The Trip - Part 2

...contd from 'The Trip - Part 1'

With the crowd consisting a total of 6 females, the deadline of getting ready for the pooja in 60 minutes was practically impossible and there was another performance required to complete the feat. This time it was all 9 people sprinting towards the accommodation. We reached the reception desk and booked a couple of self contained rooms and rushed to get ready at top speed. The females took custody of all the washrooms as the males were pushed out of the rooms to get ready in the common bathrooms. We went to the receptionist and asked him if there was warm water available in the common bathrooms. The receptionist, with his head high said that ‘yes, we do have it'. Impressed by the facilities provided, I asked him where to get it. 'Not now', He said 'It is available from 5:00 to 07:00’. The answer enraged me to such an extent that in case my head was submerged in a bucket of water, we would get a bucket full of boiling water in no time. But being a former BPO employee, I was extremely good at smiling even after being enraged to the highest limit. I did the same and went to have my bath under the cold water shower already shivering just thinking about the prospect.

On returning to the room, I saw the second miracle of the day. The females were ready to leave for the pooja! I looked around the room and saw the females applying make up, combing their hair with utmost dedication. One was searching for the saree she bought specially for the trip and couldn’t help but ask ‘Are you girls trying to impress one of the poojaris?’ The answer was a simple stare from the senior ladies which was enough to shut me up until the time the pooja began. The pooja which was for the donation of food called the ‘Mahaprasad’ lasted for a whooping 90 minutes with the poojari chanting certain mantras which were even more difficult to decrypt than the jumbled words of the people surrounding me on Kalyan station. We finished pooja and had our well deserved lunch and went back to the rooms for some much needed rest. On reaching the rooms at approx 13:45 hrs, we were greeted by the same receptionist with a bright smile. Just to strike a short conversation, I asked him about the availability of electricity in the area. Once again flashing his million dollar smile, he proudly announced that they had 20 hours of electricity in the area. Impressed by the low amount of load shedding in the rural area, I asked him about the remaining four hours. The reply was a prompt one. 'There is no electricity in between 14:00 to 18:00 hrs'. I looked at the watch to find that it was already 13:59 and then turned my gaze to the picture of the saint hanging behind the reception desk. A bell rang again, this time it was from the wall clock hanging behind. It was 14:00 hrs and the heat in the region would never allow me to sleep without the comfort of the fans. The 'Test' was getting tougher…

We were scheduled to go for a tour of all the temples in the area at 17:00 hrs. So after forcing myself to read 70 pages of a novel and completing three visits to the kid selling Lemon Soda a few feet outside the hotel, I was able to crawl through the remaining three hours. The rickshaws arrived at 17:00 hrs sharp. Once again playing the contortionists, we squeezed five of us inside each rickshaw which this time was meant for 3 passengers only which was written behind the rickshaw in bold letters and yet was very conveniently ignored. Being the younger generation youths, we were the ones nominated to rub our shoulders with the driver sitting beside him who unfortunately was unaware of the priceless invention of man called ‘The Deodorant’.

Showing the capacity of a professional swimmer of holding my breath, we started towards our first and the most eventful destination. ‘The Dargah’

...to be continued