THE VIKRAM

THE VIKRAM,
It is a desi term for a three wheeler customized auto rickshaw not closed from back where people sit facing outwards on a wooden plank.Generally for 4-6 people but in Noida this figure fires up till 15-18 people.


Last Monday, I got ready somewhat earlier for office as the day before I bought a pair of Red tape shoes and lee cooper trousers and I was impatient to put on them on first weekday. I just reached the main traffic road with in 10 minute, from where every colony person catches any public conveyance.

The very common and popular mode of transportation here in Noida are cycle rickshaws, public DTC buses, and the above all Vikram (which always remain full of people and every one just keep struggling for their presence in the vehicle against the all the forces which can chuck them outwards; I can’t tell the nature of the forces whether they are cohesive or adhesive???).

Anyways, I generally go by slower but safer cycle rickshaw instead of those killer machines which can topple on the road any time. The day was sunny after many foggy winter mornings.While waiting, a thought came to calculate worth of my attires that day( learnt form Rahul). One by one, I just estimated worth of all the current belongings (shirt 800, trousers 1100, and shoes hummm 1800….No don’t use your mind, please leave few things :) . Within few minutes found myself worth around 4.5K.
Wow..i was in high spirits.
Felt like a Nawab[ Royal person in India ].
Broadened my shoulders.Hummmm…gals will remain speechless after seeing such a well dressed and handsome guy.

Suddenly a well packed Vikram stopped in front of me, and the guy hanging on its side, stepped down and holded the hand of a rural man in front of me and made him sit on the back side; ignoring what the poor fellow was saying. In next 5 minutes I saw the rear portion of Vikram, where 4 persons were almost popping out including the rural guy, tightly holding anything whatever they could. The scene almost made me laugh .Suddenly I found that somebody had hold my right hand, I was being dragged.
?????
What have I done??
???
Till I could understand I was on the back side of another Vikram running fast on road. I asked the hanging guy ( a sort of conductor for the Vikram) to stop it, but he was smiling at me and said” you will go to JSS na, I know”
?????
I was taken aback, how does he know???

Then I thought .Come-on yaar, 20 minutes journey why to make it an issue to get tensed up, otherwise whole day would be scre***.So I kept quite and tried to be normal.
Vikram was moving at a tolerable pace.Holding pipes, I was seeing outside. Suddenly I saw once again my brand new shoes…
Wow!!!!!!
What an inauguration of it…worth 4.5 K and sitting in a 3 Re Rickshaw among all the sweating countrymen..Great man keep it up…felt a bit frustrated.

I turned my face right, next to me a dark guy with long hair, plastic framed goggles and metal earring... hardly had bathe since birth, was smiling.. great company!!!

Within 10 minutes, it stopped to pack the remaining intermolecular spacings in the Vikram !!!!But started soon thankfully!!

I was looking on the road to freshen the mood.A lot of boards and advertisements.

On each light pole, Hutch or Idea have put their Ads each one with the latest schemes, std 5 paisa less the other one.

Then “Yahan angrezi sharaab milti hai”. [We provide you English Wine]
The Nation still seemed very much obsessed by “Angrezi” [ English]; anyways, a hackneyed way of advertising …I would say.Every one knows that the thing sells in India with a label of “Angrezi”.

Few minutes passed ,suddenly a women inside in sari (I was not able to see her ) asked the driver in Bhojpuri [ a country language] accent, “Bhaiya, jara gaadi roko, bacche ko jara bathroom aa raha hai”[ her child wanted to pee].The auto rickshaw braked and shouted “Arrey Bhen****[slang]….., seat gandi mat kariyo ..“ [Don’t spoil the vehicle]
Great!!!
So this also happens in a 20 -25 minutes journey.
What next??? Chaiwala, samosewala or some midway resort????


Thankfully, it came to life again .I was seeing poster..our own desi Bollywood on a wall , wall with all possible Indian shades. A fair skinned girl with voluptuous figure, with deep necked top.
Things were ready to come out any moment there also, as we were in this vikram.The movie named some “Pyaasi Jawani” .It reminded me some horror memories. It was 1st year when I and Mota went to some Durga talkies for a flick named some “kamsin Jawani”( Mind you every thing in India happens in Jawani only). The so called kamsin Jawani (35 years old buffalo as dark as pan ) came to the minimum clothes (..No yaar no bikini, only blouse and petticoat) in 2nd half. We both were traumatized till next morning .No one could speak while returning to hostel. Thankfully she did not come in my dream ever.

Soon on a crossroad, it stopped due to a traffic jam. Till now i was saturated.Undisturbed, I was seeing out only. Hundred of people, men with bicycles, women having bag on shoulder every one was busy in walking .A hustle all around, to get their bread for the day.

A lot of “Thellas”[movable stall] along the roadside. Then I noticed two children, the 15 year old boy in damaged and dirty clothes was cooking some chapattis and serving it to the pedestrians coming there to have their breakfast and a 10-12 year gal with running nose, probably his sister was cleansing the utensils.Their “Thella” had board with “Pesal Poori Sabzi written on it .Seeing it... I was lost .

In front of the rickshaw, people were shouting, increasing chaos, trucks horns were more irritating. But I cud not get senses, eyes were still fixed to the two children. One person yelled casually “Abe maa mar gayi kya teri, jaldi kar Saale[ a slang] late ho raha hai”.[make it fast ] The poor children paced up their activities.

I was benumb for few seconds, have forgotten my worth, life’s worthiness …
Every thing was seeming worthless .Though I was not seeing the scene first time, but don’t know why I was lost that morning.

Finally the traffic came to life, rickshaw moved again. The two dark eyes of the boy were fixed on me without asking for any kind of help, they had a spark to struggle till Armageddon.
Lot thoughts had suddenly flooded in mind.
Life teaches everybody how to struggle for livelihood!!!
Why doesn’t God treats everybody same???
If I were there, could I be able to work like them??
Am I, a fortunate person??
A voice broke me from it.
I heard,”Sector 62, JSS, JSS”.
I asked the driver to stop the rickshaw.
My voice was choked. Few eyes in the rickshaw followed me.
I got down, paid a 5 Re coin and forgot to take the change; moved straight and stopped at a “Thadi”[ Desi tea stall under a shed..life in the most primitive and original form...best place for any kind of bakar].
Asked “Bhaiyya ek cut dena”[ Gimme a tea].

Those 39Hrs

So I was 30 minutes earlier in the dark foggy night on platform no 5 in Yeshvantpur with my friends..waiting for Sampark Kranti Express to Delhi.

Delhi, from where i was going to give a new turn into my career by joining a new startup company after leaving Infosys.I was full of mixed feelings..unknown about what's stored in my future !!!

It's been more than an year since I was here in Bangalore , far from home. I have enjoyed every bit of this place right from the terrific traffic jams to movies in PVR, treats with Friends,Infy Campus..and above all the never ending, ever lasting "Bakar"( endless chat with lot of spice and not a tinge of malice).

All my friends and roommates had come to see me off. I took a few shots with them (Just a few days back i had uploaded a new roll in my old Yashica to have picture with my friends and teammates, an attempt to capture these moments forever).I was enjoying their company , had a tea.. thats my favorite TimePass ( chai with bakar ..deadly combo, those who don't have tea will go to hell ..yeah i m not kidding ).

35 minutes later i was at the door of AS1 yelling good-byes to my friends .. friends with whom i enjoyed a lot..and who never let me feel homesick..

Then i checked my coach ..no chik ..as usual( i was reminded of a theorem, it goes something like ..if you are a good guy with normal looks and are traveling in train ,you will never find a gorgeous chik in your coach, and if you still manage to find one, it won't be anywhere near your berth and if still she is near you , she won't see you....Arrey yaar it’s a "Hence Proved" theorem...)
Finally settled..at my berth..next to me was a dark complexioned man with stern looks...I came to know in next 5 minutes that he was a Lieutenant .He started talk with me,told me about his training in Dehradoon and how his colonel father was happy for what he chose as a career...his home in Bangalore.I found him different from normal army personnel who more or less are rude and find themselves the only service men to the Nation and hate civilians for taking life so casually or without discipline.

Then he asked about me ..i too told him about my ancestral history of armed forces..how my grandfather and his brothers served in Army....

While i was busy talking to Lt. Tulsi, I caught a glimpse of her..yeah i caught the look of the girl who was on the upper birth(vertically opposite to me..)She was looking at me…normal looks ..but still her presence gave me some confidence that at least i got something to pass this boring journey..and to flirt with..Then i told Mr. Tulsi about my software and Infosys ..(A failed attempt to impress her huh....)..whatever..i found our eyes meeting each other for few moments ..
yeah she was normal looking ..but getting interested a little bit..and when i told him about my native place ..that i belong to Bikaner ..She jumped out of her bed and ....no no nothing special ....it never happens yaarShe told me that she too belonged to Bikaner(so that was the reason..uffo..but still right target with wrong weapon.. :)

So Mr. Tulsi was now out and she was in..i mean in conversation yaar..So gradually so many acquaintances came out and finally we found out some bonding...or connection as usual(..my classmate's uncle's sister in laws' friend's elder brother's sister in law..and the connection went on...probably longer and more complexed than schrodinger's equation..)

Now all the old champions( 35 and more) of the compartment were eying me as i have stolen something which belonged to them not to me..or if they were cursing that ..today's generation is out of control..forgotten all values..so we chatted and chatted..don't know what time she went to her berth ..

Next day while lunch and dinner .. we again discussed a lot ..lot about Bikaner..careers..she was pursuing Engg. from some private college in Bangalore..i don't know how did we become so much familiar easily..We had met for the first time and it was like that we have known each other for long .....I told her things which i probably haven't told to few of my very close friends not because i didn't want to but i never got chance to discuss them..they came out themselves..right from childhood stupidities to adolescent crushes,college life,ragging , absurd philosophies, meaning of life, aims of life and a lot more..

Now with her company i could pass time easily. Probably she also found the same motive,otherwise i rarely remember the moments when a girl herself initiated conversation with me. When we did not talk it was our eyes which met each other and then we smiled in sync.( i don't know why profs don't illustrate this example of resonance in college....)

So the finally the train reached Nizamuddin...She once asked me where i was going and then i was willing to say wherever you want let me to come with...but could not....I did not want to say bye to her..but it always happens;and finally we parted.

So now i waved at her with a hope of meeting again;gave my e-mail id( usual parting rituals ..)and finally moved away. One thing i believe is that this world is small and life is too long;and this is the thing which consoles me while parting from any dear one.

I jumped out of coach for coolie ...for Delhi i already had prenotion that this city is too much for me to handle easily,a coolie agreed for 80 bugs for 5 items ..he came with an auto driver who was asking for 350 bucks from Nizamuddin to Noida,the place where i have to shift finally..I found it too much so denied..but that taxi driver followed me..I asked the coolie to move to the prepaid counter.

Suddenly as we moved ahead..2 TTs stopped and asked me for the ticket,i provided it to them. He said that it seemed if i got more luggage than the allowed limit on a single ticket,so he put it on the weighing machine…and asked me to enter a Re 1 coin in it.. which I did with my fast pounding heart…it came with 52 Kgs. The TT grinned with all the wickedness of this universe,saw his reference pocket ruling book and told me that its 12 kg extra.

So it is 600 bugs fine…I was ready for it so started my drama.

"Sir i am a student ..please sir..no job..
books ka weight hai Sir ..plzzz..i left my PC due to weight reasons only.."
It didn't take much time and they both finally came down to 200 bucks.
I was feeling victorious..happy...elated..they asked me to give it to a "kulfi wala thela" and whispered in the kulfi wala's to take money from me.

So i just handed two 100 Re notes to him,and finally got some relief..

I thanked them and asked to coolie to come with me...that auto wala was still following me. After 10 minutes coolie asked me.."Sahib why did you pay those bas**rds 200 bugs, when 50 Kg is allowed in the 3 tier AC"....


...Shit...What??
??????????
Ohh shit yaar
???
Why dint he tell me earlier??
???
Arrey yaar..Not again....
!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was in shock...stood still on stairs for few moments ..those 2 bast**ds were out of sight now..
Within few minutes i got sense with the railway announcement "Welcome to Delhi"
..f***ing CITY OF CORRUPTION.. i said to myself .. :)