Pune to Berhampur

Voila! The day was finally here and I was going home after a span of a little more than 4 months. It was for the fast time that I was this far from home and that too for such a long time. Not to forget the fact that I was gonna go back home from job… The journey started off on a rather disappointing note. In the sense that I had gotten used to the busy schedule of my office to such an extent that I could barely imagine myself not doing anything for around 8-9 days. Though this was what I had been wanting for the past few days. I boarded the train and was a wee bit dejected to see a couple of mommies around with 4 kids and a guy who seemed to merge a lot with the ambience. Kids ranging from 10 months to 4 years, well, this journey was gonna be something. I thought! I love kids , playing with them et al but then having to be with 4 at the same time for the next 30 hours did scare me a little. I was all geared up to fight this. I took out my novel and started reading it with all the attention that I could ve in the midst of what looked like a mini crèche or something like a play school. I was reading this novel "In the name of honour” by Mukhtar Mai, a latest bestseller which is creating waves across the world. very oon, it was supper time and there I was, savouring my biriyani. Thanks to the aunties and kids around me, I had to catch up with some early sleep. Did I mention that half of the time, I was busy talking to a friend, naa I didnt!! I woke up really soon as compared to the general standards, at around 7. Hyderabad station was due in half an hour and I had to meet my college days ka friend, CB. It was really nice of him.. waking up early on a sunday morning and coming all the way to meet me. I just couldnt figure out what I could do after that, so I decided to get into a mid-morning siesta and I climbed up to the top berth. As I did so, I realised something strange that the guy beside me, who had been chatting almost all night was sleeping with his head and legs interchanging sides quite a number of times throughout the time that he slept. I woke up during lunch time and played with those toddlers around me. Not to forget those long conversations with Kaushik. Well, this is when my cell got switched off and I had to resort to people around me for some conversation. The guy in red ... now starts our interactions. There are certain things that I observed about him, that he slept like a hog and that he was amazingly good with the kids. Seriously, even better than me!! As we started talking , we realised that we had quite some common friends and a few common ambitions. Amazingly enough, theres so much for me to write about this sweet-bitter rendezvous that I think it would be better if I talk about it in my next post. Anyways, my journey wasnt all that bad!! In fact, a very different one!!