Trip to Raniganj

I wrote this one long time back, but I have no clue why I did not post. Any case here it is, I have been writing, but never posted, no clue why, will post others when I am able to locate them on my hard drive

It was 6am, trying hard to sleep more, but was not able to, Got down from my Upper birth in my train, and was lucky enough to find a window seat empty, sat there and opened the window, there came a voice from somewhere, "Please close the window, it is very cold", I had no choice, I had to shut, then went straight to the door, opened it and turned around for more voices, ah, Good, nothing heard. I sit there on the door step, looking out, hmm, bad luck, visibility was just about 5 meters, heavy Fog, but it was fun, train moving at a speed as that of a snail or may be slower, I don’t know if heavy Fog was the reason.

Then started my long wait for my station, where I had to get down and head to Raniganj, but then I am known for it, it always happens with me, Train is running very late, may be up to 2 hrs late, went back to my seat (the window seat), with window still shut, thanks to those who were still sleeping and making me jealous. I thought it was time to read something, took out a RK Narayan’a malgudi story book and started reading from where I left previous night.

7am, 8am, 9am, Train still happily moving at its own phase, and stopping at every station(wow, it is supposed to be a super fast express). By now I already started to get worried on missing my connecting train to Raniganj which was at 10:30 from Bardhwan, time passed by, it was 10AM (I was to reach bardhwan at 7am),

When I finally asked a local Tea vendor on how far is bardhwan, and reply was, "Sir, yeah Train tho bardhwan nahin jayegi".. I was like, what??????. Not surprised, things never go the right way for me.

Thanks to the same tea vendor, who suggested me alternative to reach Raniganj. I was to get down at next station which was to arrive in 5 minutes and then take a bus to Bardhwan and then another bus to Raniganj.

Before he could complete his suggestion, the station arrived, I just took my Bag, with the book still in my hand, I did not have time to think, and I just blindly believed the tea vendor and got down.

I was reading that part of the book, where the author is describing a tea stall and that the things cost less in the tea stall that was the last thing I read. I walk out of the station and there it was a Tea stall, similar to what I read lot of flies on the Bread etc, Best part was the cost, A puri costs a buck and a glass of Tea costs a buck too. For a movement I thought if I was lost reading or I was actually in the process of eating 10 puri's and a glass of tea for 11 bucks. The whole setup up of that place was very imaginary.

I went to bus stop, all the people waiting there were busy smoking bedis, and nobody seem to know Hindi. But somehow managed get a bus ride to Bardhwan, It was three hours Bus ride, ON ROOF TOP OF IT, then those three hours ride happened to be the most scariest and best rides, best because it was awesome fun, scariest because I almost got knocked out by a tree branch(phew, that was really close), after that incident, I was just holding tightly to the railings and dodging the tree branches, bend to left or right, or sometime just go on your back, all the people around were buzy laughing at what I was doing, I was toooo scared, I would bend to any tree branch that I saw, irrespective of how far it was from me.

Finally reached Bardhwan, and then took another bus ride to Raniganj, a label on the bus read "Super Fast Express, No concession allowed". only after the bus started to move I realized meaning of it, it meant, it would stop every 2 km. 60 km ride took almost 3 hours on a 6 lane highway.

It was around 5Pm I finally reached Raniganj, Maddy picked me up from the Bus stop to his house, A feast lunch was awaiting me at his house, it was the best North Indian Food I ever had and I don’t remember how many different varieties of sweets and dishes I had that day. Celebrated tasty food with fine Indian victory against England, with Tendulkar hitting a brilliant century, and according to me this is his second best Hundred till date, first being the century at the same venue against Pakistan...

And what followed was a much deserved rest..............

The End..