For five days, I was out on an unexpected journey
accompanying my friend. I only had my mobile facility through which I kept the
update of new post by other bloggers and with my facebook. Well, with this five
days stay at Devangere, I have collected few rays of my experiences which I want
share. Let me make it into a story like form in a way to give a new taste to my
blog. The journey is divided into parts since it will be very long otherwise to
read in one go. Hope you guys enjoy it!!
It was 1.37 a.m. Setting inside the bus, the rumbling noise
and the trembling motion. Half asleep, half awake, eyes dancing with pain of
sleeplessness because, every time I closed my eyes, the sudden jerking off the
seat whenever the bus passed on the bumper just knocked off the sleep. Sore
butt having to be seated continuously for 5 hours then and had still four more hours. Kinley, next to my seat, her hair tidily made into a bun with
few of her hair fringes dancing with the rush of air coming from the window.
Both legs pulled up on the seat, folded completely, squeezed on the chair and
battling hard to get some sleep. Beside me was, Sanketh, my local friend who
was bus phobic, hated travelling through bus but he made an exception this
time. Peldon on the other hand, after 6
hours of anxiety, tension, and worries has finally fallen asleep.
5:45 p.m, 7 hours earlier, I was as usual, facing the laptop
browsing through news feed. Dazz came inside my room pushing in the door hard
and told me to call Peldon. I reached for my phone. 4 miscalls!! No wonder, it was from Peldon.
I called back. It was Kinley from the other side. She told me, Peldon’s
practical exam is confirmed and she has been placed in Devangere, 300km away
from our place and she has to move the
night itself since the exam was to start
just the next day after tomorrow. Peldon called me again the next time. Her voice was
shaking, sounded like, she was about to burst into tears anytime. She told me
to get ready and pack the required things needed for five days. She was suddenly told by our professor about the exam which made her panic with anxiety and worry. I was to
accompany her along with Kinley. Sanketh came along with us being a protective
shield. He told he will get us all settled up properly and will drive back the
next night itself. Indians especially the auto drivers, get their nerves up when
they see chinky, fair people like us and it is quite unsafe to travel to places
in India if we haven’t been before.
At around 5:30 a.m the next day, the dawn had just broken,
we smelled the morning freshness of Devangere. The streets were dead silent
with no people, we made our way towards Chetana Hotel. We had the rooms
reserved. Weary and tired, for four hours then, all of us lied flat on the bed.
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Pizzatic omelet...Covered the whole plate.
Buzzing of people and honking sounds of vehicles outside
became alive and woke me up. From the balcony of the hotel, I could see the
road has finally become the mini Mumbai traffic, autos and cars trying to find way and bikes and scooters squeezing through the small spaces in between.
Peldon came knocking inside our room and told us to get ready for we had to
find the college where she was to do the exam and get familiar with the labs
and equipments. We pushed in one plate of puri each in our belly and a tea. Then we caught
an auto to drive us towards the college.
“Sanjeevene College of Paramedical Sciences”, the sign board
read, hanged on the wall beside the door of the three storied building. We
entered the wide open door, 2-3 dried flower pots were lined up below the
window. In an opening, we came into a corridor and against each side was
alternative doors with small name board attached above the doors reading
“office room”, “Principal”, “Assistant” and finally "staff rooml”. Peldon went
inside the Principals chamber while we waited outside. She looked pale when she
came back. She said the principal seemed strict and she was worried she would have hard time
during exam. She was told to meet the final year B.Sc Lab technology boy who was in the
laboratory up in third floor. Just few steps away from the principal’s chamber
was a small, cramped stairs leading to second and then third floor. The second
floor was dead empty and the corridor seemed like, a white witch would pop out
from the doors anytime. Third floor opened into a wide hall like room where
chairs were placed and we could hear girls laughing and making noises. Suddenly,
the noises seized. It was a classroom. A teacher had just entered the class.
Overall, it took me back to my primary school arena and I felt humorously
funny watching the grown up college students acting like children.
Just opposite to the class was the lab. Inside we went and met the final year boy. Peldon had her discussion about the exams, oriented through the equipments placed on the tables. One set of ESR stand, a centrifuge beside, small hot air oven and an analytical balance placed behind it. “Bavana”, a practical record book on the table read. I lifted up and was browsing through it. Soon, a big girl with papers on her hand came inside the lab with a huge smile on her face. She greeted us with gentle smile and introduced herself as being one of the student to do exam. She saw the book on my hand and took it away saying it was hers. Peldon instantly got close with her, asked her about the exams, made uncountable queries. They got acquainted quite well and she was glad she got a nice company. Finally we came outside and got into the auto. Peldon poked through the opening of the auto and said “ Bouna, bye, see you tomorrow”. “Bounap yaa, what’s bounap?”, I asked Peldon humorously. Kinley on the other hand, gave a sharp, ear pinching laugh who was sitting beside me. “ Its bouna, her name”. Suddenly I remembered the name on the practical book. “Zai, its Ba-va-na, not bouna or bounap” I corrected and we drove off laughing out loud.We reached back to hotel. Our stomachs were already grumbling by then. There was a restaurant below. We went inside and got seated on to the family chamber. Mushroom fried rice for two girls, vegetable biriyani for Sanketh and I ordered for vegetable noodles. As we waited for the order to arrive, I could hear the whirling of the fan hanged above our head, children and wives shouting on the other table and an old hindi song was buzzing from old sound box attached on the corner somewhere.
There was no work then, all of us once again drenched into
sleep. At 8:30, I went to drop Sanketh till bus station, got the ticket back to
Raichur confirmed and came back to hotel where I saw Peldon busy with books and
Kinley browsing her mobile lying on the bed. There was four days ahead of us.
Peldon had her work to do. Kinley and me, had no idea, how we were going to
kill the time.
My time pass in the hotel room. A door sized mirror infront.
Tomorrow at sharp 8 a.m, we reached at the examination
centre, wished her luck and soon she disappeared into the lab. For 1 hour, two
of us waited outside, talking about usual things. Next one hour, we strolled
around the area, terrifying the people around seeing two chinky couple walking
almost hand in hand together. I could read their expressions, the way they
stared. We came back and waited for another one hour. Peldon came out with
satisfying look and she was happy with her performance. Next day was a break
for her, so to kill the few more hours of the day, girls insisted to go explore
the shopping malls. On the way towards hotel, they saw jeans and shirts hanged
on the shops and instantly, I could see excitement on their faces. After lunch,
we went from shop to shop. Both of them caught an item each. I just gave a look
on shirts but didn’t buy a thing. We ate
up almost all shops, one by one but reached back to hotel tired with only two
items that two of them bought earlier. The day ended with few mushroom spring
rolls for dinner and three bottles of water. It was one hell of a day, three more days lie ahead.
Mushroom spring roll.
Second part of the Journey to be continued………..
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