a journey frm pune 2 delhi

I m sweating it out in delhi…well…quite literally..on 12/08/09..with no idea wen I shall be able 2 go bk 2 d city of love pune..i m enduring the delhi heat..more so..cuz there’s no electricity here..i m in the outer area of nazafgarh..where amenities like power n water r prone 2 fluctuation …cnt do much there..can we? I hav no access to internet here..n I feel “cut-off” from the civilization in a way.but dats life..unpredictable 2 d core..2 days back I was wrecking my brains over an article on ‘emotional intelligence’..nw..i feel like a refugee..dunno wen I shall b bk 2 pune..much less..wen shall I be able 2 post dis.. lets rewind a bit...cuz i m gng 2 take u thru my journey 2 delhi..n d journey starts in pune..ryt then..on 10th..a one week break was declared n on dat nyt at abt 11 p.m. or so..it was decided that i l go 2 delhi..after booking the tickets online frm mumbai 2 delhi...there was only one way 2 go 2 mumbai frm pune..by road..i was apprehensive abt gng via volvos..too much crowd..greater risk of infection n more significantly...my negligible knowledge abt the roads of mumbai..so i wanted a sure shot coveyance that took me directly 2 d airport..n dats where KK travels cab came 2 my rescue..so i booked a cab at abt 2 a.m. n then went abt my packing...whch wasnt gng 2 b much considering i was gng 4 a week...but more importantly...i packed everythn inside the cupboard..my room..specially my area..had never looked so clean since the fateful day i had moved in...i wrote a couple of mails...n at 7 30 am..wid my eyes ready 2 drop dead ny minute..i took the college bus 2 city..cuz i intended 2 meet m friends b4 i set sails.. the city was oddly deserted..nt many ppl on the streets...no it wsnt cuz of the early hours..attribute it 2 d swine flu..ppl whu were der...were covered like assassins on a mission..nt a pleasant sight 4 sm1 whu is used 2 seeing the 100 autos per minute passing ny gvn point on S.B.Road..i painfully missed the urchins..the hawkers..the autos...the pulsar 220s n the karizmas zooming by...none of it wre 2 b seen..i reached law college road frm atur centre in flat 4 minutes..smthng unthnkble normally... my cab picked me up at 5 min to 11..n by the time i was on the flyover 2 pashan..where he hd 2 pik the next passenger up..i was as sleepy as i cud ever remember..but i was sitting on the passenger seat whch i did nt wanna gv up for smthn as trivial as sleep..more so cuz i wanted 2 enjoy the picturesque mumbai-pune expressway...so i fought my sleep galiantly...smtyms my eyes dropped...smtyms i managed 2 fight my sleep off...after picking up all the 4 passengers(n 2 xtra..whu wud b nthng less than a pain..)..my cab was finally on the expressway..nw i hv a soft corner 4 nature..personally i prefer water but hills r welcome nonetheless...for nature lovers...the stretch of the highway frm lonavla till the khopoli exit is a sight 2 behold...u gotta see it 2 knw wat i mean..no..its nthng compared 2 mussourie..or even patratu valley...but u tend 2 xperience a calm u hav hitherto nt cm across...wid radio city playing sm good music..specially ye dooriyan frm love aj kal..u tend 2 go back down the memory lane..get in2 dat whole nostalgic mode..u tend 2 rewind a lot of stuff..sm of it is bitter-sweet...some of it is pleasant n brings dat same smile bk on ur face..the ride is worth it...n u tend 2 believe dat dis break...no matter under wat circumstances it has cm..is something dat u needed..n smthn dat shud do u a lot of gud..hw much of dat is true,remains 2 be seen.. the bandra worli sea link is a masterpiece..i was completely in awe of it..no it wasnt the golden gate..but fr me..smthn far superior n dear..reached the airport way b4 tym..n had nthng 2 do..didnt wanna watch the swine flu updts whch i heard nywayz cuz dats all ppl were talking abt..ppl wre masked up..but strangely..there was no chking like i had xpected..a lady searched me..n chided me for carrying a couple of coins in my pocket..but the more pressing thng at d moment..there ws no temperature detection 2 b seen..its sad 2 see the government's apathy 2 dis pandemic..how many deaths do they need 2 spring in2 action..wat count of infected ppl will instill sm sense in them?even the ppl were nt covering themselves whle sneezing occasionally..n it irritated a common indian like me 2 no extent..i m still nt a tax-paying citizen..but my parents are..n as an indian..i expect sm civic sense frm my fellow-men..n sm solid,sound action frm the government when we are facing a pandemic lyk swine-flu..wake up india!b4 its too late!! cribbing abt the government's apathy 2wards swine flu 2 Arundhati..n a bit apprehensive abt the 1.5 hr air-journey..i sat in the plane..had nt been air-borne for the past 9 odd yrs..n suddenly i was apprehensive..almost like a toddler..after countless reassurances frm Arundhati...i held my breath..prayed ..n left my plight at the hand of the pilot..oh laugh all u want 2..but if u r cynical like me..a whole lot of complex thots invade ur normal,rational thnkng...add 2 dat the lady on my side...whu 2 my dismay was frm patna..n wanted 2 knw every tiny change dat patna has undergone since her days almost 15 yrs bak...(m nt against co-passengers whu talk...but tk a hint wen the other person shows a disinterest)...i even faked sleeping...2 no avail..still..all dis did nt take away the shine frm my 1.5 hr flight...the rush in the gut wen the plane just gets air-borne frm the runway...the almost 45 degree ascent...frm the slums of dharavi 2 bandra-worli sea link,frm the runway 2 d sea..everythn lukd so miniscule...i was flying!!!beyond the clouds...almost reaching the sun..the euphoric feeling was one i had nt felt since adolescence..in ny case..at my age..its tuff 2 feel nythn so innocent n pure..with an exception of a thng or 2..ryt then..the flight was pretty uneventful..till the captain announced that we wud be descending..the contrast was noteworthy...the area arnd delhi airport is pretty much uninhabited..loadsa empty fields..i even caught a few cows grazing lazily..delhi is nt my hometown..but is one thats dear 2 me..the spunk..the vibes...the attitude 2 live life king size..mahn!!!its hard 2 find d same spirit elsewhere...u l counter me by saying dat every city has its USP whch is hard 2 find elsewhere...say wat u want to..."par saddi dilli da jawaab nahi".. i had nt even stepped down frm the plane..but the feeling of being in delhi was already gripping me..i ws looking forward 2 spending some time in delhi..despite the humid conditions..the weather remains one of the major drawbacks of being in delhi..but then somewhere it fades in comparison to the advantages of being in delhi...easy and flexible transport..amiable people..language u knw n understand..cheaper living..(talk about it!!)..on my way home frm the airport..i breathed in the familiar delhi air as much as i could...so wat if it was somewhat stale wid pollution..it was worth it..it had been 4 years..i remembered my evenings in mayur vihar phase 2...in centrestage mall n wave cinemas..in PVRs n connaught place..in palika bazaar n sarojini nagar...in a DTC bus to rohini 2 go 2 my cousin's in-laws' place n in the metro 2 dwarka frm yamuna bank n return..in bikaner house 2 catch a bus back 2 boarding(arghhh..)n in dhaula kuan...delhi is nt just abt india gate n qutub minar folks!!!the real delhi lies in paschim vihar..in kalindi kunj(yup!!)..in hauz khas..in mayur vihar..rohini n countless places like dis..delhi here i come..i l crib later..abt power n water..abt heat n having nothing 2 do...but for nw..i was mesmerized wid Delhi...yet again..for the umpteenth tym...