: 4/11/2006
Time: 6:00PM
We were in our hotel’s lobby. We had already checked out at 8AM so there was no question of being in room. We were supposed to collect our luggage and gather back till 6:30PM. Vise princy was worried that the one way system and the traffic problem in Bangalore might create a trouble for us. Hence, though the train was arriving at 8PM, we were leaving the hotel at 6:30PM.

We, as usual were the first to get back! We were standing there like fools with those heavy bags in our hands. Why are we so enthusiastic about everything!!

“Hey I’m damn tired!!” Sonam grumbled.
“Me too…Lets have coffee!” Shruti suggested.
We followed her suggestion as an order and ordered for 5 cups of coffee.
“What is the rate of the coffee by the way?” Pushkar asked in a worried tone. Till that moment none of us even thought of paying money. How can we forget that we already have checked out at 8AM this morning!!
Anyway … Even though Pushkar had raised the valid and sensible question, it was of no use as we were already having those hot cups of coffee in our hands. I drank it like water! Sap sap grupp….
“MADY!! Are you alright??? I think that was a coffee!! “Sonam asked in a sarcastic tone.
WHAT?? AIN’T YOU GUYS HUNGRY!! “Do you want that coffee?? Can I get more?” I guess I was in some other world!
“Ha! No way! We dint ask you to finish your cup in three seconds! Piggy girl! Now just sit and watch our faces! Or you can do one thing… Order another cup!” Sonam smirked.
I shut my mouth and tried to look somewhere else! My “friends” were giggling, highly enjoying their coffee and were over appreciating it. I tried to ignore them. While I was looking elsewhere, I caught a glimpse of Buzzy! He was talking to vise princy. Well, for my surprise he looked at me at the very moment. How the hell he came to know that I am looking at him!!
I turned my head instantly.
The giggle turned into a big laugh. I banged my head on the table.

Date: 4/11/2006
Time: 7:30 PM

I was highly tired now!! We were standing at Bangalore station like jobless people. Well, meanwhile I noticed two things. We had bought lots of stuff to eat and Priya was busy with her cousins and friend. Actually she was with them from the morning and joined us back before an hour. I could see her getting very emotional and of course that was obvious. Anyway… that’s a different story. The point is she was not with us. Oh yes! One more thing I could see was a cyber café. I suddenly started missing Orkut and my net friends. I was tempted to get in as we were still having 30 minutes in our hand! But alas! Someone announced that the train would arrive in 15 minutes and we should move to the platform.

Date: 4/11/2006
Time: 8:00 PM

It was raining cats and dogs. The water was entering inside through the windows. I, with a promise of coming back, said goodbye to Bangalore. Well, after that I observed series of events. They are ordered as follows:
1. Priya was crying.
2. We just started eating Lays when Piyush came out from nowhere. This man has got sixth sense…
3. One enthusiastic group of boys had started singing Bhajans. Few other girls started chirping.
4. Buzzy was counting and was making sure that everyone has got berth. Once again the time had arrived for me to sacrifice for my friends and classmates. I was shifted somewhere else in the compartment.
5. It was time for the dinner and we were having some dry and thick parathas in our hand. I for a change finished that stuff! Hunger makes man helpless! Remember my words.

Date: 4/11/2006
Time: 10:30 PM

Well… After a tasteless dinner, a session of games and horror stories started. I was really not interested in them. I preferred to be alone and was listening to some romantic songs on Pushkar’s media player. One by one, all moved off to attend that horror story seminar! Now there was only me, the darkness and the music.
“Why are you sitting here alone??” Someone whispered in the dark. I looked up and my heart stopped for a nanosecond. That was Buzzy. I recovered myself from that shock and opened my mouth to answer…
“No reason as such. Kinda bored of the same old stories… I enjoy being alone…” I smiled. (I guess so…)
“Oh… I see! Was it you who was telling some horror story and got scared of that rat and jumped on someone?” He asked mischievously and sat next to me in the corner.
“Hehehe! Yes!” I was blushing like anything! Thank god it was dark.
“Well, I have been observing all of you from the very 1st day only… specially your group!!” Damn Shitt!! So he knows everything! My heart was pounding with a speed of 180beats/min.
“I should appreciate you! You are really matured! It would have been a problem for us if you wouldn’t have adjusted. Were you comfortable there?? And why did you adjust this time?? Let other students, precisely some “boy” adjust. It was alright while going; your classmates were around you. This time I guess some other passengers are there.” He cares about me!!

Note: While travelling from Mumbai to B’lore , I was given a berth which was far away from my friends’ berths as I couldn’t get it near my friends’ ones. There was no specific berth allocated to anyone, precisely was a FCFS structure. I was concerned about only one thing and that was ‘sleep’, so you can say I adjusted for my friends making sure that I need not compromise for my sleep.

“That’s perfectly alright, Sir. I wouldn’t have said yes if I was not comfortable. And I don’t think I have done anything special. Someone had to adjust so did I.”
“You are really great. I have traveled a lot, with many groups and many students. This berth allocation has always been a headache. But this trip has been an exception, just because of you. Your friends are really lucky to have you as their friend.” I could see his deep brown eyes blinking in the dark. I was really confused! Why is he thanking me like this! Have I done anything special or great? Is it really worth appreciating? And the most important thing! Is it just a coincidence that he is here when it is total dark and I am absolutely alone!
By that time shruti got bored with those sad stories. So she joined us. I continued with our chat.
“Sir, can I ask you something! Why were you sleeping on the floor while going to Bangalore? Don’t you have your berth?”
“No. Actually there was some confusion regarding reservation. I was not supposed to come with you, but then yesterday when I returned back from Delhi, I was told to assist you! I have reservation till half way only. Anyway. That is a long story. Right now also I am traveling without reservation. Funny..eh?” He sighed and gave a brief smile. “Actually I have traveled like this many times. So I don’t have any problem as such.” He continued with his story.
Suddenly I had started feeling very cold. I was looking for my shawl and was not at all listening to him.
“Are you alright?? “ He asked in a soft tone. Uh…why is he being so sympathetic!
I looked at shruti. She gave a devilish look.
“Yea I am alright… just feeling lil cold. Umm… are you sitting on my shawl??” how dumb!! Hey…he IS sitting!!

Date: 4/11/2006
Time: 11:30 PM

One big Gujarati family got in. They had their berth reserved next to the one where we were sitting. From my place, I could see Vice pincy’s annoyed face, one cute little boy and few other people. Vice princy was talking to the old man from that family. There was someone sleeping on his reserved berth. It was of course one boy from our class. Vice princy called Buzzy to take care of that problem and buried himself under his blanket. I assumed that Buzzy would not come back but then after few minutes he joined us back.
“These boys also have no sense” He was kind of irritated. I found it very funny to see him like that. Anway! He continued our chat with a different subject.
“So, you like horror stories..eh? Do you watch Aahat?” Has he gone crazy?? Doesn’t he have any other time pass ??
“Hehe! Not really! I get scared very easily and I don’t like to get scared.” I tried to give a decent answer.
“Alright! But you know what I feel…. there is some power which is beyond our scope of interpretation. Something extra natural! Now we all are from science background and we should trust in science. But I feel blah blah blah…” Now seriously, he was boring me.
“What do you say?” He suddenly asked me.
“Huh? What?? UMM….”
“Ok…I will tell you one incident” He was not really concerned about my answer. He had got someone who was listening him carefully (according to him) and was not interrupting him (unlike vice princy). So he was there, speaking endlessly precisely infinitely.
The incident which he told me was totally vague. He, his wife and one more couple had gone to some hill station. They were going to one temple which was located on one hill. While climbing up, at one place his wife experienced some invisible thing calling her by her name and only she could see it. Though Buzzy and one more couple were with her, they couldn’t see it. It happened again while coming down. And then after coming to the village, down by that hill, they asked someone about this. That time they came to know that many people specially women have experienced this. None of them know what it is.
I was already chilled with that cold air; moreover this man was terrifying me with some true horror stories. He is married!!!
“I am hungry! Do you like chocolates?” I changed the subject.
“Yea… I do like them” He smiled again…his eyes sparkled …. why do I need chocolates….
“OK! I think you are sleepy now and are bored with my blabber. HAHAAHAA!! I will now go to my place. You sleep well. Are you really sure that you are comfortable with that place?? Otherwise I will ask some boy to go and sleep there.”
“No, that’s alright Sir. I will be fine. Thanks for asking. I am really sorry for you! You have to sleep on the floor again.”
“Its part of my job dear! I can’t complain about it” He patted me on the shoulder and vanished in the dark.

Date: 4/11/2006
Time: 1:15AM

I checked my watch for the last time. I was lying on my berth and was trying to interpret the whispers mixed with sounds of the rotating fans and thudding train. But my body and mind both were tired. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Nah…. It was far beyond my reach…. My thoughts were restricting it from entering my tired world.
For the last few days, I could hardly give time for my own thoughts. Now I was absolutely free to think upon each and every moment and event related to it.

While leaving Mumbai, I had not even imagined that I would come across the biggest truth in my life… I always tried to avoid thinking about my professional future because I always feel professionally insecure. I don’t even stand in the competition… there is a long road ahead stretching out for miles…Well, whenever I realize this or think about this fact my brain stops working due to fear. Believe me; nothing in the world is as scary as this feeling of insecurity. I don’t know whether this visit will ever change or affect my future but surely it has affected my mindset. I used to avoid this thought but now I am continuously thinking about it. I know thinking is not doing but it’s a major change…at least for me! Maybe… it’s a beginning of another long journey…