Dec 1, 2007 5:30 P.M.
Warangal, A.P.
I boarded Lucknow express to Kanpur. I was appearing for Ph.D. interview. There were many things which happened to me for the first time. It was my first time to go to northern India. It was my first time too to travel more than a day at a stretch. The train was filled with northern air at Warangal itself. The train reached Kanpur 2nd December, 8:00 P.M. It was raining at that time. The station was pretty old and is of different architecture built with arches etc. The roads, pan shops, cycle rickshaws made me feel strange. For one moment, I thought I entered a different world. I went to an autowala and asked him to show me a lodge nearby I.I.T. so that my life would be easier the next day. As everything was new to me, my mind was pinching, all the time, not to trust anyone. Adding to my suspicion, the autowala took me through many dark streets and landed at a lodge. He had some private chat with the lodge owner and went. The lodge owner told that one room will cost 350 rs per day. I agreed and settled there. The room boy knocked the door for dinner. I chose an item randomly among the options given by him. Despite of being damn hungry, I hardly tasted them. Though, Hindi was not new to me I felt very strange to be there with them. To divert my thinking, I put load on TV remote to see what was happening in the world. To my fortune, I found that Gemini(telugu) channel was being telecasted there. I was pretty happy to see the channel, thinking that these people at least know my world. Finally I managed to get some sleep at that night. Thanks to mosquitoes.
The next day was the big day, the day of my interview. I made myself ready, took an auto to I.I.T. and reached the department on time. The interview took the whole day to complete and it was good too. Once the work, at the University, completed I thought to go back to the lodge. Then I realised that I did not take the lodge address in the morning. I had no idea about its location. The only clue I had was, I saw a fly-over bridge near by the lodge. I didn't know how many such bridges the city has. I took an auto and asked him to drop me at the nearest fly-over. To my terrible fortune, that was the right bridge and the hotel was right beside there. I can still feel the happiness, which I felt at that time. What would have happened if that is not the right bridge?
The journey was just half done. I didn't have tickets for return journey. There were no tickets left by the time I received call letter for interview and tatkal reservation was never in my thoughts. That time, I travel frequenly from Hyderabad to Vijayawada(my home town) and it was a cake walk. No need for reservation, there were many trains and they go half filled except in festival seasons. One could reserve the berth at the train itself. On that day, I realised that its not that simple, rather its not even harder but terrible. I had no clue about trains going to Hyderabad. I packed my luggage, vacated the room and reached railway station around 8:00 P.M. I entered the station and went to the electronic board to see what trains were there to go to Hyderabad. My eyes raced across the board multiple times. No train to Hyderabad, not even towards Andhra Pradesh! I was stunned. I was walking along the platform thinking what to do. Everything was going against to me. Adding to this, ticket collector stopped me and asked to show the ticket. I became cold, strange fear started at the back of my mind and passed the whole body. Somehow, I started convincing him. Words are coming out hardly. Somehow the ticket collector convinced, its more proper to say that he showed sympathy on me. For one moment, I thought that my life would end there at the railway station.
I think, I decided to fight at the very next moment. I came to know that there were many trains to Delhi and its just 6 hours away. I decided to go to Delhi and return Hyderabad by flight no matter how expensive it would be. I started listening announcements for trains to Delhi. I enquired at each train going to Delhi for berths. No train has vacant berths. It was 2 A.M. I heard that only two trains left to Delhi on that night. As I was concrete to go to Delhi, I thought of standing in general class if I didn't get reservation. Things started favouring me, then onwards. The ticket collector told that there was a vacant berth at AC-II class, sit there and he would come to collect charges. I experienced, how relaxing it would be to step from hell to heaven. The train started. The ticket collector came and told that there is a berth available in AC-III class, which is cost effective too. I just started enjoying the fruits of victory. I denied him saying I will sit here only whatever the cost might be. I remember, he charged 800/-.
I reached Delhi around 11:00 A.M. the next day. I took an auto to domestic airport and enquired when was the next flight to Hyderabad. The lady at the enquiry told that it was around 5'O clock in the evening. I booked the ticket, called my friend who was studying in I.I.T. Delhi, went there and put myself into some shape. I checked my mails there, and found a mail from Prof. Surender Baswana, I.I.T. Kanpur stating that I got selected for Ph.D. program and the same will officially be confirmed shortly. I was on the moon and jumped to the flight at that evening and returned to Hyderabad.
Warangal, A.P.
I boarded Lucknow express to Kanpur. I was appearing for Ph.D. interview. There were many things which happened to me for the first time. It was my first time to go to northern India. It was my first time too to travel more than a day at a stretch. The train was filled with northern air at Warangal itself. The train reached Kanpur 2nd December, 8:00 P.M. It was raining at that time. The station was pretty old and is of different architecture built with arches etc. The roads, pan shops, cycle rickshaws made me feel strange. For one moment, I thought I entered a different world. I went to an autowala and asked him to show me a lodge nearby I.I.T. so that my life would be easier the next day. As everything was new to me, my mind was pinching, all the time, not to trust anyone. Adding to my suspicion, the autowala took me through many dark streets and landed at a lodge. He had some private chat with the lodge owner and went. The lodge owner told that one room will cost 350 rs per day. I agreed and settled there. The room boy knocked the door for dinner. I chose an item randomly among the options given by him. Despite of being damn hungry, I hardly tasted them. Though, Hindi was not new to me I felt very strange to be there with them. To divert my thinking, I put load on TV remote to see what was happening in the world. To my fortune, I found that Gemini(telugu) channel was being telecasted there. I was pretty happy to see the channel, thinking that these people at least know my world. Finally I managed to get some sleep at that night. Thanks to mosquitoes.
The next day was the big day, the day of my interview. I made myself ready, took an auto to I.I.T. and reached the department on time. The interview took the whole day to complete and it was good too. Once the work, at the University, completed I thought to go back to the lodge. Then I realised that I did not take the lodge address in the morning. I had no idea about its location. The only clue I had was, I saw a fly-over bridge near by the lodge. I didn't know how many such bridges the city has. I took an auto and asked him to drop me at the nearest fly-over. To my terrible fortune, that was the right bridge and the hotel was right beside there. I can still feel the happiness, which I felt at that time. What would have happened if that is not the right bridge?
The journey was just half done. I didn't have tickets for return journey. There were no tickets left by the time I received call letter for interview and tatkal reservation was never in my thoughts. That time, I travel frequenly from Hyderabad to Vijayawada(my home town) and it was a cake walk. No need for reservation, there were many trains and they go half filled except in festival seasons. One could reserve the berth at the train itself. On that day, I realised that its not that simple, rather its not even harder but terrible. I had no clue about trains going to Hyderabad. I packed my luggage, vacated the room and reached railway station around 8:00 P.M. I entered the station and went to the electronic board to see what trains were there to go to Hyderabad. My eyes raced across the board multiple times. No train to Hyderabad, not even towards Andhra Pradesh! I was stunned. I was walking along the platform thinking what to do. Everything was going against to me. Adding to this, ticket collector stopped me and asked to show the ticket. I became cold, strange fear started at the back of my mind and passed the whole body. Somehow, I started convincing him. Words are coming out hardly. Somehow the ticket collector convinced, its more proper to say that he showed sympathy on me. For one moment, I thought that my life would end there at the railway station.
I think, I decided to fight at the very next moment. I came to know that there were many trains to Delhi and its just 6 hours away. I decided to go to Delhi and return Hyderabad by flight no matter how expensive it would be. I started listening announcements for trains to Delhi. I enquired at each train going to Delhi for berths. No train has vacant berths. It was 2 A.M. I heard that only two trains left to Delhi on that night. As I was concrete to go to Delhi, I thought of standing in general class if I didn't get reservation. Things started favouring me, then onwards. The ticket collector told that there was a vacant berth at AC-II class, sit there and he would come to collect charges. I experienced, how relaxing it would be to step from hell to heaven. The train started. The ticket collector came and told that there is a berth available in AC-III class, which is cost effective too. I just started enjoying the fruits of victory. I denied him saying I will sit here only whatever the cost might be. I remember, he charged 800/-.
I reached Delhi around 11:00 A.M. the next day. I took an auto to domestic airport and enquired when was the next flight to Hyderabad. The lady at the enquiry told that it was around 5'O clock in the evening. I booked the ticket, called my friend who was studying in I.I.T. Delhi, went there and put myself into some shape. I checked my mails there, and found a mail from Prof. Surender Baswana, I.I.T. Kanpur stating that I got selected for Ph.D. program and the same will officially be confirmed shortly. I was on the moon and jumped to the flight at that evening and returned to Hyderabad.
