Musafir huun yaaro, Na ghar hai, Na thikaanaa...it seems this song has some relevance to me. I was born in Haryana a few years (read:decades) back. When I was learning how to walk, we moved to a different town. Once I developed the skills to walk and run my family shifted to a new city, I happily joined them. I started my schooling (Kinder Garten) from "Bal Bhavan", a very well known place in a district (and city) called "Jind" in Haryana. I was undoubtedly a bright student but after I completed my 2nd standard, the life pushed us all the way to Assam. After reviewing my past record, Don Bosco, a well known school in Dhemaji (Assam), opened its door to me. I continued there for two years and again came back to Haryana. After 8 years, once more there was a call, this time from Gujarat and hence we moved there. From Gujarat, I moved to Madhya Pradesh only to learn the most important (read:toughest) lessons of life. Next milestone in this journey was Dhirubhai Ambani Inst., GandhiNagar, which is one of my favorite stops till date (28th October, 2007). Here ends the career of Dinesh Agarwal, as a student but not as a vagrant. I got a job myself and moved to Bangalore (Bengluru nowadays). I underwent a learning session for just two three months there (refer the blog titled "Kannada Gotti-La"). And now I am in Chennai, Tamilnadu. I've Started compromising on every thing in life starting from food, shelter and of course clothing. Chennai is a metropolitan city, I bet, only in records. Here you will find bus stops without a single arrangement to sit, humanity at its extreme i.e. people who are either extremely good or extremely bad, tamil as the only language known by most of the public, ATMs with either only Rs.500 currency notes or with only Rs100 currency notes (with a handwritten note on the machine that you can't withdraw more than 40 notes), someone buying a ticket for you in buses (through a queue formed by human beings, that starts with the person closest to conductor) and nonetheless beautiful girls wearing skin tight face masks of black colour (I am not ready to buy the argument that it is their skin colour, God can't be that partial). For any of the local problems your quick fix is "Tamil terriyaadhu". This is a magical chant (better than ROLLUS ENCOMPUS) which helps you conquer the enemy at the gate. Yesterday I wanted to explore the bus rides here, I got into a bus, offered a 10 Rupee currency note to a conductor only to get it back with some scoldings, which meant the money was less for such a long journey, But even my Rs50 note was also insulted. I, then, sat quietly as I wasn't bothered, if he doesn't offer me a ticket. But then, to my surprise, an old lady from nowhere, gave me three coins of Rs1 each and murmured her own chant. I was still unaffected by her magic, but not was this, the case, with Mr. conductor, he obeyed her and gave me a ticket against those coins. As they say, All well that ends well, or in hindi "Jaan bachi so laakhon paaye, laut ke buddhu ghar ko aaye". Anyways leave it, you said something? "Sorry Saar! Tamil Terriyaadhu". ;)
