The Motorola Diaries :: Part 1

My old Motorola C350 has aged a lot. It has refused to work as a phone any longer. Its speakers don't work! So, I had to get a new cellphone.

On the day of the transport strike, I decided to go and shop for my new phone. Tathagata and I left our house in our car, but asked Sanjit Da, our driver, to drop us at the Tallygunge Metro Station. We would get a train to Chandni Chowk and reach my dad's office to collect a cheque. Easy enough?

We got down a minute away from the station and waved Sanjit Da goodbye. This would not be the last he saw of us!

The que for getting into the platform had spilled over into the street outside! We were terrified! This was definitely NOT our choice of transport! We got out promptly and within a few minutes, found an Auto Rickshaw which agreed to take us to Hazra.

Given the lack of vehicles on the road, Hazra was but a few minutes away. We ran around the Hazra Crossing a few times. The few buses that were plying, had people hanging from them at every imaginable angle.

We managed to find a bus which would start off soon. We had no idea where it was to go. But somehow Tatha found the empty seats irresistible.

When the conductor asked, "Kotodur jaben?" I asked back, "Apnar bus kotodur jae?" I could see ourselves being throw out, in my mind's eye.... Then suddenly the VERY well-mannered conductor answered, "Sealdah." Tatha had started laughing. But I managed to fish out a ten Rupees note and say, "Duto Sealdah," before choking with laughter.

When the bus turned right near Haldiram, we reverted back into panic-mode. By the time we neared BCL, we decided to get off the bus.

We managed to convince a taxi driver that Chandni Chowk is a very safe place to go to, inspite of all the rallies being held there. When we arrived at my dad's office, there was Sanjit Da, having a chat with the security guy. As we entered, he smiled and asked "Tomra ekhaney ashchhile?" Tatha quipped back with, "Ei ektu ghurte beriechhi." The day had just stared!