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We reached the hotel at around 4:00 in the evening. It was Christmas eve, and the plan was to spend the night in Agra and leave for Delhi the next morning. We would spend the next day in Delhi sightseeing, and visit the factory in its outskirts the day after.
There were four women in the group, and more than 40 men. After checking in at the hotel, we walked around the streets some, had tea, tried some Petha (the Agra special ash gourd-and-sugar syrup sweet dish), and chanced upon a fair. An exhibition, as they call it in India......The giant ferris wheel showed us where it was, and we just followed it with our eyes and feet.
There was a bookstall there, much to my delight, and I spent some time browsing. A lot of it was in Hindi - and after browsing around, I bought one novel. We walked around the stalls, had a soft drink, and rode the merry go round - one of my favorite attractions. We women then walked through some costume-jewelry and handkerchief stalls, and in general, we broke up into groups. The coordinator was ok with this, as the hotel was only a 10 minute walk away.
After browsing some of the stalls, we ran into A and some other guys at the giant wheel.
"Ride, anyone?" says S, my roommate - and turns to me.
Hmmm. Giant wheels and I don't get along. The last time I rode one was with my mother, when I was in elementary school. She, I and my younger brother had gotten into one after much begging on my part. After a couple of spins, my mother had screamed so much, scared the heck out of the kids by invoking Ganesha, Tripurasundari, Rama and the names of so many Hindu gods and goddesses, that the operator had got fed up and booted us all out. That experience had put me off giant wheels for good, and I now looked at it with some trepidation.
"Come on, Priya. And A, and R - all of you", urges S, unaware of my thoughts. But A senses something, and comes and stands by me.
"Chale?" he says teasingly.
"Um, not in the mood yaar - you all go. I'll wait here".
"What, scared huh? Madam darr gayi?"
Now what do I say to that..... the ego of the twentysomethings! Wouldn't let me admit to my fears, it seems. I compose myself and look him in the eye.
"Darr? Who me? Not at all - let's go!"
So there we were, four of us in one unit - A next to me, S across me with R by her side. I try to look as nonchalant as I can, even smile when each dip of the wheel seemed to heave my stomach from a hilltop. A few more minutes and this should be done, I tell myself. Its not bad, its just a silly wheel spinning downwards....just don't look down and try not to feel anything in the stomach. Two more spins....thaaaat's it. Easy now, and remember to keep smiling. Mind control is all there is to it - to anything. The spins get slower and finally, mercifully, the wheel stops.
A looks at me.
"Had fun?"
I nod, smiling.
"Of course. I loved the ride."
Liar, my mind says, but I ignore it.
"Was it scary?", A plods.
"Naaah, scared? Who me? No way!" I smile triumphantly. Ha! I got you A - now you won't even guess how frightening it all was to me.
Now S and R and A are all smiling at each other, and I wonder why nobody is getting down.
"Hey guys, what are you waiting for? Let's get down", I say.
"Sure, Priya....if you'll be so kind as to loosen your hold on my wrist, I can get my circulation back?" suggests A.
Wh....? I snatch my hand away hastily. Blood was returning to A's wrist, and to my embarrassment, I could see the imprints of my fingers on his skin. A raises his eyebrows and gives me a mocking smile....I try to return his smile, fail miserably, and look away in confusion. Oh God!
That entire evening, whenever we get a quiet moment, A calls me Jhansi ki Rani.
*-*-*-*
S is the only Christian in the group, and was away from family on Christmas Day. So we speak to the coordinator, and decide to stop for early morning mass at a local church, before we go on to Delhi.
The Church is a small one, and the pastor agrees to host the 60 of us in that cramped space. Only S knows what to do, and we imitate whatever she does. Those of us who had studied in convents, knew some hymns - and sang along when the familiar ones came up.
"Thanks, guys. That was so nice of you all", S says. But she didn't have to say all that. She was part of our group, part of a family. We were all away from family, and had sort of adopted each other during the journey.
We dined at a roadside restaurant as usual. The coordinator had bought a cake on account of Christmas, and we all shared it at the end of the meal. S was a little overwhelmed and tearful as we boarded the bus for Delhi. Was she missing family, sad that this wonderful journey will soon end - perhaps both?
Two days later, we all boarded a train to return to headquarters.
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