LEVEL ONE- cleared

The clock strikes 6. I wake up. Reluctant. Hesitant to leave my warm cosy blanket. Who would want to. It’s a long day ahead. And the thought of it is killing me already. My first official day at college and there is an hour and a half to travel. And that too on a DTC bus! For people who have never travelled in one, thank your stars. The experience grills you beyond anything. Pretty nerve-wrecking for someone who has spent her entire life travelling in a school bus, that literally picked her up from her door-step and dropped her back at the same place, safe and sound. Someone who has only heard of the (in) famous Blue line buses. That is enough to shake her confidence.

My dad drops me at the bus depot. I hop on to the bus that will take me to the Kashmere Gate metro station. There, I am to board the metro to my college.

 Just a quick glance through the people sitting in the bus and I am nervous already. My heart pounding. Really hard. And I feel lost. I can’t do this. May be I should call up dad and ask him to accompany me. Hell, No!  That would look stupid. I’m not a kid, for heaven’s sake. But maybe I am. I still am a kid. Hardly out of school.

The ticket collector comes by. I hand him 10 bucks and get my ticket. My heart says. Phew. Level one- CLEARED. I’m feeling constantly jittery.  Trying hard not to look at people. I had told this to myself the previous night before sleeping. Do not look into people’s eyes. No matter what. Look straight. Do not look nervous. Good grief! How am I supposed to not look nervous, when I am nervous. This, is going to be hard.  


 People come streaming in. Some eyeing me. You can tell from their faces that that they know I’m a first timer. And some, I eye. They didn’t bother. I like such people. At least, they don’t make things worse for me.

An hour passed. The major part of my journey is over. Just when we are about to reach Kashmere Gate, we cross the Red Fort. Now that is not what I had expected. The lush green lawns, beautifully laid. The ageing red walls. And the memories of the numerous essays I had written back in school rush though my mind. The Red Fort is made up of red sandstone and is therefore one its kind. This is where the Prime Minister unfurls the national flag on the eve of Republic day. I try hard to recollect all that I had read about it in my std. 3-4 General Knowledge books. I must confess it was pretty boring back then. Having to read on places, that we do not know exist in which part of the world. I am glad the real-life experience is nothing like that. Maybe, taking a bus isn’t a bad idea after all.

The bus finally reaches the destination. The passengers alight. I alight. A strange feeling of triumph dons. A feeling that I am now officially a part of the crowd. I am not an outsider anymore.

The last leap of my journey. I go to the ticket counter and ask for a token. I fumble a little. But who cares. I have just conquered one of the greatest fears of my life. I board the metro and make it to my college. Safe and sound.

The lesson I learnt that day? That when you expect the least, you surprise yourself the most.  Don’t believe me? Try it.