I didn’t have to look at India’s map to know where Korba lies. I was happy to get Korba as it was the nearest ‘EDC’ from my hometown. After being born and brought up in Jharkhand and graduating from Uttrakhand, it was but destiny to enter my job life from Chattisgarh.
When I look back at my five months of stay at Korba, sitting in Indica on my way back home, getting the puncture corrected against the background of “Tumse mohabbat kar lun ji bhar ke....”, I feel confused. Five months is too long a period to waste like ‘picnic days’ and too short a period to accomplish something substantial. I tried to use these five months like that only, but to the extent which I succeeded is doubtful.
Anyways, before going too self-centric, let me dedicate some praise for the place Korba itself. It was better than my expectations. Roads were good, shops were sufficient, their quality was good. Restaurants were OK, the people were nice. One interesting fact -- It is the 10th highest income tax payee city in India! Money was in plenty with everyone in Korba. Once I was in the bank to make a demand draft of 2000 rupees. I was third in the queue. The first person deposited a bag full of money in his account and the second one cashed in a cheque of rupees two lakhs!
Korba looked beautiful at night. The reflection of waning lights on Hasdev river and its canals created a real splendour. The transport nagar chowk with traffic lights and parallel running railway track gave Korba an English look. But the autos and bicycles helped it to retain its Indian charm. The real USP of Korba was its chimneys. Clean chimneys of NTPC, dirty ones of CSEB and the ‘Kopper Chimney’. Sesh Nath had given an interesting chimney theorm. We had observed that the most of the younger generation who were born in Korba were taller than their parents who had migrated from some other place to work here. According to Sesh Nath, it was because of the chimneys. The hot gases coming out of the chimney created a positive temperature gradient and hence a negative pressure gradient. This reduced pressure at the top pulled the heights of young Korbans.
Korba always was not beautiful. My first night was, well, awful. On the very first night, I went to Green Valley Bar, my first experience of bar. Although I didn’t drink but I got a peek into the days to come and the friends I got – Omi, Sesh, Suraj, Subho. Murmu, Khevs and Devi were not there on that night. These were the people who shared my good and bad times and these were the best people I possibly could have got as friends. They all loved me, respected my needs and above all understood me. With them, I never felt low. Their poor but lively jokes refreshed me every time I felt tired studying. For most idiots who termed them as ‘villains’, they were the only people who didn’t fake. They were same in your face and behind your back. If only someone had heard what the ‘good’ people had to say behind their backs.
To be continued......
When I look back at my five months of stay at Korba, sitting in Indica on my way back home, getting the puncture corrected against the background of “Tumse mohabbat kar lun ji bhar ke....”, I feel confused. Five months is too long a period to waste like ‘picnic days’ and too short a period to accomplish something substantial. I tried to use these five months like that only, but to the extent which I succeeded is doubtful.
Anyways, before going too self-centric, let me dedicate some praise for the place Korba itself. It was better than my expectations. Roads were good, shops were sufficient, their quality was good. Restaurants were OK, the people were nice. One interesting fact -- It is the 10th highest income tax payee city in India! Money was in plenty with everyone in Korba. Once I was in the bank to make a demand draft of 2000 rupees. I was third in the queue. The first person deposited a bag full of money in his account and the second one cashed in a cheque of rupees two lakhs!
Korba looked beautiful at night. The reflection of waning lights on Hasdev river and its canals created a real splendour. The transport nagar chowk with traffic lights and parallel running railway track gave Korba an English look. But the autos and bicycles helped it to retain its Indian charm. The real USP of Korba was its chimneys. Clean chimneys of NTPC, dirty ones of CSEB and the ‘Kopper Chimney’. Sesh Nath had given an interesting chimney theorm. We had observed that the most of the younger generation who were born in Korba were taller than their parents who had migrated from some other place to work here. According to Sesh Nath, it was because of the chimneys. The hot gases coming out of the chimney created a positive temperature gradient and hence a negative pressure gradient. This reduced pressure at the top pulled the heights of young Korbans.
Korba always was not beautiful. My first night was, well, awful. On the very first night, I went to Green Valley Bar, my first experience of bar. Although I didn’t drink but I got a peek into the days to come and the friends I got – Omi, Sesh, Suraj, Subho. Murmu, Khevs and Devi were not there on that night. These were the people who shared my good and bad times and these were the best people I possibly could have got as friends. They all loved me, respected my needs and above all understood me. With them, I never felt low. Their poor but lively jokes refreshed me every time I felt tired studying. For most idiots who termed them as ‘villains’, they were the only people who didn’t fake. They were same in your face and behind your back. If only someone had heard what the ‘good’ people had to say behind their backs.
To be continued......
