So, then I left for New Delhi, with the info that travel guys at my office have booked itinerary in Hotel Diplomat - sounding quite a classical name; with really classy images of it on web. But what you see is what you get remains a wish in the Industry of Hotel, and then it is New Delhi. They significantly charged my office, and the room appeared too small, and some of the glasses (on almirah ) were tilted, almost giving the warning - hey, I may put you in the company of Doctors. I managed. Managed my stay. Managed to stay. New Delhi was hosting CWG - Common Wealth Games in October, and security services made it appear like a fort. Or may be a Jail. It could be an idea that people may choose Delhi as a Tourist place just to watch neatly clad Security persons in different colors and decorations.
The next day, after giving VISA interview, and after getting cheated by the Taxi Driver or better to call their management, I then rushed to Ratan's room, near Delhi University, near Kashmiri Gate. I was easily able to sense the environment within DU. The environment of College. The environment of Schools. Stiff competitions, extreme gossips, politics, films, styles, rickshaw and restaurants.
Hums, cigarettes, Paan and Tobacco, Jeans, Xerox machines, Wine, Kurta, creativity and Frustration.There is a room for every possible debate.
Ratan, has been my friend for years. He has traversed the corridors of Colleges which are way different from mine. Actually I have not traversed corridors of college with the same intensity and vigor as Ratan has done. His journey began in Allahabad, and then at that time I was trying to get into some Government Engineering college. Government college because in those days going to Private colleges was never taken in a good sense - it just meant that you were provided a thrust with the help of money to join the Institute, - and when you do so you never owned the degree. However there was a sharper truth - we did not had enough money so that I could take admission in private colleges. But this is a fact which holds for many a families in India. Further in the days of my childhood, money was not the best thing of world. We were not in the clutches of money neither money was in our clutch. Families were more involved in the matters of custom, culture and gossips about each other which were never fatal or had perishing sense. So long there were reasons to be happy, - and actually we always used to find some reasons to remain happy; we were done. I don't think that because I was a child then, so only positive senses arrived to me; money and economy had never been prime choices in those days and days before those days. There were inclinations towards better life, owning things, but it never became units of thought. In all the murkiness and cheeriness of life there remained some set of "values" that we followed, - may be somewhat loosely and some time dishonestly - but never suppressed those values to death. I got admission into Engineering College and in the meantime Ratan moved to Allahabad for his long wishes to join higher ranks of Governance.
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