------------------------------------Uddalak Banerjee(UBJ)
Central Characters -----
Uddalak banerjee(UBJ)—NIT Raipur ,computerScience engg,4th year
Animesh pant -- NIT Raipur, computer Science engg,4th year,[home state:Rajasthan]
Ramji bhai kalbi—NIT Raipur,INFormation technology,4th year,[ home state:Rajasthan]
Girish Dhawan-------- NIT Raipur ,Metallurgy ,4th year
Abhishek Chauhan---NITRaipur ,ComputerScience engg.4th year( Special appearance Durg Station)
This story is a travel account and hence is a real story. I hope that this will last the wheels of time for all times to come. I hope that Mine or Animesh or Ramji 's children or their children and grand children will one day read this story and smile. Maybe on that day i will no be no more or maybe alive in some part of the world completely unaware that our old and fantastic journey is getting read by our own children.
28/12/2009 was a red lettered day for more reasons than one.It was one of the last dates of the year 2009 and also the last days of much celebrated college life of UBj.But apart from these two reasons the day assumed great significance in Uddalak Banerjee’s life because it was the day when a completel y different facet of Chattisgarh as a state was finally revealed.Since the very starting of our college life in 2006-07 session ,the whole batch of nit Raipur had been complaining that there are no tourist destinations available near Raipur or in Raipur but finally when it was time to perhaps bid a final good bye to the state bag and baggage,it unleashed a completely different pellucid side.
The planning for the trip was rather abrupt.It was Ramji bhai kalvi(RBK) who came up with this crazy idea and Animesh acceded and Girish followed suite.Once RBk asked UBj to join ,it was only matter of schedule adjustment so that any other preoccupation did not clash with the date of jeorney.On 28th morning I had a Pt exam on mock Xat and by 10 in the morning the exam was over and our jeorney began at 12 clock in the afternoon.Girish assumed the role of the guide since he had a string of pathbreaking jeorneys to his credit.He had been part of the Nit group who visited Kanya Kumari,he had also been part of the group who participated in techfests etc and lastly and most importantly he had been to Dongargarh three times.On the other hand ,for me and animesh and ramji it was a first time experience.Span of the jeorney deduced from the experiences of Lala(vikash agrawal ) (who had just been to dongargarh few days back ) we knew it would be approx a 12 hours jeorney .We went to the saraswati nagar station and took tickets of 19.6 Rs each from Sartola to Dongargarh.I was wearing a white peter England shirt and a black colored pant ,sweter and a jacket on top.RBk was wearing a green shirt and a black pant with a jacket on top and sported a super cool sunglass .Animesh Pant and Girish were wearing a jacket each on top of a blue and yellow tshirts respectively .
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The train was bilaspur durg local and arrived at 12:45 .The train was scarcely crowded so we did not face much of problem finding our seats .Once on train and seated ,Girish broached the topic of placement saying “ Adani is confirmed for metallurgy but it would be giving the same rotten 3.4 lakhs.”.Rbk inorder to bypass the topic asked me ,”So then UBJ ,u had a test in the morning in pt ?How was it ?Top karega ki nahi ?“.I replied “ don’t know 34 ka net score araha hai .Dekhte hai ..ab age ..Cant say because I donot the scores of the rest of the candidates “.Animesh ,”you are UBJ man ..the king , baadshah .. you will rock I know ..”.Girish ,”UBJ you are going IIM ahmedabad ..if not this year then the next ..i am sure of it ..”.I replied ,”Beta mera baap ne bhi IIM ahmedabad nahi dekhi hai ..salary uski 30-60 lakh ke beechme ajati hai… it is the most prestigious school of India.You need to have the best of best profile to even think of applying for it.Xlri to chor ximb mil jaye khush ho jayunga ..Top 20 me kuch mile bas…”.IN the mean time the train passed kumhari and marched at great pace towards bhilai.
Girish started again saying ,”Are India me talent hai bahot sare lekin problem ye hai ki kuch deals aise hua hai jaise ki Indian mines wale jo do deal hua uske chalte do mine khali hogaya na ?it is upto the government to decide as to what it wants to do.The 17 navaratna’s are doing so well and maharatnas are doing well too.the provide a salary of 10 lakh easily .even in mining in our college you are getting 13 lakhs .. UBj you should have taken mining ..”.I did not want to circumlocute to the main topic of placement again so I said,”Girish ek chiz bata Fms xlri in sab college me 15-19 lakhki average package dete hai ..par qualify karna itna tough hai lekin mining jo ki last me bharti hai aieee me log 13 lakh ka package kaise le jate hai ?”.Girish said ,”yehi to baat hai na ..Psu effect ..aur kya ..6th pay commission aur kya ?bas wahi to baat hai na .Chattisgarh is reach in mines .See BSP ..it is the only major steelplant which has provided such great profits that it has singlehandedly sustained Sail.”.RBk,”rajasthan me bhi oil ki bahot khoj chal raha hai ..mera ghar ke 20 km dur me hi to OIL refinery chal rahi hai.”
In the mean time Bhilai passed we remained oblivious of everything and was talking to each other.In the mean time Girish insisted me to right him an sms to some sumeta kulkarni,plant director with full usage of English vocab . I wrote him one sms .And as we were talking of “MIT and its patents .and IIT MIT differences and how MIT created IIM C in 1960s”(favorite topic oF RBK being research) the train came to sudden standstill at Durg.One by one all the passengers alighted on the station .Girish asked,”bhaiya train age nahi jayegi kya ?”.”no !” came the answer from the fellow co passenger who was standing last in the queue while alighting from the train.We also followed suite.
On alighting from the train I and the other three moved out of the station and traveled to a “Shresthsweets” bhojanalaya.The restaurant was looking good from outside so we all took our fancy to it and hence went to visit it.Once we made our selves comfortably seated Rbk who was visibly annoyed with Girish for having taken the wrong train .said,”kya re Girish 3 bar aneke baad bhi train sahi nahi chose kiya?Idiot train to sahi sahi chose karna chaiye tha .Ab ?busstand hai kareeb 2 km yeha se…kaise jayenge?”.Girish
Was not a man to be perplexed.He was cool as always .Cool as cucumber should be the appropriate word.He said ,”galati sabse hoti hai Ramji..bus stand na sahi ..train hai 2:20 ko .usko pakrenge to 5 baje
Tak pahoch jani chaiye Dongargarh!vaise RAMJI darling ye restaurant bahot mashoor hai yeha har khana milta hai veg me .”I said ,”order to kar ..It is already 1:30,I think we should do it fast..Because if we miss the train then bus will be the only alternative and to avail that alternative we have to walk 2 km.”Animesh called the waiter to give the order.The waiter came and said ,”sir u all need to wait for 25 minutes for aloo parootha.And one parotha would cost Rss 50 each”.Rbk said ,”so which of the dishes can be done quickly ?we need to catch a train so …”.The waiter replied,”sorry sir I think apart from dosa and samosa ..nothing can be prepared at this short notice.”.Then guessing all our choices Animesh ordered ,”3 samosa,3 bara,1 dosa”.But soon after taking the order ,the waiter returned saying “Sorry dosa is not possible now..take something else ..”.Now at this RBk went mad with anger and turning to Girish,”Saale ye kaisa restaurant hai yeha kuch bhi nahi milta kya ?ye tera best restaurant tha ?agar kuch nahi mil raha hai to samosa aur bara le lete hai 4 plate aur 4 chai ”.Animesh communicated the order to the waiter and this time he did not harass.He brought the 4 plates and 4 tea at 1:50 and we finished our lunch and dashed to the station to catch the train.There at the station I met abhishek Chauhan ..who began the discussion by saying “koi company arahi hai kya ? Batana ..”.I said “if I know you will get to know ..so dont worry over that .Ek chiz bata ki yeha se dongar garh kaise jaye ?”Chauhan said ,”kafi train hai ..train me hi ja kiu ki bus stand kafi dur parega station se ..to padal jane me diggat hogi so ..take the train seedha dongargarh pahocha degi.”
Uptill now the jeorney that we had was very rather smooth as Animesh too was apprehensive of .Because both I and Animesh both knew something is wrong because wherever we go what ever we do atleast some hitch is always there.And amidst this feeling of dejavu sprouted the first major impediment.The train was to dongargarh was actually was plying to Nagpur.Obviously 28th being a weekday had a huge crowd there was absolutely no space to even stand in the train.All the daily grocers,blacksmiths,plumbers had boarded the train.In the train the hoipolloi was rather excited but it being a local train had a majority of them tribals.The stink of the sweat and absolute shortage of space made life really horrible for us all.Now the platform where I finally found shelter was near the middlw of the train where I reached after traversing or rather weaving through the obdurate crowd who just were not ready to move from the way.Here a kindhearted lady also from college finally gave me some space to seat beside her .There were 6 persons seating on the seat designed for 3 ,she was just one of them.He had kept a handkerchief on that place so as to avoid yet another intrusion.But seeing me sweat profusely and struggling to keep myself together she lifted the handkerchief and asked me to sit.
In the mean time as the first battle of Nagpur local was won by the devine intervention of this Great lady the battle my friends were fighting in the other compartment was far from over.Unlike Ramji Animesh was completely new to this supreme struggle which people from lower classes continually take to shift their luggage for business and daily living.Amidst all this a small child was crying amidst hundreds of people out of which even women were standing and few others were quarreling with the incoming force which were multiplying at every stop.”Koi decency hai inlogo ki ,kahi bhi charne ja rahe hai,jagah nahi hai kitni bar bolu ,dekh nahi rahe hai kya puri bhar chuki hai train ,toilet ke paas bhi jagah nahi hai .” said a college girl shouting towards the inrushing crowd.In the acute shortage of space In the compartment in which ANimesh was standing there were a few people who were carring bagsful of old cloths which emiting mephitic smell making life a terrible dream,in addition to these there a few people dressed in green who were lighting cigars blissfully unaware of the crowd reactions and smoking away to glory and surprisingly no one resisted.Animesh was standing just next to the toilet infront of the door so at each station he was having to endure the deep intrusive force of the newcomers who always seem to be in hurry and were ready to do anything ,no matter how insensitive it may be to just get in.Add to that the perspiration of other twenty odd people standing infront of the door with Animesh and Ramji both in jackets it was real hell inshort.It was for this precise reason Girish came up to me and after standing about half an hour beside me finally used his “jugaru “ nature to good effect.He asked the uncle sitting in the upper berth with his luggage to shift one luggage over the other so as to provide some space to sit .The uncle did just that and that provided enough space for us to to sit together comfortably.Soon there was a call from animesh,”yaar next train me chaltehai yeha ekdam jagah nahi ahi .(pause) ek chota baccha mera neeche pakar liya tha …”.I asked in surprise ,”kya!! Neeche kaha pe?”.Animesh said “saale neeche samaj nahi raha hai kya ?waha pe…main nahi jaunga .Ramji bhi bol raha hai ki next wale me chalte hai.”.I said ,”next station abhi uthrenge to phir next train ka ata pata nahi hai ..ho sakta hai raat ho jayega pahoch ne me hi ..phir ate time problem ho jayegi..phir bhi agar bahot problem ho rahi hai to phir uttar te hai aur kya ..”.Girish yelled immediately ,”Saalo ladki ho kya ?ek local train me safar nahi kar sakte ?bas aur do stop dur hai dongargarh ab yeha kaha change karenge train?bas aur bis minute me dongargarh a jayegi”.See ing no other alternative the two relented.
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We alighted at 5:30 in dongargarh.Animesh and Ramji immediately sped to the nearby purewater basin.There they rubbed their forehead with water and began to gurgle .Seeing us Ramji began to say,”Saale ganda bhaddha train tha ,chi kuch sanitation naam ki chiz nahi hai,CG gaon to gaon hi hai bas.Rajasthan me bhi local trains hai par itni bhir nahi hai .Animesh ka to chote ladke ne pakar liya..”
Girish and I were laughing.Animesh added”Superfast me ani chahiye thi ..reservation karwalete .Par ha ye kah sakte hai ki Kolkata aur Mumbai me isse bhi jaada bhir hoti hai .. Main jab Kolkata giya tha to usme isse bhi jaada bhir tha jab Nettech ki training karne gaya tha na tab..”.Girish,sir prudence added a line more ,”Delhi me bhi hai bhir bahot ,gurgaon noida ke saare log to jate ate hai ..dialy passenger bahot hai ..”.Anyways finally just the moment we came out of the station we saw the temple in the mountain with so many ropeways joining the base with the pinnacle.I solicited the groups opinion by asking ,”Ropeway me jani hai ?Bata Ramji pahle 1000+ seri honge …dekhle agar nahi uth payega to phir ropeway lelete hai …”. Ramji with the authority of the IIT 4300 ranker and AIEEE 3000+ AIR reported ,”nahi .Bhagwan ke paas ayehai padal hi chalenge.”I said ,”I also feel the same .Vaise bhi hum to bhagwan ke saache bhakt hai ..nange pair 1000+shiri to kam hi hai ..himalay charjaye agar saath sab ka ho to ..”.Animesh ,Ramji and Girish were all laughing at this comment but soon collected themselves and unanimously said “Ok,UBj rocks take the lead..”.We stopped in a shop named “Jaimata Shubhalaxmi bhandar” there we kept our shoes and brought Prasad of Rs 21 each with coconut and a few clothes.Then began our jeorney of 1000 steps.
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Ramji said “I am always with UBJ ..thora slow chal yaar .To EJ ki kya haal hai ?abhi tak baat hui ki nahi?”
I bounced the question,” Bhagwan ke mandir aye ho bhagwan ke darshan karlo ..ye sab to saal bhar hi laga rahta hai…”.Girish however did not let me scotch the topic by saying ,”Are I read your blogs ..they are awesome man.U can write really well.Please keep writing even when u are in IIM or any other place.”Ramji,”UBJ aaj kahani bhi leekhega na ..please…Main animesh aur girish sabka ache se ana chahiye ekdam ..Mast leekhna kahani aur daal na blog pe ..Humlogo ko bhi acha lagega …lekhega na?”
I said ,”Ok I will.”Animesh said ,”you write awesome,UBJ is the real king ,I always read your story 13,Downing Street,SouthAveneu wala pharke tha ..”.I rectified,”Saale 13,glassglow Street,South Avenue..ha ha .Ok”
We started our climb which gradually started to feel unending passing through the cascade of shops in both sides of the steep slope rising up like a python on the mountain twisting and curving around it.After climbing about 100 steps ,ramji became out of breath and began to rest .I followed suit ,with Animesh and GIrish giggling.ANimesh said smiling ,”Bhagwan ke saache bhakt sirf 100 shiri me rukh gaya??ye kaise bhakt hai phir ?”.Ramji said ,”ghutne me dukh raha hai ..kal soyunga to dard hogi”.Girish said”Kya Ramji tussi ..dudh malai khao..itne me dam khatam jo jayega to kaise hoga ?abhi to 900 shiri baki hai !”
The last thing that Girish said was something which stuck my ears too.We are no athletes and we donot even be to Gym either so Physical fitness is near about 0.So it would be a monumental task to reach the top.”are ropeway lele te to jaada sahi hota ..”,I said to Girish.Girish smiled and said ,”Baazigar ki dam khatam hogayi bas 100 shiri me ? ye kya hogaya?acha thik hai chal photo session kar lete hai ..”
We stopped and did the photo session.There were quite a few monkeys around too.Once of them came dangerously close to my thala and tried to peep into it.But my quick reflexes saved the day.
After the photo session we started out for the next part of the jeorney.Next 500 steps were easy going .We did not talk much in our bid to conserve our energy.I said inbetween that “mg cos0 component is really acting opposite towards our motion and supporting friction which is making us exert further muscular force to overcome the friction cause stress in our ankles leading to lactic acid accumulation which inturn Is leading to mascular ache.So we once we had sufficient Oxygen the lactic acid broke down into C02 and we were fresh and free again.”.Ramji nodded in appreciation and Animesh said ,”King Ubj is right again.”Ramji said “mera bhi biology strong tha ek time me “.After ascending 500 odd steps again we felt rather tizzy and we took a break trying to relax our tired muscles who were alien to this type of physical workload for years.
We stooped at a Shiva temple on the way and offered our prayers to it.The priest sitting near the idol gave a tikka to each one of our forehead.We moved on then towards our final destination.By the time we ascended 300 more stairs we were profusely sweating and even though it was winter we felt as if every step that we are making was against gravity and the entire earths pull rested on our ankles.We were laughing and looking at each other seeing each other toil profusely to reach the top.Ramji ‘s intermittent ,”Jai mata di” in periodic intervals were somehow providing some devine energy for the falling army to combat the hydra headed energy loss inform of friction and gravity which was higher and higher with height.Anyways finally we washed our hands and feet at a nearby water basin and took some break there before the final dash to the summit which we supposed approx 200 odd steps more.
One strange feeling of bonding came up amidst this towering task which we all realized.IT was that as we saw each other sweat out and laughed and made fun of each other we were actually making the task a lot easier because we were still mentally fresh after climbing 900 steps within 40 minutes although physically we were enervated.
Finally I took lead and rushed for the last 200 steps and made it moreor less smoothly.May be by this time our unaccustomed ankles were already accustomed to the load and the process was felicitated by the timely breaks we had taken.Once we reached the main temple ,the climate was reather pristine,pellucid and sanctified.There were not many people today so the queue was short .We took the queue .Girish said “I will wait outside , I have a leather jacket and I wont come in .YOU all do the prayers after that I will go and offer my prayers.”I touched the prayer bells and asked the priest to touch our offerings to the God’s feet ,which he did and passed the offerings back to us.Ramji took a few pictures and then passed on the camera to us.The camera belonged to Zigme yangchuk from Nepal (Nit Raipur 4th year mechanical engg).The power in the camera was low but still with setting sun we took quite a few pictures at the back of the temple .It was 6:30 then and the sun was setting .The sun’s rays were falling on the temple as if offering its final prayers before setting.It was truly a magical place with such sanctified ambience that pulled us all towards the bunificience and magnanimity of the supreme God.As night wore on the number of people assembling to the temple increased too.Ramji pointed out that ,”see these people they are so old yet they come here for peace ,for some devine blessings ,they want the well being of themselves and their family members.”.Girish said ,”let us sit here for an hour more,we had come here from that far and now we should sit back and enjoy the lights of the valley and how the temple looks at the night.”.I on the otherhand acted as the photographer and started to take photos for the final time.It was truly a magical climate and distilling these silent pristine moments in the camera was itself great.The sky was red with sun already set and the valley lights were coming up one after another giving it a spectacular look .There was no hurry here .Everyone was content .There was a distant lake visible too from the summit .WE had seen that while scaling the mountain too.As the lights near the lake started to comeon ,it was really really the most magical moment I had ever had.The number of temple goers had decreased now as it was nearing 7:00 and there were not many priests either.The entire climate was beautiful now.Slowly but gradually the cold was setting in .The winds were blowing and the birds were flying back to their nests.Girish took a few pictures of us three together in the setting light with the street light as the savior.Finally we started to return back to the shop where we had kept our shoes.Descending the steps were no problem ,only thing we had to look after now is that we don’t slip and we don’t make any undue haste..to climb down for in the dark there may be some glass pieces falling here and there.
Dusk gave way to complete darkness soon.We walked back to the station after taking a cup of tea at the shop .We asked the shopkeeper regarding the next train that is available for Raipur .He said ,”7:30 ko hai local train..jaldi jayoge to mil jayegi ”.Ramji and Animesh after the afternoon experience wasnot much keep on the train jeorney again because there was very little chance of a seat this time too.Girish said ,”cool pappe ,agar train nahi milegi to phir bus le lenge ..4 jan hai kya problem hai ?kuch bhi karlo pahoch to jayengi hi na Raipur tak kal subah tak..bas chill baby ..aur kya”.But Ramji was someone who loved load he said ,”Saale bahot raat ko hostel gates band ho jayegi ..tab kya hoga ?”.Animesh said ,”aha .gate uncle to wahi bait te hai bolne se ho jayega thik sabkuch..uska load nahi”.
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Now That it was 7:30 we reached the station and we did not know where to go for the ticket counter because ticket counter was not on the side of the station from where we took entrance that was the Dongargarh temple side.We searched here and there and then finally on asking a tea vendor we got to know the location of the ticket counter .We went there after taking the highway bridge. WE took tickets for Durg.Train was about to come at 7:25 but it was 30 minutes late.So we decided to have our dinner in any near by restaurant.We took two normal dishes and two special dishes and a fanta for our dinner and came back at the station at 7:50 and found the train late by 15 minutes more.However we made some space at platform number 2 and sat there chatting.Soon the train came and we boarded it .The train was empty and we got our seats easily.Three couples were seated in the train and girish and I took the upper berth.The couples were of our age and were holding each others hands.Girish was looking at the middle one and laughing.She was also passing smiles to him.I was looking at these two and laughing.Anyways soon Girish said” ye ladki meri bahen ki saheli hai..”.I said ,”main ne kab kuch kaha ?” .Girish,”Aisa kuch nahi hai jaisa tu soch raha hai ...”.I said,”ha to interrogate kaun kar raha hai?main to bhagwan ka bhakt hu (smiles)”.
At 9:30 we alighted at the durg station.It was night and cold.Girish said ,”ab yeha ahmedabad howrah ke liye wait karna bekar hoga ..lets take the bus ..bahot sare bus hote hai yeha se to raipur tak .Seedha college ke samne tak lejayega.Koi problem nahi hogi .Baise bhi train me jate hai to phir auto ka problem hogi kiu ki train saraswati nagar me to rukhegi nahi .To phir raat ko auto lena muskil parega.12 baj jayega uttarte uttarte...SO lets take the bus.”.Ramji was silent all this while suddenly spoke ,”lekin aisa na ho ki uddar bus bhi chut gaya aur yeha train bhi ..”.”Ramji tussi great ho ..aap bas humare saath saath rahiye aur koi tension nahi..baki meri jimmedari..Main aur piyush tripathi raat ko gaye hai bus me durg se raipur..ek ghante me pahocha degi dekhna ..”.I said, “hmm!lets go then for the bus”
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Bus stop pahoche approx 10 baje .IT was a long walking distance so we took a cab and it got us to the stop in time.Girish went in to get the tickets .We had already paid the resturant bills of his so it was his turn to shell our some cash.He went in and asked the bus conductor for the ticket.THe conductor said ,”are abhi bus khali hai andar jake baitho ..ticket ki tension na lo ..raipur jayoge na ? Ok jao jake baitho..”.IT was a luxury bus and with all the delicacies assosiated with it .It had a cab for sleeping too.I and animesh went and sat at seat numbers 3 ,4 while ramji and girish sat at the seat numbers 36,37 such that we were all in the same row side by side.After about 15 minutes wait the bus was about to leave.Passengers started to board the bus now.There were hardly 15-20 of them who boarded.The mostly sat at the back of the bus so we had no problems.But suddenly a tall young man came “boss it is my seat .Seat no 36 .”So girish and ramji shifted to the last row.THe bus started and moved on at a snails pace.Both me and animesh were disappointed over the viability of the choice exercised.The bus suddenly stopped near the bus stand and suddenly literally all the people of durg started to board our bus.Were praying to god that this should not happen.But this time it did happen.Me and animesh were looking at each others faces.FOr we both knew a call to go back was looming large .Soon a beautiful girl stepped up and called to his father back ,”Papa seat no 3 and 4 to bhar gaya hai ..someone else is sitting there..”.SOon after ,her papa boarded the bus and asked us to vacate the seat.We had no other alternative but to go back and sit with ramji and girish.There too there was no respite.Soon even the last row was filled.WE were left seatless and went towards the drivers seat.ANd there the conductor was sitting he took 120 rs from us as ticket and said ,”actually pahle hi book hai seats sare..aise to har roz kuch seat khali jate hai ..to isliye bola tha ki tumlogo ko jagah mil jayegi..lekin aaj mohorrum hai shayad isliye .Anyways tumlog yeha bait jayo driver ke pas”.We had no other choice so we did just that.
IN the mean time ,in our seat no 3 the beautiful girl was seated .Animesh was nonchalant initially but now that he took the seat at the corner of the bus which was just opposite to the seat no 3 ,he was consistently lookingat her .I looked at him and found that both he and her were exchanging glances.I pulled ramji's shirt he looked at them too and was smiling too.It was night and once the bus left Durg it was fast and it soon crossed 70 km/hr speed.There were very few buses and autos on road. We soon reached our destination our very own “Nit gate” .IT was 11:35 at night and the campus was looking really empty.Ramji was still annoyed he said ,”YE girish ne lagbhag latka hi diya tha ..chalo kam se kam pahoch to gaye ..to UBJ when will the next jeorney be ? And when will the story of today come up? “.Ubj said “tommorrow at the latest.”
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Central Characters -----
Uddalak banerjee(UBJ)—NIT Raipur ,computerScience engg,4th year
Animesh pant -- NIT Raipur, computer Science engg,4th year,[home state:Rajasthan]
Ramji bhai kalbi—NIT Raipur,INFormation technology,4th year,[ home state:Rajasthan]
Girish Dhawan-------- NIT Raipur ,Metallurgy ,4th year
Abhishek Chauhan---NITRaipur ,ComputerScience engg.4th year( Special appearance Durg Station)
This story is a travel account and hence is a real story. I hope that this will last the wheels of time for all times to come. I hope that Mine or Animesh or Ramji 's children or their children and grand children will one day read this story and smile. Maybe on that day i will no be no more or maybe alive in some part of the world completely unaware that our old and fantastic journey is getting read by our own children.
28/12/2009 was a red lettered day for more reasons than one.It was one of the last dates of the year 2009 and also the last days of much celebrated college life of UBj.But apart from these two reasons the day assumed great significance in Uddalak Banerjee’s life because it was the day when a completel y different facet of Chattisgarh as a state was finally revealed.Since the very starting of our college life in 2006-07 session ,the whole batch of nit Raipur had been complaining that there are no tourist destinations available near Raipur or in Raipur but finally when it was time to perhaps bid a final good bye to the state bag and baggage,it unleashed a completely different pellucid side.
The planning for the trip was rather abrupt.It was Ramji bhai kalvi(RBK) who came up with this crazy idea and Animesh acceded and Girish followed suite.Once RBk asked UBj to join ,it was only matter of schedule adjustment so that any other preoccupation did not clash with the date of jeorney.On 28th morning I had a Pt exam on mock Xat and by 10 in the morning the exam was over and our jeorney began at 12 clock in the afternoon.Girish assumed the role of the guide since he had a string of pathbreaking jeorneys to his credit.He had been part of the Nit group who visited Kanya Kumari,he had also been part of the group who participated in techfests etc and lastly and most importantly he had been to Dongargarh three times.On the other hand ,for me and animesh and ramji it was a first time experience.Span of the jeorney deduced from the experiences of Lala(vikash agrawal ) (who had just been to dongargarh few days back ) we knew it would be approx a 12 hours jeorney .We went to the saraswati nagar station and took tickets of 19.6 Rs each from Sartola to Dongargarh.I was wearing a white peter England shirt and a black colored pant ,sweter and a jacket on top.RBk was wearing a green shirt and a black pant with a jacket on top and sported a super cool sunglass .Animesh Pant and Girish were wearing a jacket each on top of a blue and yellow tshirts respectively .
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The train was bilaspur durg local and arrived at 12:45 .The train was scarcely crowded so we did not face much of problem finding our seats .Once on train and seated ,Girish broached the topic of placement saying “ Adani is confirmed for metallurgy but it would be giving the same rotten 3.4 lakhs.”.Rbk inorder to bypass the topic asked me ,”So then UBJ ,u had a test in the morning in pt ?How was it ?Top karega ki nahi ?“.I replied “ don’t know 34 ka net score araha hai .Dekhte hai ..ab age ..Cant say because I donot the scores of the rest of the candidates “.Animesh ,”you are UBJ man ..the king , baadshah .. you will rock I know ..”.Girish ,”UBJ you are going IIM ahmedabad ..if not this year then the next ..i am sure of it ..”.I replied ,”Beta mera baap ne bhi IIM ahmedabad nahi dekhi hai ..salary uski 30-60 lakh ke beechme ajati hai… it is the most prestigious school of India.You need to have the best of best profile to even think of applying for it.Xlri to chor ximb mil jaye khush ho jayunga ..Top 20 me kuch mile bas…”.IN the mean time the train passed kumhari and marched at great pace towards bhilai.
Girish started again saying ,”Are India me talent hai bahot sare lekin problem ye hai ki kuch deals aise hua hai jaise ki Indian mines wale jo do deal hua uske chalte do mine khali hogaya na ?it is upto the government to decide as to what it wants to do.The 17 navaratna’s are doing so well and maharatnas are doing well too.the provide a salary of 10 lakh easily .even in mining in our college you are getting 13 lakhs .. UBj you should have taken mining ..”.I did not want to circumlocute to the main topic of placement again so I said,”Girish ek chiz bata Fms xlri in sab college me 15-19 lakhki average package dete hai ..par qualify karna itna tough hai lekin mining jo ki last me bharti hai aieee me log 13 lakh ka package kaise le jate hai ?”.Girish said ,”yehi to baat hai na ..Psu effect ..aur kya ..6th pay commission aur kya ?bas wahi to baat hai na .Chattisgarh is reach in mines .See BSP ..it is the only major steelplant which has provided such great profits that it has singlehandedly sustained Sail.”.RBk,”rajasthan me bhi oil ki bahot khoj chal raha hai ..mera ghar ke 20 km dur me hi to OIL refinery chal rahi hai.”
In the mean time Bhilai passed we remained oblivious of everything and was talking to each other.In the mean time Girish insisted me to right him an sms to some sumeta kulkarni,plant director with full usage of English vocab . I wrote him one sms .And as we were talking of “MIT and its patents .and IIT MIT differences and how MIT created IIM C in 1960s”(favorite topic oF RBK being research) the train came to sudden standstill at Durg.One by one all the passengers alighted on the station .Girish asked,”bhaiya train age nahi jayegi kya ?”.”no !” came the answer from the fellow co passenger who was standing last in the queue while alighting from the train.We also followed suite.
On alighting from the train I and the other three moved out of the station and traveled to a “Shresthsweets” bhojanalaya.The restaurant was looking good from outside so we all took our fancy to it and hence went to visit it.Once we made our selves comfortably seated Rbk who was visibly annoyed with Girish for having taken the wrong train .said,”kya re Girish 3 bar aneke baad bhi train sahi nahi chose kiya?Idiot train to sahi sahi chose karna chaiye tha .Ab ?busstand hai kareeb 2 km yeha se…kaise jayenge?”.Girish
Was not a man to be perplexed.He was cool as always .Cool as cucumber should be the appropriate word.He said ,”galati sabse hoti hai Ramji..bus stand na sahi ..train hai 2:20 ko .usko pakrenge to 5 baje
Tak pahoch jani chaiye Dongargarh!vaise RAMJI darling ye restaurant bahot mashoor hai yeha har khana milta hai veg me .”I said ,”order to kar ..It is already 1:30,I think we should do it fast..Because if we miss the train then bus will be the only alternative and to avail that alternative we have to walk 2 km.”Animesh called the waiter to give the order.The waiter came and said ,”sir u all need to wait for 25 minutes for aloo parootha.And one parotha would cost Rss 50 each”.Rbk said ,”so which of the dishes can be done quickly ?we need to catch a train so …”.The waiter replied,”sorry sir I think apart from dosa and samosa ..nothing can be prepared at this short notice.”.Then guessing all our choices Animesh ordered ,”3 samosa,3 bara,1 dosa”.But soon after taking the order ,the waiter returned saying “Sorry dosa is not possible now..take something else ..”.Now at this RBk went mad with anger and turning to Girish,”Saale ye kaisa restaurant hai yeha kuch bhi nahi milta kya ?ye tera best restaurant tha ?agar kuch nahi mil raha hai to samosa aur bara le lete hai 4 plate aur 4 chai ”.Animesh communicated the order to the waiter and this time he did not harass.He brought the 4 plates and 4 tea at 1:50 and we finished our lunch and dashed to the station to catch the train.There at the station I met abhishek Chauhan ..who began the discussion by saying “koi company arahi hai kya ? Batana ..”.I said “if I know you will get to know ..so dont worry over that .Ek chiz bata ki yeha se dongar garh kaise jaye ?”Chauhan said ,”kafi train hai ..train me hi ja kiu ki bus stand kafi dur parega station se ..to padal jane me diggat hogi so ..take the train seedha dongargarh pahocha degi.”
Uptill now the jeorney that we had was very rather smooth as Animesh too was apprehensive of .Because both I and Animesh both knew something is wrong because wherever we go what ever we do atleast some hitch is always there.And amidst this feeling of dejavu sprouted the first major impediment.The train was to dongargarh was actually was plying to Nagpur.Obviously 28th being a weekday had a huge crowd there was absolutely no space to even stand in the train.All the daily grocers,blacksmiths,plumbers had boarded the train.In the train the hoipolloi was rather excited but it being a local train had a majority of them tribals.The stink of the sweat and absolute shortage of space made life really horrible for us all.Now the platform where I finally found shelter was near the middlw of the train where I reached after traversing or rather weaving through the obdurate crowd who just were not ready to move from the way.Here a kindhearted lady also from college finally gave me some space to seat beside her .There were 6 persons seating on the seat designed for 3 ,she was just one of them.He had kept a handkerchief on that place so as to avoid yet another intrusion.But seeing me sweat profusely and struggling to keep myself together she lifted the handkerchief and asked me to sit.
In the mean time as the first battle of Nagpur local was won by the devine intervention of this Great lady the battle my friends were fighting in the other compartment was far from over.Unlike Ramji Animesh was completely new to this supreme struggle which people from lower classes continually take to shift their luggage for business and daily living.Amidst all this a small child was crying amidst hundreds of people out of which even women were standing and few others were quarreling with the incoming force which were multiplying at every stop.”Koi decency hai inlogo ki ,kahi bhi charne ja rahe hai,jagah nahi hai kitni bar bolu ,dekh nahi rahe hai kya puri bhar chuki hai train ,toilet ke paas bhi jagah nahi hai .” said a college girl shouting towards the inrushing crowd.In the acute shortage of space In the compartment in which ANimesh was standing there were a few people who were carring bagsful of old cloths which emiting mephitic smell making life a terrible dream,in addition to these there a few people dressed in green who were lighting cigars blissfully unaware of the crowd reactions and smoking away to glory and surprisingly no one resisted.Animesh was standing just next to the toilet infront of the door so at each station he was having to endure the deep intrusive force of the newcomers who always seem to be in hurry and were ready to do anything ,no matter how insensitive it may be to just get in.Add to that the perspiration of other twenty odd people standing infront of the door with Animesh and Ramji both in jackets it was real hell inshort.It was for this precise reason Girish came up to me and after standing about half an hour beside me finally used his “jugaru “ nature to good effect.He asked the uncle sitting in the upper berth with his luggage to shift one luggage over the other so as to provide some space to sit .The uncle did just that and that provided enough space for us to to sit together comfortably.Soon there was a call from animesh,”yaar next train me chaltehai yeha ekdam jagah nahi ahi .(pause) ek chota baccha mera neeche pakar liya tha …”.I asked in surprise ,”kya!! Neeche kaha pe?”.Animesh said “saale neeche samaj nahi raha hai kya ?waha pe…main nahi jaunga .Ramji bhi bol raha hai ki next wale me chalte hai.”.I said ,”next station abhi uthrenge to phir next train ka ata pata nahi hai ..ho sakta hai raat ho jayega pahoch ne me hi ..phir ate time problem ho jayegi..phir bhi agar bahot problem ho rahi hai to phir uttar te hai aur kya ..”.Girish yelled immediately ,”Saalo ladki ho kya ?ek local train me safar nahi kar sakte ?bas aur do stop dur hai dongargarh ab yeha kaha change karenge train?bas aur bis minute me dongargarh a jayegi”.See ing no other alternative the two relented.
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We alighted at 5:30 in dongargarh.Animesh and Ramji immediately sped to the nearby purewater basin.There they rubbed their forehead with water and began to gurgle .Seeing us Ramji began to say,”Saale ganda bhaddha train tha ,chi kuch sanitation naam ki chiz nahi hai,CG gaon to gaon hi hai bas.Rajasthan me bhi local trains hai par itni bhir nahi hai .Animesh ka to chote ladke ne pakar liya..”
Girish and I were laughing.Animesh added”Superfast me ani chahiye thi ..reservation karwalete .Par ha ye kah sakte hai ki Kolkata aur Mumbai me isse bhi jaada bhir hoti hai .. Main jab Kolkata giya tha to usme isse bhi jaada bhir tha jab Nettech ki training karne gaya tha na tab..”.Girish,sir prudence added a line more ,”Delhi me bhi hai bhir bahot ,gurgaon noida ke saare log to jate ate hai ..dialy passenger bahot hai ..”.Anyways finally just the moment we came out of the station we saw the temple in the mountain with so many ropeways joining the base with the pinnacle.I solicited the groups opinion by asking ,”Ropeway me jani hai ?Bata Ramji pahle 1000+ seri honge …dekhle agar nahi uth payega to phir ropeway lelete hai …”. Ramji with the authority of the IIT 4300 ranker and AIEEE 3000+ AIR reported ,”nahi .Bhagwan ke paas ayehai padal hi chalenge.”I said ,”I also feel the same .Vaise bhi hum to bhagwan ke saache bhakt hai ..nange pair 1000+shiri to kam hi hai ..himalay charjaye agar saath sab ka ho to ..”.Animesh ,Ramji and Girish were all laughing at this comment but soon collected themselves and unanimously said “Ok,UBj rocks take the lead..”.We stopped in a shop named “Jaimata Shubhalaxmi bhandar” there we kept our shoes and brought Prasad of Rs 21 each with coconut and a few clothes.Then began our jeorney of 1000 steps.
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Ramji said “I am always with UBJ ..thora slow chal yaar .To EJ ki kya haal hai ?abhi tak baat hui ki nahi?”
I bounced the question,” Bhagwan ke mandir aye ho bhagwan ke darshan karlo ..ye sab to saal bhar hi laga rahta hai…”.Girish however did not let me scotch the topic by saying ,”Are I read your blogs ..they are awesome man.U can write really well.Please keep writing even when u are in IIM or any other place.”Ramji,”UBJ aaj kahani bhi leekhega na ..please…Main animesh aur girish sabka ache se ana chahiye ekdam ..Mast leekhna kahani aur daal na blog pe ..Humlogo ko bhi acha lagega …lekhega na?”
I said ,”Ok I will.”Animesh said ,”you write awesome,UBJ is the real king ,I always read your story 13,Downing Street,SouthAveneu wala pharke tha ..”.I rectified,”Saale 13,glassglow Street,South Avenue..ha ha .Ok”
We started our climb which gradually started to feel unending passing through the cascade of shops in both sides of the steep slope rising up like a python on the mountain twisting and curving around it.After climbing about 100 steps ,ramji became out of breath and began to rest .I followed suit ,with Animesh and GIrish giggling.ANimesh said smiling ,”Bhagwan ke saache bhakt sirf 100 shiri me rukh gaya??ye kaise bhakt hai phir ?”.Ramji said ,”ghutne me dukh raha hai ..kal soyunga to dard hogi”.Girish said”Kya Ramji tussi ..dudh malai khao..itne me dam khatam jo jayega to kaise hoga ?abhi to 900 shiri baki hai !”
The last thing that Girish said was something which stuck my ears too.We are no athletes and we donot even be to Gym either so Physical fitness is near about 0.So it would be a monumental task to reach the top.”are ropeway lele te to jaada sahi hota ..”,I said to Girish.Girish smiled and said ,”Baazigar ki dam khatam hogayi bas 100 shiri me ? ye kya hogaya?acha thik hai chal photo session kar lete hai ..”
We stopped and did the photo session.There were quite a few monkeys around too.Once of them came dangerously close to my thala and tried to peep into it.But my quick reflexes saved the day.
After the photo session we started out for the next part of the jeorney.Next 500 steps were easy going .We did not talk much in our bid to conserve our energy.I said inbetween that “mg cos0 component is really acting opposite towards our motion and supporting friction which is making us exert further muscular force to overcome the friction cause stress in our ankles leading to lactic acid accumulation which inturn Is leading to mascular ache.So we once we had sufficient Oxygen the lactic acid broke down into C02 and we were fresh and free again.”.Ramji nodded in appreciation and Animesh said ,”King Ubj is right again.”Ramji said “mera bhi biology strong tha ek time me “.After ascending 500 odd steps again we felt rather tizzy and we took a break trying to relax our tired muscles who were alien to this type of physical workload for years.
We stooped at a Shiva temple on the way and offered our prayers to it.The priest sitting near the idol gave a tikka to each one of our forehead.We moved on then towards our final destination.By the time we ascended 300 more stairs we were profusely sweating and even though it was winter we felt as if every step that we are making was against gravity and the entire earths pull rested on our ankles.We were laughing and looking at each other seeing each other toil profusely to reach the top.Ramji ‘s intermittent ,”Jai mata di” in periodic intervals were somehow providing some devine energy for the falling army to combat the hydra headed energy loss inform of friction and gravity which was higher and higher with height.Anyways finally we washed our hands and feet at a nearby water basin and took some break there before the final dash to the summit which we supposed approx 200 odd steps more.
One strange feeling of bonding came up amidst this towering task which we all realized.IT was that as we saw each other sweat out and laughed and made fun of each other we were actually making the task a lot easier because we were still mentally fresh after climbing 900 steps within 40 minutes although physically we were enervated.
Finally I took lead and rushed for the last 200 steps and made it moreor less smoothly.May be by this time our unaccustomed ankles were already accustomed to the load and the process was felicitated by the timely breaks we had taken.Once we reached the main temple ,the climate was reather pristine,pellucid and sanctified.There were not many people today so the queue was short .We took the queue .Girish said “I will wait outside , I have a leather jacket and I wont come in .YOU all do the prayers after that I will go and offer my prayers.”I touched the prayer bells and asked the priest to touch our offerings to the God’s feet ,which he did and passed the offerings back to us.Ramji took a few pictures and then passed on the camera to us.The camera belonged to Zigme yangchuk from Nepal (Nit Raipur 4th year mechanical engg).The power in the camera was low but still with setting sun we took quite a few pictures at the back of the temple .It was 6:30 then and the sun was setting .The sun’s rays were falling on the temple as if offering its final prayers before setting.It was truly a magical place with such sanctified ambience that pulled us all towards the bunificience and magnanimity of the supreme God.As night wore on the number of people assembling to the temple increased too.Ramji pointed out that ,”see these people they are so old yet they come here for peace ,for some devine blessings ,they want the well being of themselves and their family members.”.Girish said ,”let us sit here for an hour more,we had come here from that far and now we should sit back and enjoy the lights of the valley and how the temple looks at the night.”.I on the otherhand acted as the photographer and started to take photos for the final time.It was truly a magical climate and distilling these silent pristine moments in the camera was itself great.The sky was red with sun already set and the valley lights were coming up one after another giving it a spectacular look .There was no hurry here .Everyone was content .There was a distant lake visible too from the summit .WE had seen that while scaling the mountain too.As the lights near the lake started to comeon ,it was really really the most magical moment I had ever had.The number of temple goers had decreased now as it was nearing 7:00 and there were not many priests either.The entire climate was beautiful now.Slowly but gradually the cold was setting in .The winds were blowing and the birds were flying back to their nests.Girish took a few pictures of us three together in the setting light with the street light as the savior.Finally we started to return back to the shop where we had kept our shoes.Descending the steps were no problem ,only thing we had to look after now is that we don’t slip and we don’t make any undue haste..to climb down for in the dark there may be some glass pieces falling here and there.
Dusk gave way to complete darkness soon.We walked back to the station after taking a cup of tea at the shop .We asked the shopkeeper regarding the next train that is available for Raipur .He said ,”7:30 ko hai local train..jaldi jayoge to mil jayegi ”.Ramji and Animesh after the afternoon experience wasnot much keep on the train jeorney again because there was very little chance of a seat this time too.Girish said ,”cool pappe ,agar train nahi milegi to phir bus le lenge ..4 jan hai kya problem hai ?kuch bhi karlo pahoch to jayengi hi na Raipur tak kal subah tak..bas chill baby ..aur kya”.But Ramji was someone who loved load he said ,”Saale bahot raat ko hostel gates band ho jayegi ..tab kya hoga ?”.Animesh said ,”aha .gate uncle to wahi bait te hai bolne se ho jayega thik sabkuch..uska load nahi”.
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Now That it was 7:30 we reached the station and we did not know where to go for the ticket counter because ticket counter was not on the side of the station from where we took entrance that was the Dongargarh temple side.We searched here and there and then finally on asking a tea vendor we got to know the location of the ticket counter .We went there after taking the highway bridge. WE took tickets for Durg.Train was about to come at 7:25 but it was 30 minutes late.So we decided to have our dinner in any near by restaurant.We took two normal dishes and two special dishes and a fanta for our dinner and came back at the station at 7:50 and found the train late by 15 minutes more.However we made some space at platform number 2 and sat there chatting.Soon the train came and we boarded it .The train was empty and we got our seats easily.Three couples were seated in the train and girish and I took the upper berth.The couples were of our age and were holding each others hands.Girish was looking at the middle one and laughing.She was also passing smiles to him.I was looking at these two and laughing.Anyways soon Girish said” ye ladki meri bahen ki saheli hai..”.I said ,”main ne kab kuch kaha ?” .Girish,”Aisa kuch nahi hai jaisa tu soch raha hai ...”.I said,”ha to interrogate kaun kar raha hai?main to bhagwan ka bhakt hu (smiles)”.
At 9:30 we alighted at the durg station.It was night and cold.Girish said ,”ab yeha ahmedabad howrah ke liye wait karna bekar hoga ..lets take the bus ..bahot sare bus hote hai yeha se to raipur tak .Seedha college ke samne tak lejayega.Koi problem nahi hogi .Baise bhi train me jate hai to phir auto ka problem hogi kiu ki train saraswati nagar me to rukhegi nahi .To phir raat ko auto lena muskil parega.12 baj jayega uttarte uttarte...SO lets take the bus.”.Ramji was silent all this while suddenly spoke ,”lekin aisa na ho ki uddar bus bhi chut gaya aur yeha train bhi ..”.”Ramji tussi great ho ..aap bas humare saath saath rahiye aur koi tension nahi..baki meri jimmedari..Main aur piyush tripathi raat ko gaye hai bus me durg se raipur..ek ghante me pahocha degi dekhna ..”.I said, “hmm!lets go then for the bus”
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Bus stop pahoche approx 10 baje .IT was a long walking distance so we took a cab and it got us to the stop in time.Girish went in to get the tickets .We had already paid the resturant bills of his so it was his turn to shell our some cash.He went in and asked the bus conductor for the ticket.THe conductor said ,”are abhi bus khali hai andar jake baitho ..ticket ki tension na lo ..raipur jayoge na ? Ok jao jake baitho..”.IT was a luxury bus and with all the delicacies assosiated with it .It had a cab for sleeping too.I and animesh went and sat at seat numbers 3 ,4 while ramji and girish sat at the seat numbers 36,37 such that we were all in the same row side by side.After about 15 minutes wait the bus was about to leave.Passengers started to board the bus now.There were hardly 15-20 of them who boarded.The mostly sat at the back of the bus so we had no problems.But suddenly a tall young man came “boss it is my seat .Seat no 36 .”So girish and ramji shifted to the last row.THe bus started and moved on at a snails pace.Both me and animesh were disappointed over the viability of the choice exercised.The bus suddenly stopped near the bus stand and suddenly literally all the people of durg started to board our bus.Were praying to god that this should not happen.But this time it did happen.Me and animesh were looking at each others faces.FOr we both knew a call to go back was looming large .Soon a beautiful girl stepped up and called to his father back ,”Papa seat no 3 and 4 to bhar gaya hai ..someone else is sitting there..”.SOon after ,her papa boarded the bus and asked us to vacate the seat.We had no other alternative but to go back and sit with ramji and girish.There too there was no respite.Soon even the last row was filled.WE were left seatless and went towards the drivers seat.ANd there the conductor was sitting he took 120 rs from us as ticket and said ,”actually pahle hi book hai seats sare..aise to har roz kuch seat khali jate hai ..to isliye bola tha ki tumlogo ko jagah mil jayegi..lekin aaj mohorrum hai shayad isliye .Anyways tumlog yeha bait jayo driver ke pas”.We had no other choice so we did just that.
IN the mean time ,in our seat no 3 the beautiful girl was seated .Animesh was nonchalant initially but now that he took the seat at the corner of the bus which was just opposite to the seat no 3 ,he was consistently lookingat her .I looked at him and found that both he and her were exchanging glances.I pulled ramji's shirt he looked at them too and was smiling too.It was night and once the bus left Durg it was fast and it soon crossed 70 km/hr speed.There were very few buses and autos on road. We soon reached our destination our very own “Nit gate” .IT was 11:35 at night and the campus was looking really empty.Ramji was still annoyed he said ,”YE girish ne lagbhag latka hi diya tha ..chalo kam se kam pahoch to gaye ..to UBJ when will the next jeorney be ? And when will the story of today come up? “.Ubj said “tommorrow at the latest.”
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