This blog is a little more than my usual “semi-annual” pilgrim. A few things at office before I started the trip explained in the first few paras, explain a few things that happened to me for the first time J ... Read on...
Finally... I got to experience something that I longed for about 4 years now... I got to work in a night shift. Yes, yes, I am one of those crazy freaks who have never worked in night shifts till now, and are crazy to experience it. All those who have gone to that trauma (and are going through) would love to switch places with me, but sorry I didn’t want that forever, I just wanted to “EXPERIENCE” it J
I had to guide a team of 2 new joinees in their project, which was in a soup. What I actually had to do is do the “confident talks” with the client :-P and build trust in them about what we were doing was correct – again my first experience in being assigned such a duty. I was in office for about 22 hours in office on Wednesday (16th June, 2010) i.e. from 9am till 6:30am next day. I had to join them again on Thursday night (day in EST). That night the things went smooth and we had gained client’s confidence, hence I was “free” to take my planned leaves and go on my semi-annual pilgrim.
Since my timings in the last couple of days were very odd, my food had gone for a toss. My cook “gol kar raha hai” – as Rajiv (my roomie) would say J. We had to live on Maggie!!! And the worse was, at midnight canteen we get only sandwiches and Maggie (again L ) but “that’s how bachelors live... on Maggie!” (I just realized that). On Thursday I made Maggie tea and poha (cooked for the first time). On Friday, again my next step in cooking, I made biryani and trust me, it was good (I hope my roomies skip to read this :-P ) After eating biryani, I left for Mumbai.
It was raining cats and dogs in Mumbai, but luckily it stopped by 10pm, and we left for station, very early for a midnight train :-P. We reached Borivali station on platform#4, where the train was expected, along with my 84years old granny. Then we heard an announcement at 11:30pm that the train would come on platform#6 instead of #4. There was a chaos, with people rushing to the next platform along with luggage, and you know the sign of Guajarati’s... 1 bag of clothes and 2 bags of snacks (thepla, khakhra, fafda) hahah!!! It was a tensed atmosphere when we had to rush with my granny and luggage to the next platform. When the train lights were visible at a distance, my daddy was outside our compartment with half the luggage. I rushed with the remaining baggage to the compartment. Send my mother to keep the luggage with daddy and took responsibility of my granny. My granny was trying to rush, when she could barely walk. I tried to relax her by telling her that it is not our train. I was rushing as fast as possible, without stressing my granny. Yes I know that the train compartments are interconnected, but with the people arranging their luggage, it becomes difficult to find a foot space on the floor. As the train screeched to halt, we had reached our compartment. We settled in, and I was dead tired that I dozed off as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Next morning, we reached Ahmadabad. The train came on platform number 3 and we had climb the bridge to get out of the station, but my mind raced and I thought of a way in which my granny didn’t have to climb or even walk! I took a trolley lying on the platform, for luggage. Made my granny sit on it, kept 3 bags on it and dragged the trolley towards the stairs. There is a luggage lift on the platform, in which I placed the trolley and got down the bridge by a similar lift on platform 1. She had to walk only the steps out of the station right into an auto.
I called up my friend, Kalrav, in Gandhinagar. We planned to meet at his place and then go to Akshardham, where a new laser and water show had started “Sat-Chit-Anand”. I had to eat double, once at my uncle’s place in Ahmadabad and again at Kalrav’s place. We played chess (after ages :P) but couldn’t finish the game. It was time to go. We had to go to take tickets for the 7:30 show as early 4:30pm, since it was a Saturday and expected the show to be houseful. We saw peacock cross road, just in right front of us. J In the evening, we passed our time at rides in Akshardham (Boat slide, Swinging chairs, toratora, ultapulta express). Then it was time for the main thing ... the laser show.
It was one of most fabulous shows I have seen!!! It had laser lights, Water fountains, Animation – projection on water screen, sound effects. The theme was story from Indian Mythology, story of Nachiket, who met Yamraj, king on death. The animation was fabulous and the projection of Yamraj on the water screen with water jets shooting up was giving a fiery effect! There were fire fountains in middle of water fountains, it was really beautiful. The heat and cold fusion was nice. There were breath taking light effects on water – Indian flag, stars and galaxies, air waves. In the end, there were twinkling lights and musical fountain, with water dancing on the tunes of the songs and chants. It was an experience of lifetime, a must watch for you, if you appreciate animation and music. After having dinner at US Pizza, Kalrav drove me about 25km to Ahmadabad on a sandy, breezy night, with we eating dust all the way!
Next day, on Sunday, we had booked a car and visited temples near Ahmadabad... Sankheshwar, Bhoini, Ratej, Meshana, Vijapur, Maudi and a few more nearby places. On Monday, I spend time with my cousin brother, who has fractured his same leg, third time... from last 3 years, in May, he meets an accident and fractures his same leg. On Tuesday, we left Ahmadabad for Limbdi. It is... you can say headquarters of our god-men, at “Ajramar dada’s gaadi”. Then in the evening, we left for Songadh. On Wednesday we stayed there, and saw the 5 storey tall Bahubali-ji’s idol. It was huge and peace-giving divine.
On Thursday, we went to Palitana, a temple on top of a hill – approx. 4,000 steps to a height of about 3,500m, which I climbed barefooted, without having even a single drop of water till I returned back. My parents and granny were waiting for me at the base of the hill. As soon as I reached the top, it started raining and the steps became slippery and very risky, but I rushed down, without stopping even once. Down in a single sprint (slowing down, but without stopping) in 30 mins.
After resting for 2 days (after that climb, two days may seem less) We left for Mumbai.
What a week and half was it! An experience that I’ll remember for the following: Night-shift, 22hrs in office, Cooking, Laser show at Akshardham.
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