Showing posts with label Phone Call. Show all posts

As a usual Saturday, I joined my friends for playing cricket at 8 in the morning. Played till 11. When I came back and had a look at my phone – 8 missed calls from a friend. “What happened to her?” Called her up! Excerpts:

[It’s ringing…]
Me – Hello!
Furious S – How many missed calls did you get from me?
Me – Eight.
Furious S – And could you see the interval between the missed calls?
Me – Hmm… quite frequent. The phone was not with me and I was playing cricket.
Not-so-furious S – $%$&#^
Me – Ok sorry, what’s it?
S – We are going to Lonavla.
Me – When?
S – Now!
Me – What?
S – We are going to have breakfast and then we’ll leave for Lonavla.
Me – But, how? All-of-a-sudden!
S – We were feeling bored, so thought of going. It’ll take us half an hour to finish
breakfast. Join us a Wakad quick.
Me – Half-an-hour!
[I need to go to the market, buy vegetables, prepare lunch for dad, wash some clothes (which I had already dipped in) and bath]
Me – Hmm… it’ll be a bit difficult for me to join you at Wakad. How about if I come by a train and join you at Lonavla only?
S – I don’t know. Make it fast. We are leaving soon. Bye!
Me – Ok, Bye!

[Hurry up boy! C’mon!]

Went (ran) to market, bought vegetables, washed clothes, prepared lunch (a chutney was the quickest I could think of), had bath and asked Saumik to get me the timings of “Express” trains to Lonavla. I was quick, so was he.
The best possible option was to catch “Pune-Manmad Express” at 12:45.

Told briefly to dad about the plan and left for station at 12:10. Everything was so fast; I had the ticket in my hand at 12:40. Train left at 12:55 (IST – 10 min late is so-much-on-time).

Reached Lonavla station at 1:40 and joined others at “Bushy dam” at 2:10 around 40 minutes after them.

It was our second stint at Lonavla and it was again outstanding. All of us headed for waterfalls. The weather was as usual more than pleasant, the flowing waters more than titillating and we more than cautious with our steps on slippery rocks. Of course we did not want to washout our cameras as we so-coolly did last time.

Last week we went to Bheemashankar and we were disappointed for not getting any waterfalls around with Paramita jumping on every site where the water was falling even from a height of 2 inches, "Hey, waterfall, waterfall!" [Literally … each “falling water” was a “waterfall”]
And here we were at Lonavla with the real waterfalls around us giving a perfect complement to our Bheemashankar trip.

The “giant waterfall” that we feared to enter last year was a bit mild this time (thanks to no rains in the last 2 days) and we left no stone unturned to enjoy the magnificent water-body. And because we managed to carry our cameras safe-and-sound till there, posed-a-lot and clicked-a-lot. These waterfalls are a place where the “serious” become “rollicking”, the “shy” become “playful” and the “naughty” become “impish”. “Maine subah se kuchh nahin khaya tha!”, but the moment I entered the waterfall the “hunger” got washed away and I became a part of the waterfall itself. I sat silently (people around me shouting continuously) closing my eyes (not by choice, but the volumes of water banging on my head did not let me open up) under the head-tapping stream (pelting stream rather) listening to the tabla it was playing on my top.

We came out of the fall after some 1.5 hrs – drenched, with a skin like 80 year old, much-much heavier clothes, absolutely deaf and hungry again. Gobbled up some vada-pavs and corns in no time. Reached back to the parking area, parked ourselves in a side restaurant and again gobbled up vada-pavs and kanda-bhajji (obviously, “Maine subah se kuchh nahin khaya tha!”). Then we walked all the way (~ 5 km) amid scenic clouds and mountains, which was a nice diet to our eyes too, back to Lonavla bus stand to catch the return bus.

Everything fell in place and in time for me since morning till the time to catch the bus back-to-Pune arrived. That's when I realized the 7 missed calls from dad. Called him up and told that I am already in a bus to Pune. We were looking for a bus with a particular route (via Wakad) so that the girls can comfortably drop into their homes en-route. My dad was calling frequently asking the whereabouts, raising the tension-meter and these 3 girls with me were "not bothered at all". Grrr... was that funny, because as per dad I should have entered Pune and I was still "loitering" at the bus-stop? Waited for around 45 minutes and let go 5-6 buses to Pune (because Wakad was not not on their routes) and see, we got into the worst possible bus after that. The bus took the longest possible route (not via wakad) and dropped us at Shivajinagar at 10 PM. Took autos to the respective places to reach home after 10:30 PM.

[Face Papa!] Ok, he is sleeping. Shh.. Just sleep, I'd face him tomorow.

But boy, the trip was oh-so-economical, spending not more than 150 per head (including everything – to-and-fro tickets, snacks, eatables and all the more fun). I have learnt that the trips planned (or not-planned) impromptu turn out to be more fun and leave us more satisfied in the end.

Check out the coincidence: Lonavla was the first place I trekked when I came from Bangalore to Pune and Lonavla is the last too when I am going back to Bangalore from Pune. My take away - this place will always bring pleasant memories to me.

I am new to Pune city. As a daily routine, I catch a bus from my company to my place and I don't know much about the areas I cross on the way. The normal timings are: I get on to the bus at 6 PM and get off at around 7:30. What happened yesterday is - A road construction had just begun in "Kondhwa" area. We were almost in the middle of the route when we diverted from the normal route from this junction where the traffic policeman was guiding the traffic away from Kondhwa. We were on a completely new route now. And in the last 2 months, I had never seen so much traffic and such a big traffic jam in Pune. The roads are wide enough, clean enough and the traffic is decent. But now I was in a completely different Pune. Our bus started circling the city. After struggling for around one hour on a completely novel route, we entered the city via one of the holes (entrant road). I was feeling good that at least we are into the main city now but I was oblivious as to which part of the city I was in. Still I was constantly looking out of the window and noting down the areas I was crossing. Then it striked me, "What if the bus is very close to my place?" The thought was enough to bring a grin on my face. It was 8 PM when the bus stopped at one of the red lights. I don't know, but my sixth sense made me to get down from the bus. And here I am, I don't know where? I asked a couple on scooter - "Which way to take to go to AFMC". The response - "Sorry, we are new to this place". Oh! like me? And I started moving intutively in one of the directions. Phone rings. Some unknown number. I received, "Hello". A girl voice on the other side.

Girl: Hello, I am calling from Idea customer care. May I speak to Mr. Praveen Rathee.
PR: Yes, I am speaking.

Girl: Hello Sir, I wanted to confirm your phone number. Is it 99******44?
PR (Surprised at the question, What kind of question is this, didn't she just dial the same?): I hope you dialled this number. So, that's right.

Girl: Thank you sir.
(A small pause - about 2 seconds)
Girl: Sir, may I have two minutes of your precious time?
I thought, "Of course, my time is helluva precious at this moment. I am somewhere in the middle of a road and don't know which way to go.".
PR: Yes, tell me?

Girl: Sir, I wanted to take you through the...
PR (interrupting, realizing that it is something that is going to take long): Actually, I am lost in the city (I am laughing).

Girl (amazed voice): Lost in the city?
PR: Yes, I am new to this city and right now I am somewhere struggling to find my way back home.

Girl (a feeling of guilt): Oh! I am sorry sir. May I call you sometime later?
PR: Sure, you can call me tomorrow morning. (tiny pause) Wait a second... Hello... You there?

Girl: Yes sir.
PR: Can you please guide me through my way? (I didn't wait for her response) See I have just crossed this area ... (thinking very hard) ... "Bibwewadi" and my bus was going towards "Kondhwa"; I got down and now I am standing on a red light. And I have to go to AFMC. Can you please let me know which way to take?

(All this time I continued walking)

Girl: Sir, can you please tell me any landmark around you? Just to know which red light you are on.
PR: Actually I am walking. And there is this "GREEN Hotel" to my right and "Electric Substation" to the left.

Girl: Sir, I guess you are close to AFMC. Can't you see any signboard nearby? It would be easier.
(I am walking faster now taking long strides... Brisk walk)
PR: No. Right now I can't see any signboard.

Girl: If the "Electric Substation" is to your left, you just keep walking straight on this road. You are already into the cantonment area.
PR (gazing far ahead through the dark, getting on toes): Mmmm... I can see a board. Can you please hold on for a sec? I am getting closer to that.

Girl: Sure Sir.
(Pause... And to my extreme happiness, The board read: "पुणे छावनी - Pune Cantonment")
PR: You are right, I am in the military area. But are you sure I have to keep walking straight.

Girl: Sir, you just don't leave this road and you'll get AFMC to your left.
(I am running now and a few steps ahead I see a colony - Netaji Nagar)
PR: Thank you madam. I am in front of Netaji Nagar and I very well know the way from here. Thanks a lot.

Girl: Welcome sir. (Laughs) I hope you really know the route now.
PR: Yes. I do. I have been to this place some time back.

Girl: OK sir. Take care. Bye.
PR: Yeah. Thanks again. BBye.

I knew that region because Papa took me through this area around a month ago as a part of morning walk. I just couldn't figure it out because it was dark. It was 15 minutes of walk. I was home at 8:15 PM. Took bath, had dinner, brushed my teeth and slept. No post dinner walk as I had enough a lttle while ago :)
Today morning when I asked other passengers, what time did they reach? I found that I was the earliest, most of them entered their respective houses after 8:45. I was feeling proud of my decision of getting down the bus (I deserved a pat on the back). I was even happier that I got down at the nearest possible point to AFMC. Great timing! I didn't have to do any auto, or any bus, public transport etc. :) We can call it LUCK.
The mistake I made was I didn't ask my bus driver before getting down.
But that was fun. Idea cellular service providers guiding their customers through Pune roads. What an Idea!