Return Journey......

That day I was chatting with one of my friend in US. Whenever we talk he does not forget to say that he always wants to return to India. But he is still in US. And it is not about those people who are in US. Even for those who come to metros like Delhi/Mumbai are also say this same thing. Everybody wants to do something for his/her home state or country. But the main question is how many has actually done that?

The situation is same in my case also. Whenever someone ask me what is your future plan. The answer is that “I will return to Assam”. But frankly speaking I don’t know when that day will come.

Why are we not able to do that? Is that we are not confident enough that we will be able to survive in our own place? Or is that situation in those places not that conductive to return.

I don’t know. I don’t have the answer. But I know that, at least fifty percent of people, who are away from his/her home state/country, wants to return and wants to do something for their motherland. Can someone give me the answer?

Ye Delhi Hain Mere Yaar........

Delhi is the second home for me. I spent around half of my life in this city. So I have a very close attachment for this city. Whenever I read or heard something not good about this city, I feel very bad. It is like someone has said something bad about my family.

So you can understand how I feel when one of my friend said that
Delhi is the most unsafe place for girl. I fought with him that similar thing happened in Bangalore also. Mumbai has also similar examples. But when he gave examples of three four cases in recent times, I didn’t have any words to counter that. It is really an important matter to think about.

When that famous Dhaulkuan case happened we blamed that girl. We said that she was adventurous to go for a tea at night. But how can we blame those girls who were returning form their offices. What was their fault? Is it their fault to work late in office? C'mon we are living in the 21st century. That too in the capital of this country. It is very easy to blame police and government. But can’t we do anything on these ourselves.

I am not saying that we will stand on the roadside at night to give safety to every woman. But we can start something from small. We can try to change the attitude of some people towards women. In DTC or Metro you will always find people seating on ladies seat. Or language generally people use in front of their women colleagues or friends. We can ask them to restrain themselves, when they talk in front of women friends or colleagues. These are very small things. But if we start from these then one day we can change our Delhi in to a better place for living. I know it is not easy. But out of ten, if we able to convince two people also, then I think it will be a victory for us.

I am waiting for that day when I will be able to answer my friend and can tell him that we are living in the best city of India.

Land of Red River and Blue Hills

………"Watch NEWS. There is a serial bomb blast in Assam". Got a call around 11:40 on 30th October from a friend. I was stunned. I never expected that, there can be a serial bomb blast in Assam also. What a horrible sight. Cars and bikes were burning. Injured people are running for help. Everywhere you can see ambulance and police vans. I was trying to call my parents and relatives, but mobile network was also jammed. For sometime I felt like a helpless man who can’t do anything.

What was the fault of those innocent men and women, who lost their life or struggling for life in hospitals? Why government need an incident like this to wake up? Why always we need to sacrifice some people to bring notice to our problems? Everybody knows the astronomical rate of population increase in some of the districts in Assam. Why are they talking about this only now? Even now it is not sure how seriously they are taking this problem. It is not for the first time that we lost so many people, before we convince the policy makers that there is something wrong happening in Assam.

………I was very young, when the famous Assam Agitation was in full showing. It started in 1979 and for the next 4 years government did nothing to solve the problem. But when there was large number of loss of lives in 1983, government took the agitation seriously and called the leaders of agitation for negotiation in 1985. I don’t know about other states of India but in case of Assam we always have to sacrifice large numbers of innocent lives before we can bring the problem to the notice of the policy makers.

Nobody wants another agitation in Assam. Nobody wants another roadblock to our development. We have enough of them. We are still recovering from loss we got from those agitations. We just want to live in peace. But we don’t want loss of innocent lives also.

We want outside world to recognize us as the ‘Land of Red River and Blue Hills’ not as the ‘Land of Agitations and Bandhs’.

Kismat Konnection

It is my habit to read reviews of new releases on every Friday. This time also I did the same. Not a great review for Kismat Konnection. But my friend was adamant that we should go for this movie. On Sunday even I was feeling like going out. Also Aziz Mirza is one of my favourite directors. So I did not object.

….. I did not expected that 9:30 PM show will be of full house. But it was. Five minutes left for the show to start. People are settling on their seat. “Hey do you know the story of the movie is about a guy, whose life has changed when he meets a girl”. But my friend was in no mood to listen to me. He was busy observing people settling in their seat.

….. I came to watch this movie for another reason also. When I was reading the review of the movie, I felt like the story was known to me. I did not know why. Then I remembered, one day when I was at school, I read my horoscopes (janampatri). That day no one was at my home. I read everything from start to end. There was nothing that fascinated me except one line. I still remember that line. It was written there that my life will change by someone, who will be my lucky charm. Umm that’s interesting, isn’t? I didn’t give importance to this fact at that time. But the story of this movie got me think about that.

….. “I told you na it is a good movie”, my friend told me. I watched my hand, and it was 12:15 AM. Man, 2 hours and 45 minutes has gone and I felt like, it was just 10 minutes. Some movies are not blockbusters, but it relates to your life. And it was that type of movie for me. Thanks Mr. Mirza.

….When we were returning to our place, my friend was telling how much work he has in office next day, but nothing entered my ears. I was thinking only one thing. Really is there anything call Lucky Charm, who will change our life in one moment? Or the hard work we do years after years will bring success for us in future. I am not sure at this moment. Till then hoping I will meet my Lucky Charm very soon.

Ek akela iss shahar main........

I will never forget that day in my life. It was Monday. For the first time came out of home alone. Of course dada came with me, but stayed for only one day. He had to go to his college. So alone in a new place. Don't know any one. Language is different. I had some friends (actually dada's friend) here. When I remember those days, I still feel that without them, I would have returned to my home. But still I felt home sick at sometime. Whoever stayed in Delhi know, how they feel in the month of June. That too for someone who comes from Assam for the first time. That day I realized what 47 degree Celsius means.

It was my decision to come to Delhi. From the day I finished school I was sure that I will come to Delhi for higher studies. But never thought that it will be that difficult. From admission in college to jump in and out of Redline bus (that time Blueline was called Redline) everywhere you have to fight to get something. Still people are so energetic. From early morning to late night you will see people are running and driving from one place to another. But they never complain. For a guy like me who comes from sleepy town of Assam, that was really a new experience.

..........I was waiting for the call from home inside a PCO. No no I did not have cell phone. Mobile phone came to India in late nineties only. So eagerly waiting for the call from home. Today is the day, which will decide whether I will stay in Delhi or go home. I was relieved when I got the percentage of my class twelve exam. With this percent I should get a seat in a decent college of DU. .......My next adventure was to submit admission form from one college to another college. For the first time I saw the famous Ring Road of Delhi and also the “Mudrika Sewa” (lifeline of Delhi). With five rupees you can circle the whole ring road of around 50 k.m. in a “Mudrika” bus. Amazing isn't it? And I did that, of course not for fun but to submit the admission forms. Ya I got lots of help from my senior friends, in finding colleges.

.........At last I got admission in a college. So now I am a student of Delhi University, my childhood dream. I felt like I am in cloud nine. Unaware of the future life in this city. I am starting to enjoy the student life of DU. Never bought ticket in city bus. For DTC buses we had twenty rupees pass. For Redline buses just we had to say “Staff”. That was our ticket in Redline bus. Frankly even today I don’t know what that “Staff” means.

..........One by one my senior friends left Delhi. Some back to Assam, some abroad. New friends came and went. But I am still here. Don’t know what Delhi did to me, but I never able to stay far from this city. After around 13 years I still feel like I came to this city only yesterday. There is something new in this city everyday. Still you have to fight to get something here. But that fight is worth giving. Because you know, you will never return empty hand. You may be alone here, fighting for survival in every step of life, but this city will never let you to feel that. Experiences I got form this city, whether in my personal life or professional life is uncountable. Delhi has changed a lot in these years, but for me it is still the same city I encountered on that hot Monday of June.

“Nabbu aa jaa chaai ban gaya”, my room mate’s voice bring back me to the present world.
And suddenly I realized my other room mate is playing the song from the movie "Gharonda" in his laptop "ek akela iss shahar main........."