The occurrences are still very fresh in my mind.. I can still feel the breathlessness! I felt so helpless... desperate to reach home! Rain completely drenched me... I had no energy left then.. and I have no guts to bring back those memories now.. Let me attempt to put everything into words......
Aug 14, 2008 - Thursday: Being an RCG (Recent College Graduate) at the new joined office in Bangalore, I had no luxury of taking leaves as I wished. Staying away from home felt like a curse! I was longing to be at home... for the long weekend... Unusually, it was raining cats and dogs that day. I happened to wait till 8.30 for a bus to go to railway station.. Finally, I got in to a bus, but there was such a traffic jam in the city... Rain water was stagnant everywhere. At around 9.30, the bus came to a halt at an unknown road (I cant forget this road and the routes from there anymore now). The bus conductor mentioned a land mark (Mysore Bank, of which I have at least seen a couple of times by then) is only 1.5Kms from this unknown road and asked all of us to get down from bus as the traffic is not expected to move anytime sooner... Unfortunately, there weren't many girls who dared to get down n start walking except me... My mind was set to go home! I got down.. saw nothing but water everywehere.... Ofcourse an unending line of vehicles... I started walking blindly.. not knowing the right direction. No one was replying my queries... When I got to a junction, I enquired an elderly Malayalee uncle waiting near his car.. "Uncle, which way to Majestic??".. He said, "I dont know"... Hmmm... I had a suitcase in my hand... my jerkin was all wet, had a backbag and umbrella in the other hand.. within 5 mins of walking I felt so exhausted.falling rain drops were equal to needles poking everywhere.. Just then, My chappal was torn.. I tried to fix it, but it kept coming off every 2 mins.. Umbrella was flying back... The weight of my luggage.. torn chappal.. heavy rain.. man holes and open drainage pits.. fast running rainwater.. unfriendly ppl.. No sign boards... made me even more exhausted...
While I figured out the direction, it was almost 10Pm.. I could see many helpless ppl with luggage running on the road.. I ran with them.. I was not sure if I would go to the bus stand or the railway station. But I wanted a reach a road I was familiar with.. I kept running.. literally! At a sudden point, I look around... There are no men around me.. I was all alone in the dark of the night.. On a road I have never seen... I felt scared, real scared.. Questions arise inside.. Am I going to be alive through this? What if some animal attacks me here? What if I get kidnapped? Hmmmm... I ran even faster.. I could see a police constable... suddenly he came close to me.. I was terrified... I was not sure if it was a helping gesture, I kept running.. I could see some ppl again.. but it was 10.20Pm... My asthma would no longer let me breathe... I had to take my inhaler.. did I have time for it? No.. I decided to walk further no matter what.. I overheard a conversation from a fellow walker that, we had 2.5Kms to go to Majestic.. Some lost hope, fainted... I was afraid I would be the next victim anytime.. I pulled myself together everytime I found myself losing vision... At 10.35Pm, I could see the overbridge that leads to Majestic... A releif.. My legs weren't responding to me. I could feel them as stones.. I felt very hard to move a step also.. I had to walk-overbridge-subway-walk to reach the station. It seemed so distant to me.. very far off... I was gasping for breathe... Thankfully my train would be at Platform -1.. I was wishing for it delayed.. my bad, it was right on time set to depart at 10.45Pm... When I boarded the train at 10.43Pm, I was crying hard.. must be the Ananda-Kaneer :):) I was falling short of breathe, almost scaring off the other ppl near my berth.. Forgot to mention abt the endless list of phone calls that I received from home!!! my dad was tensed to the core, kept calling me every 2 mins.. The vibration of the phone ringing in my jean pocket continuously was irritating and disturbing... especially when I was tensed as well...
On my berth, with the whole body shivering with wet clothes I recollected the incident several times that night.. I was amazed.. I finally made up to my home!! After tensed running session for 5-6Kms... :) I felt stronger.. more determined.. bold... considering the fact that I was alone!!
Aug12,2011 - Friday: Again a long weekend + Independence day... I was feeling my 6th sense telling me to be careful and cautious yesterday! We had no bus to majestic till 8.45Pm much like 3 yrs back... My instinct was getting closer to correct.. But S assured me nothing would happen as it wasn't raining:) Got a bus, I felt better.. At 10.10Pm, we were still in bus.. stuck at traffic jam... Near Mysore Bank... I was ready to start walking to the station, traffic doesn't seemed to clear.. Finally we made our minds.. getting out of the bus.. There was a rally.. of ppl.. with luggage in hands, heads... there were 100s of them... buses were empty, ppl were on roads rushing to the bus stand and railway station.. I held S's hand tightly.. I had the pictures of those memories coming infront me.... We were in our train at 10.35pm... :)
It was so better yesterday... there was no rain.. and more importantly.. I had S... yes.. it made a lot of difference!
I remember your Aug14th Story :)
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