NOVEMBERS - finding solace in Mumbai...

THE ESCAPE

I was breathing heavily , everywhere was a rush and just within radius of one meter there were at least 20-25 people in total . That's how the situation looks when you travel in a general compartment of the Indian Railways and that too after the times of Diwali . Yeah , I was travelling through the railways . Travelling to someone's DREAM PLACE , someone's WORK PLACE and someone's HAUNTED PLACE . Haunted place? well that sounds something like a huge, big and dark palace where the only creatures love to stay are blind bats , howling wolfs and that one crazy guy who hopelessly dares to follow the unfamiliar sounds . Well I was travelling to Mumbai.

Well it was somewhat similar to my first ever long trips , as I never travelled such long but close from years . Long but close because , I don't think Mumbai is that far from Kolhapur but for someone like me who travels in his own dark room on the wheels of his thoughts travelling to Mumbai was just a big thing .

Not to mention it was my first solo trip through train and being honest I was much more excited about travelling alone . Well when it comes to a boy of age 20 , it seems somewhat a late age to travel alone . And for that I will surely be thankful to my overprotective parents who literally allowed me to travel this far after struggling for the permission for near 3-4 days . That was actually my War for Freedom , being me as my own freedom fighter . And when you decide to travel by train at the very last moment , the only option that leaves behind is the one and only General Compartment .

Well there's a fun fact about the General Compartment , no one owns a seat but once you get one , you just feels like you had conquered the world . But before conquering that running , actually noisy running world , you have to go through a marathon that starts with the whistle of the train and not the fire of the gun . As soon as the race starts the first checkpoint is to catch the door of the moving train , half of the competitors might fall near the door while some will leave the race just by looking towards the rush , Heh Cowards!! After that if you successfully entered the train , Congratulations you have passed the Level 1 and now you are moved to Level 2 . Now here in Level 2 it's all about your smartness and strength . Find the best seat that is easy to occupy with your smartness and than fight for that seat with your strength until you actually put your butt comfortably over it .

Thus that's how my first solo trip began , but I think my past was more dark , tiring and depressing than this horrible General Compartment Marathon .

Have you ever thought of living in dark room for almost 5-6 days straight just after your Pre-exam Leave? I never loved dark that much as much I was loving it during that time. Cause it was vibing with me the way my thoughts were. The only time I was under light was the times when I was having my basic necessities and when I was using my phone . Well phone can be called as a basic necessity . At least it's company feels like someone is there to talk , to entertain you and a temporary escape from your situation. But sometimes it also leads you to dive deeper into your overthinking when a video or content related to relationship just pops out!

Yeah I was in the phase of my Break Up. And I actually got the reason why it is called Break Up, not only because it breaks the bond between the two but also sometimes it breaks one individual mentally the first.

I have one famous theory of mine that I strongly believe . In our heart there is one special place or room for the thing we love the most . Sometimes that place is occupied by the a famous celebrity, sometimes by any event and most of the time with our passion but when you are in love than that place is occupied with the person you love all the time . After the Break up or the time when your loved one disappears , a void is created at that place . And thus we feel empty and has sense of something is missing in our life . The same I was feeling at that time . Talk to none but express to everyone , and my everyone was the dim lit walls in my dark room .

Along with this lone situation , when you are a boy from middle class family , is in 3rd year of Computer Science and Engineering and obviously wants to follow the passion of storytelling , well I don't know why but I think engineering actually teaches us how to do things rather than engineering . Whatever it may be being in that stage of life , career is the one of the prior thing that you will wish to sort out . Mostly when you don't want to have that trap of 9-5 , genzs' call it MATRIX . You know that sucks right . Just who the fuck will want to do his daily stuffs as per instructed by his boss or the team Leader . Maybe I am not the one to do so .

In this very thought in my obvious dark room , scrolling the reels , I decided to go out somewhere for the first time . Mumbai was not my first option to travel , I was actually searching for the place that has peace , silence and more importantly Secluded . But when you have to struggle hard for something than I guess you sometimes show your acceptance in compromises too , similar to a boy who is in deep love with a girl gets a sense of happiness even in a single "HI" from that girl after a long tiring day . Mumbai was completely opposite to what i have thought of but I just wanted to at least get out of my room and somehow I made up my mind to go Mumbai .

My train was arriving at night at sharp 8:50 PM and as I was already having the idea of the crowd which gradually resulting in no environment of rest , I had enough rest in the whole day itself . Being honest my parents were much more tensed than me the way they were preparing for me . Dad too conscious about departure of the train whereas , Mom too much disturbed from the time she realized I am travelling alone . As I was noticing this for a moment I was thinking to cancel my plan but was also knowing how hard I have struggled to be at this point of this trip .

When I was chasing the train to enter in it , that was the very first moment I forgot my each and every worry . I was fully focused on the adventure of that messy , unruled marathon . And the time I got the seat was the time I was satisfied and happy for some while , and that feeling was not fake . In today's time , not to fake is also an achievement . I sat on my seat , was already breathing anaerobically stayed silent for some time and that said to myself ,"Arjun , WELCOME TO MUMBAI..."