A Walk to Remember…in Rain

11 pm, Tuesday, July 28, 2009, New Delhi
Just got up after a 3 hour long ‘shot-nap’ in which I remembered my kal (yesterday)… Yesterday, it rained in Delhi and I experienced my best walk – “A walk to remember”.
AG remembered ‘the walking dream’ in dreams today

Yesterday it rained in Delhi.

I boarded my cab around 6:30 at evening. At that time it was drizzling. Somehow we managed to cross Noida without much traffic but as soon as we entered Delhi, it was a standstill. After standing for Maharani Bagh for a substantial period of time, we finally managed to move and crossed the Ashram flyover. When I saw outside, cloud where on ‘cloud nine’ and it raining very heavily…And

I took the CORRECT step…

“bass phir kya tha, main chal padha, un rasto par jo jaate the mere ghar”
I decided to complete my journey from Lajpat Nagar on foot. As soon as my left foot got down, sound of ‘chap’ came; it was full inside water. Nerve chilling water after such a harsh summer…finally. Within 1-2 minutes I was all wet and getting wet in that intensity of rain was heavenly. It took me to a different world, a world where you don’t think that Tuesday comes after Monday and that Tuesdays are working.

I have a serious disorder, that I am Myopic with quite a high power. But today I wasn’t able to see through my specs; frost comes free with rain. Taking them off was a brave move and again a correct one. Now the standstill traffic was clearer to me. Standing at the starting of Lajpat Nagar flyover, it was a unique scene – Cars lined up in ascend and water coming down from the crest of the flyover…fabulous irony. Somebody was playing “rut ye tal jayegi, himmat rang layegi, subah phir aayegi…ye hosla kaise jhuke, ye aarzoo kaise ruke”. Must be our cab driver.

Remember you stand beneath a shower and you let off your emotions through bathroom singing. Ditto here, just that here you are on roads…but then who the F cares? Strangely I discovered Anu Malik was the best flavour for this kind of wheather. His lifetime’s best creation “dekho baarish ho rahi hai, its rainning, its raining, itz raaainning” finally got a perfect voice and an awarding ambience. Though sympathies to the listeners: drivers.

Slowly and steadily I walked through the canals flowing besides the Ring Road crossing important junctions. During this leg I also witness the man made Moolchand lake – an eerie on that day. Ring Road was Hell on that day and all cars destination was through that Hell road!!
It was raining, I was walking.

On my journey I passed through a hot posh South Delhi market. There was a group of girls in the same of mood. They were dancing and enjoying the rain to the fullest. It reminded me of that fabulous Kajol song “ho gaya hai tujhko to pyaar sanjana, laakh kar le tu inkaar sanjana”. Rain romantics seeping in.

It was now the turn of service lanes which were again tiny lakes today. I saw a jazzy car zipping towards me with a high velocity; it was Honda Jazz (the ‘why-so-serious’ one). Assessing the water reality around me, I turned instantaneously and my back had a huge splash of murky street water. WOW. On any other day, I would have taken an extreme reaction but today was different, it wanted more of this kiddish fun. “ek baar se dil nahi bharta mudd ke dekh mujhe dobara…tan tana tan tan tan tana..”. Wish the car would have turned back and I would have experienced that splash once more.

I ended my 2.5 hr long voyage and reached home safely in the rain. At late night, the rain finally stopped and a cool breeze was flowing, making the night more romantic - “aaj mausam bada baimaan hai”. What an experience, truly a walk to remember!

PS: Next day was Tuesday and was working for me. The man-made Moolchand lake was still existent and seemed the authorities wanted it to be permanent spectacle.
Took me 3.5 hrs to reach office, that too in a car.