Queen Of The Hills

Chapter IV

RETURN TO DELHI AND WORK

Simmy looked out of the window as her train pulled into the railway station at New Delhi, one of the three main stations of the large city. Though it was well into the night, yet there was a flurry of activities on the platform. Porters were running with the train in perfectly coordinated steps to enable them to take vantage positions near the entrances of the bogies, and get the first deals of carrying the luggage of passengers.

Finally the train ground to a halt with a slow screech. Simmy didn't have much luggage to carry. She slung her bag over her shoulders and walked off the train and after traversing some distance, got into the clean and well lit Metro Station to catch the metro to her place.The Metro Train service, called tube service in many cities, which was quite new to Delhi, had expanded its network to all parts of Delhi, giving the city a much better means for travelling, both time and convenience wise. It ran both underground and on elevated tracks. With its expansion, people of Delhi could, if they wanted, avoid the massive traffic jams on the claustrophobic roads of Delhi. Besides, the air-conditioned coaches and stations of the metro certainly made travel more comfortable.

Simmy was living in a place called Mayur Vihar, a huge colony located in the Eastern part of Delhi, beyond the river Yamuna. She had got a one room apartment on rent, at a very reasonable price, a price she could never have afforded in the more posh colonies of Delhi. The metro glided into the Mayur Vihar station next to the Akshardhaam temple. This station was on an elevated platform and from there the Akshardham temple, one of the more spectacular structures of Delhi, was clearly visible. This being night time, the structure looked all the more imposing, with its yellowish neon lights adding more charm to the  marvellous landscaping of the temple, full of neatly cut lawns and properly trimmed trees .

Delhi had often been erroneously called a City Of Graves, owing to the numerous mausoleums of kings and nobles, spread all over Delhi, reinstating that belief. The reason was not far to seek. Most of the large empires in northern India, right over the centuries, had had their capitals at Delhi. After their demise, the kings and sultans were cremated or buried here and massive mausoleums made in their memory. Any reference to Delhi as the City of Graves was a highly unfair one. For  besides these mausoleums, there were also many other architectural marvels in the city including the robustly constructed forts: Red Fort and Old Fort; the slender and tapering Qutb Minar, the Jama Masjid, the Lotus and Akshardham Temples and countless other structures,which pointed to the variety of architectural masterpieces existing there.

Simmy's apartment was just across the road outside the Metro station; a walk able distance. She reached home tired but contended. Dinner had been served on the train. She made a cup of coffee and looked back on the chain of events of the recent past. Overall it had been a happy experience in Dehradun. The mental block which she had carried about Dehradun, which had caused  her so much trauma in the past, had now  been removed. She had met  old friends and acquaintances, some of them, closest to her heart. The Dehradun visit was also her first break from work and had suitably recharged her batteries.

While Simmy was in Dehradun, she had got a call from a friend, who worked as an Office Assistant in her Office, informing her that she was getting married next Sunday. Simmy was invited to attend the wedding, which would be held at a Community Centre in Noida, situated not very far from her residence. She had readily agreed. Attending a Delhi wedding would be a fun experience. And thank heavens, it was on a Sunday; which would be such a relief from the accursed Delhi traffic.

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It was a great feeling getting down to her work. A lot of pending office work had piled up, while she was at Dehradun. A few important meetings with the clients had to be arranged. From the look of relief on her boss' face, she could make out how badly he needed her help, as he was struggling with the workload. 'No issues, my man! I will set it right,' she thought inwardly.