Hello folks,
It was,
22nd Feb, 2009
Place: SNDT Women’s University,
Time: 7:58 A.M.
It was two minutes to eight, and can you believe it, I made it to
Wow, on time, a rarity in my life style, you see!
I woke up as early as five in the morning. I took bath, dressed up in decent formals and wore my all-time-great sports shoes. I just hate formals in my feet. I took my power bag and run-off to the station. It was 06:10 A.M. In Mumbai, I was staying with my langotia yaar, in Borivalli (E). On the previous day, I checked the train I had to board, which platform, then which number (Best Bus number 231 from Santacruz Station to SNDT) bus I had to take to reach the gd/pi location. I was just curious.
Juss near the Ashok Van flyover in Borivalli (E) or say southern tip of Dahisar, I took an auto, on meter of course. Now there was a problem; a big one. I was unshaved. I didn’t had a razor with me, nothing at all. Now I can’t even dare to think of some barber shop to be open at such morning hours, but at least a medical shop, so that I can buy a use & throw razor. That razor, I will use it in the wash room of the venue, where I’m going for the gd/pi; I thought so. So optimistic I was, you see. Pathetic, actually.
Mélange of apprehensiveness’ and timidity was my condition, as auto-wala was driving so sluggishly. And I was, with danger-in-my-eye-condition, looking on both the road sides desperately to find any damn shop open. But, no success, I was almost gone. I was dead. Found many dairy vendors doing there regular work at that hour, were of no use to me. Auto taking turns after turns reaching the final road towards the borivalli station, I stand no chance then. And, Voila!!! There was a medical store open.
“Stop, Stop, Stop!!!”, I barked to the auto wala.
“What happened?”, he replied.
“Nothing, wait. I need to buy some medicines. It’s urgent.”, I lied. I don’t why, but I did.
I bought a use and throw red coloured razor (which I still have) worth fifteen bucks and hoped on auto again. Reaching borivalli station was a mess. Buying a ticket in such rush is a cumbersome job. Such a big line, but then, bought a newspaper and was reading it while standing in that fucking queue. Got it worth seven bucks for Juhu and then went over-through foot over bridge to platform number 3. I juss reached there, and a sub-urban train came, I hopped in.
May be, it was first class, I didn’t noticed earlier, and so I got a place to sit. No worry on my face, no expression, totally involved in reading that shit newspaper. It was the only soothing I had at the time. May be, I was juss relaxing my self. Never knew when the destination station came, I stepped out and then started walking out of the Sanatacruz station.
Suddenly, I saw a kiosk open. A barber shop. I stopped, instantaneously.
I thought, I’ve a razor, I can do the shaving in the wash room.
But, what if, the wash room does not have a mirror? Gosh.
So, without any second thought I took right turn and ventured into, fervidly. He was a mallu. A South Indian. A Big Pakkau yaar. Panchat hi kar raha tha, and took almost 20 minutes for shaving. Ass hole.
It was 07:30 by then. I was clean shaven and walking towards the bus-station, outside the sub-urban station to catch bus-231. I had seen the station the previous day, so started walking in the right direction. Standing at the bus-stop, was like standing at the pit-stop. Bus never came, and it was thundering me from inside. I took an auto and asked for SNDT. He took me there till the gate. On meter, showed 15 bucks, I gave him. He returned a rupee coin. So kind of him. And I entered the University gate. I started walking to the main block of Janki Devi Bajaj Institute of Management Studies. I traded the path with and personified ease. When I took the final turn, I saw three ISB&Mites in blazers.
I thought, standing outside, why? Must be, koi aaya nahi hoga. I must be the first one.
Crossing them, I thought to bid Good Morning, but I didn’t. I entered the foyer. Gosh. There were so many sitting on well place chairs, all silent. Almost all turned their faces to notice me. And I could see, I was just a face in a sea of faces. If I have to get into ISB&M, I’ve to beat them all.
And I approached the registration desk with brisk steps and light smile on my face. I had conviction in my walk.
Right now, I’m hearing Dream On, by Aerosmith.
Dream on, dream on, dream on,
Dream until your dream come true.
Bhargav Trivedi
PGPBM (2009-11)
ISB&M, Pune