if((DESTINATION==known)&&(DIRECTION==unknown))

Goa University: a place from where I have a lot of dotting memories and even thought I am almost done with my studding part over there I still don’t mind taking a round through the campus anytime. Even the thought of going there gives me a lot of delight. Although it’s a bit far from my place and traveling alone is boring, the idea of getting there minimizes the distance and over shadows the boring travel. And so was me, all set to go there on the 9^th of June (that’s today) to submit my final semester project report, although this was an excuse to get there to meet some friends and refresh some old memories.

I left home at about 8:15 am with the report pages (yeah, the spiral binding was not yet done). It was after thinking for a long time whether the weather would permit me to go with the bike as the rains were warming up for the onset of monsoon. It was after a series of SMS giving me weather updates from margao that made me go with the bike. Its not raining here, its drizzling now, looks like its gonna pour, its raining but its bright… they were the updates that I was getting from another friend who was supposed to come with me to the university.

After traveling a few kilometers from home I was stuck in a Traffic Jam (something which is not very common on the Quepem Margao road). It was chain of biiiiiiiiggggg trucks carrying those biiiiiiiggggg metal pipes that had had blocked the traffic. I was stuck there for at least 20 minutes, then it began to pour. These trucks had come from some neighboring state so every body was taking full opportunities to yell at those poor drivers and no one seemed concerned to find a way out. It was clear by then in my mind that if I need to reach Margao ( my destination for Spiral Binding ) then I had to take the other route (goodness me, change in direction ???) which I was not very clear about. As always here too there were some people, who were just there to have fun by looking at all that was going on (faltuu people). They were suggesting everybody to take the alternate route and people started taking their advice and going by the other route. Believe me I didn’t know the other route. So I was thinking of postponing the project report submission for another day, but just check what happens.

There were these two girls on a Scooty (cute babes stuck in the traffic jam) who asked me whether I knew how to go to Margao taking the other route. I knew at this point of time that saying NO would be bad and saying YES means trouble, so I decided to be quite. Looking at this a faltuu pappu pointed out to me and shouted, “areyy why you need to know the way, just follow the others”. Abhi aise situation mein kya karneka ??? I just followed the others even though my wit was saying NO NO NO. It started raining heavily now and I was following a group of people without knowing if their destination was the same as mine. The rains continued to be heavy and people before me started to stop one by one and suddenly at a point of time I realize that, me, the one who was following a group of people, was now leading the group. Ailaaa !!!! I hope u remember I told you some lines before that I didn’t know the direction. God knows where all the people who were leading the way suddenly disappeared, or is it that I’m lost ?? And if I’m lost then why are others following me ?? All these questions were raising tensions in my mind and I knew it was time to transfer these tensions to somebody else.

So I pretended to take a break and stopped hoping for somebody else to take the lead (I was looking for a BAKRA) but the man behind me also stopped. But Why? I made a mistake; I stopped at crossroads, if at all I had stopped on a straight road, I bet he would have been the BAKRA that I was searching for. He asked me which way to go now, it was a scary voice and I didn’t want to mess up with him ( I knew things were not going my way) I said to him, we almost reached just follow me. FOLLOW ME ??? Why did I say that ??? (Believe me, I never even planned to say that, those words just popped out from my mouth). We kept going on and tensions kept rising just like the rains. I couldn’t even notice any one on the road to ask for directions. Finally I saw a lady walking, and I asked here whether I was on the road leading to Margao and she said yes. Haaahhhh !!! I was relieved, and I was happy too, at this point of time I looked back at the people following me, telling them through my expressions that don’t worry I am leading all you people and we are on the right path (but I couldn’t see those cute babes, forget I was not interested also after all that I have been through)

At last we reached on the main road leading to Margao and then I stopped, not to look for a BAKRA this time, but to make people know who it was that was leading them all this while. But no one cared to even look at me. Later I realized that because of that traffic jam we had to cover a distance of around 8 kms (to reach the main road) which otherwise would just be a matter of 3 kms. Yeah we did save a lot of time though, and this will be appreciated only by those who were in a hurry (but looked like I was the only one in a hurry). So next time whenever I am going somewhere I have decided to have a good understanding of the alternated routes as well because now I know what happens if I know the destination and don’t know the direction.