The First Day in Mumbai (part III)

(It is a continuation of the previous two posts. This one will be more meaningful if you read those first.)

The staggering 29-storey-high structure of Naperol Tower was a great relief. It was a big residential complex. The guesthouse was on the first floor of ‘A’ wing. Inspiring my exhausted frame with the thought of impending rest, I dragged myself up with the luggage to the destination. But the destiny wasn’t that sweet and simple.

There was no booking for me. A bit more of persisting verbal exchanges and data mining in the computer made the picture clear. A booking was made in my name for 27th. Since I had joined on 6th (I had no idea that the joining date had been changed), the booking for 27th was cancelled and to my utmost anguish no substitute had been arranged.

I tried all kinds of tricks to secure a place in the guesthouse. I offered to pay. I requested first for a room and then for a sofa. I asked whether I could talk to anybody for a late booking. But nothing was of avail. Finally I called my HR in-charge. He took someone else in the telephonic conference. I was first adamant about traveling again in a taxi in the night. However it soon became clear that I had no other option.

With about 20 minutes of discussion, the situation was settled. A booking was made in a hotel in Turbhe. The clerk in the guesthouse, perhaps because of being a Bengali himself, took pity on me. He arranged for a taxi and I had to travel all the way back to Navi Mumbai.

As I sank in my deepest slumber in the hotel room at last, it was hard to feel that it was in fact my first day in Mumbai. It has been the longest day so far.