Today I tried to find another avenue for Hindi books. The library staff at city library had told me that the university library would have Hindi books. So I decided t0 go to University library.

I was given the name of the station where I needed to get off the subway, but could not memorize it. So she told me to get down at second last station. Now this concept of second last station is quite weird. It’s much easier to track the 1st, second or for that matter any numbered station even last station is not difficult but second last station is quite risky affair – I understood it today. I embarked on the train and started my journey, The subway trains, fortunately have route maps. My train had to go through a path, on which the path has a diversion and I can change train if I want to go to some other direction. Good part for me was that I had caught a direct train to my destination and I just kept on looking at the route map and counting the station downwards till second last one. I got down at the station and started searching for the University exit. But all I could find was the exit for University Hospital. I thought may be university hospital would be a part of university campus so happily I went towards that.

Asking for the way to the library, I got different answers from different people. That time I remembered the evergreen lines of Madhushala – ‘अलग अलग पथ बतलाते सब....' But alas I was searching for the house of books and not that of 'Madhu'. finally a professor could direct me to the place by saying 'that building, which you cannot see from here has library'. Somehow I could reach there and to my surprise I found library to be very small. Upon asking, I was told that it was hospital library and not the one belonging to the campus. I was told that the campus is two stations away from there. I was literally surprised: 'How can there be a place, two stations ahead of second last station. In half belief, I came back to the station and relooked at the route map and then I realized my mistake: This is what happens when you do not know the local language and do not have people whom you can ask in a language you know and have to rely completely on the pictures or diagrams, which you are not very sure of. On whole of my way on the train, I was looking at the route map in a wrong way. I was down-counting from the last station of the diversion path.

Anyway, I cursed myself for the stupidity of mine and started afresh for campus. Upon reaching campus and somehow locating the library, I was surprised - I could not find many students roaming around inside the university. I cannot imagine if I go to Delhi University or JNU ( The only universities I have been t, prior to my visit to Kyushyu university today), I can find any road without a group of students involved in 'Value-adding' activities, Anyway the staff at library directed me to the international cell, upon asking for Hindi books. He said that they have very few Hindi books. Anyway even very few was good enough for me. But I could not find a single Hindi book. Upon asking again to the staff, I was told, they have books on Hindi, but written in Japanese and not a single book written in Hindi.

I did not know what to say to the library staff !