The train to Chandigarh

Date: 25^th December

Occasion: Christmas

Mission: to celebrate the Christmas in Chandigarh

Modus Operandi: to board the train from Old Delhi Railway station at 8’O clock.

Everything was going smooth. The previous day, I gathered everything I could ever need for our trip to Shimla via Chandigarh. But did someone say that there is some snag in the plan? Yes, train at 8’O clock, which means, I had to get up as early as 5:30 in the morning; very easy for you humans, but an uphill task for us nocturnal species.

I guess the 1^st mantra of management is ‘Prioritize’ which, unfortunately, I never learned. Instead of packing my bags and sleeping early, I hooked on to my lappy. I am telling you, this facebook , Orkut, Gtalk and Gmail are highly addictive; once logged in it takes oodles of courage to log out. However, these are the normal addictive drugs but the ‘baap’ of all of them, the online-cocain, is Blogging (at least for me). 

I was in a trance, thanks to this drug and never realized that it was 2’O clock in the morning. Now I started packing my bags but was too confused and sleepy and after some initial spurts, I just left it and thought it would all be done in the morning (as if Santa would come in the night to pack my bags). I slept at 3:15 and as I had requested to my friend loki; he called me up at 5:30 in the morning. Hardly any sleep. I should have got up but what to do when someone himself isn’t ready to leave a cozy and warm blanket. I get up at 6:05, finally, but it was too late then, I guess (and now I know, as well). At 6:55, I receive a call from loki that he is boarding the metro, but I was hardly ready by then, and I am not talking about the bag-packing here.

I was 7:30 and I was only at the metro station near my place. The hopes had almost died but showing exemplary ‘never say die’ attitude I was constantly communicating with my friends that I will reach there but chilled water was poured in the boiling oil of my enthusiasm and optimism when the metro stopped, twice, in between its otherwise smooth journey for some unknown reasons, she said “there will be a ‘short’ delay in the journey, the inconvenience is regretted”. My crying heart was not ready to take that consolation. When I reached CP to change the metro for Chandni chowk, it was already 8:07. I was in the metro and I got a call; it was loki. He inform me that the train is still waiting for me (he he) at the platform. It was a real energizer, more potent than Glucon-D! I felt like barging into the driver’s chamber and give him a slap on the back of his neck to drive faster. I finally reached the chandni chowk station and I rushed out, the way a racehorse plunges out of its box or whatever it’s called. The train was still at the platform. I was on the stairs going towards the old Delhi station when finally I received the heartbreaking news which I dreaded the most. The train woke up from its snooze and with every passing moment, the train accelerated, while my legs kept on losing the momentum and energy till I reached a standstill. I dropped my bag and just kept staring at the departing metro. I just couldn’t think of what to do now. I surely didn’t want to go to Chandigarh in a bus all alone. And the most frustrating part was, I couldn’t blame anybody for it. God tried his best because the train was supposed to leave at 8 but it stopped after starting once and moving some 100-200 m, as told by my friend but even god can extend his help to some extent only. But mine was a case of gross carelessness and casual approach.

Like a dethroned king, I came back to the same station from where I started this misadventure where a fine of Rs 10 was waiting for me. Yani, khaya piya kuch nahin, gilas toda, 12 anna.

There have been many instances in my life where I have been able to make things possible at the eleventh hour; I guess I am still not out of those hallucinations and hence paying a heavy price (I am not taking of the train ticket or metro fare here). And to be very honest, this was not the first eye opener but I guess my eyelids are quite heavy which keeps dropping down!! I just hope that this incident is the final episode of a very long, irritating and depressing soap opera and I learn something form it.