Zero’th Mile of India..!

Yes! This time my job landed me directly at the Geographic center of my own country: India!

Nagpur!!!

Yaayy. 709 kms. From Pune. I think I have never done such a continuous journey for this long! I was about to experience A lot of new experiences!

This time my journey started on a slightly different mode! I reached the boarding point. Bus was yet to arrive. I looked around and my eyes caught a beautiful girl waiting inside the waiting room! I thought, she is going to board the same bus and I was right! The Bus arrived! We went towards the bus to board but it was loading the couriers and they asked us to wait. I came back to waiting room. She followed me! We were standing near the waiting room. Then I looked at her and she was a bit confused and little worried. As if She was waiting for someone! And I was right! There came a boy…

She went to him running. And I saw a sigh of relief on her face! As you might have already guessed:he was her boyfriend! Hahaha..!

Meanwhile I had a plan ready in my mind about How will I approach her, how I will go on and Try to get her…! Being Single is all about day dreaming and then watching your dreams shatter right before your eyes!

I forget that thing in a moment cause my favorite first row seat was waiting for me! As always I booked the best seat in the bus! I was a bit curious about the seat the girl had got on the bus! And I was right! She was in the first row of the left side and I was on the right! (Usually the left first row is reserved for women)

And the fun began! As we left Pune city and touched highway, Suddenly the conductor called me! I was in the cockpit area and I asked him what had happened? He said, he can’t connect the tv to the usb port and was unable to play the movie. He and the driver asked me if I can do anything about it!

And the circus began! I was removing and attaching cables from all the plugs of the LCD. and then the driver , conductor and me started cracking jokes! It was damn funny. I was trying everything, I also lost balance twice but luckily didn’t get injured. Finally we decided to give up on this matter for a while and try when we take a halt for dinner. I stayed in the cockpit for sometime! And then came back to sit! Meanwhile I noticed, a thing. That girl was giving attention to me and listening to all my conversations with driver!

We had our first halt at a food mall near Ahmednagar! I got off the bus. Got fresh. Then came to the token counter and ordered my food. I was about to receive my food and again my eyes caught her! She was sitting alone at a table eating Sandwiches. We had an eye contact! Her eyes were so beautiful! Then I noticed her body language. She was a little insecure. May be because she was traveling alone! The more i thought of it, the more i became sure if the fact that she feels safe when I am around her! So while in food mall premises we both were around each other. Again we boarded the bus! Ready for the departure!

TV started, and so did the movie! And I was again in the cockpit. Aurangabad arrived! And some passengers were about to board. That girl was on no. 4 seat and no. 3 was empty. Driver came to her and asked her to remove her bag from seat no. 3. that was the moment when I realized her insecurity. She asked the driver who is taking the seat beside her! The Driver was busy and was not able to listen her little sweet voice. She looked at me with somewhat tensed face.

I got up from my seat and Asked the driver in a little louder voice about who was boarding on seat no. 3. And he said an aged women will grab that seat! I looked at her and she seemed relieved. I saw the sense of gratitude in her eyes! We smiled at each other.

Everybody slept when the movie had finished. We both looked at each other before falling asleep. I opened my eyes around 6.00 hours. We were in Amravati and it was relly cold outside. As all the people outside the bus had wrapped themselves in shawls!

That old woman was off the bus to take a stroll. And some people were waiting to board the bus. That girl also woke up! A man among the new passengers was actually trying to get the seat beside that her. He was a bit arrogant in nature. The Girl got scared! I told him politely about that the old woman had already occupied that seat. He did not listen to me and girl became more tensed. I got off my seat in aggression. The scene was about to get worst but suddenly the Driver and conductor intervened and told that person to leave that seat. He refused at first but finally the old woman came inside and he left!

It was a sigh of relief for her and she thanked me! This time with her sweet voice!

We reached Nagpur, and she was about to get off the bus, a stop before me. As she got ready to get off, she looked at me, her eyes had the sense of gratitude and I can sense that she was feeling relaxed. she thanked me again before getting off.

In the end I was satisfied that I was able to make that girl feel secured in throughout the journey. There was no conversation between us,beside a thank you and a welcome! For me it was just a gesture of Humanity!

Later I just choose to forget everything as suddenly my mind got busy with the  workshop I had to take and the meetings I had on the same day! But in the end it was a good feeling!

I was greeted by the regional manager of my company as I got off. We booked a room in a hotel and the hectic schedule started!  I was little tensed about the workshop I had to take. But in the end everything went smoothly.

I came back to the hotel room in the evening. Meanwhile I had “Patawada with Kadhi and Spicy Gravy” a nagpur special snack! It was yummy.

My regional.manager then drove me to the most awesome place in Nagpur! Yes, it was the Zero mile stone, The Geographic Center of India! The car stopped at the signal but I got off the car and had a closer view. This feeling was something else! I was at the perfect center of my country, India! A Beautiful experience,indeed!

Zero’th mile of India…!

I was really tired as I returned to the hotel. On previous day I had a cricket league where I played two matches and the took this 15 hours journey, that too without proper sleep and the work pressure! My body was begging for some rest. I switched on the TV and fell asleep almost immediately. It was 2100 hrs when i woke up and realized that I was hungry. So I got out of the hotel room in search of local food and had a great dinner in a small restaurant. Came back to hotel room, feeling better and satisfied.
The hotel was near the Railway station,due to the central location of Nagpur. It is a really busy junction! So I spent some time watching trains from the window, feeling amused!

Night view of the train!

 Day Two:

The alarm for this day was a different one for me!! It was the Honking of the trains which woke me up! I knew this was the last day of my little trip. It was a packed day with 4 meetings scheduled through the day!

The start of the day was really loud! It was now time for some tea. I believe, If the first tea of the day is perfect, it sets the mood for the day. 

Perfect start for the day!

The start became more perfect with this view from window…

It was special!

The work for the day started! Our all meetings were on the outskirts of Nagpur. So I almost saw half of the Nagpur From car window..!

So the day went as expected and planned! Whenever i got a chance while travelling, i tried to captured more of Nagpur on my phone camera,so that i could have some memories of this trip with me forever! Finally we were back in the city by 19.00 hrs.

Infinity..! Nagpur – Itarsi Route!

An evening in #Nagpur…!

City Center!

I had to board the return bus on 20.30 hours. So we had only 1.30 hour in our hand and I wanted to do a lot of things. First I choose to visit Haldirams outlet and bought a lot of desserts for my friends and family. I wanted to taste the real local food. So, Sir took me too a hotel!

Haha… Drinking is not allowed!

I was eagerly waiting for the food. Because I didn’t had the time for breakfast and lunch. And the aroma of curry in the hotel we went to,was killing my patience. Finally the Nagpur Special Chicken with “Savaji Curry” was right in front of me! The hot spicy and yummy speciality of Nagpur…! I can still feel the taste of it!

Possibly the spiciest food I have ever tasted!

I had to finish all this in half an hour. I did it. Haha! This Savaji Curry is made up of home made spices. A community with the name ‘Savaji’ use to make this currey and that is how it got its’ name.Later, this curry became the identity of Nagpur. Even today, the cooks of most of the hotels belong to this community!

Finally I had to rush to catch the bus. The bus operator was so scared that he called me 4 times in 20 minutes. Finally at sharp 20.29 hours, I boarded the bus. This time it was a sleeper coach bus with tons of amenities.

My Berth in the bus!

A tv screen with lots of movie for each berth. Curtains for privacy blanket to save yourself from AC. It was like a business class of the bus! After watching movies till 2.00 hours I finally fall asleep. But the road was so good that it constantly reminding me about the spicy food I had sometime ago. I booked the last berth, so with every twist in the road was giving the feel of roller coaster. The only good thing was that, it had a supportive bars on the corner of the berth. Otherwise, The the people should have fractured their bones for sure. Haha!

The bus I was traveling in!

In the end Nagpur was a great experience. It was exciting from the first minute. Whether the incident about the girl or the winter of Nagpur., From the Zero mile stone to Savaji Curry, it was fantastic!!I am eagerly looking forward to visit Nagpur again, soon!!

Life is nothing without new experiences..! 

Travelling is the easiest way to grab first hand experiences, learn and above all enjoy to collect unforgettable memories to tell it all to the next generations!! Truly,Experiences make life Memorable!

Special Thanks to my dearest friend “Prof. Sanmit Sarkar” for editing this blog and convert it into the best one!