A Trip to Jamshedpur
I am going to copy paste an old article I had written for my college magazine.
This is a piece of friction and any resemblance to a person living or dead is a pure coinciedence. :)
~~~~~~~ A Trip to Jamshedpur ~~~~~~~~~~
Suddenly bus arrived, I could figure out from quite a distance, the hazy picture of my friend debo waving hand out of the window. Like any other well mannered and disciplined son, I took my father’s blessing ‘khush raho’ and could very well count that this was the fifth time that he asked me to make a call as soon as I reached Jamshedpur.
And there we go, the land of Tatas, where I was expecting to get training in TISCO. The government bus like a weathered old horse making a desperate attempt to make it fast, being seated on one of the last seats, we had the rare opportunity of experiencing all its vibrations and the jerks and bumps, courtesy Indian roadways, that was sufficient to keep both of us awake with eyes wide open as what was to follow, and anyways who was interested to go sleep.
Suddenly I could feel somebody shaking me violently desperately trying to make a point by almost yelling as though we were a mile apart; it was debo “It’s Tata”.
Then hired a tempo and headed for GT4 hostel where I was expecting to meet Mr. Prashant, one of my father’s college’s son, with whom I held all my chances of getting training in TISCO.
It was the second time that I was talking to him, but this time being unnaturally friendly which could well be justified by my motive.
We headed to the training center (SNTI), debo too being conscious of en cashing the opportunity was able to get it confirmed, but I was told to come early the next morning, when they would see as to what can be done of mine case. Debo set off for some Photoshop and bhaiya for his duty, I left alone for hostel.
In the hostel, I appeared to be an alien to anyone who crossed me and had to even digest some peculiar stare that an uninvited guest receives. It was a whole lot of thoughts creating waves of feelings of rather useless things. I was desperately wanting for either of them to return for the last four hours. With a strange coincidence both of them arrived at nearly same hour.
We were going to spend our night in one of the rooms at the top floor arranged by bhaiya. May be it was some sort of formality when bhaiya asked “would you like to have dinner?” but my reply was lightening fast “yes”, undoubtedly I was very hungry and could not have lost a good meal just to put on some shades of mannerism.
It was one of the rare nights, no better than a nightmare; the top floor room was on a fireball making me wonder “How could nights be so hot?” hot enough to keep me immersing my face in water to get bits of relief. The bed that was meant for no more than a slimy blonde could hardly take us; with debo stretching up there was hardly anything left for me. Anyways his snores were sufficient to keep me awake and make big dreams for the days to come.
It’s time. ‘So run run run’.
We were in SNTI on time to attend the first day’s safety training after which actual training had to begun, which actually never happened. It was good to see people from our college gathering there among whom were also some people who while in college never felt it worth to talk but now. In hall met raj and chandu from compsc. I and raj at least had a common opinion about the lecture, “That’s shit! The person was sick” and could not help laughing and staring when chandu who perhaps was deeply drowned in the lecture or at least intended to, asked “What was the fifth step?” we just took some more steps and were all out of the hall.
There was a problem waiting for raj.
SNTI was not confirming raj and chandu’s training even though they had been properly selected and called for it. To there dismay, the person with whom they were to deal had been transferred. Raj was a bit annoyed. There was some sort of communication gap which had led to nothing but confusion.
I had already noticed debo avoiding me, so I just sticked to raj even though I knew him no better than you. He made a call to his college’s T&P head to inform him of the confusion arising and again.
To add on that, the person they had to meet on reaching SNTI was transferred. There was hardly anyone interested to understand our problem, yet we waited outside the room of the person who was in-charge of training division. Every time the door opened we got alert as if now we would be called in but it was not going to be so smooth. We patiently kept on waiting for hours; suspicion had made us even forget that we had eaten nothing from the morning. Occasionally taking ‘sprite’ from a cold-drink outlet within the complex which came as a bit of relief in that really hot afternoon. Sitting on the well maintained sofa-set, I kept on pondering of what was to follow. Raj possessed his own share of myths and expected a somewhat better welcome, but it was not him to be blamed since this was the first time he was out of his home. After all who was concerned of the pains we had taken to come over there. People there had enough time but not enough to lend there ears to us. “Wait for some time”. A quite unfamiliar unit, but now has a clear illusion that it’s something more than half a day.
Though constantly conversing with Raj and Chandu, I was somewhere lost in a world of mine. We were definitely late to make our visit and now it would be really difficult to get good project or rather any project. Even if I got the project, accommodation was yet doubtful. I was comparing everything with the training last year I had in H.E.C, a firm in which my father works. It had good analogy between swades and pardes. Puzzled and confused, we decided to move to a near by rest aura to have the lunch since it was lunch break, the best part of the day.
I took Raj to bhaiya thinking that maybe he could somehow help him out. My training was almost confirmed, almost, but no accommodation yet. I talked about Raj while he kept on constantly looking on the ongoing TV show, with absolutely no response, as if nothing was told. Actually it was really one of the wildest expectations that he would be taking pain for one of my friends when he barely even knew me. Though myself unsure, I somehow wished that Raj should get into.
Actually the small meeting with Raj had taken me out of the wrong beliefs I possessed about him, certainly you can’t know anyone by personally interacting with him. We moved back to the ground, T&P had made a call over there and now sitting outside the office we were over expecting things. First meeting like usual landed nowhere, Raj hoped that his mentioning of his academic excellence would do a trick, but I at the best could feel sorry for him, for we were outside institution. Anyways there was no loss to try, though there was also no gain. After all Raj had no acquaintance and too was never prepared for that. At that moment I considered myself lucky, according to this world definition, smart and professional. Meanwhile chandu also had gathered some contact from within the firm, and had his own limitation in helping out Raj. Final meeting timed at 6:30.
It was long gap, we decided to get a change and so set forth for Jubilee Park. But since we don’t see the things as they are, we see them as we are, so everything appeared to be tasteless. Though turbulent within Raj appeared to be placid, he needed to be more pragmatic.
We moved back. I still can remember his wrist getting quenched; the shopkeeper’s wrinkly look earning mercy lest he was going to get a punch, who dared misbehave, in his perceptive.
Now it was final one-sided negotiation, the call from T&P had some relation strings attached to it which they would not have liked to break; finally they decided somehow they would be arranging some project. But neither of us had come over there at the expectation of mere something, but I feel it was something were we could have been wrong. Since we possessed the potential to make that ‘something’, something special.
Meanwhile chandu was done. The person who did it for him was very rude to Raj. He was speaking as if he had done something for him or just to keep him away. When Raj himself was not interested. This was both shocking and annoying. We knew that we were outside your home.
We were now retuning on a sad note. Raj had decided to go back to his home, renukoot. At that moment I knew he meant, though he had hinted me that all through the day. Firstly the day proceedings had been back breaking, unexpected and secondly he had a very tight schedule, finishing exams and straight away rushing. This all made him well justify his return. I, who had been a bit selfish, all day of getting a company, was not at all reluctant at that moment to approve of his decision. He was certainly desperate.
That single day was a long day that had associated me to the extent that it had become difficult imagining things in his absence.
Back to hostel, my training confirmed but not at the place or under the person bhaiya had told. Even my hostel was away and alone from others. Everything appeared to be compromise, the one thing I am rarely used to.
I moved to the new hostel. It was like going to a boarding school against ones will. The hostel had everything in it except life. Even the thought of fairer sex residing within the same hostel failed short to be a lucrative. Suddenly my mobile rang, the screen displayed ‘Ghar’, and it was a call from my mother. I don’t exactly how but she could make out that I was not happy out there. Then the words for which I had been waiting from the start of this half an hour long conversation, “If you think it’s not worth the pains, come back”.
Feelings lonely I left for the hostel were my college friends were staying. I was unable to lie to Raj that I had skipped my dinner. He made himself sure that at least I had something. There was some sort of authority in his words, and his demand was very intimate. Following up was one of the longest sleepless nights. I made up my mind that if the project was not good, I leave.
Next morning, like yesterday rushed for SNTI, but I guessed something was missing, right, it was enthusiasm. I met my project guide, a really stubborn personality. After talking with him one could easily make out that he must have never attended his school moral science classes. He was too arrogant to listen to our views. Our team was not even being provided with a separate terminal for everyone. It was something related to database. Our team members just wished to incorporate some good points but to there dismay, there was no listener. With a typical grim look he replied “I know what you need, you just do anything, and you will be getting certificates”. I felt that I was sensible enough to bring an end to the conversation.
Standing in front of the very same room, with the leaving application in my hand, I could feel a continuous flashback. I was helpless; dreams, I had, come before my eyes like colorful flying water bubbles, and I spread my hands to catch them, realizing only then that they were lost. This time I could not wait for their ‘sometime’, I forcibly moved in and slammed the application on the table. There was no reason for him to not recognize me, he had a look and then replied “sorry, we could not accommodate you”. I was not interested to reply.
Moving out of the door, I caught in sight of two students very much similar to me and Raj. They were sitting on the same sofa-set in same disguise. On there face was the very same suspicion, and there eyes were fixed to the very same door, that never opened.
I had eye contact with one of them and both of us smiled for unknown reasons. I could now feel the fresh air and I moved on.
posted by Vikas Prasad @ 5:42 PM
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