Pilgrimage to Pilani

Yes, been to BITS Pilani last week. The trip was hectic and tiring given the soaring temperatures of Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. Yes I went through three states in 3 days of my trip. For all those who are doing MS from BITS know why one has to go to a Pilani (Yes I am a Masters now!), for those who do not, the reason is at the end of the MS every student needs to visit Pilani to submit dissertation report (Project report) and viva-voce.

My travel plan was etched by me only, did not want myself to burn in the heat and didn't have company to visit the nearby cooler areas like Manali, Shimla etc. I do not like to travel alone. The usual process is forming a group before going to Delhi and then travel from Delhi is a hired car, but not many people were traveling the same day as me (you know how everyone loves to finish things on the last day!). So I landed in Delhi by a morning flight at around 9:30 am last Wednesday. The temperatures were above 30 by that time. If not having a car, then there are two ways to reach Pilani. No prize for guesses, one is via bus, another via train. I didn't bother taking the train as it did not go directly to Pilani (it is not connected by rail).

Took a cab to the ISBT (Inter-State Bus Terminus) in Old Delhi. On the way saw Jama Masjid and Red Fort. This was the third time I was in Delhi, and I know this time also I will not actually visit any places in Delhi! So, just getting myself satisfied with whatever I saw on the way. Reached ISBT at about 10:30 am, it took around 1 hour to travel from Domestic Airport to ISBT, the fare for AC cab (Easycabs) was Rs. 410/- so you can work out how much a normal taxi or auto would cost. Bus number 729 also might be available from the airport till ISBT. I say might since the buses are very less. But Metro work is in progress, so soon the auto and taxi wallas will have a tough time.

ISBT, the name is pretty flashy, but the place is totally different. Exactly how Delhi was portrayed in the movie Delhi 6. Incidentally, ISBT is really in Delhi 6. The terminus is very old and shabby (well yes it is in Old Delhi). Only modern thing I saw was the footbridge near the terminus, it had an escalator! Imagine having escalators in a footbridge.

The place is full of dhabas which serve food. I didn't try as I had to go for a 6 hours bus journey, so didn't take any chances. McDonald's was there to save me in the ISBT Kashmere Gate Metro Station. At the ticket counter they said Pilani bus is not before 2 pm. So I had 3 hours to kill. The only option was Red Fort as it was near. But after reaching the place I understood that it was a wrong idea. It was so hot and the sun was shining mercilessly. I remembered the Glucon D ad, sun sucking the juices off. But still there were a lot of people. Didn't go inside as I had a huge bag and a long line for tickets. Just took some photographs from outside. Then decided to visit Jama Masjid as I could see the domes from there, but it was too far, so I decided to head back to ISBT. Took a bus from Red Fort (Rs 5/-).

After a long lunch at McD (inside was AC u see), I took a seat in many of the benches inside the terminus building. The inside is quite cool. It is quite clean going by the crowd, maybe because there are lot of dhabas inside. I sat there watching people. I saw people from various classes there, got irritated by the ear-cleaners (yes many persons were going around asking if they can clean your ears!), saw one old Sardarji help a young lady to prefix 0 before calling STD mobile numbers, saw other BITS students arriving. Then at 1:30 pm the tickets were distributed. Yes, there was a queue and if you r not early enough, you might have to travel on the roof of the bus!

The ticket was Rs 115/-. So much for a 6 hours long journey. I geared up with a bottle of water and the snacks were already inside the bus. Got lucky to get a 2 seater. Though the window seat was not mine, the other guy was very shy to even argue. I realised I was lucky to get the 2 seater because later saw that 4 people were squeezing on the 3 seaters. The journey was pretty boring. Just that it was very hot and after 3 hours I could have my co-passenger talking. We chatted on few topics, he was also going to BITS for dissertation. Thank God, I won't have to search for a roomie in the hostel. The route was via Rohtak, Bhiwani, Loharu. After crossing Delhi (and the marriage farms on the Delhi Rohtak Road), the scenery changed drastically to rural. By 4 pm, the wind became cooler and the smell of fresh farm was very rejuvenating. Peacocks and peahens were in plenty. Witnessed for the first time how Green Revolution has changed the face of a dessert. The farms even had sprinklers! (Whereas I thought sprinklers in Infy was a great thing!)

We reached Pilani, a very small town, at around 8:30 pm. So it took exactly 6 hours. The BITS campus is walking distance from the bus stand. We checked into the hostel. The VFAST hostel is really cheap, Rs 550/- per person per day for a AC room with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Having a roomie was good, as I was all alone. So got company in roaming around the campus at night. Dinner was awesome, vegetarian buffet served at table and all local cuisine. Having original north Indian taste in food was so welcome.

Next day breakfast was also good. Then headed to the Clock Tower of BITS for our viva timings. Had a nice talk with the assistant Dean when he welcomed all of us. The viva was over by 11:40 am. Incidentally me and my examiner graduated in the same year! So, you can imagine how the viva went. My roomie was also done within 12 noon. Then we completed some of our personal tasks; he had to collect a receipt and I was chasing some re-evaluation. At 1 pm we had lunch at the hostel canteen. and then went back to room for some rest. We started at around 3 pm and visited the places inside campus. The Museum, the Saraswati Temple and the Library. It reminded me of my training days in Mysore. Though not that much yo, but still the essence is same. The students were quite young and quite studious (later came to know it was exam time!).

My return flight was next day evening, so I decided to stay on, as I would not have got a cheaper accommodation in Delhi. My roomie left at night as his flight was in the morning. He left by the 10:30 pm bus and reached safely by early morning. I watched TV had dinner and then slept well. Next day left Pilani after breakfast by the 9:30 am bus. The bus was quite crowded from 9 am only. It was a video coach with conditions apply (there is no guarantee that video will run!). Journey was quite boring again. Pleasant at first but as the day progressed, the heat was unmanageable. Reached Delhi ISBT by 3:30 pm. Had lunch again at McDs. Then waited for airport bus in vain. Finally took an auto for Rs 150/- to the domestic airport. You need to bargain. The metered fare would be around Rs.100/-. Reached airport only to find that my flight was about 1 hour late. Well, Delhi IGI airport is not a bad place to kill your time. It is like any mall in Bangalore. By the time my flight left Delhi it was around 8:50 pm. Reached Bangalore at 11:30 pm. Boarded 5A bus and got down at BTM Bus Stand at 1 am.