Everyone is on a quest to their own journey. They’ve their struggle, stories related to struggle and their continous resistance against them.
My flight from Patna to Delhi, scheduled at night, turned into a midnight journey after being preponed first and then postponed multiple times. A brief report is as follows:
9:35 PM- Scheduled time of departure
9:20 PM- Updated time a day before departure
10:00 PM- The time of departure while getting the boarding pass printed at the airport
10:35 PM- Updated time while waiting for the flight as shown on the display monitor
10:25 PM- Boarding starts after the commotion created by passengers
10:50 PM- Final departure
Imagine me waiting since 6:30 in the evening after being denied lounge access as my card didn’t support it. This delay, that too, in instalments, vexed me. The eagerness to return to my comfort zone after an exhausting vacation gripped me. I kept myself glued to social networks and books to pass the time until one of the lady staff announced the boarding process. The rest of the journey was smooth except for the pilot’s announcement of a turbulence warning which didn’t cause much turbulence. The idea of flying at a height of 30k feet at midnight was both enthralling as well as scary. You’re somewhat close to the stars, the moon and the other planets while sailing above/amongst the clouds. The life exists beneath you. At every such moment, I reminisce about my first flight journey and a quote I wrote back then;
Aaj hawayen kuch ruhani si hai
Fijaye kuch jawani si hai
Dheere dheere wo mere karib aa rhi hai
Lagta hai jaise banne wali koi kahani si hai!
After landing in Delhi and fetching the luggage, I launched one of the apps on my phone to book a cab to the railway station from where I had to board a train to my final destination. My digital wristwatch arranged the dots to indicate that it’s been 1 AM. I can’t say whether it was the fare or the thrill of talking to the fresh air, or both due to which I ended up booking an auto-rickshaw. The booking was accepted by a driver named Vijay. I immediately called and asked him to reach to the arrival. He replied in negative and added that he was 250 metres away from the arrival and if I had to travel, I had to come there only. Too tired to cancel and book another, I decided to transverse that path. I asked for his location which he sent quickly. The driver appeared well acquainted with the digital usage. When I opened his location and synced it with mine, I found that he is standing 600 metres away. I frowned a little at his lie but having promised him, I followed the direction suggested by Google Maps.
I could barely cover half a distance when a message from him heightened my frustration.
“Bhaiya! 70/- extra lagega“, he texted.
It took a while to digest my anger and reply to his text.
“Pehle aane to dijiye bhaiya”, I said, struggling to maintain my composure.
“Ok”, he replied.
I covered the rest of the distance accusing the cunning nature and arbitrary demands of the auto drivers in Delhi. Had he put this demand earlier, I would have booked a cab. After adding his 70/- to the fare, it became equivalent to the cab mini. His message again popped up when I was at a distance of 100 metres from him.
“Or kitna time lagega bhaiya“, he texted.
“yar aapne kaha tha 250 metres hai aur yaha mai chale ja rha hun bas. pehle hi bol dete“, I couldn’t control my rage and blurted out.
I almost reached the spot where he asked me to come while I texted but couldn’t see him anywhere. I called him promptly to ask where he was. He asked me to look towards a desolate road from where I saw him coming slowly. I tried to match the vehicle number with the one that appeared in my app but it didn’t. A boy of the same age as mine peeped from the driver seat and asked, “Shashank aap hi ho?”.
“Haan mai hi hun“, I said and before throwing my backpack and trolly to the back seat, I asked, “bhaiya! ye number plate alag kyon hai?”
“Wo rickshaw servicing me gaya hua hai bhaiya”, he said with a touch of regional accent, which I recognised immediately.
Giving him the OTP required to start the journey, I finally said what I was carrying in my mind for the last 300 metres.
“Bhaiya! ek baat btao…pehle to aap mujhe aadhi raat ko aadha kilometre chalwate ho aur fir raste me extra paise bhi mang lete ho. Ye kya baat hui”, I said balancing my tone with anger and composure.
“Are bhaiya! Policewale ko abhi 200/- fine dena pada hai”, he stated.
“To wo bhi kya humse vasoologe?”, I asked jokingly.
“Aaj kamai nhi hui hai bhaiya”, he looked disappointed while he said.
I realised his state and said, “Chaliye! mai apne hisab se aapko extra de dunga”.
He powered the engine and stopped again after driving 100 metres.
“Kuch aur sawari dekh lun bhaiya”, he sought the permission.
“Mujhe 2 bje train pakadna hai”, I lied to him in order to avoid any delay.
“Tab to chalna padega”, he, shifted the gear up and accelerated toward the direction pointed by Google Maps.
I asked the question which I had put on hold till then, “Bihar se jan padte ho, bhaiya?”
“Haan bhaiya! Champaran ghar hua hamara“, he said politely.
You feel a sense of connection to the person from the same state.
“Auto chalate kitna din ho gya yahan?”, My curiosity grew as he spoke.
“Jyada to nhi bas 1 saal hi hue hain”, he replied.
“Ye raat me auto kyo chalate ho aap?”, I asked again.
“Kyonki traffic nhi hota hai bhaiya aur kamai bhi acchi ho jati hai kam time deke. Subeh class bhi karta hun 7- 11”, he replied.
“Waah! Padhai bhi karte ho?”, I asked.
“Haan bhaiya! Seat ne niche mera book rakha hua hai”, he replied confidently.
“Kis chiz ki tyari kar rhe”
“Law ka”, he said.
Sometimes, he used to turn back to reply which made me afraid. At such moments, I instructed him to look ahead and drive.
“Why Law? Law me itna interest kyon hai?”, I asked to take the conversation forward.
“Ye police wale dara-dhamka ke paise le lete hai. Humlog ke sath bahut bekar tarike se pesh aate hai. Isliye”, he answered to my question.
“Law padh ke sab badal doge?”, I tested him.
“Padh ke to pta nhi bhaiya but kuch ban ke jarur”, he replied firmly.
I was awestruck at his determination and kept quiet for a while.
“Bhaiya 2 bje to koi train nhi hai Nizamuddin se”, he caught my lie and enquired.
“Haan 2:35 me hai”, I felt embarrassed and changed the topic quickly, “rehte kahan ho?”
“CP”, he said.
“Waah! Bohot accha jagah pe rehte ho aap to”, I praised him.
He chose to keep quiet. The auto kept accelerating on the finest but desolate roads of Delhi, mostly straight but sometimes, on curved paths too. Some cars with windows closed used to overtake us at a great speed. Cold air post-midnight kept stroking me, the intensity of which changed with the speed. I felt rejuvenated. The decision of choosing auto over car proved right.
“Bina google map ke chala lete ho”, I disturbed the silence creeping into the surroundings.
“Lamba route me chalta hun to jarurat padti hai bhaiya. Yahan itne roads, overbridge and underpass hai ki samajh me hi nhi aata hai. Haan, CP ke around ka area dekha hua hai”, he elucidated.
“Sahi kahe bhaiya. Hum 6.5 saal delhi me raha par road samajh nhi aaya yahan ka. Mujhe bas metro ka route pta hai”, I also related his statement with my conscience.
“Hum aaj tak metro me nhi gaya”, he disclosed.
“Are. Par kyon?”, I asked surprisingly.
It’s quite unlikely to live in Delhi and not travel via metro.
“Kabhi jarurat hi nhi padi”, he said and asked, “Kaha se flight tha aapka?”
“Patna se tha. Kafi late kiya”, I said.
“Hum Deepawali time gaye the. Bahut bhid tha”, he said.
Meanwhile, the auto came to a halt at the corner of the parking space. He announced the arrival of the station.
“Aapka nam Vijay hua na”, I asked him after paying the fare he asked for.
“Nhi nhi. Hamara naam Subodh hai. Wo mere Papa ka naam hai. Din me wahi auto chalate hai”, he clarified.
“Chaliye badhiya. Aapse mil ke accha laga Subodh bhai. Ek photo le lete hai. Kisi din Judge ban gaye to ye din yaad rahega”, I gave him some tips and ideas about cracking the law, further opportunities related to it and wished him good luck before strolling toward the station.
A journey ended. The other is waiting to begin. For me, for Subodh, for you, for all of us!
©Shashank
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