That place! not again!!!

Often you come across some tough situations and unforgettable moments in certain places. These situation may be the result of some mischievous acts by few unsocial person or the result of your unawareness. But whatever may be the reason, after such a phase it is very obvious that you start hating that place and you always wish to stay away from there. It is a human nature of hating and loving something which is quite biased decision of the individual. Even though that place may have it's own boasting story and history but you tend to ignore those facts and figures. I too personally hate a place known as Bokaro Steel City and yes that's because of certain phase I tolerated there. Your eyebrows may fall to it's lowest level if you love this city but please listen to my story I guarantee you that I can elevate those eyebrows.
March 31st, 2008 is one of the most memorable day in my life because the month long Class XIIth Board Examination finally came to an end on this very day. The rest of the day was quite a fun as we raided the nearest multiplex to watch movie and had fun with our full fledged school gang. The next day was April Fool and it was the day when I totally dedicated myself  to become a true fool i.e. now I only studied for different engineering entrance exams. I was very sure that without anybody's help, it would be tough for me to study continuously the same set of books. Thus, I asked Manish to come to my place, so that we can have a joint preparation. By the way allow me introduce Manish to you all - "Manish Pratap Singh aka Manish aka Topper is one of my close friends. He is a kind of character who can demoralize you with his knowledge, at the highest level of your preparations for any exam. He was the brand ambassador of all the toppers that passed from his school. He was the favorite of all the teachers who has taken his class for at least once. He had a huge body and this was the reason that made him capable of decomposing himself within the piles of books, that were always decorated in his study table. He was a kind of guy who was pointed by over-expecting parents in our town for setting up examples for their wards. Two reasons forced me to have a joint study with him: first was, he was a great teacher and second was, he always quoted some nasty examples to make you understand things better. Manish was the one who arose my love for Chemistry." Although there are several more reasons for my affairs with Chemistry. The beautiful and trimmed structure that stood in the teacher's podium for teaching us that divine subject in our school was also to be blamed.
I can remember once Manish described Chemistry in these words, "In Hindi we call this subject Rasaayan Vigyaan. If you break the word like Rash-aaaaa-yan Vigyan. You will get to know that the subject is full of Rash meaning love. So just make love with this subject".
Anyways we really burned our eyes, brain, mind, hands, ears and all possible body part that were used to study. We gave exams too. WBJEE got postponed for a month. So we studied more. But at last we were not satisfied with the way our exams went. We thought of dropping a year, join some good coaching classes and then face the exam once again. So we decided to go for FIITJEE, Bokaro.
One fine day we decided that we will go to Bokaro, take the form, appear in the exam, get some scholarship and join there. Sticking to our firmness we boarded a train for Bokaro. As per directed by some experienced personals we got down at Dhanbad and took the bus to Bokaro. The worst part of this journey was that we both had just an amount of five hundred with us out of which two-hundred was the cost of the form. Dad asked me to take more money but I ignored him giving an unwelcome advice on my savings of the pocket-money he gave. The bad luck started from the point we landed in Dhanbad. It was seven in the morning of  the mid-June summer. Not a single penny was used for the railway journey, an advantage for being an immediate extended DNA of a railway employee. We had our breakfast in a decent restaurant before boarding the bus to Bokaro but the price they charged was not decent. They charged forty for each plate. Anyways we gave the amount and boarded the bus after taking an oath that we will be checking the price list before entering such restaurants. The ticket price was as high as the breakfast. It costs eighty rupee each. That means we both had just one hundred and eighty to spend after saving the price for the form.
DAD WAS RIGHT.
We got down at the bus stop and opted for an auto-rickshaw. Unusual to Kolkata and Durgapur there was no queue of people waiting rather the vehicles outnumbered the passengers. We asked one of the autos to take us to Sector IV. He readily agreed and without even waiting for other passengers he simply moved fast in the smooth roads of the city. It took twenty minutes to criss cross the area and finally reach the spot. I was looking at the idol of Chatrapati Shivagi at that place and meanwhile Manish was paying the charge, few meters away. He came to me and said,"I have a shocking news for you." I asked the obvious question and he replied that the auto-wala took one hundred rupee as charge. Here nobody shares an auto but hires one. So we were just left with one hundred and thirty with us after the form's price. To save ourselves we decided not to have food and avoid any sort of vehicles whenever possible.
We hardly took any time to find our destination as the large hoardings by FIITJEE in the surrounding made sure that you are there at correct place. Well with all our frustration and tiredness we walked the stairs to reach the place but the shutter was down and it was clearly written in bold

"The center will be closed today in response to the strike"

We got down the building and went to the gatekeeper. He replied in his Nepali accent that because of  malfunctioning of some industry around, a strike has been called for the day and all shops, offices, factories, transportation system within the city are closed down. Now we were helpless. Going back home and again coming back the next day was not our cup of tea. It was enough tiring today only. Staying there was not also an option as we were in huge scarcity of monetary.
I called Dad and explained him the situation to which he gave us a phone number of his cousin who lived in Bokaro only. A ray of hope appeared before us but vanished in a flash because after calling him we got to know that they are on a family trip to Jammu & Kashmir.
HEAVEN, GOD SAVE US.
Then I called my maternal uncle who was in Ranchi and narrated him my situation. I had a hope that he can arrange something in the city but he simply said us to come down to Ranchi. We had no other option left than to go to Ranchi. We walked back to the place where the auto left us. We found a school-going student standing there and we asked him the shortest and the cheapest way to reach the railway station. The way he replied was enough to bring my heart into my mouth. He said, "Dude, f**k that CHEAPEST word. Just pray that you somehow reach your destination. Today's strike is not a normal now. A mob had broken into a factory nearby, creating huge violence. Police had forced curfew in the city for next six hours and it can be extended also. I pray that somehow dad gets here quickly and I reach home fast. For your information let me tell you that you have to take a walk of about 10 km to reach there and you have no other option. But don't ever try that because in the way, forget any homo-sapiens you won't even find a stray dog. The auto-rickshaws are also not plying now."
His dad came like a storm in his pre-independence era scooter and went away like a thunder after taking him. We were left gazing the smoke that the scooter blew in the air. Yes we can see that there was hardly any living being in the road except us. We just walked the lonely footpath and took nearly one hour to reach a roadside stall which was luckily open. We were forced to have some food or else we won't make it to the station. Forty more gone. We were just left with a fifty rupees note and four ten rupees notes to spend, keeping the form's price safe. Another one hour walk in the scorching sun finally took us to the station. Yes that boy was right those roads were nothing but next to void.
I was amazed to see the condition in which the station was. There was hardly any passenger around. All water tapes were either broken or were not in a condition where you can drink water. We asked the station master about the next train to Ranchi, to which he replied, "Every train through Bokaro is diverted because some massive damage happened to tracks nearby, so I can't say". We thought of spending the night in the platform only.
It is said that

"When your bad time starts everything seems to be falling out of your reach but keep patience good time will come for sure."

But in no case the saying seemed to be true. We went to last platform where an open rack goods train was standing. The guard of the train was sitting right beside us in the bench. He was waiting for something. I don't know why he got interested in us and questioned our presence in the station in such condition. I don't know why we told our sad story to him that brought us here. He said something that rejoiced us, "This Goods train will be crossing Ranchi, if you want you can come."

THANK YOU GOD.

We didn't hear a word more and got up in the rack. It was an open empty rack and one can clearly see the engine from the guard's bogie. We didn't knew why and where the racks were going but we only knew that it will cross Ranchi. The train rolled after half an hour. The feeling you get on sitting in any open air train is not so soothing as it sounds to be. The place didn't looked like the plot from the film Dil Se. There was neither any good music being played nor was there any Malaika Arora around, rather the plot from Escape from Taliban was perfectly matched. The sun is right over-head, we can't listen to each others voice, you cannot stand in between for disposing your waste, you can't sleep, just you have to sit ideal in a place holding something that can save you from falling out. The train was roaring and passing through hills, planes, bridges, fields and the view was awesome. But after an hour's unstoppable journey, the train halted in a place for more than an hour. Many passenger train passed through but none of them halted so that we can board them. We could just see them going swift and steady. We didn't had water to drink now. The guard came up to us and asked whether we are hungry or not. We were not hungry but thirsty. He offered us the life. We now regretted for our decision because even though the train would cross Ranchi but it is not sure when. There was a big question WHEN?

Anyways after similar running-halting cycle continued for five hours and we reached Ranchi at eight o'clock in the evening. My uncle was waiting there for us as we have informed him few stations ago. We went to his house. Mami (hindi term for maternal uncle's wife) was ready with the dinner. We ate like dogs and slept like buffaloes as the next day we again had to go to Bokaro. 

Early in the morning we wake up and were ready for Bokaro. Uncle gave us something that we badly needed. Yes he handed us a five hundred note each. We were happy now. WE WERE KINGS.

We took an express train to Bokaro. But Bokaro looked a totally different city now. There was crowd in the railway station. The curfew was lifted now. There were trackers(a local made vehicle) outside. Yes like every other Indian city, there was a huge scarcity of vehicles compared to the passengers. The journey we did this time in tracker was way longer then the journey in the auto last time and also way cheaper than that. It charged ten rupee only. TEN TIMES LESS.

We went to the FIITJEE center, it was open. There was a beautiful lady in the front desk. We took the form and Manish started filling that. I gave my form also to Manish to fill so that I can admire the lady. She was not a kind of beauty that can be nominated for Miss India Contest but yes she was of the kind that can keep you awake the whole night and can convert your resting hours to some extra working hours. She was sitting in a chair which was quite low and her dress clearly exhibited her assets every time she bent down to pick something. She can be a good working out option. God must have furnished her keeping our expectation for sizes in mind. Manish filled the form so quick that I was yet not satisfied admiring the nature's creation. He was a dog. We gave the forms to her and after accepting the form she handed us the admit cards of the scholarship exam that was to be held ten days later in Bokaro itself.

BOKARO AGAIN. NO!!!

The rest of the journey was smooth as now we were expert in the city and moreover we had the money. Now I knew one thing

"If you have the money you can enjoy the honey".

Ten days later we were again ready to visit the city. The exam was to be conducted in DAV Public School, Sector IVB from 9 o'clock in the morning. We knew that, noway we can reach the center at time if we start the journey on exam day itself. So we left the evening before. This time we had enough money with us and moreover we had our dad's ATM card also. So this time money was not an issue. We had planed that we will stay in Dhanbad that night either in Railway Dormitory or any Hotel nearby then we will take the first bus to Bokaro after that we will give the exams and will return back. NICE PLAN.
We got down from the train at ten o'clock in the night. We went to the person in-charge for Dormitory, it was full. We asked for the retiring room, it was also full. The first class waiting room, in no sense looked like first class so we dropped the idea for our stay in Railway compound. We went to some nearby hotel all were full. The reason was The State Athletic Meet was to be hosted on the next morning in Dhanbad so every hotels, lodges and waiting space were booked. So no space and not even on extra cost.
Then we saw a temple nearby. The gates of the temple were open. We thought that we can stay here only. We sat in the temple's compound went to sleep very fast. Then the temple priest came to us at midnight saying that we can't stay here because it's not allowed. So we had to leave the place.
In the midnight Dhanbad is nothing less than any barren land. Nobody is visible around. We thought that we should go back to the Railway platform and can adjust somewhere in the platform itself. Yes we were right, there was enough empty benches in the platform. So we parked ourselves in one of those benches and slept.
BAAANNNGG!!! I woke up after feeling the strong sensation in my butt as if it was struck by some truck. No, there was a RPF standing nearby who had struck me with his wood-cum-iron stick on my butt with all the force that he had. I tell you with the experience that the force was so intense that half of that effort would be enough to break a coconut shell in ten pieces. "Why are you sleeping here? This not a place to sleep", were the words of consolation or maybe threat from the RPF. Before I could answer him his question he was ready for the second blow. "AAAHHH!! Sir we didn't find any place vacant. Every hotel, lodge and waiting room is full here", I said and stood up collecting my belongings. Manish too was ready to go.
"That's not my problem, just leave this place", now he moved towards Manish. Manish was alert of the upcoming danger but even before he can react he also received a blow but he saved his butt by interfering his hand in the trajectory of the stick.
 We had no other option than to leave the place. It was late night now around two o'clock. We went outside the railway station and we saw some potters were sleeping in the footpath. They were relaxed. We knew that this was a perfect place to sleep. We too gave them the company.
BOOMM!!! At the stroke of early dawn, the newspaper bundle fell right next to my face. I was saved by inches. We woke up by the sound and show that the whole truck of newspaper was to be unloaded there. The person who were sleeping nearby were all gone. There was nobody around except a stray dog near Manish's legs. We left the place and moved to the bus stop. The first bus to Bokaro was about to leave. We boarded the bus which was almost next to empty. We took a comfortable seat and slept.
That day I learned another thing,

"Money is something but off course not everything"

The Bus halted in the Bokaro Bus Terminal just in front of Sulabh Sawchalay (pay & use toilet). We were thankful to the kindhearted bus driver who made our work easy. We did our mandatory work and took a bath there. It was six in the morning. We took a tracker which dropped us near the center. We thought that we can have our breakfast near the school. We reached there two hours earlier but there was no sign of any food stall anywhere. We had to miss our break fast. But something fell into my eye that was shocking. The place where Manish received the blow had swollen up and it was dark red in colour. He was complaining for the pain too. Yes I was also feeling a sensation in my butt. The moment I sat on the bench I started paining too.
Sharp at nine the exams started and it was an easy exam of three hours but we were too hungry and moreover my butt was paining enormously now. Thus, we finished the exam half an hour earlier. We had another exam that was to be started at one o'clock. We took a kilometer walk to reach a restaurant and for the first time in life I ate two Dhosas back to back. Then I went to medical shop beside the restaurant and bought an pain-relief spray. I sprayed the ointment all over my base which had enlarged a bit after the blow and yes obviously in private only but it was a feeling that I can't forget. UFFF!!! RELAXED. Manish too sprayed it in his hand. The way he was feeling I didn't knew but I was in heaven. We were so over loaded by food that we took rickshaw to come back to center within time. The next exam was an aptitude exam and we were good at it. Half an hour and our paper were finished.
We hurried back to the Bokaro Railway Station and boarded a train back to our place. The time we got down from the train I got a call from one of my close friends Khushboo. She called for informing me that I had got a comparatively good rank in AIEEE than I thought. Later on checking the results we got that Manish was way behind his expectations.
The result meant that I was joining a college while Manish was ready to go to Kota. Seven days after the day I received a call from FIITJEE  and I was hearing a sweet voice of a lady. It was a familiar voice and I knew who she was. She told me, "Bhanu you have been selected for the scholarship along with your friend Manish. As because you are among the top five student at the FIITJEE, Bokaro we are also providing you..... ". I cut the call midway because I was pretty sure that it was of no use. BOKARO!! Enough I had seen. Two days and it were worse. I knew I won't visit the place again, at least not in near future. That place! not again!!!