A dream dreamt of....Part 5

There are three kinds of people in Delhi, one who reach by air, one who reach by rail and another who reach by road. The auto fares are proportionate to the means of transport in descending order. And if you are a “Delhi virgin” (first time in the city) you’ll probably end up paying twice the regular fare That’s why it is always advisable to have a smug look on your face and speak in a Punjabi accent, and acting as if you know exactly where you are going. The latter is a bit tough at first because even proper Delhi wallahs don’t know the roads properly and have to recourse to these autowallahs for help. The Delhi auto system is a huge complex machinery based on deception, a racket that runs almost at a hundred percent profit margin.
Rachit and I both took an auto, though separate ones and both ended up paying a hundred and fifty rupees more than the regular rate. But we were least bothered about money then, the thought of joining university was so much more engrossing. I had seen Delhi University’s North Campus only once and that was when I came down from Calcutta to see my prospective college.

Delhi University is a beautiful place, picturesque and tranquil. The roads were clean, and the greenery was lush, with bougainvilleas adorning every street corner, oak trees and eucalyptus hanging towards the road creating a soft blanket with its leaves over one’s head, and the sunlight filtered in through it. The University Campus is a sanctuary for birds, one can always see flocks of doves flying from one college campus to another. And the college building stood like guardians in the campus, old and wise, all knowing but not all saying, inspirations for many like me.

The North Campus and many other parts of Delhi had recently been connected by a metro network, and this is the only major change that had happened to it for atleast a decade. Otherwise the old world charm was like a musky perfume which caught your nostrils even from a distance away.

The North Campus would be my temporary home for one year, and probably the witness of the best time I’ll ever have in my life.