Of the five years I've been out of Trichy, this Diwali was "special". In fact, not the Diwali per se, but the things that happened before Diwali.
I had planned and booked my Diwali ticket well in advance (as I normally do). To be very specific, I booked the onward journey (for Oct 24, 2008) ticket on July 26, 2008. Exactly 90 days before (Indian Railways doesn't allow any earlier!), you can count if you have a doubt :). Actually, there were no tickets available from Bangalore to Trichy (there are people worse and more paranoid than me :)), I had booked it from Maddur to Trichy (an excess of Rs.20 doesn't really matter). This was the flashback...
On Oct 24, 2008, I (along with Karthik and Ravindra) left office at 2:45 PM (on time, normally I leave at 3:30 PM). We got a Suvarna bus and got a business class ticket ( Rs.5 extra - I am serious, please check in Suvarna buses of KSRTC if you don't believe me). It was raining pretty heavily and I got down at Silk Board. God!! It was like the Bay of Bengal. Took an auto from bG circle to my place. The guy was cool and asked for just Rs. 30 (in place of Rs. 20). When I reached halfway, I was able to see a Pacific Ocean - Bermuda triangle rather... The vehicles which dared pass through the water actually started floating and disappeared!! The devil in me enjoyed the lighter side of the sufferings of those people though :). The auto driver told me that he has to take a big detour to avoid this mess and charged Rs. 60. It really doesn't matter!!
I reached home, packed and was about to leave - it started drizzling. Din't mind it really and got an auto to Majestic at 5 PM. The auto driver told me that the road was pretty bad and flooded (I knew it !!) and that he will take a different "shorter" route. I said yes. We entered the narrowest lane in Bangalore (it was raining heavily by then) and saw the biggest possible traffic jam. I asked the auto wala, whether I can make it to the 7 PM train. He said "Aaraamaagi" (coolly!!). We were there in the jam and I was able to see all the possible vehicles that man had made. trying to turn, manouvre, race ahead... It's a really competitive world you see!!
Well, at the end of a 90 minute wait in the lane, we reached wht people normally call as main road. It was 6:30 and I asked the auto wala about my prospect of catching the train. He said "Kashta sir!!" (Difficult!!). That explains. I reached the other side of the Rly Stn at 7 :05 PM and took 2 subways (drenched in the rain in between)to reach the station. Ran to the 6th platform and found a totally empty platform. The inevitable had happened. The bloody train came and left on time!! My first time of missing a train.. It doesn't really matter!!
Came out of the station. It was raining as if it is the last monsoon in Bangalore for the next 40 years!! Searched around in Majestic bus stand for tamil Nadu buses. Later came to know that the TN buses have been shifted to the Wilson Garden bus stand. Why now??? Took an auto, who luckily charged a meagre Rs. 50. Reached the other bus stand. Got a person, who was having a ticket to Madurai, which I can take till Salem (Rs. 280). When I was waiting for that bus, a direct bus to Trichy was passing me. I was greedy enough to leave the old bus guy and go in pursuit of a ticket. The conductor later said there are no tickets (as if he din't know it before!!). When I was in the midst of nowhere, not knowing how to go, call it supernatural intervention or divine grace or dame luck or whatever, someone asked me whether I need a ticket to Trichy for Rs. 320. The bus was a Karnataka Sarige bus (worse than the Suvarna town bus I had taken!!), still, that was to be my Titanic for the night. I got a special last seat (# 52 to be precise) and the roads do have a lot of bumps... The bus was scheduled at 22:22 and eventually came at 23:15 and left at 00:00.
I reached Trichy at 09:00. I'm actually going through the 7.5 year saturn period and that sure has it's effect.
Total expense for the Diwali travel: Rs. 204(train) +60(auto1) +150(auto2) +50(auto3) +280(missed bus1)+ 320(travelled bus2) = 1064 + drenching in rain + no dinner + too much of running + too much of tension + Rs. 80 (antibiotics and vitamin C for cold).... :(
The Diwali was as usual great and had a nice return journey.....
All said and done, I will never forget Diwali 2008....
