The Journey

                                                                                 The Journey

 “There has been torrential raining in Mumbai city from the last night” the local news was going on the radio. I was brushing my teeth. Suddenly the sounds of drums, dhols, and banjo came from somewhere. I instantly looked outside from the window. Finally, the moment had started, of whom I was waiting for a long long time.

 Yes! it was the day of ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’. It is a festival in which people bring lord Ganesh’s idol to their home for some days. If you are in Bombay it is not a festival, it is not just a festival, it is an ‘EMOTION’!

 If you want to visit a Bombay, then this is a perfect time, where whole Bombay is decorated like a new bride. Drums, dhols, and banjo being played at every corner of the road. The moment when the ‘Aarati’ will start and you would get Aarati ki thali by any luck then you would definitely feel like ‘Hritik Roshan’ from ‘Agneepath’. The energy and devotion are ultimate!!!

 So, like a normal outsider, what will the first thought come to your mind when you think about Ganesh festival and Mumbai.

Obviously, the answer is ‘Visit Lalbaug cha Raja!’

 Without surprising myself, I made my plan. It was a Friday night. I did my research. First, it is very near from my home so I can go there anytime. Second, if the Ganesh Chaturthi will be on Saturday then I must be there at Friday night so I can get a chance of first morning ‘Aarti’.

 Good plan, everything was set. I was excited like a hell. I went there and found out there was no line at that place. I was feeling like the smartest person in the world who had a million-dollar idea of how to get darshan at Lalbhaug without any hurdles.

 So, I stood up there. In that intention of when the morning would come, I will be the first one who will get a darshan.

BUT.

“Why are you standing here?” one security guard asked me. I thought I must share my million-dollar idea with him and I shared.

 He laughed at me and told me that this is not a place where the line of Darshan will start. This place will be open in the early morning. After the morning, all lines will come here and we will check everybody then we will allow people to let in. If you really wanted to get a chance of morning Aarti then go straight and then take a left and go straight again where you can find the right line for morning aarti.

 He broke my confidence. As slowly moved towards the line by crossing big, long roads the confidence which was left in me was also broken. Then I read something which gave me panic attack thrice time.

 “This is the line for the ‘Charan-Sparsh’. From here it will take almost 10-12 hours to get a darshan of Lalbaug cha Raja. So, have some patience and sorry for inconvenience”

 10-12 hours!!! This time my left portion of mind also helped my right portion mind to calculate how much time it would take if I am here right now. So, at that time was 11 PM in the night. As per calculation, I would be in front of Lalbaug cha Raja at 10 AM. But the notice was following Indian standard time so add 2-3 hours more because you couldn’t expect Japan’s time accuracy at this place.

 The good thing about me at that time was so what I was broken, so what I thought I couldn’t do it, so what I felt I would definitely fell asleep, so what I was worried about the 2 million things at the same time. I stood there in the line and I had started my journey.

 Two things about Mumbaikar!

 First, they are outnumbered. Second, they are insane. The line was on the footpath. Now for second imagine the footpath in your mind. How many members can stand up side by side in normal Indian footpath? 4-6 right, but your calculation might be wrong if you consider footpath of Mumbai and plus that footpath which is a way to get a chance to visit Lalbhag cha Raja then it must 9-10 people.

 So, technically I was standing where 5 people were standing my left side and 3-4 people were on the right side. Plus, someone who was more optimistic, who wanted to go ahead and did not want to follow any queue rule.   

 After one hour, I literary couldn’t breathe but my ‘baju wala’ wanted to seat. I made some space for him. In result two uncles and one aunt seated properly. There was an only place for one foot. So, I put my left foot on the floor and the right one in the air and vice versa in rhythm.

 After two hours, I was feeling like I am not here for darshan. I was here for surviving. Like preparation for the covert army mission and like this my fun visit turned into the mission of survival.

 Finally, at 4 am in the night I gave up and run away. Because the place where the actual ideal is 5 KM away from the place where I stood and 5.12 Km from where I started my journey. In the time between 11-4, we just moved to 0.12 Km. So, if you would calculate the total displacement then it will be Zero. If you derivate it with limit 0 then the same answer will come.     

 (PS: Commerce student let it be! just accept the answer.)

 But then I felt bad for myself. I couldn’t sleep properly. It was a chance to visit the place that you wanted to visit in your college life. In other words, you could die to visit this place in college and now you are here and you were running like that?

 So, I decided I would go in the early morning again. Now I will not take rest without getting a darshan of lord Ganesh and I put alarm and slept.

 I woke up-Went There-Stood in line-after 10.30 hours.

 I was standing in front of the most gigantic idol of lord Ganesh. I was just ready to put my Wishlist. I had closed my eyes and then one guy had patted my shoulder and told me,

 “चलो आगे बढ़ो!”

 Even not a single minute was completed. In the other minute, I was out from the tent. I was like wait! I had waited for this for 10 hours 30 minutes. I hadn’t taken a sleep well. I hadn’t taken a lunch properly.

 “Why Ganeshji you did this to me?” 

 I was seating there, numb and suddenly one thought came into my mind. I still think it answers from God.

 “It’s rule of life”

 I got the answer. It is life, like to get a darshan of Lalbaug cha Raja I started my journey to be a writer. I know that it will take a lot of time. Lot of effort I have to make to reach that destination. I will feel suffocated. I will say some bad words to management. I will complain about other people and like that, I would run away from this path too. But after all that struggle of returning, fighting and living when you will get a success. You will get happiness for few moments only. Then someone will pat your shoulder and tell you,

 “चलो आगे बढ़ो!”

 That is the beauty of this thing. I have enjoyed the darshan but the journey and the efforts I made to reach there were more enjoyable and memorable I will never forget this first visit because of that.People run after success, but success is not important. The important is the journey to get the success and How did you get that success in your life? Because many people got billions of rupees from Lottery. Nobody remembers them!

 Ask yourself Which name do you remember and why?

You must get this answer because of his/her ‘Journey’.

                                     FIN.