Hartal Special🐟

Let me take you back 15 years—to my college days.
Back then, our campus was famous for two things: student politics and hostel fights. Especially during final-year season, clashes between groups were almost… scheduled events.

Since we were first-years who preferred peace, food, and survival, my friends and I stayed neutral. Instead of picking sides, we built something far more useful—a spy network. Thanks to an Orkut group, updates about when and where the next fight might break out reached us at 2G speed. But since my roommate was the spy chief, I got the info in 5G 😎

One evening, we received an alert: “Fight expected near the hostel mess.”

Now, watching seniors fight using mini-drafters and smashing thick textbooks could be entertaining… but there was one serious problem. Every time a fight happened, the college council would shut down the mess for a week. Apparently, their theory was: a hungry engineer is a peaceful engineer 😂

Luckily, I got the info early. One quick call home—and hearing “pomflet fry and mango curry”—was enough motivation. I decided to escape before the chaos began.

So after tea, I quietly packed my bag and slipped out—only informing my roommate. The plan was simple: hitchhike to the railway station, jump into any general compartment, and reach home in 3 hours… straight to the dinner table.

Too simple, because the universe had other plans.

Suddenly, I got a call from my roommate: “Bro… where are you going? The whole town is shut!”

Only then did I notice—empty streets, closed shops, police everywhere. Turns out, there was a serious political clash outside. Hartal. Police curfew. And I, as usual, had no clue.

Still, I tried my luck and ran to the station.

And of course… the one time the train decided to be perfectly on time… I missed it.

 
With no buses, autos, or options left, I had to head back. By evening, the place was crawling with police, so I took a back route, climbed the hostel wall like a thief, and sneaked in.

I rushed to the mess just to see some empty vessels.

To make things even more ironic, our brave seniors had cancelled their fight after hearing about the real political clash outside.

Meanwhile, my dear roommate—who can’t keep a secret for even a minute—had already leaked my “great escape plan” to my friends.

So there I was… hungry, desperate, and somehow turning the night into an adventure—an unexpected trek, a heroic wall climb, and worst of all… missing that pomflet fry.

And when I finally made it back to my room, surprise! My friends were wide awake… waiting just for me. Little did I know, my empty stomach was about to become their punching bag for my failed secret mission.

What a full-on hartal special 😂

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