In December 2009, I stopped at Delhi for 16 hours with all dust and dirt during my return from my visit to Ajmer. I took the Metro from Chandni Chowk and reached New Delhi station.At the entrance of ND railway station a woman emerged welcoming me with all smiles "I am the Madam here, tell me what you want". I was a bit taken aback and felt cud be an insane woman and she was indeed and tracked me wherever I went...Finally I entered the platform so that she wud stop following me...
I tried to find a rest room but cud not manage one, then I found few foreigners standing in a queue, I noticed it was a cloakroom. I stood behind them and dumped my stuff there in cloakroom. Then I walked within 5 km radius of New Delhi Railway Station...it was 8.30 - 9, I walked down the lanes and bylanes of Paharganj, then I walked back to the station and found more alleys around. In one alley I just walked down out of curiosity and walked a bit more thinking I would get good tea...Further inside I found a clean restaurant and ordered chana batura, gorged upon the stuff, came out and again walked down the other side of the station, Ramganj, and saw nothing except carpentry stuff, came back to the station and then took the main road and walked and walked and finally I saw Park Hotel, I realised then that I was Connaugt Place and that it was a walkable distance from the Railway Station...I walked round and round the area, and realised it was our Esplanade in Kolkata...
None of the ATMs in that area worked that day. I came back to the railway station back and then I took one of the lanes which was left unexplored and there I bumped into Bengalis who told me which lane and bylane had interesting food to offer.
I walked further down and found Bikaner sweets and not Bikanerwala, I tasted the sweets, liked it and packed some for my uncles and then while coming back to the station I realised the street was full of clothes, shoes, chappals, etc. On reaching the station, I went to the toilet, and standing before the toilet mirror I found a weather-beaten crow.
I was feeling a bit cold, so I sat in the ladies waiting room and watched other women. One little girl came up to me and asked my name, she asked me where was my kid. I just gave a smile and the women sitting next to me instructed the child that I was much older to her and that she should address me aunty and not ask my name. The child was least bothered about the social etiquettes and chatted with me as if I was her next door neighbour all the time calling me by my name.
It was 6.30 pm, I collected my bags from the Cloak room and started climbing the stairs until a coolie came up and offered me help, I said I have already come a bit and that it was not that heavy and that I can carry it on my own. But he was very polite, he said "I am poor and if you dont give me work how wud I live", I had to surrender, he steered through the crowd and led me to a point in the platform where compartment B3 wud stop. The train came and B3 stopped in front of me. I got into the train carrying one bag while leaving the other. Suddenly I realised one bag was missing, I flew across the crowd and was surprised to find my bag there - thank God people are scared these days of unattended stuff. I picked my bag and got back into the train, slept well, woke up and chatted with fellow Bengalis and reached home happily.
I tried to find a rest room but cud not manage one, then I found few foreigners standing in a queue, I noticed it was a cloakroom. I stood behind them and dumped my stuff there in cloakroom. Then I walked within 5 km radius of New Delhi Railway Station...it was 8.30 - 9, I walked down the lanes and bylanes of Paharganj, then I walked back to the station and found more alleys around. In one alley I just walked down out of curiosity and walked a bit more thinking I would get good tea...Further inside I found a clean restaurant and ordered chana batura, gorged upon the stuff, came out and again walked down the other side of the station, Ramganj, and saw nothing except carpentry stuff, came back to the station and then took the main road and walked and walked and finally I saw Park Hotel, I realised then that I was Connaugt Place and that it was a walkable distance from the Railway Station...I walked round and round the area, and realised it was our Esplanade in Kolkata...
None of the ATMs in that area worked that day. I came back to the railway station back and then I took one of the lanes which was left unexplored and there I bumped into Bengalis who told me which lane and bylane had interesting food to offer.
I walked further down and found Bikaner sweets and not Bikanerwala, I tasted the sweets, liked it and packed some for my uncles and then while coming back to the station I realised the street was full of clothes, shoes, chappals, etc. On reaching the station, I went to the toilet, and standing before the toilet mirror I found a weather-beaten crow.
I was feeling a bit cold, so I sat in the ladies waiting room and watched other women. One little girl came up to me and asked my name, she asked me where was my kid. I just gave a smile and the women sitting next to me instructed the child that I was much older to her and that she should address me aunty and not ask my name. The child was least bothered about the social etiquettes and chatted with me as if I was her next door neighbour all the time calling me by my name.
It was 6.30 pm, I collected my bags from the Cloak room and started climbing the stairs until a coolie came up and offered me help, I said I have already come a bit and that it was not that heavy and that I can carry it on my own. But he was very polite, he said "I am poor and if you dont give me work how wud I live", I had to surrender, he steered through the crowd and led me to a point in the platform where compartment B3 wud stop. The train came and B3 stopped in front of me. I got into the train carrying one bag while leaving the other. Suddenly I realised one bag was missing, I flew across the crowd and was surprised to find my bag there - thank God people are scared these days of unattended stuff. I picked my bag and got back into the train, slept well, woke up and chatted with fellow Bengalis and reached home happily.
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