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(Yamuna during sunsent)

Does it happen with me or with everyone else that the thing for which you are excited and are so eagerly looking forward to always get spoilt. The more excited you get, bigger gets the spoiler. This has happened to me so many times that I now force myself not to get excited. But in the process, I think about it so much that excitement though not apparently visible boils inside me all the while.

This time I was so much excited to see Sangam. I wanted to see the confluence of Ganga and Yamnua which merge together to form Triveni. But alas, there was no Ganga. I know it sounds incredulous but its true. The flow of Ganga has been stopped by some dam upstream. So there was just Yamuna. All those people downstream who believe that they are actually taking a dip in Ganga are getting cheated. Its just Yamuna there. Ganga has been stopped. You could see its river bed at Sangam.

But nevertheless, Allahabad visit was great. Nothing can substitute Ganga. But Yamuna with its green water makes up for the deficit. The rivers always beckon me. Its so soothing to see that great a mass flowing in unison. But at the same time it is also intimidating for its flow can uproot you.

The flow of the Yamuna is gentle in the great plains. So you cant hear the water flowing as you would upstream. I would have loved to hear that sound. I could imagine myself lying beside a river on a moonless night with nothing but that sound as my companion for the night. I have infact breiefly but closely realized this imagination. It was during our visit to Sikkim. It was night time and river Teesta was flowing at some distance from our accomodation and I was standing there by the wall facing Teesta, unable to see it but still feeling the presence of its water through the sound. I led her water enchant me. It was just so comforting and so magical.

Besides Yamuna and Sangam, we went to see Swaraj Bhawan and Anand Bhawan, the home to Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. They are now museums with many pics of the Nehru family, depicting their jouney during the coarse of their struggle for Independence. There was one pic of Mahatma Gandhi with other Congress men in which he was wearing a suit and was so unlike the stereotypical Gandhi we have in our minds that it was really difficult to recognize him. Believe me, if you are given a photo of him which is not in his loin cloth, then you will not be able to recognize him.

In all Allahabad visit provided me the change that I had been seeking since a long time. So after 2 days at Allahabad and 4 days at home, I am back to the campus for the new semester. We also have first yearites in our hall this time. So I'm looking forward for some 'informal interaction' with them in the coming days.