Life@623 H5 NITIE has been one that I'll remember for a long time. This is the first of the series of experiences I shall write to contain my frustration of not being able to rework any further on my widely talked about project in the unit. Please forgive some dramatisations. Its in my blood.
Cast: Poor Batty once again, Jai, Atlee, Prachi,Surabhi and Dhivya.
Date: 4th October 2006 - Thats what the date on the pic says
(Clockwise: Jay-partly hidden, Prachi, Surabhi, Dhivya and Poor Batty; Photo Courtesy: Atlee)
I was just back from a week long vacation@home and was settling in when I got a call from upstairs. Batty-wanted-in-placement-office was a new phenomenon back then and I quickly tucked in a shirt, put on a belt and rushed. Standing in formals in front of the hostel, trust me, is very embarassing. Everybody looks at you like a caged animal in a zoo. After a 15 min long wait, both of us took a jog up and I never panted more. I didnt have a clue the evening was going to be long. Another half-hour wait later we finally got in. Never accept a seat when he offers you one. I was too young in the system to realise that. Grabbed a chair straight in front of the AC. "So, what have you guys been upto?" Thats the last statement I remember from the marathon 4-hour sesson that went on. To cut things short, this is the essence of what transpired "There are two ways to become popular and get a name. One is be as hardworking as Harsha is, and the other is...." He just stops at it and smiles at me. Why I was notorious deserves another entry which I shall save for later. Its 9 pm already. My biological clock is never wrong. I wanna grab something to eat. Not wanting to go to the mess in formals I rushed to my room only to see it was locked.
I called up Jai( Yes! He was my roomie.)
"Dinner?"
"We are actually going out to dine."
"Where is Atlee?Uske paas chaabi hoga."
(Pause: Now who was Atlee? Uske paas chaabi kyon hoga? See, when I opted for NITIE, I was promised single occupancy, given double and realised it was triple. He was a non-permanant resident of the state of 623. But I didnt mind. We had a great time, the three of us. )
"Woh bhi aa raha hai humaare saath. Tu bhi chal jaldi. Ready ho jaa. We are going to TGIF."
"Great. I really wanna mug of beer. Have had a long evening. Who else is up?"
"Prachi and Surabhi."
I didnt battle an eyelid "Ok... you guys just carry on. Am in no mood to spoil my evening. If you guys are out on a double-date, just go ahead. "
"Abe date-wate kuch nahi hai. Tu bhi aajaa. "
I have known better not to accept such reasons. But I really needed a break.
How do I dress? What do I dress? These are some questions that have never bothered me and I just grabbed a pair of jeans put them on and came downstairs. Who is this Surabhi? I have never seen her and why is everybody in their party outfits. I was already getting a feel of misfit in that group.
" This is batty and she is Surabhi." Atlee told us and I smiled.
" But I have never seen him in the class." She asked questioningly
" Well, fair enough. I belong to Section B."
" So does she. Hahahah. Kabhi class jaata to pata hota."
I smiled sheepishly. This aint going the way I wanted.
"Hi !! Battttyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!" Prachi squealed
Meri mummy ne mera naam Barat kyon rakha...seedha Batty rakh dete....
I left the 4 of them and started walking. It was cold and I was contemplating carrying a couple of cigarettes with me. Forget it! I just hope I dont land up alone with one of the gals alone in the auto. Whats with me and gals? I never seem to strike a chord with them.
"Bored already?"
"Nopes! Just relishing the experience. Hey listen! Can I back out? I really seem a misfit in the group."
"I know just how you are feeling. There is another gal joining us. So dont worry. She'll keep you company. "
Another girl really doesnt compensate for a mug of beer. But I didnt wanna be a spoilsport.
"There she is. Meet her, she is Dhivya."
Atlast a familiar face. My opinion about familiar faces is a little weird. See, one thing about gals is that they take only a couple of mins to realise how uninteresting I am. And those 2 mins and the 2 mins that follow are really very embarassing for both of us. Familiar faces dont even strike a conversation with you. So its a safer proposition.
"Hey!" I said and looked out pretending to search for an auto. The four of them were together already searching for one. Two autos came by.
"You look great!"
She just got into the auto and didnt even bother replying.
Are there coaching classes for engaging women in a conversation? I badly needed one.
I quickly got into the other auto. Good thing. It was just Prachi inside with Atlee.
"I shall be stepping out for an hour to attend a birthday party."
"You step out of this auto and you are dead meat." I said glaringly.
You pulled me into all of this. Please dont leave me alone to handle them.
Out of town for just a week and worlds can change upside down. It wasnt long ago. All the 3 of us were together discussing love and life and how everything was just a farce and all of a sudden I found myself in unfamiliar territory with familiar faces. 3 more faces to be precise!
Atlee: "So!! Whats with you and Jay and your date? "
Prachi: "Its just nothing. People are reading too much into it. "
Atlee: "Oh is it? But I wasnt lead to believe so."
It was just a day since I came back and it was a day of hectic committee work. So I was yet to get the updates and the presence of Prachi didnt make it any easier. I kept thinking.
5 log hain. Dhivya wasnt there in the initial plan. Or was she? Lets assume she wasnt. 4 people. Prachi, Surabhi, atlee and Jay. Logon ne kaha tha updates hain. To kiska kiske saath chal raha hai. Agar Jai aur Prachi ka chal raha hai to Atlee idhar uske saath kyon hai auto mei. Aur agar Atlee aur Prachi ka chal raha hai to woh Jai ki baat kyon kar raha hai. Aur Dhivya kidhar se aa gayi. Agar Jai aur Dhivya ka chal raha hai to Atlee, Prachi aur Surabhi kyon jaa rahe hain. Are there 2 pairs or just 1? Or am I just imagining things? All combinations seemed possible.
One thing was for sure, I was getting bored to death.
PB(Poor Batty): "Hi! My name is Batty. I am your co-traveller in this auto. May I know whats going on?"
So finally, Poor Batty gets all the updates and feels all the more alone. So he calls Atlee aside.
PB: Tera aur Surabhi ka kuch chal raha hai kya?
Atlee: Nahi re! Nonsense!
PB: Achi baat hai. Kyonki agar hai, to mai aise hi cut maar raha hoon. 2 kabab mei ek haddi bohot jyada hoti hai.
Atlee: 1 nahi 4. I'll meet you in an hour. Bbye.
Infinity mall ! I was just looking around cursing my luck. Here I was with 2 pairs that found eternity in their own company. Surabhi and Dhivya had gone food-hunting and were pretty comfortable talking to each other. Jai and Prachi were busy engaged in a conversation that aint worth even describing. One line that I heard made me fall flat. It was Jai advising Prachi on how to get a smooth skin. I just thought to myself. Saale!! Ma@#@@#$# Atlee, if you dont come here on a count of 10, tomorrow's papers are going to cover your funeral.
TGIF it was finally. We entered and took our places. Thank God I got the aisle. Everybody ordered a drink and I ordered a mocktail. Finally, it took a drink and a huge and ugly grin from my side to break the ice and there we were laughing and shouting, driving the whole place mad. One drink down, one person called for tequilla. Now, an interesting thing about tequilla is it should be taken in shots and the way you take it defines the shot. Here I was forced to show them the right way. I still see and laugh at the video even today. Its very difficult to describe disjoint events. But these are some of them
1. Surabhi and Dhivya rubbing legs with each other prompting us to discuss if something is going on :)
2. Jai asking Dhivya not to look at him cos her eyes were seducing him. Kitne logon pe ek din mei line maara usne
3. All of us relating our love stories, some failed ones obviously
4. Prachi taking the tequilla shot in 15 sips.
5. Atlee played narrator and photographer throughout. It took another trip to rid him of his non-innocent acts of the past
6. It was the begining of the induction of another illegal non-resident member in 623 - Prachi.
7. Surabhi made her presence more frequent in 623 meetings and happenings.
8. Dhivya - the tech savvy desktop freak chose to get all the updates right from her room.
9. Aap soch rahe hain Poor Batty(PB) ka kya hua. He remained the same. New gal woes still haunt him. Familiar faces still show contempt for him but is highly appreciated for his clowny antics. News buffs say he has been rewarded with Room Number: 420 just so that people still have something to laugh about even after he is gone.
It was an evening to remember with a very average start and a hearty finish.
Written and Directed by,
Batty
Cast: Poor Batty once again, Jai, Atlee, Prachi,Surabhi and Dhivya.
Date: 4th October 2006 - Thats what the date on the pic says
(Clockwise: Jay-partly hidden, Prachi, Surabhi, Dhivya and Poor Batty; Photo Courtesy: Atlee)
I was just back from a week long vacation@home and was settling in when I got a call from upstairs. Batty-wanted-in-placement-office was a new phenomenon back then and I quickly tucked in a shirt, put on a belt and rushed. Standing in formals in front of the hostel, trust me, is very embarassing. Everybody looks at you like a caged animal in a zoo. After a 15 min long wait, both of us took a jog up and I never panted more. I didnt have a clue the evening was going to be long. Another half-hour wait later we finally got in. Never accept a seat when he offers you one. I was too young in the system to realise that. Grabbed a chair straight in front of the AC. "So, what have you guys been upto?" Thats the last statement I remember from the marathon 4-hour sesson that went on. To cut things short, this is the essence of what transpired "There are two ways to become popular and get a name. One is be as hardworking as Harsha is, and the other is...." He just stops at it and smiles at me. Why I was notorious deserves another entry which I shall save for later. Its 9 pm already. My biological clock is never wrong. I wanna grab something to eat. Not wanting to go to the mess in formals I rushed to my room only to see it was locked.
I called up Jai( Yes! He was my roomie.)
"Dinner?"
"We are actually going out to dine."
"Where is Atlee?Uske paas chaabi hoga."
(Pause: Now who was Atlee? Uske paas chaabi kyon hoga? See, when I opted for NITIE, I was promised single occupancy, given double and realised it was triple. He was a non-permanant resident of the state of 623. But I didnt mind. We had a great time, the three of us. )
"Woh bhi aa raha hai humaare saath. Tu bhi chal jaldi. Ready ho jaa. We are going to TGIF."
"Great. I really wanna mug of beer. Have had a long evening. Who else is up?"
"Prachi and Surabhi."
I didnt battle an eyelid "Ok... you guys just carry on. Am in no mood to spoil my evening. If you guys are out on a double-date, just go ahead. "
"Abe date-wate kuch nahi hai. Tu bhi aajaa. "
I have known better not to accept such reasons. But I really needed a break.
How do I dress? What do I dress? These are some questions that have never bothered me and I just grabbed a pair of jeans put them on and came downstairs. Who is this Surabhi? I have never seen her and why is everybody in their party outfits. I was already getting a feel of misfit in that group.
" This is batty and she is Surabhi." Atlee told us and I smiled.
" But I have never seen him in the class." She asked questioningly
" Well, fair enough. I belong to Section B."
" So does she. Hahahah. Kabhi class jaata to pata hota."
I smiled sheepishly. This aint going the way I wanted.
"Hi !! Battttyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!" Prachi squealed
Meri mummy ne mera naam Barat kyon rakha...seedha Batty rakh dete....
I left the 4 of them and started walking. It was cold and I was contemplating carrying a couple of cigarettes with me. Forget it! I just hope I dont land up alone with one of the gals alone in the auto. Whats with me and gals? I never seem to strike a chord with them.
"Bored already?"
"Nopes! Just relishing the experience. Hey listen! Can I back out? I really seem a misfit in the group."
"I know just how you are feeling. There is another gal joining us. So dont worry. She'll keep you company. "
Another girl really doesnt compensate for a mug of beer. But I didnt wanna be a spoilsport.
"There she is. Meet her, she is Dhivya."
Atlast a familiar face. My opinion about familiar faces is a little weird. See, one thing about gals is that they take only a couple of mins to realise how uninteresting I am. And those 2 mins and the 2 mins that follow are really very embarassing for both of us. Familiar faces dont even strike a conversation with you. So its a safer proposition.
"Hey!" I said and looked out pretending to search for an auto. The four of them were together already searching for one. Two autos came by.
"You look great!"
She just got into the auto and didnt even bother replying.
Are there coaching classes for engaging women in a conversation? I badly needed one.
I quickly got into the other auto. Good thing. It was just Prachi inside with Atlee.
"I shall be stepping out for an hour to attend a birthday party."
"You step out of this auto and you are dead meat." I said glaringly.
You pulled me into all of this. Please dont leave me alone to handle them.
Out of town for just a week and worlds can change upside down. It wasnt long ago. All the 3 of us were together discussing love and life and how everything was just a farce and all of a sudden I found myself in unfamiliar territory with familiar faces. 3 more faces to be precise!
Atlee: "So!! Whats with you and Jay and your date? "
Prachi: "Its just nothing. People are reading too much into it. "
Atlee: "Oh is it? But I wasnt lead to believe so."
It was just a day since I came back and it was a day of hectic committee work. So I was yet to get the updates and the presence of Prachi didnt make it any easier. I kept thinking.
5 log hain. Dhivya wasnt there in the initial plan. Or was she? Lets assume she wasnt. 4 people. Prachi, Surabhi, atlee and Jay. Logon ne kaha tha updates hain. To kiska kiske saath chal raha hai. Agar Jai aur Prachi ka chal raha hai to Atlee idhar uske saath kyon hai auto mei. Aur agar Atlee aur Prachi ka chal raha hai to woh Jai ki baat kyon kar raha hai. Aur Dhivya kidhar se aa gayi. Agar Jai aur Dhivya ka chal raha hai to Atlee, Prachi aur Surabhi kyon jaa rahe hain. Are there 2 pairs or just 1? Or am I just imagining things? All combinations seemed possible.
One thing was for sure, I was getting bored to death.
PB(Poor Batty): "Hi! My name is Batty. I am your co-traveller in this auto. May I know whats going on?"
So finally, Poor Batty gets all the updates and feels all the more alone. So he calls Atlee aside.
PB: Tera aur Surabhi ka kuch chal raha hai kya?
Atlee: Nahi re! Nonsense!
PB: Achi baat hai. Kyonki agar hai, to mai aise hi cut maar raha hoon. 2 kabab mei ek haddi bohot jyada hoti hai.
Atlee: 1 nahi 4. I'll meet you in an hour. Bbye.
Infinity mall ! I was just looking around cursing my luck. Here I was with 2 pairs that found eternity in their own company. Surabhi and Dhivya had gone food-hunting and were pretty comfortable talking to each other. Jai and Prachi were busy engaged in a conversation that aint worth even describing. One line that I heard made me fall flat. It was Jai advising Prachi on how to get a smooth skin. I just thought to myself. Saale!! Ma@#@@#$# Atlee, if you dont come here on a count of 10, tomorrow's papers are going to cover your funeral.
TGIF it was finally. We entered and took our places. Thank God I got the aisle. Everybody ordered a drink and I ordered a mocktail. Finally, it took a drink and a huge and ugly grin from my side to break the ice and there we were laughing and shouting, driving the whole place mad. One drink down, one person called for tequilla. Now, an interesting thing about tequilla is it should be taken in shots and the way you take it defines the shot. Here I was forced to show them the right way. I still see and laugh at the video even today. Its very difficult to describe disjoint events. But these are some of them
1. Surabhi and Dhivya rubbing legs with each other prompting us to discuss if something is going on :)
2. Jai asking Dhivya not to look at him cos her eyes were seducing him. Kitne logon pe ek din mei line maara usne
3. All of us relating our love stories, some failed ones obviously
4. Prachi taking the tequilla shot in 15 sips.
5. Atlee played narrator and photographer throughout. It took another trip to rid him of his non-innocent acts of the past
6. It was the begining of the induction of another illegal non-resident member in 623 - Prachi.
7. Surabhi made her presence more frequent in 623 meetings and happenings.
8. Dhivya - the tech savvy desktop freak chose to get all the updates right from her room.
9. Aap soch rahe hain Poor Batty(PB) ka kya hua. He remained the same. New gal woes still haunt him. Familiar faces still show contempt for him but is highly appreciated for his clowny antics. News buffs say he has been rewarded with Room Number: 420 just so that people still have something to laugh about even after he is gone.
It was an evening to remember with a very average start and a hearty finish.
Written and Directed by,
Batty
1 comment:
just reread this piece....
that day just came back face 2 face...
u shud mail this to the group...
under the subj: flashback series
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