Cash Crunch, Location!

Exam! Location! Google maps! Admit card! Cash?

Don’t we first check on these pieces of stuff before we set to give our paper?

It was on last Sunday, I had to give one exam, the centre of which was situated as far as Mundaka or to be more precise, the metro station next to it. It falls on the green line and many of you who don’t travel frequently, might not be knowing it. I am saying it because I asked one friend and he didn’t have any clue.

“Ganga International School, Hira Kudna, Rohtak Road, New Delhi”

This is what my admit card read as the location where I was going to be evaluated. Hasn’t it become our habit to calculate any distance according to the metro station in the vicinity of it? Metro is a blessing for Delhi, otherwise, life would have been bad as hell. I did the same. Google map said – 1.5 km, nearest metro ‘Ghevra’. With the idea that I would take an e- rickshaw or Uber(bike) from that particular metro station, I set out at 7AM, as the exam was scheduled to start from 9:30 and the gate would close at 9. I had about Rs. 260/- which I considered enough for my round trip. In the days of Paytm Karo, or to be more precise, phone pe and Google pay Karo, who bothers to help themselves to the atm and fetch cash, especially when the technology has paralysed us?

I tried to check-in through DMRC gates but alas! the balance on my metro card wasn’t sufficient, hence the gate mahasay denied my entry. Who would argue with the machines? Would you? I bet you can’t. They simply don’t listen much. I opened my phone to do a quick recharge of 100/- but the phone pe humbly told me that they are unable to connect to DMRC, ‘connect’ as if I was expecting to fix my marriage. I would have gone for card payment but resisted because I wasn’t sure whether the issue was from the bank side too! The payment and me, both might get stuck at DMRC customer service. Moreover, I was in a hurry so I feed my hungry card with 200/- bucks. I wonder why they don’t recharge for 100/- and if the TVM does, you need 100 in change. Unfortunately, I had 200 rupee notes and customer service also didn’t have the change as it was more. Uff ye demonetisation! Uff ye government!

The journey to the destination metro station was smooth as compared to the other except at the ‘Inderlok’ station interchange where I saw people running after leaving the red and jumping to green. I also joined them with the fear of being tramped. After all, we all are part of the crowd. Only later, did I get to know that the frequency of metro on the green line is less as they maintain a gap of a minimum of 5 min to 15 min max? I got safely into the metro just before the warning beep. The next hurdle came when the metro cabin announced that the train will terminate at Mundaka, one station before my destination! I wouldn’t write the line followed after that as you already know and it irritates me. So well, as per their instruction, I disembarked at a station before to board the next metro.

To my surprise, it came within 3 minutes. I was at Ghevra metro by 8:20. At once, I became cocky at myself. I took an exit and found some rickshaws waiting to take me closer to my paper (well, it was online so what should I call it, digital paper? huh). One e- rickshaw was just taking off with 3 people. Generally, they don’t start before taking 4 passengers in the back seat. The boys might have pressurised him. I asked one of them ‘Ganga School’ and he said very eagerly ‘Yes, Yes’ as if I was going to help in his exam. I could have helped but his subject was different.

After I travelled half of the path which took me to the suburbs of Delhi, or I should call it Haryana? Let’s call it Haryana. The people belonging to that region might feel better while reading. Naam aa rha hai na delhi ki wajah se

Well, where was I. Yeah! I was talking about what happened after half a distance. I got late? No? I met my girlfriend? Absolutely not! Did I forget to take a printout of admit card? No way. That’s the first thing I do after getting it. Then what was it? I’ll tell you but you have to promise me that you’ll believe it. Even if you don’t, I would be at no loss. Haha! So I was heading to the wrong centre. Are you surprised? Yes, I was. At that time. More than you. The name of the school was the same. I was going with the local rickshaw wala so he definitely had the knowledge about the area around. So what was the issue? What made me brood over my hasty decision?

Because there were two schools of the same name separated by a distance of 6 km. I was heading to the other one with lush green fields on either side, taking me to the memories of the village. I admit that I enjoyed the ride until I came to know that I might be marked absent in the exam for which I prepared, spoiling my colourful nights and paying 1000/- for exam registration. The rickshaw wala bhaiya assured me to not worry, He’ll take me to the centre in just time. When someone says like that, you start suspecting more. I didn’t have many options left in the middle of the forest, hence I settled on his assurance. We started our trip back to the metro station because the other school was exactly in opposite direction. After reaching there, he dropped me instructing me that I should catch the other rickshaw from here. I was flummoxed after realising that he didn’t keep his own words. I gave him a frowning look and shifted to another rickshaw after paying him 40 rupees for that nature safari.

The other rickshaw wala person was a crazy sort of human being. He was keen on letting us go with our papers. Perhaps, he might have done the same in his school days. Even after getting five passengers, he wasn’t ready to go. For your information, any e-rickshaw can accommodate a maximum of five people (4 at the back and 1 in the front). He was waiting for one more to sandwich the person in the front. After repeated reminders, scolding and use of not so good adjectives, he finally started his quest. On the way, he stopped and fulfilled his desire of making a group of six. I admired his resoluteness. It might be his lucky number. Or his wife has asked for a special dinner tonight. Whatever it be, he dropped us just two minutes before the exam was scheduled to start and took my remaining 20 bucks.

Only later, did I realise that I needed someone to take care of my bag and he won’t do it for free? I froze for a second. I definitely wasn’t wishing to be marked absent after this hurdle race. On the way, I asked one big bruiser, a fat guy, if he could give some cash to me, on the prospect of sending him online? He denied. Aree bhaiii, ruko mai leke bhag nhi rha tera Paisa. Pta nhi log aaj ke jamane me dusro ki madad Krna kyo nhi chahte hai? Anyway, with a choked throat and sullen face, I made my way, hoping for any miracle, like the availability of online payment at the baggage counter. And please don’t say ATM dhund lete.

Thankfully, the miracle happened! the facility for online payments. At the baggage counter. Generally, they don’t have. Do they? Bolo bolo. But…but..at the first time, the QR code denied the payment. I froze again but later the payment was accepted through Google pay as if Google has promised commission to him.

It took me some time to settle unless I moved to the system allocation counter. I saw a hot chick, perhaps due to summer, receiving instruction from the staff who after looking at her admit card exclaimed that she had checked into the wrong centre. Hers was the other one, where I was coming from. Feeling embarrassed, the girl walked in quick steps to avoid being eyed by the fellow students in which I was also the one. I wished her good luck in her suppressed voice. Some people don’t prefer to say “Best of luck” because they consider that luck is for losers. Instead, they say “All the best”. Figure out, yourself, which one is appropriate to say when you are giving MCQ exams. I, sometimes wonder, do these things help?

Consider this as my closing statement.

“I have to walk 1.5 km back to the metro after taking my exam at the time when the Sun was ready to make that Glucose wala advertisement feel true”

Khatm! Tata! Aage kuch jyada nhi hua! Bye Bye! Take care!

-Shashank