Once, All of us ( chennaites) from my team had planned to come to Chennai, for Pongal holidays. I had booked my tickets to Chennai in mysore express,inspite of that month's workload. The day before my travel, all my team mates ran around in full Khushi, greeting each other…ONLY My situation was very uncertain, blame it on weekly workload..(unlucky as always).
That day, It seemed like vacations began for everyone else, and I was LEFT with one more exam!!!! ...I dint receive many RED alert mails, thanks to holiday in FLORENCE. I totally utilized the opportunity and struggled with my workload , entire day, even without coffee breaks and completed almost 85% of it. …..still, that would not save me from having tough next working day ... just that,URGENT REQUIREMENT mails were on the way.…,ok..coming to point..like law of diminishing returns so were my hopes about my holidays…:-@I was Jealous..Angry…and of course was in verge of opening my eye-water tank to the next person .
And there she came, “Today everything will seem cool, tomorrow, everything will take a 180 deg turn and stop at your desk. U...better, go, tell the manager that, you are leaving tomorrow morning itself and stay back at hostel to board night train. Otherwise all of a sudden pressure will mount, and you’ll will be forced to stay back. We are all leaving tomorrow afternoon,(before florence off starts functioning), if you don’t want to stay alone, better listen”.
That was it.:-)oru jhansi rani feel,.. With all anger, anxiety, and little hopes, and went straight to my manager, told him I was leaving the next morning...etcs.... He analyzed all my deliverables, suggested me to delegate my workload to people who were available, casually asked me why I dint join the gang which was supposed to leave by next noon .., and greeted me happy holidays with a big smile, making my planned Lie task easy and very simple.Right at his desk, i mentally had landed in chennai, such an unexpected excitement. I reached my PG gigling all the way to happiness. Called and shared the good news with mom immediately.
then,I got a call from my team mate (who gave me this idea).
she enquired if i had executed the plan correctly..”
i was prepared for her appreciation on my bravery. ..
but there was a huge pause
i sensed something was in store for me...but never expected my manager to dittoo my holiday plans ..with different coach, S10(mine being s12)...the shock kept me awake all night, all possible negative sequences flashed in front of me..getting caught red handed,sothapifying more than project, then at office he will give me liar liar look all the time..Transformer burst’d inside…!!!!...in-between horror scenes the filmy me was also awake.
Mannan Padam.. Madri ,”Nanavathu …unga kitta sollitu vanden.., neenga enkitta itha pathi oru vartha kooda sollave illaye…)
So what…! kno? NOOOo...it did matter to me. Next morning, full upset, in fact upset square..!. I really had no courage to go to the station that night to board my train. But then, had to. So, Went to the station with jerkin, kerchief (Covering my face)., scarf…fully wrapped, heavy - theevaravadhi effect…and tensed as during the sem results!. Train was delayed by half hour...so i spent the entire time planning how to get in nd get down without being spotted . .Train reached chennai....yes,I dint get out of my berth,,,till the cleaners came and said train was leaving to shed...(if caught, i suck at dealing with it)
Good god,After all the drama I reached Chennai happily.
Return journey was even more interesting. IRCTC ticket booking ...bangalore.. Trust me it is difficult! If you are an early bird you will be rewarded with any seat from 1-8. u get me???? “Toilet view berth”..Railways had always rewarded me with one more comfort; mostly I had travelled in S12 coach (next to engine).
Annoyed with all the vacation confusions, I cursed my fate sitting alone….I saw my friends (who had to get down at KR..Puram). I lamented about my berth, the stench, engine horn, to them…
His was more complicated...He had recieved side middle berth...He joked that he had to plan ways and means to get into the berth from the time he stepped out of his house...,for getting out of the berth process...yes,he kept alarm 15 min before train halted at his station to execute process of getting out! man i saw and pitied him( i was also awarded similar one, so could'nt offer an exchange). And after all that, the compartment halted 1 KM away frm the platform @KR puram, and they had to jump and walk their way in the Bitter cold(3.15 a.m)..
Really sad! I wonder how our railways come up with such Ideas? .No wonder he lamented more than me...
In spite of such excellent adventures coming to chennai has always been very exciting!Catch ya later…
