The Delhi Trip Diary_day1

Day 1:  souls of lost memories…..

I was very sceptic about going to Delhi for my break.  It didn’t felt like a great idea initially. You will say that I am very pessimist about everything that happens around me. But it wasn’t that this trip was planned all of a sudden. We had to plan it at least 2 months before. It was because of the obvious super cramped Indian railways reservations. But traveling 1^st time in 3^rd AC was a new experience.

But I am glad that I agreed to what my roommate had planned.  Wasn’t because I was willing to go to Delhi but because of the super packed, hectic and draining month of July. It really tested my patience and limits, my willpower and persuasion ability. Trust me it looked easy initially…. Well at least I hoped it would be, but as I went through it, it didn’t seem easy at all. But I got through it. (Thanks to RED-BULL)

It wasn’t because of just one reason but there were many issues that took a piggy-back ride along with the exam stress and presentation blues.

So when on 28^th I came out of my last exam center (the paper didn’t go well) I was blank, stuck and heavy-eyed. Not only because of studies and work but in generality. I was tired of running. It was then that I realize that people here in Mumbai are not running after thing. Instead they are running away from things.

To add to the woes I hadn’t slept the whole 27^th then on 28^th too as I had to do some last minute correction in the article for the magazine. I had hardly slept. On the night of 28^th even though I was in need of sleep I agreed to join my teammate for a late night beer.

I had hardly packed anything and by the time I came back to my flat I was totally zombified. I filled whatever I could in my backpack and took to bed.

“tu kaise mara leta apni itni?” were the last words I remember  that my roommate said to me. It was almost 2 when we slept.

Next day we woke up like hippies and went to office. We had to reach Bandra terminus by 4:45 pm. And trust me Mumbai locals have zero reliability in rain.

We left early from office still sceptic about going to Delhi. Even after sitting in our 3 AC seats we were doubtful. But once the train left Bandra Terminus there was no turning back. The cold AC winds did brought some relaxation with it as I straight away slept.

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 Delhi is one place that really upsets me. But I had decided that I will overcome it this time. Ultimately it just gave me another reason to undertake this trip.  But once I got down at hazrat nizzamuddin station the next morning it was like a weird experience. You know that kind of filling when everything around you just remains the same. But somehow nothing seems similar. Only drastic change that we felt was in the weather. Where in Mumbai we were socked in heavy rains and mossy wet winds, here we were welcomed by hot bright orange sun and the only moistness we felt was of our own sweat.  It was exactly how I left Delhi the last time. I remember buying pastry from comsome situated at the lajpath nagar side exit of haz. Nizzamudin station. But somehow I was finding it difficult to remember anything apart from it.

My roommate said that “tera GPS pura ulta hai.”

Perhaps he was right as well. The autowala took us to Indraprastha metro station. And it really felt stupid when he took a round trip of station and exited from the sarai kale khan side.

But once reaching there it was the real déjà vu feeling. I was very scared of getting down at Rajiv Chowk not knowing how I would react. But honestly it was just the same, maybe I was overeating. Or possibly overstating stuffs.

I tried to locate the Nirula’s café but it wasn’t there. It was then I realize that things have changed. It was tough to accept that the world has moved on. There was no sign of Nirulas neither my old metro card was working nor any faces felt similar. 

But the best part about this entire journey was that I wasn’t going in the usual direction towards Noida but on the opposite direction towards Rithala. I never knew that it was the first line to be commissioned by DMRC.

From Rajiv Chowk to Kashmere gate and from there climbing upstairs towards RED line going towards Rithala was that part of Delhi that I had never seen. And there was one more thing that I was about to see after almost 3 years our dear friend sardarji. Actually my current roommate is sardarji’s ex-roomate and he was all the more joyous to meet him.  He whisked us from metro station straight to his home in Rohini and treated us with the most amazing chole kulche in lunch. My roommate was supremely tired so he quickly surrendered to sleep as soon as the AC was turned on.

Later that evening we had the most amazing dinner in a very long time. Sardarji took us to a very famous food joint in pitampura where we had Chengezi chicken which was cooked in ghee on the largest tava I have ever seen. It tasted divine with khamiri roti.

And trust me it was the most amazing chicken that I have tasted in my short lived life…

My mind was empty that night partly because the day turn out the way it did and partly because it didn’t… but I was happy to meet an old friend and most importantly. And I was ready….

Come-on Delhi…. Surprise me in a new way.

To be continued…..