Rajveer: Chapter - 4 (...A Destined Love...)

July 9^th 2007, I appeared for my last exam of graduation. I entered the examination hall at 8:00 AM and walked out a little before 11:00 AM. The moment I stepped out from the exam hall, I felt as though I have stepped out from the college life. Outside, it was drizzling and I faced upward with closed eyes to let the water droplets fall on my face for a while. Never before I relished rain like that. There set contentment on my face but somewhere in a lonely corner of my heart lay melancholy of not being able to live college again. I met friends who were already outside and talking to each other. For the first time, they were not talking about their performance in exam, instead about the life after that day. Few were going for Post graduation, few were simply going back to learn business from their father, few had no idea about what next and very few like me knew where we had to head next. We all shared our email addresses, mobile numbers and every possible detail. Few carried their scrapbook to get it filled by their friends, a friend of mine also asked me to do the honor. I gladly filled it in detail so that if in the future I would be lost then using those details she could track me, if she ever wishes.

That day, I did not take bus back to hostel, instead walked in the drizzle. I was going to leave hostel, college, and Indore on the very same day since my elder brother had already arrived and doing packing in my room at hostel while I was gone to appear in the exam. That drizzle had a peculiar effect on my thinking, I could recall my whole college life, and it seemed as though it was yesterday when I took admission in my graduation. But no, it was 3 years ago when I first came to do graduation, when I had few facial hairs and now a beard like a grown man. When I entered my room in hostel, I found my luggage packed. Suddenly that room appeared to me strange, like a forsaken place. Walls ripped off from the posters I had pasted, not remember when. Closet, all empty as though someone used to live there. Room was filled but with only packed cartons and bedding. A study carton had all my books, business magazines. Three more boxes had my desktop computer, and speakers. A suitcase and a bag had all my clothes and bed sheets. It appeared as though I would never get a chance to spend one more sleepless night in that room. Then, I realized how much I have got attached to this hostel and to this room. Luggage was brought down to ground floor with the help of few hostel mates and then placed into the auto rickshaw that was going to take me and my brother to railway station.

First few days in home in Ratlam went like wind but then uneasiness got prevailed in my days. I wanted to move out, I wanted to join Infosys, and for that matter, I sent an email to HR asking for joining date. For a week, I have received no response and in the meanwhile, University had declared the result. I passed the graduation with first division. Comprising this good news, I again sent an email to the HR and this time I received response in a couple of days. They had slotted me for the October batch due to non-availability of seats in the August batch. It was a sort of disappointment to me, hence, I called the HR and requested her to slot me for August batch and after little persuading she considered my request.

Now, first thing in the ‘to do’ list of joining was to book a train ticket to Bhubaneswar. With my father, I went to railway reservation office to find out the train. Joining date was August 20^th, I needed to report a day before. In that particular week, from Ratlam, Indore, or even Bhopal, there was no train bounded in that direction. However, from Bina junction there was one train going in that direction – Utkal express. I made reservation in that train with a positive hope that I might meet up with Dhaani in Bina. Although, I had no knowledge about her joining date, it was a mere hope or a favorable dream of my heart’s plea – I did not know.

In the night August 16^th, I took a train along with my father, who was accompanying me until Bina. Next day, in the afternoon, we have reached Bina and settled ourselves in the waiting room since; we had to wait for Utkal express that was supposed to arrive at 10:50 PM. I had almost 8 hours to wait. Father was sleepy so, sitting on his chair with luggage he slept all the time. I found it little weird since he never used to sleep like that while travelling, but then I thought, perhaps he was tired. Except to wait, I had no other choice so I decided to take a little walk around. I woke up my father just to tell that I would be around and then walked out from the waiting room, went to a little market outside the station to puff a cigarette, then measured all the platforms, even went to Inquiry counter to make some useless train inquiries. My eyes were all around, as though looking or perhaps waiting for Dhaani. I imagined her getting off from some train and drew close to me, holding a look of acquaintance on face, perhaps a smile of relief.

Around 10:00 PM, an announcement appeared on platform that Utkal express was running late by 1 hour. Father looked into my direction, as though telling me not to worry you will reach on time. However, that delay of 1 hour soon turned into 2 hour, then 3 and then finally at 04:30 AM the train arrived, but Dhaani had not. Father helped me in placing luggage under my reserved seat and afterwards, we stood outside the bogie, waiting for train to move, in silence. It was unusual to see my father stood in silence while I was going away. I expected him to say many things about not getting down on every station, not eating food offered by strangers, keep good eye on luggage, etc, but on the contrary, he stood silent. I was wrong, he wasn’t silent, his eyes were saying a hell lot of things which I understood when the train made a loud whistle meaning it was about to leave. Father looked, with a look I had never seen in his eyes, at me. His eyes told me that he would wait for me to come back. His eyes had longing and proud at the same time. His son was leaving to join India’s most respected company. Despite of his efforts he couldn’t hide the oozing love for me in the eyes. Train started moving, stood at the gate I looked at father. He also started moving with train. I urged him not to do so but he didn’t stop walking along with the train. With train father too catch the speed, he walked faster and then almost ran. When he could not catch up with the speeding train he stopped, raised a hand in my direction while saying ‘Take care of yourself and give a call as soon as you reach there.’