In everyone's life there is bound to be a phase or a journey of self discovery where you are all alone inspite of having people with you; when you wish that there was someone with whom you could share all thoughts, feelings and emotions. Someone who would not break your thought just because she is feeling bored. Someone, that perfect (or imperfect?) her!!!
These were precisely the thoughts that came to me as I was travelling on the last leg of my journey to Nagpur from Chandrapur. The VCR was playing Krrish, with hardly anyone in the bus interested in it; but yet watching it to get their Rs. 130's worth. The 3 hour journey was over in a jiffy with my time spent in watching portions of Krrish, watching the Vidharban landscape and reading Foucault's pendulum. I was still in a state of trance when I was dropped at the entrance of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Airport, Nagpur from where I was made to walk about 2-2.5 kms to reach the departure terminal all because the police would not allow me to flag down a vehicle. The reason? Manmohan's departure to Delhi.
And as I sit to write this on the 12th of June, I am more grateful than ever to be alive...I can follow my passions, take my evening strolls, talk to family and friends, watch TV and what not. I am thankful to my sixth sense, God and the presence of three of my friends that I took the taxi to Andheri rather than the local, which I had taken on the 10th, from Dadar to Andheri..a bone crushing ride wherein I found my laptop bag's strap around my ankles, and the bag itself in my hands above my head, with 3 of my fingers holding on for dear life so that I didn't get swept away by the surging crowd. I could not believe that on the 11th, someone would stoop down so low to attack honest, working people who just don't care beyond expressing solidarity with or expressing vocal opinion about whether there has to be a temple in Ayodhya or a mosque; whether Kashmir stays with India, goes to Pakistan, becomes independent or goes to hell; whether there are cartoons denigrating the prophet, whether goddess durga appears on a whiskey bottle or a panty, whether Anne Frank is shown in bed with Hitler or what not. And most stunning of all, the same Western line which I had made my lifeline...this line was mercilessly bombed!!! Fuck terrorism, fuck terrorists!!!
Being alive has other benefits, like for example, the long ride from Goregaon to Nariman Point. But I must warn you that your arse is going to scream in pain, and the first few steps that you take at Nariman are going to be like that of a freshly deflowered virgin. I recommend this ride for the following reasons:
1. To watch how the social topography changes while travelling from North to South Bombay.
2. Experience the thrill of whizzing along the Western Express Highway at top speeds and experiencing the thrill when your pillion rider's balls crash onto the seat when you take the bike along pot holes which he cannot see. Of course the favour may be returned some other day with compound interest!!!
3. To end up thirsty and tired at Haji Ali juice centre on the return journey and have some of the best fruit juices in the planet.
4. And for me, the most important reason...to see if a certain hazel eyed female with flowing hair frequents marine drive.
All said and done, the train has to be taken from someday. I cannot continue contributing voluntarily to the Autorickshaw and taxi drivers union indefinitely. Till the time I buy a bike, Mumbai Suburban Railway Zindabad!!!
PS: Someone (Abhyuadaya, I guess) questioned me regarding the fate of "From the Capital" once i moved out of Delhi. Simple, I have just shifted from the political/sex capital to the financial capital....
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