Back to Shillong !!!!!

And again......the news came and it was time for the next move....."Hum Shillong jaa rahen hain" Papa said..and I was like !!!!! I was already having fun at Jammu. Had a lot of friends, a great school and the campus was fabulous. 

Anyway, don't crave for what you can't have. 

It was in the middle of my school year that I had to leave Jammu. Being my last day of school, I was there with my Mom for the final slicing and dicing. I got the TC with an advice from my principal, "Don't be so troublesome in the future". FYI, I was one of the monsters at school. Never studied, played a lot, and enjoyed my school life....

As I left the school, I left a letter for my friends with the class teacher whom I knew I would not meet and they had no clue that I was leaving. Years later, I heard they felt that letter was quite mysterious...life some hollywood thriller.."Boy Vanished and left a note". 

I had a lot to see ahead. I was going back to Shillong.

Nostalgia is the precise word. The school, old friends, the campus, everything was volleying back as flash until the day arrived when we were at the railway station, ready to cut through the whole country and reach Guwahati. The route was awfully long. It took us two days to reach Guwahati. I knew the journey will be tiring and boring so I asked dad to get some comics from one of the iconic book stores railway stations have.

The trains then were quite slow and our's in particular and so it was also calledBrahamaputra Mail.  The tracks being one way most of the times, the train was always late. I was keen to learn from my father about the sates that we shall travel through and rivers we will jump, but then again that was for like only half a day. It started sounding boring and finally I was dead bored of the train and the incessant rattle. The vendors would not stop and so would not the inevitable in and out of the passengers. I would wait for the next big station at least so that I would get down, wander here and there with my dad and get back on the train as soon it hooted.

The first day ended and the beds were set. It was a simple life then. Even AC coaches sounded extravagant. The peculiar spur of the train made me go to sleep but I woke up due to the horrifying snoring around. My mother would not sleep as well and Dad... well Dad was one of them...snoring his throat out. Anyhow, the night went away somehow and the sunlight was over us. It all seemed the same.

 We were in Bihar. The only thing I liked about the state was the vendors with green peas. I loved eating them. I would, for sometime at least, try and read the comics. But then again, it seemed so similar, De-javu. I tried the same thing yesterday and just like yesterday, I could not read it.

Everything by now had turned boring. Dad was talking to Maa most of the time and like guests in your house, he would entertain me for sometime and then he would do something else. Everyone had so much time, why? But again looking back now, the time seems happier. At the end of 2nd day, we were reaching Guwahati. It was dark and it was gloomy. Terrorism was at its peak, I heard. Bodo and Alfa were quite turbulent and everyone knew that but no one said anything. Perhaps the unsaid version was much better

Finally it was around 11 and we were at Guwahati. It was awfully hot and I was already sweating by the time we got to the Officer's mess. My mother hates heat and humidity has been her gravest fear, hitherto.

We had to stay at Officer's mess for the night and leave for Shillong the next morning by the Army's bus. We all were quite tired. We reached the mess and went up to our rooms. Food was served and I was already half asleep. Had to get up in the morning again. The journey was not over, however the day was. I could not remember anything but yes for sure missed Jammu and my friends.

"But this is what life is", my father always mentions and I still hold on to the thought.