Billa Vs Birla

Billa started for his final semester project presentation to BITS, Pilani during last summer. His friend Mani had accompanied him till Delhi. They reached Delhi around 9.00 am in the morning and went to Mani's friend house. Good lunch with lot of Bengali sweets were served at friend's house. The next day was project presentation and Billa had only little information about reaching BITS. Friends dropped him at The Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT), located at Kashmiri Gate. It was 5.00 pm. Till that time he didn't have any problem as his friend who accompanied him speaks Hindi. His friend enquired a conductor near the platform for the bus to Pilani in Hindi. The conductor showed a bus, which was about to start and told that was the last bus to Pilani from Delhi for that day. There were few empty seats and Billa grabbed a seat near window. Later understood that the conductor had lied just to make us to take that bus. While the bus started moving, Mani came running and gave a pack of biscuits and a 500ml Fanta bottle.

There were only buses operated by Haryana Transport Corporation to Pilani. Chennai town buses were better than those buses to Pilani. He was under the impression that it would not take more than 4 hours to reach Pilani from Delhi. It was 6pm...7pm....8pm....9pm..... but still the bus was going going and going. The bus halted at a small bus stop and the driver & conductor went for refreshment. Total count in the bus was only around 10. And he was sure that none of them would know English. He was waiting for a right person to know how far Pilani was from that place. After few minutes a guy got into the bus and took the back seat. That guy should be a student as he had a note book in one hand and bag in the shoulder. Billa thought this student should answer him and asked "How far is Pilani?" But answer was in Hindi. Disappointed Billa asked the same question in various formats. But the answer was same. Billa came back to his seat. And few minutes later that student came to Billa and showed his bag, which was in last seat and said something in Hindi. Poor Billa didn't understand anything. That student gave an irritating look and thought for a while and said "Attention.... Bag Attention". Now Billa got the point that the student wants him to take care of his bag until be comes back. Billa agreed.

After few minutes the bus started and the student got into the bus. Billa again approached him with same question in different format. "What - time (showing the watch) - bus - Pilani?" The student replied 11 pm. Billa was really scared as he was not sure about the availability of accommodation in that midnight and he didn't even had food when the bus stopped somewhere earlier. He remembered about his school mate Sitaraman, who did his bachelor degree in BITS, Pilani. Sita was in Banglore at the time. Contact number was not with him. He called his old other friend in his native with the mobile phone and got the number of Sitaraman. Got Sita on line. After talking with him, Billa's adrenaline level went high. Because two more hours journey awaited and there would not be any restaurants or lodge to stay in Pilani. The only option was the hostel in Pilani and that too it should be open by that time. The presentation was during summer holidays of the institution. Otherwise atleast the student crowd would be there. 10 p.m. The count in the bus was coming down and there were only 3 people including Billa other than driver and conductor. The bus was going in deep dark roads. There were no street lights and rarely some hurricane lamps were visible at a distance in village houses. 10.30 pm. Count was only two. 10.50 p.m. Billa was the only passenger in the bus. The conductor came to Billa and asked something in Hindi. Without understanding the question Billa replied "BITS-Pilani". Conductor again and again said something in Hindi. Only answer from Billa was "BITS-Pilani","BITS-Pilani","BITS-Pilani".

Conductor got irritated and went and spoke to the driver for a few mintues. It was totally dark outside and the roads were getting narrow. After few minutes, the bus stopped in front of a small hut. Conductor got down from the bus and went into that hut. Hopefully it should be the conductor's house. Only Billa and driver were in the bus. Bus reached Pilani bus station in another 10 minutes. Billa got down and the whole bus stand was empty. There was a small light in one of the shop outside bus station. He walked towards that shop to enquire directions to reach the college. Luckily there was a straight road and entrance arch of BITS was visible at a distance. He could notice two guys walking towards the arch with IBM laptop bags in their hands. Billa sighed with relief. He walked fast and joined them. Those guys were from Pune and they came for project presentation.

BITS had arranged for a wonderful accommodation in the Visiting Faculties hostel. Everything inside the campus was well organized. Billa completed the presentation well and started to Delhi in a bus. Again the window seat. He pondered with incidents happened during his journey to Pilani. He thought that journey would have been simpler either if Pilani had a good transport facility or if he had good knowledge in Hindi. This had happened approximately a year before. Roads to Pilani might have improved atleast a bit better. But Billa's Hindi knowledge is still the same.