A Series of Unfortunate events ......

~~~~~~~~~

Well many of you would have heard the name of the movie “A Series of Unfortunate Events ” by Lemony Snicket where he shows Jim Carry try and kill his brother’s kids for the sake of monetary will and the different artistic and dramatic ways in which he implements his plans. It’s a different affair that he fails at last but purely captivates your interest in his contraptions. Not to disappoint you but what I am writing is not even slightly related to it. So, my sincere apologies to him. I would like to share my experience about a very eventful day in my life that just passed recently.

It was the 13th September of this year, Friday and around the midnight. I had just decided to wash my clothes(beg your pardon but I have not been able to fix any times for my domestic works). So there I was beating the clothes. Most of the guys in the floor were either sleeping or droning in their books. My phone vibrated, as I received the call it was a lady screaming, sending a shiver through me. Suddenly the phone got disconnected. Normally I would call back but I had no balance then. I sorted the clothes and fell on my bed. An hour past, no further call. I couldn’t believe I was actually waiting to hear the scream again. Atlast I could sleep only at 2 am in the morning.
It was almost 10 in the morning that I woke up. “Damn!! Fish!!”, I missed going to the temple. Hey before you judge me, let me tell I am not a regular temple visitor(although not an atheist) neither am I ,SRK who goes there to impress the girls. My mother had told me collect a parcel she had sent along with some relative at the temple. This was the first thing I failed to do that day. (I request you to please keep a count of this minute things). I went to the mess for breakfast. Now the hostel mess is not owned by my father that they will keep it open for me specially for more than an hour when it closes, neither am having good relations with them (Usually bully over them, for serving or extra helpings). So had to cloy in all that I had from home.

By the way, forgot to elaborate my plans for that day. All my friends had gone home for the weekend. Usually they don’t leave me behind to baby sit ! i.e. I also leave but this time I was quite determined to work on my studies and for an upcoming technical festival in the college. So had plans to bath among the books in our whoopingly large library for the weekend. Hey please don’t remember Whoopie Goldberg and her erotic expressions.
She used to look like a baboon with large tentacular hair, specs on and flaring nostrils. Sorry to get off the track, but am like this only. Then I had planned to meet a couple relatives of mine whom I never cared to meet , for the simple reason that I was getting sick of the mess food and they would atleast give nice food. Apart from that I wanted to meet my subject professor to get some problems cleared but on Sunday. So that’s why when KK and mom asked me to come I said, “Please I need to stay behind and work.”.
Well finally getting ready at my own pace I went to the Library. As I stood opposite to the Gigantic story I felt my plans tumble down one upon the other (dum dam dum dam dum …), just as Tom always gets hurt in Tom and Jerry. The silly door was locked !! I waited for some half an hour but to no relief. It was a bright Saturday morning where I had some plans to work hard sincerely but then I see myself getting demoralized. I left hoping to check out after sometime. Back at my room my friend was waiting for me. He challenged me into a game of Table tennis. Well am not too good a player but will certainly draw some attention. We were off to some serious play as soon we got to the arena. 1-0 , 2-0 , 3-0 ,4-0 , 5-0 !! I lost all my teeth I should say. In a 5 match series I have never ever lost to anyone this badly. And as far as my friend is concerned he gave a big nasty smile as “The Grinch”.
Dejected I had my lunch. I don’t remember what I ate simply because I wasn’t much hungry eventhough I was and secondly because it was one of those days when you don’t recognize the contents of the sabji or the dal. You barely make out the taste of the salt and tomatoes. God’s grace I managed that. 2 pm now, I decided to check again and have a visit to the computing facility to work on the abstract of my model. The door was still locked and now my hopes now lay on ‘Tripsy’. It is actually CCC i.e. the central computing centre in my college. From time on it has developed by leaps and bounds. The LAN in my college campus is regarded pretty good all over the country and it manages the data in Tera bytes. This is quite ‘elvish’ to you and me now so just cheer about it even if you don’t understand. I signed into the facility and chose from a hundred slick black tft monitors to log in. After a minute I was opening my mail and a nice innocent girl was smiling at me. Well don’t think what you are thinking ! This nice girl I don’t know but still see her everytime I come here. She is the wallpaper on my pc account. I found the face very intriguing and full of innocence when I downloaded it from some art site. Now, I started checking mails. But not even 10 minutes of my entry lights went off. There is a powerful generator to give a back up which can last around 2 hours in normal conditions. But today eventhough the desktops were on still I couldn’t connect. After some inquiry I found out that some construction was going on in facility. So the pitchness did hamper them after all and so did me. I left the place again, Now going straight to SAC (Student activity centre). I know those who know would say that it is banned for the first year’s unless with permission, but you should also know from when I did follow rules and wasn’t going to specially now. I usually go there to play chess. You always get some pass time players there. Today however as I entered the centre it was empty to its soul. Now, I have seen an ATM empty, my mess empty and definitely English classes empty but this was treachery. As I came out of the empty hall I felt even the nature laughing at my misfortune. The crows were cawing.
So with nothing and absolutely nothing to do I decided to have some chat with my friend in Surat. She is in my class and very bubbly and jolly mooded. I thought I would get relaxed and perhaps she could explain whether any big spiritual leader died today or was today a very inauspicious day. I dialed the number from my cell although I was thin with the balance. “Ring… Ring…. Ring” no reply here as well. She must be sleeping. Normal people sleep at 4 pm on a hot and sunny afternoon. I finally decided to sleep myself and then in the evening I would go out somewhere to eat with a couple of friends I proposed.

I woke up again at 5.00 in the evening. Sat for sometime with my friends. We also decided to go out for early supper. This was because the hostel in time is 7.30 and those days I used to be in by that time. It’s a different thing that the time is not a hazard for us ‘Rangers’ these days and needs some discussion later. At around six we started to leave. This was but a false moment of happiness I think. As soon the watchman came to know we were going out, he decided to play dirty. He stopped my friend who was ahead. Threatened him to tell the Warden and told that that day the in time was 5.30 for the whole campus (I still don’t know why because it generally is 7.30 ) and my friend as brave as a chicken headed straight back the way he came. So no supper also I thought.
But I was not going to let it go away so easily. I went out alone saying that I had some work with respect to some project. I cycled my way to Big Bazaar (I like the sandwiches there..) which is 2-3 km away from the college campus. And what the hell do I find there !!!!

Ten minutes later I was on my cycle, driving towards my hostel with the speed of knots and out of breath. The time was 5.50 pm on my silver rectangular dial watch. I had just made up my mind to leave by the 7 pm train back to Ahmedabad!! . I drove past my main gate, past the senti-bridge, past the PMC (its really fascinating history behind the naming of these places… won’t be able to do justice to them now so later…),past the canteen. Gosh! I wasn’t even caring if some senior sees me and sees me without wishing him(well as in here when you are fachcha’s you need to give the seniors respect and that includes calling them by some salutation). I was rushing as if Godzilla is on my back gaining on me, just as in the movie ‘GODZILLA’. I crashed into the parking lot. It was 6.06 then. I rushed into my room. I mustered the clothes from all the directions, corners and nooks of my room. My good how do I manage myself! I exclaimed. My room partner who generally sleeps the whole day i.e. after class till dinner and wakes up anytime at night (maybe 1.45 am or even 5 am) suddenly woke up from the noise of my bustle. In order to avoid any questioning and exclamatory expressions, I raised my hand to stop him asking anything. In some 10 minutes I had my pack ready. I darted off from the room and out of the hostel. I chose to walk the whole stretch of 3.5 km from the hostel to the main gate. By the time I reached it was 6.27 pm. I stopped an auto and directed him to drive to the station in the fastest time he has ever done. I called my dumbstruck room partner then and explained him that I was leaving and requested him to give a leave application on my behalf to the supervisor which in normal situations I wouldn’t have given. He is actually a very nice fellow. I received a message from him 10 min. later that the job was done. By the time I reached the station after piercing all the traffic, commotion, bearing the signals and what not, it was 7.04 on the station clock. The train would leave in 7 minutes.

I rushed to the ticket counter. There I saw a massive line for the tickets. I was used to it the whole day ! So what I said.. But a person came from somewhere and asked me if I wanted to board the train that was supposed to go in 5 minutes. Before I could answer yes he asked to me come to the counter. I followed dumbstruck. Actually I was trying to think whether I any case would I be able to board that train. He was talking with person inside the counter when I suddenly realized the horror. I backed out and said to him loud and clear, “Bhai mari pase commission na paisa nathi.” He spelled a few curses and went off. Thank god I was saved from one blunder. Just acted on time. So I missed the train eventually. Boarded the next train which left 35 minutes after the the earlier, 20 minutes later than the stipulated time. And reached home at around 11.45 at night. The train journey had its own adventure, but it needs full justice so I will narrate it some other day.

But I am sure you would like to know what was the striking blow that caught my tongue and made go home and that too in 15 minutes. Well when I went to ‘Big Bazaar’ the food court was closed, out of order. And there in a small slip it was written
“We are sorry to inform you that the food court has been kept under construction and would stay closed indefinitely till the work is going on. Please bear with the inconvenience.”
Just beside that was a large cartoon face photo which proclaimed “You always have a reason to come here…. Come again and again….Won't you ??? ”. And displayed large demonized teeth. That was the last drop into the ocean.