My Memories - Cinema Houses and My St Stephen's College , Delhi Years 1975-80

Talking of Cinema Houses experience during our College time ( 1975-80 ) , I keep remembering my following scary experience .

 

.During my later years in College , I had started to develop my disability and I started having difficulty in running and boarding buses etc.

 

Once , I and my Stephanian colleague went to see a late evening show at Palace Cinema Hall near Old Subzi Mandi ( Roshanara Road ). Roashanara Road was then the hub of truckers .

 

At the Box office we were greeted with a " House Full " board.

Disappointed I told my friend , " Let go back to College ".

However my friend was a tenacious person. He said , " Wait " and soon spotted a Black Market Ticket Seller ( Double Rate .)

 

We bought two tickets and made to the Entrance Hall. The Cinema Usher checked our tickets and softly cursed and said , " Not again ". He said this is the second time , for that show , some body has brought these dud tickets.

Sure , we had checked the Date and show timing which were correct. But we had not read properly the name of the Cinema House which was a different one ( Filmistan ) at considerable distance with an unknown film running there.

 

Cheated and utterly disappointed I told my friend , " Let us forget our money and go back ".

My friend was bold and resourceful and told me to wait ..

 

He stood in the passage as if he was waiting for some one. 

 

Soon his bait was taken up by a burly / well built Sardarji ( must be a trucker ).

 

"Do you have spare tickets ?" He asked .

My friend : " Yes , but I am waiting for some one ".

 

My friend knew well that I could not run told me , " Commie , you disappear now "

 

He told me later that

 

After a few minutes the burly man again ,

" Hun Vech Vi do . Tuhada Banda nahin aa raha. Film shuru Hon Wali Hai "

My friend , " Accha Nikalo 20 Rupiye ( same as we had paid the Black marketer . No Loss - No Profit basis )

 

I slowly walked alone to the College taking the uphill road via Hindu Rao Hospital .

 

My walk must have taken some time because when I reached Residence my friend was already there.

Alarmed and extremely worried at my delay in reaching back my friend had gathered a team of tough College mates and armed with hockey sticks etc they were to mount a rescue mission to save me , presumably ,from the burly Sardarji , who , my concerned friend felt , might have caught hold me and may have been giving me a sound thrashing.

 

Well , there a collective shout of relief and heave of sigh from the would be rescuers ," Commie is back ( and unharmed ).

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My College - St. Stephen's College , Delhi

Commie ( Comrade ) my nickname given to me affectionately in College. In my Punjab Public School , Nabha I was called " Machhar