A JOURNEY…SEA…LOVE AND LIFE

RAHI MANWA DUKH KI CHINTA KIU SATATI HAI, DUKH TO APNA SATHI HAI…..

Sometimes in life,whatever you try or plan to do, fails invariably.I was going through such a phase.The biggest setback was that I though cleared my Civil services Prelims.Exam ,my application for the Main Exam was rejected by UPSC.It was heart breaking but fault was mine.I made a mistake in filling up the form.So, the dream of becoming an IAS officer vanished.At that point,Praveen’s invitation came to me as god send.Goa,a place I can go any time,any number of times.I simply adore that place.Praveen is my dear friend and a Batchmate.He was posted in Vasco Da Gama.Another thing I liked about this invitation is the timing.It was Chrismas time.

But as the fate had it in mind,hurdles were not willing to leave my side.I wanted to start early but once in office ,you do not know when you will be free.By the time I reached Aurangabad bus terminal,it was already late.When I reached Pune,the last bus for Goa had already left.Pune was a new place and I did not know anybody there.I tried for some nearby hotels but got scared by observing the  sleezy looks and surroundings.I saw highly and garishly madeup girls are loitering around and often entering the hotels with some shady looking men.Same was the situation at the gate of Pune’s bus terminus.I somehow managed to eat something and retreated inside the terminus, as at that point of time,it  seemed the safest place.

It was an extremely chilled night.The next bus to goa was at 4-00 am.and I had no where to go.Only option for me was to sleep on the  cement benches inside the shed of the terminal.and that is what I tried to do.Sleep was not forthcoming as the cold was piercing the bone.Only a sweater was not enough.For one night I became a Vagabond.Early morning, I got up.It was quite dark.The toilets of the terminal was full of users and when empty,unusable,as per my senses.The bus came in time but there was no seat.All seats were  reserved and I had no reservation.Infact I did not know that I would require one.

It was a journey of 15 hours and I stood in the bus for 10 hours.when I reached Kadamba bus stand of Panaji,the last bus for Vasco had already left.Since it was Chrismas time,no hotels were available.I was roaming around at night searching for a place to stay,and my companions were drunkards,few tourists- out for happy hours,prostitutes waiting under the shadows of the trees in the parks and occassional choral singing groups.Their beautiful songs were making me more aware that in this city,  I am all alone.And then somehow I  managed to get a place to sleep in a Lodge.

Next morning I started for the Kadamba bus stand to catch a bus for Vasco but the bad luck was following me there also.There were so much crowd for the buses that I had to literally push me in to be inside the bus.Just as I got the seat and was feeling relieved,I put my hand on my trouser’s pocket to take out my purse, to pay for the ticket.It was not there anymore.Some good pocket-mar had pickpocketed the purse.I was dumbstuck and in total panic.

To be concluded  in my next blog…………