I learnt importance of a mobile

College days are termed as the golden days in one’s life, its said they are the beautiful days which can only be enjoyed once and they do not return back.

July 2009, It was my first day of degree college, those days I didn’t own a mobile phone nor was I very keen in buying one as I used to consider it a burden, to carry it the whole day. Though my parents often repeatedly insisted me to buy one, but I was quite firm on my decision, will buy only if necessary.

It was my first journey in the Mumbai  BEST bus. Though I had previously travelled in the bus but only with my mom, but this time I had to travel all by my own self. Before proceeding from home, she orally told me plus I too penned down the bus route numbers which will drop me near the college i.e. 123 and 106. I reached the bus stop around 7 AM, turned happy to notice bus no. 106 was already waiting at the depot. I boarded the bus, occupied a vacant seat and patiently waited for the bus to move.

Things looked so simple, but within a second the situation turned awful. A local school boy entered the bus in a hurry from the back door and yelled to his friend who was just sitting right in front of me, ‘Come fast 103 (१०३) is going.’

Suddenly he hopped from his seat and got off the bus, I looked at the bus through the window and the number 103 (१०३) looked like 106 (१०६), to me. Actually the mirror image of the numbers caused the real confusion. I hurriedly got off the bus and entered the bus number 103. The bus was a bit crowded as all the passengers had entered and got their favourite seats.

As the ticket conductor approached me, I said, 'One Church gate ticket,' he was a bit puzzled and replied, 'The bus does not go there, you can get down at the Fountain.

I was a bit tensed as I really didn’t know about the Fountain stop, because my mom just told me about two stops; RC Church where my home was and Church gate where my college was. I was really anxious at that moment,  I realized my mistake that I had board the wrong bus. I did'nt realize and the ticket conductor gave me the ticket till  ‘Fountain’. I was  totally blank what to do as I had no idea, where the hell was the ‘fountain’ bus stop, and how to get to college after that. A sweet lady next to me told me to get down on the next stop, and wait for bus no 106.

I was waiting at the bus stop keeping an eye on my watch too, as I had to report in  college by 7:30 am, and it was already 7:10, and there was no sign of the bus. I kept waiting for either 123 or 106. Time was running fast and I was getting tensed and anxious every passing second and minute. 

I  looked around so as to find a solution, luckily I spotted a PCO phone kept in a grocery store, I thought of calling my mom and informing her about my situation, so that she drops me to college. I walked towards the store, picked up the receiver, inserted a one rupee coin and dialled mom’s mobile no, unfortunately the call was not successful. I disconnected the call, the coin came out of box and I once again tried calling her, but again the call failed. Now my frustration level started increasing, I was not able to talk to the person I wanted to at that moment of crisis. Suddenly I  saw a gentleman standing next to me, I asked him, whether he could dial the number for me.  He insisted me I should try one more time to call up my mom. I tried dialling the number again, but, alas the things were not the same this time. My coin got stuck in the phone and didn't come out even after placing the receiver down. The gentleman started banging the phone, so that the coin comes out, and suddenly the shopkeeper started  shouting for the damage we were doing. The gentleman felt bad for me, he wanted to help me, but his mobile had no balance either.

At that moment I felt as if everything has been out of my control, from loosing my bus to the PCO problem. The time was 7:25 now and I really had no idea how I could reach college in 5 minutes, I thought of taking another bus and going  back home, as I was rally very very late on the first day of my college. But suddenly I saw a bus approaching the bus stop, it was the same bus no. 106 . Which I had left in the morning . I got into the bus and only prayed hope I reach college on time. As the bus moved, I felt butterflies in my stomach, which continued until I reached my college. As I reached the college gate, I was happy to see many students coming  late to college. I happily entered college without any sense of stress now.

Till date I remember my memorable first day to college. Whenever I share this tale with my friends and family, even now they all have a hearty laugh.They crack jokes on me and my critical situation. But even today I know the emotions I had gone through during that moment. I even realized the importance of a mobile phone, if I had a mobile that day I could have called my mom and she could have dropped me at college, or I could have asked here another route number which I could have boarded. 

Today I own a mobile, but still I continue having problem with a PCO.