Sunday Snippets
By Venkatesh Raghavan
This dates back to the late eighties, when I was attending parallel courses in software institute NIIT at its Nariman Point office and also an assembly level language course at what was then St. Xavier Institute of Technology (STXTI) at Mahim. This was made possible since the NIIT course was in the morning hours as early as 7 a.m. whereas the assembly level language course (microprocessors and peripherals) used to get conducted at 6.30 p.m.
On that particular day, my practical exams in STXTI were slated to be held at 4 p.m. I completed my morning session at NIIT and it was around 9.30 am when I stepped out of the Nariman Point NIIT premises. It was pouring heavily and my umbrella was of little help in warding off the downpour that was accompanied by gusty winds. By the time I managed to touch Churchgate station (terminus of the Western Railway in Mumbai) I was heavily drenched. I boarded a train that was about to start from the second platform. As I sat inside anxiously staring out for signs of the rain subsiding, it proved to be disappointing. There was no let up and the showers were incessant. The worry playing on my mind was that I should be able to reach STXTI at Mahim well in time to give my practical exams.
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The train stopped abruptly after crossing Bombay Central suburban station on the Western Railway stretch. I learnt from passengers who had jumped on the tracks that the tracks were flooded and the train may not start any time soon. After hesitating for a while, I jumped on to the tracks and waded out of the railway area onto the adjoining road that was also deeply flooded. It took me more than 15 minutes, as the knee-deep waters kept flowing against my path to reach the main road for possible alternate means of transport.
As I stood there in waist deep waters, unsure of what course to take, whether to walk all the way home or head towards the bus stop in the opposite direction, a double-decker city transport bus with label “Shivaji Park arrived slowly owing to the high water levels. Now Shivaji Park was the sea front that was a half-an-hour walk to my home in the central suburb of Matunga. I quickly managed to hop into the bus and felt relieved that all was not lost and I would be able to attend my practical exams on time.
Having alighted at Shivaji Park, I had to continuously wade through the waters and I got to witness young fathers making their kids sail in small plastic boats near the residential Hindu Colony area that was closer to Matunga. Finally, I reached home at around 2.30 p.m. It was almost 3 p.m. when I had finished my lunch and I set out walking to STXTI located in Mahim. I was a bit worried about being late and losing out on valuable time to complete my practical exam. However, when I reached the college premises, I saw a notice pinned on the locked front door: “Exams postponed to next Thursday.” I had another long walk back home.
It was another day, when I reached the college in time and managed to crack a centum in the practical exam. With the happy ending, the rainy day was something to treasure.
