The Varanasi Torpedoes



First Jobs, First Dates, First anything…. they all have a special place in our hearts and minds…My first job in 1986 was with HCL (Then Hindustan Computers Limited) and after a 8 week in-house training, yours truly and two others were packed off to Lucknow,  to be part of the team setting up a new branch office…. My territory was Eastern Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Allahabad)…

Travel started almost immediately, A typical month would mean 10 nights on Kashi Vishwanath Express train traveling between Lucknow and Varanasi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varanasi) for the over night journey. Get off at Varanasi @ around 5:00 am and get a Rickshaw for Gautam Hotel ….Great value at that time ----Rs.120 a day with a sumptuous breakfast thrown in – As a bachelor, in your first job---this was a great perk!...The Rickshaw guy(s) of course wanted to deny me this perk and would invariably try and get me to some other hotels where they would get a Rs.10 commission every time they got a new customer!...The story was always the same….”Sahib, Gautam Hotel is totally sold out, there is a marriage party staying there” and my standard retort was that I was also part of the marriage party!

The day would start by reaching Godhulia (Translated – where cows were bathed—This was a big market square : check this article : http://archive.deccanherald.com/Content/Jun152008/finearts2008061473502.asp ) by 8:00 am and getting ready for the most amazing roller coaster ride in India…from Godhulia to Banaras Hindu University (BHU). A 13 passenger auto rickshaw (Three wheeler) hurtling down the narrow streets of Varanasi at break-neck speeds of 40 km / hr! That is right they would seat 13 in that vehicle with an “official capacity of 4 (including the driver). Since I was a “Babu” ( Tie and briefcase) , I would get the privilege of sitting in the front with the driver…so far so good….till you saw another 13 passenger auto coming head on from the other direction at the same speed with a very clear intention of ramming into you!!.....The streets of Varanasi were designed by measuring the widths of two autos side by side and adding a few millimeters for tolerance!....so with these 2 missiles loaded with 26 people in all and coming from opposite directions at break-neck speed, the only choice for the un-initiated was to close your eyes and pray for a miracle to happen….and amazingly the miracle happened every time….At the very last second before the collision the 2 drivers would somehow swerve in opposite directions and come right back to the middle of the road without a scratch -and 24 sighs of relief..   If you were an atheist, after this experience you would certainly become a believer!!   As they say…another coat of paint on the autos and we would have had a collision......The scary part was that I had to undertake the same roller coaster on my way back. After my first 2 trips - I was a veteran and had overcome the fear of the Varanasi Torpedoes.