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Traveling to Places

Personal Jottings
By RK Rishikesh Sinha, New Delhi




The only time I visit new places in Delhi is when I join in a new job - in a new location. If there is no change of job, I don’t see any other reason to pay a visit. You can say I live in a claustrophobic world. Making me round the whole city and surrounding areas – change of office, I will cite one strong reason to see this city in different time periods. It is amazing to see - How the city looks at morning office hours and at evening, when people struggle to get to their home as early as possible!

What is the importance of a new job? Not to mention, with pay hike, if there is something that goes with the change of job, it is exploring the adjoining areas, remembering the bus routes. Extend it to remembering the shortest routes to get into office. It is altogether a new vibrant world. New colleagues, new office culture and new bus conductors.

Looking back in my life, I see I had been maintaining a self-imposed radius of my traveling or visits. When I was in Guwahati, Assam, my radius of my visit was up to Maligaon for three years till I graduated, it got extended to Silpukhri only due to the Assam Tribune, and up to Bangagarh area again due to The Sentinel office, to Kalapahar area with NETV office. Besides these places if someone asks me where is 6 Mile or Khanapara or Christianbasti in Guwahati city. My answer is: I don’t know. This was my radius.


While in my shool days in Kashmir, the story was not so different. Though traveling in Kashmir is at ones own risk. I never had the penchant (or courage) to venture out to (I believe there is two population residing in Kashmir. One, local Kashmiris, and second defence personnel) Kashmir beyond fences and security posts. Minus my school which was situated at Srinagar Airport, and occasionally visiting the tourist places, I haven’t visited the real Kashmir. For me “Kashmir” was my fortified campus.


Tour Delhi. It only occurs while traveling to office. Jantar Mantar- Oh… I change my bus there. Lotus Temple – Hey…my cab used to go adjacent to its wall. Lal Qila – recently I have started visiting the place. Delhi Metro – it is one of the primary modes of traveling in my traveling schedule. These are some reactions that come up when someone enquire me about these places or about the Delhi life. Has there been a time when I visited places in Delhi with the bent of exploring mind? No…



Swinging of a poor soul from home to office and back ironically is full of experience. More one narrates about the Delhi Metro, it is less. Why not? It has changed the face of Delhi. How it criss-cross the whole city, from the densely populated Old Delhi to distant places like Dwarka? It is a fantastic feeling traveling in the late hours, more so observing the activities of commuters.

One can see old commuters doing their yoga postures in the Delhi Metro! And some engrossed into books, magazines. Don’t get jerk, if you are reading a novel and the author sitting beside you and asking, “How is the book?” It has happened with me.

If you love war movies, you can observe the war scene unfolding in the Rajiv Chowk Metro station at the office time. How the commuters prepares themselves to board at this station just like they (soldiers) landing in Normandy. Even the motion of the commuters at this station will recall you the Physics’ lesson: Brownian Motion.

Besides the Delhi Metro, if there is something that can’t be ignored in the Delhi traveling itinerary, it is the DTC bus conductors. Beware of the DTC bus conductors. My advice. One mistake, and you will not find a place to hide in the big city.

So, this was about my interaction with places and traveling experiences in Delhi that has all happen due to job change.

Photos


Kashmir

Delhi Metro



Today is Lamboishing (Sunday)


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Comments

  1. PRANATIY SAIKIA22 November 2009 at 20:59

    That is true. It happened to me also when I first came to Delhi and got chances to see it while going for interviews from north Delhi to south Delhi, from central Delhi to west Delhi.

    It is not possible in Delhi to go one corner to another by traveling long hours in over boarded Buses stuck in long traffic jam, just to see or visit the places. Yes, but thanks to Delhi metro that has made the journey around the whole city fast and swift. Only in case of job, you would take pain to travel long distances and happen to see different tourist places. It is like sightseeing on the way to office.

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