Industrial Visit - Part 1

I have just got back from a one week first and last Industrial Visit that I think all of us will ever go for. When I say “all of us” I mean me and all of my friends in college. Whatever happened in this one week was good. I think its one of the best holidays I have had. First of all because there was no “adult supervision”! And secondly, when you are with your best friends, I think you can survive any place, and Goa and Bangalore are not exactly places where one would say “Oh my God! I don’t know how I survived there.” Somehow, I can’t imagine anyone saying that!!

The train journey was good. A train journey to Mangalore and then from there by the Konkan railways to Margao. By itself the train journey was quite exciting. During my first year, I had was a part of the National Cadet Corps. Naval wing, and for the camp I went by train. There was this job called “sentry duty” that all of us had to do. It was annoying then, but now if I think of it, it was one of the best parts of the trip. It was fun to walk the rather quiet compartment in the night. Occasionally you could hear someone talking in their sleep...during which they revealed some of their innermost desires!! LOLJ!! It truly was fun. Anyway, I started remembering those days because while I lay on my berth in the night, I had the strange urge to get up and start walking along the compartment!! Couple of my NCC Navy friends had a good laugh when they heard that. Well, I soon fell asleep only to be woken abruptly by Gunjan, who shook the sleep out of me when we reached Mangalore. He kept saying that the station will come soon, it took me some time to realize that the train was NOT moving. I later realized that we were already there!! All of us got off the train in time, after which the train was taken to the shed/depot (whatever its called).

It was a long wait for the Konkan railway train. I kept jumping from dream land to the real world. Twist of fate – the train that we were supposed to board was the one that was right in front of me!! And I could have boarded the train and slept in it all the while!! Teeheehee. My worst experience at Mangalore station was as follows – PUBLIC BRUSHING OF TEETH!! People who know me well would understand why that is the most harrowing experience of Mangalore!! I wouldn’t even brush my teeth in front of others at home. I don’t like to brush in front of others and I get no joy out of seeing others brush their teeth. I had to face both these problems at Mangalore, moreover, I had to face them at the same time!! I survived...

The journey to Goa was full of lush greenery on both sides of the train. I stood at the train door for the very first time in my life!! It was great...there isn’t too much fun sitting near the window as there is standing at the door!! Unfortunately, some people have proof to show that I was standing at the door – which may be used against me in the future!! I got off at almost every station. It was actually funny to see everyone scramble for the door when the train’s whistle went off just before it left. Fortunately no one got left behind. Of course there was loud howling every time we went through a tunnel, which was fun again. I had a sore throat by the time we reached Goa!!

By the time I reached Goa, it was nearing 1500 hrs. I was hungry and smelly. I smelt like the train...and of nothing else!! I had to cross Nuvem to go to Calangute from Margao. On the way I saw my aunt’s place but couldn’t get down coz every one was in a hurry to get to the hotel and eat, freshen up, sleep. I did, however, see the fat sausage of a dog, Scrooge!! Sigh... how I wish I could’ve got down.