Chicken Biryani LIVE flown from Hyderabad

Piping hot ! picked it up from dhawal at 12.30 am in the morning on his way to his hostel from the airport. it was still hot. it smelled impeccably indian. strong! i slept with hyderabadi dreams! i couldn't wait till i feasted onthe biryani. kuku was to join me for lunch but for unavoidable reasons he couldn't so i invited tanay and bela. bela got veg. biryani for her tummy. the biryani we had was rich in spices, little tangy, with succulent chicken pieces well marinated, and a warm aroma. just irresistible.
i have a few recommendations to make -
1. you must have a very sweet friend like dhawal who although is strictly veg. got 2 large packs of chicken biryani from Hyderabad
2. you must never forget to tell your friend whenever they go to Hyderabad to get chicken biryani
3. and never ever miss a chance to eat biryani from Hyderabad House
4. thank God for 1 to 3 above!!!

Intro - The day CPT results were announced!

I know it’s a bit too late to write this. Actually I began writing almost instantaneously after the results but had time to complete it only now. And since my blog has come up only now, it’s only correct to put it up now. Better late than never!
The series narrates a day in my life, viz. September 8, 2007 if my memory hasn't failed me yet. This was the day when my CPT results were declared. The rest is history!

I have tried to compile the day in 6 parts already posted on my blog!!!! Do read and leave your comments!!!

PART I - The day CPT results were announced! – The day begins!

It was Monday, probably the third or fourth day of ENIGMA. Reached college early at around 8 am or should I say, was forced to reach early. Double tension – Himani and BC tutorials! I wasn’t thinking much about the CPT results, they were to be the next day. I had a bigger test today. I had just finished scripting our BC Tuts dialogue. Akanksha had to still read it and I didn’t have the time to go through it. She had been told to reach the Admin Room around 8.30 am. She came only by 9 am. Relief! We took a bench for ourselves & started preparing. She first wrote the whole thing down for herself. I did Admin duty till then. Nobody showed any signs of tension – results were tomorrow! Still I kept asking people how they felt a day before the results. Akanksha finished copying & we left the Admin room obviously having taken Himani’s permission. WE moved upstairs to ‘my’ class – S5. Took the last seats and started memorising. Some people had walked in & walked out. We hadn’t even switched on the lights. There was no need. We had bigger worries than fighting darkness. We sat lost in ourselves, individually memorising the lines of our respective speeches. After some silent monuments, we felt we were ready for dual practise. We began! After a few rounds of re-scripting our dialogues & then delivering them, I felt that was enough. We left, to meet our ‘destiny holder’. He was busy having Snacks (Poha) in the staff canteen. I told him we would wait in one of the T-floor rooms. He agreed. W left. On our way, other fellow-warriors were seen, some joined us. Others were late!

Slowly the remaining warriors gathered. I as usual was waiting at the door, waiting for the ‘opponent’. Hrishikseh & Kunal joined me on the watch. With his usual self-glorifying insults, Sammit stood tall on the platform, his short frame fighting a losing battle with itself. Then I got THE call. The call which changed the sullen morning, increasing my heart-rate, diverting my focused attention from the looming war to the nearer. More future-defining battle. A battle already fought twice. The first one ending in an obnoxious truce. The second, awaiting its fate!

PART II - The day CPT results were announced! – Results a day in advance!

Nishant asks me ‘kitna mila’? I mean come on, I say, isn’t the result due tomorrow? This line enlivens all those standing around me. They ask which result am I blabbering about. Some fake fright, others try to hide surprise. He still repeats the question. I say, I really have no clue about the results. I am more worried about my BC-Tuts! I ask him his score. He very reluctantly divulged – 178! I am scared. Isn’t 178 too good? Still, I am scared. The hysteria, though, now had to be dealt with. I couldn't. Control myself. No one could actually, though Sammit initially wanted to see his result personally. Kunal turned out to be the quickest. His ‘fairy-godmother’like sister was sitting in front of our fortune-teller. But he was very sad. He had scored 177. I expected him to be one of the merit-grabbers. Expectations shattered sans remorse! Akanksha sat beside me pacifying my uneasiness like water on a hot stove. She didn’t know what was going within me. Nor did I bother to tell. It was an insane thought about to turn les saner.
Suddenly, hands are being shaken, smiles being spread. I catch one; it increased my worries. Behind me was sitting the 3rd ranker from all over India. I am sad. Not because Hrishikesh got 187 – certainly not – but because he got the 3rd rank! (I am not against him getting the 1st rank either but that time anyone getting the 3rd rank was like hell for me.) I expected to get above 187 & if he has got the 3rd rank, that leaves only 2 ranks above him, meaning just 2 different scores left above him. I expected more than 187, but then not the first 2 ranks, or did i? I was sad, dejected, tensed, nervous and morose! I was wishing that that damn tutorial got over in a jiffy. Everyone slowly contributed to my wishes. I was being asked my seat number. I couldn’t recollect. Meanwhile ‘I’ had spread the news. It was burning through the college. Burning aspirations, lighting faces.
Dhawal was informed and told my number. WRO 0274445 I said. He was warned to not blurt out my score to me. Farheen & Sanjana were also alerted. The battle had announced its fortune showcasing the sheer inability of the divinitioneers- for loss of a better word! Akanksha continued to be supportive! Sweet!

PART III - The day CPT results were announced! – In search of my number!

Shit! It was my turn. I and Akanksha got up, moved to the dais and took our pre-decide places. Sammit had created an aura of sympathy and compassion with his sermons. Impressive. We carried out our 3-4 minute miniscule skit. Sir didn’t comment. He should have I felt. Why build up unrequired suspense. We consoled each other. Again not required. Strength remains unspoken.
Sammit wasn’t capable of harnessing his inquisitiveness. He allowed Kunal to do his bidding. Tension surrounded him. And me too. I was eager to try judging the overall report. He scored a serene 182 – 8th All India. I was further scared. Everyone was scoring aces. What if I…?
Feeling-less, uncaring & discretely aloof from worldly cares, people continued with their speeches & more popular dialogues. It was Hrishikesh now. AIR 3! Even I stopped to listen. Sammit was going berserk. Sanjana called to ask how much I had got. She withheld her marks in anticipation of mine. I ended the call. My bag was only what separated me from my Professor’s vision.
Dhawal called back saying we needed seat numbers and not registration numbers to download the results.
I asked him whether he remembered mine. Tough Chance. He said he got 178! Jaie shouted behind him that he had missed the merit list by mere two marks. Congratulations! The call ended. I was more than eager to get out of this class. But the line of people giving speeches didn’t seem to end. They seemed to like giving speeches.
I was being constantly asked my seat number. I said I needed to go home to get it. I didn’t even know my pin code. Later I was told that the pin code was unnecessary. Salomi was 2-3 seats behind me during the CPT. I messaged her to ask her her number. Stupid girl! Didn’t even reply useless! The moment the last person finished his speech, we all burst out of the class. Sir was saying something. His own speech. We were not interested. Sammit rushed to the reading room. He wanted to hug Vaidehi. He was overjoyed. He deserved it after all those long days spent studying.
I glided downstairs; towards Salomi. She was near the main gate. Luckily I spotted her instantaneously, tall that I am, tall that she is. I yelled at her, demanding a reason for her not having replied. She showed her cell to show that she was in the middle of replying. I didn’t believe her. Who cares? The other matter was more urgent. She recited her number. 1604… something. My doubt had been cleared. My number had to be 16047. I turned around in one sweep and rushed upstairs. Direct into the AV room. There were more like me in there. But they had opened the wrong site. I sped up the ritual. I first got it clarified from Shantanu whether they showed our names alongside the score. I was not interested in giving myself false hopes or borrowed grief by seeing someone else’s score. He and Gaurang said yes. Thank goodness.

PART IV - The day CPT results were announced! – AIR 1 !!!

“The remaining reminiscence can hardly be put into words. Please forgive my (in)ability to recreate memories, if at all, by a faulty choice of words.”

I entered my number 1-6-0-4-7… and pressed enter and first checked the name. It said SATSHEEL DEEPAK REDKAR. A chill, literally passed by, licking my skin tenderly to arouse goose-bumps. The screen blinked a serene figure. The figure of the day. My figure. 190! I hastened to click on the ‘Check Merit’ tab. 190 hadn’t even seeped in yet, cheers would have to wait till the bigger story was revealed.

I still couldn’t believe what I next witnessed. 1^st! ALL INDIA FIRST! I mean come on dude, you came first? I wanted to cry. I really wanted to. I rushed out. Literally ran as if the wind had entered my soul. I ran the length of the library. Anupama asked me while sitting in the library. I raised my Index finger while still running; and shouted ‘first’. I reached the exit door. There I met ‘god’. I told him that I had come first. He patted me. God patted my back. There were two more people there, although they didn’t enter my senses then. I flew down the stairs. Zooming past figures, not registering any of them.

On my flight downstairs, I placed a call to my mom, careful to avoid the ever-watchful gaze of our professors prying on mobiles or was I even bothered? Faces swam past by ever so familiar. Participantrs from various colleges went about finding classes where their events were being conducted. I rushed past them. My mom’s initial reaction was one of caution. She asked for my seat number and the site where the results were being displayed so that she could check out for herself and confirm lest I might have been mistaken in haste. I stepped out of the college building. My next call was to dad. I informed him. Although he did congratulate me but he too asked me to confirm once again.

I headed to G4, the place where I had begun my day. Himani was simply ecstatic! I can still feel her happiness as it was genuine. The entire Admin was intimated. I remember the quizzing faces of the students who had come to participate in enigma. Himani allowed me to take a few hours off from Admin duty – she said it was my Day today!!!

I rushed out of college onto the lawns just to meet the guy who had thrown the serene, dull morning into a tizzy. Nishant was saddled on to a bench along with Polka dots. He once again asked me the question that was going to become the phrase of the day - ‘Kitna mila’? And the confession of the year – 190! He swore, struggling to get off the bench (he didn’t go to the gym then!). Obviously it was too much for a rational person to believe it at the first instance.

PART V - The day CPT results were announced!– Thanks!

To confirm my seat number so as to confirm my score herself, my mom called me again. 1-6-0-4-7 and the site is www.caresults.nic.in. I went over to the right half of the lawns to meet the security team. Ayushi, Nisha, Pooja, etc. Salomi joined in too. Now I apologise that I really don’t remember anyone else’s marks, and that’s a fist in my life. I told them to Ripley’s Believe it or not scenario. I halted their celebrations before they even began and told them the importance of confirming it first. Everyone brought out their phones with swift movements and asked me my seat number. All of them including me messaged this to the ICAI sponsored result service. The network was for obvious reasons, Busy! I believe it flashed first on Salomi’s cell. Not sure though. What mattered the most was what the message contained.

All of us began the victory dance. I was too relieved with the confirmation to indulge in momentary fits of dancing. I got Sanjana’s call in between the handshakes. We both didn’t accede to the other’s request of informing the marks first. The next instance, I felt my feet rising into the air. Obviously, I was being lifted. With bewilderment I looked downstairs only to see Pranav. My! I mean it hurt near my ribs. The news had begun spreading though. Not a surprise as I had just told ‘the’ girls.

From there I moved towards the Admin again. On my way, near the college entrance, Sammit touched my feet? What? Feet? Mine? Why? I was too taken aback. But I could see that genuine happiness for a third person emanating from within Sammit which is rare as a 4 legged crow or a crater-less moon. I moved in. Himani allowed me to take the day off at least for a few hours. I told her I had to meet my Professors. She agreed to let me off till after lunch.

Calls had started pouring in. Hrishikesh, I and Sammit made our way out of college, hired a cab and straightaway got down at Manish Sir’s Office. I guess w bought some sweets from somewhere or didn’t we? Anyways. We met Amit sir just after entering the office. All of us touched his feet. He congratulated us and left. Manish Sir was inside the office-cum-articles section. We were lauded with good wishes and cries of good luck. Manish Sir spoke at length with all of us and we did a quick analysis of all the things that had culminated into the most pleasant surprise for him. Thereafter we moved onto our causa prima, our chief mentor, our Maths professors- Sudhir Sir!!!

PART VI - The day CPT results were announced! – What a memorable day!

Chris called in between. I informed her that I had cleared and she too was happy as she had cleared too. As Chris now reminds me, while on her way to college, Pranav met her at Matunga Station and informed her that I had secured the first rank. In her words they screamed very peculiarly. She then reached college and met Ayushi. They exchanged their scores and then were like – Satsheel came first! Both were like ‘Yay I know’!! It seemed they were happier than me.
We entered from the back door as Sir was teaching people from my batch FyBcom Maths. His face split into the biggest 1000W grin I was to ever see. We touched his feet. He announced to the entire class. He always used to say, “Maths will make the difference! It will decide your rank!” He was so true! Anik Sir also was immensely pleased.
I went to Bullet. The place which had played a very basic role in providing me a place t study. I met Prajakta and gang there on the stairs. A few people had not got marks which they expected to. I felt guilty of telling my marks so once again I simply declared I passed. But Prajakta didn’t rest till I told her my marks and obviously she knew that those marks were sure to have fetched me a rank, but the first rank? Wow! They were awestruck! I met a few other study-buddies and left.
I guess we came back to college thereafter. Admin duty was ever beckoning. The moment entered G4, everyone started clapping and shouting. They had got me a cake too to cut. It was a black forest, the cream of which I can still smell on my face. I stunk of cream the entire day. But the amazing gesture of bringing a cake (brought by Veena and Jui) and also gifting a small Ganesha Idol touched my heart in more ways than one. Thank you everyone and especially Yashshri and Himani!
Calls had begun pouring in the dozens, many people called including Vishi’s Mom. It felt nice! Really nice! Congratulatory messages also began trickling in.
The day ended in all the hustle bustle. I couldn’t stop but smile the whole day, beaming at everyone. I was really stunned myself. The gravity of the situation had begun gripping me. I left for home. On my way I stopped by in Mutual. All were busy playing badminton. I didn’t bother to disturb their play. But the calls gave me in. My friends heard me saying thank you to everyone and hence asked me the reason. It must have struck Amruta or Manorath, not sure, that my results would have been out. I finally confessed. These confessions were increasing my the hour.
At home I directly went for a hot water bath. The cream was taking a toll on my nasal highways. My mom had got sweets which we offered duly to God before consuming them. Dinner was hot, piping Waran-Bhaat! I relaxed and was eating when Arun kaka reached home. He was so happy that he instantly on hearing the news took out a crisp Rs. 500 note and offered it to me. That was the first gift I had got for my CPT results!!! My parents’ happiness knew no bounds. It was and is and will always be their blessings in kind and otherwise and the goodwill of well-wishers to which I dedicate this day to!

Irshaling our way up!

It never starts at 6 although everyone is given strict warnings to come before 6 sharp!!! Poor people from far away lands, come waddling through deep waters and cross treacherous mountains to reach on time but... we never ever start on time!!! This time it was Jay for whom we had to wait and he stays the closest. Our over-enthusiastic hikers had made last minute reservations which resulted in 6 extra members than the bus could accommodate! Vikas then had to get his car along with 5 people going therein. We did manage to leave the college premises by around 6.45 am which was 45 minutes behind schedule but nevertheless digestible. And I had achieved the unimaginable, having convinced Ayushi, Nisha, POOJA and Rucha to come for the hike, the last hike for us as students of Podar! From the ex-pods side we had Puja, Akshay, Parin, Mandar, etc. I was too sleepy to do anything but still I did manage to click a few photographs on our way while constantly eating chicken rolls from Hearsch, Veg. Sandwiches by Sir and Bread-Butter-Jam by Ayushi!!! I must say that the butter and jam was very nicely spread on the bread, an art very mystically mastered by the new moons in the granite laden kitchens! Ayushi was to be the famous personality thanks to my Blog. She had personal requests for photos and autographs from many ex-podarites!!! We reached quite early, say by 8. We had just stopped the bus to see whether the place was correct and very filing back in when the engine went up in smoke. The entire bus was engulfed with a putrid smell with the smoke spreading throughout the length. There was supposedly some short circuit in the engine wiring due to which we could not take the bus further. We had to begin our hike much before the designated place, because of which (I came to know later) we lost around 45 minutes one way! The initial walk was tiring for a few. On our way to the base, we crossed a beautifully huge dam. We couldn't yet see the magnificence but the gigantic proportions left us belittled. We kept walking, clicking photos of shoe-laces, iron-masons, flowers, and of course US! Vikas and company had already parked their car at the Sarpanch's house and were waiting for us. We left without any time-shedding activities. On our way we blabbered like there was no end... Maybe it was the fun of hiking together, for the first time in 21 years and 5 years after joining college, or maybe we never got to talk in college due to Chris' ultra-influence. Whatever was the case we soon reached the G8 and LR of our hike. On the right was the LR hike G8 was spread on on right. I guess only G8 was used without the flush of course. We passed a small hamlet, resting at a juncture where the dam could be treasured in one's eyes. There was a very cute puppy, jet black, puddling its way with us. Farther down we spotted kids (baby goat). It seemed at the end of the day that the hill was infested with kids with not a single adult goat or sheep in sight!!! Anyways, Sir held an impromptu meeting at the congruence of G8 and LR for a small introduction of all the ex-podarites. We marched ahead as the sun kept blasting our backs with increasing ferocity. The climb initially was not tough but the temperature made it challenging. On our way we encountered rocks which Vikas confirmed were not climbable. So we changed our route and reached the other side of the mountain where there was immense amount of shade but little space. Sadly not all reached. Sir was standing at the edge looking out for the people still finding their way up. He heard screams coming from below on the other side from where we climbed. I was clicking photos from the rocks and sir waved at me. He was trying to point below the mountain. I thought he wanted me to capture a particular scene in my camera but when I reached I was shocked at what I was seeing!!! ANUJ! Stuck at a very odd angle on the slope below. He had maneuvered alone and had climbed till he could go no further. His desperate call to sir seemed to come from his last bout of energy. We frantically called Manish who then was carrying the rope. He handed it over to Bhaji who climbed up where I took the rope from him and reached the spot where Anuj was stuck. I, Sir, Arjun and Shrenik tied the rope around ourselves and let the other end loose towards Anuj.
Click here to view Anuj's Climb up!!!
I must appreciate his skills as he effortlessly came up the slope without any ounce of pull on the rope. With the rescue operation over, he went to a small corner and meditated for a while to calm himself down. Those who managed to reach began feasting like hungry hyenas. This was the first time on a hike that I got to eat so many varieties of food. Generally the staple diet is Theplas!!! Piles of them... this time we had shrikhand puri, puran poli, kheema pav, sandwiches, parathas, pulav, and sindhi papad puri!!! After lunch we began scouting for the remainders. We managed to get them notice us and they soon reached. Then we were misinformed by a few ex-podarites that the only way we were going to climb down was after doing the needle hole at the top, which meant serious rock climbing! I must place on records my sincere thanks to them for egging us on!Everyone began filing out of the shade and started climbing the rocks under the hot sun. Mid-way came a clarification that we would anywhichways be going back the same way and those who did not wish to climb the frightening rocks may go back and wait for the rest! We marched on, egging each other, waiting for the person ahead to climb first. Vikas, Uncle and Bhaji were there guiding us up, instilling courage in us. At the top there was a small ladder. God knows who put it up there but it was scary - what if it came tumbling back? At the pinnacle, there was needle hole and what a sight it offered! Huge expanse of water on one side, and a deep valley on the other, fierce winds blowing within. We sat for quite sometime in between the hole, witnessing what rarely one gets to. It was mind blowing! Ascending down was fun. It didn't take us much time and our thirsty throats were satiated at the village which was at the base of the mountain. We splashed in the dam for sometime where Shrenik had a miraculous escape, Ayushi playing the Baywatch lifeguard. The water was spectacularly dirty but we didn't mind. I need to mention this funny thing that happened. Some guy, whose name I can't place now or rather shouldn't place now, removed his tracks in the water to 'swim' properly. What he didn't realised is that he won't be able to wear them again while coming out. Poor guy! He was later removed with a towel! The hike was truly an awesome experience and an unique one that!

Blog Colours Changed!!!

The Red has become White and the colours have been interchanged!!! All thanks to valuable suggestions from Nisha Ramesh and Ayushi Parameswaran!!!

Patching up!

I have been thinking about it from a few days, especially after watching 3 idiots... I spoke to Dhawal and we agreed upon the plan around 3-4 days before Jaie's birthday! I hadn't spoken to her since FYBCOM or so, I'm not sure and I felt it was about time to get rid of such non-sense, kiddish activities. I spoke to Dhawal and we planned to give Jaie a surprise birthday at Candies. Managing it must surely have been tough for Dhawal, given that he had told her he and 'others' were coming, but only I was included therein. I had warned Dhawal that she might just decide to corroborate with Aruna and Prajakta. But thankfully she didn't. The best part of that day was when Dhawal told me he has already got her a gift. When asked what, he very coyly replied that he is ashamed to talk about it. That was the worst reason one could have ever given, due to which I began listing things or acts that could be embarrassing enough to give/do as a gift. But the truth was to unfold later. Meanwhile, I had begun heading towards candies, stopping at the Bandra Birdy's to buy a Chocolate Truffle Cake. I did manage to get some decent words iced which cannot be revealed here. But while on my way, Dhawal called me several times, mostly - as per my understanding - as he could not ward off Jaie's questions about the 'other' people who were to attend the party and secondly as I don't know why! Lol :P. I reached Candies and he came down to meet me, gallantly carrying Jaie's cell so she couldn't make calls to Aruna or Prajakta. I chose a place, opened the cake and he went to call her. Now obviously she didn't expect me and as far as I remember her first reactions she was even afraid to sit on the chairs in front of me!!! But then, the ice was thawed without saying much. I refused to sing Happy Birthday for decency's sake. The day did end on a very good note and I hope our new found friendship grows to greater heights.

P.S. Jaie - I need the Pic you took to put up here!!!

My heart will only be under your reign!

like puddles in the rain,
like the wise among the sane,
like stones in coarse grain,
like a hot massage after immense pain,
like mischief behind every stain,
like cajoling a stone in vain,
like cute puppies in a deserted lane,
like free food on board a plane,
like the mystic high after cocaine,
like a dozen boons following one bane,
like all evil things on their way to wane,
like wind marks upon a window pane,


like every other ubiquitous happening,
my love for you will always remain,
and my heart will only be under your reign!!!

Nisprag - Love story on the last day of college!

Waah waah what a name and an apt one that... although the love story was named much later, it was an instant hit among both the heartbeats. Their eyes met for the first time during RAPPORT. But on the last day of college, when college was about to end, the Being single Tapasya of 5 years was about to be successful, the advantage of doting on others was becoming eternity, suddenly, their eyes met again - and they kept meeting with emotions flowing on the eyelit highway. Their meditation was thrown in the bin and suddenly they took charge of each other's hearts. They couldn't express their feelings openly due to the presence of unwanted elements, but discreetly, they spoke. They did things which should not be mentioned here. Although they were candidly caught on camera. They shared their moments, moments which they had not thought of or rather didn't or rather could not share for the past 5 years. But suddenly reality struck just as they were getting acquainted. They would never meet in college thenceforth. It was the last day of college right? For 5 whole years they prayed for their Mr./Ms. Perfect and they did find him/her but unfortunately on the very last day of college, when it was already time to say bye? They didn't know whether to say hi or bye. They chose to keep quiet, act as if nothing ever happened, and no one ever saw their unison. They told their friends that there was and is and will never be anything. Both tried belying all hard facts. They tried disillusioning their friends. Why? To hide the pain that erupted due to their love on the last day of college!!! May their souls rest in Peace - Together!!!

LOL

Disclaimer: The publisher, write, blogger or otherwise, of this blog accepts no responsibility of whatever is written hereinabove. No claims or suits in any court of law will be entertained. Any similarity with living or non-living beings and/or things is purely co-incidental.

Alumni!!!!

And the evening passed away... Driving back I tried to recapitulate on the events that had just transpired. It had all begun when I got the news of this Alumni Meet after coming back from my new year vacation... I was like Cool!!! Immediately messages were passed on facebook, events created, calls made and emails sent!!! With Leena Ma'am organising there was no scope of any inconsistencies. We had no clue as to how many alumni would turn up. At around 4.30 there were only 3 alumni who had arrived. Ma'am was like, only these many? But then we are podarites and how can we not keep our date with Indian Standard Time!!! Slowly the illustrious alumni started trickling in... And the audi began filling up. It took an hour for the people to reach the front rows as most of them congregated at the gate, hugging old buddies and meeting their professors. The speeches began but the crowd wouldn't budge... they chose to go for the refreshments than sit in the audi... I could not control my happiness at seeing the gaiety on others' faces... They were so brimming with joy heightened by the memories that they were fondling with! At the end I was in two minds -whether to eagerly wait for my alumni meet or just be upset at the thought of leaving college?

Smiling Once Again!

with smiles lost god knows where,
trudging along the way, for want of some care,
warmth and belongingness was rare too,
but then cometh those through?

who would have wondered,
that with so many uncertainties,
the trip that was in doubts,
would bring back my smiles?

for the first time, the gaiety came from the people,
and i didn't have to satiate myself only with the food,
but seriously can someone be so nice?
as to welcome a stranger and make him feel so close?

i sort of left mumbai behind, as i got cozy with pune,
all the worries and tensions seemed to thin away,
no more guilt and no more appointments,
just sheer serenity...

someone said, how come you enjoyed so much more than us?
well, i crave for happiness, crave for good friends,
i got both here, without expecting any, and my smiles came gushing back, from deep slumber within!



add to it i saw 3 idiots there, and this particular song left me spell bound - give me some sunshine!!!

click here to listen

My Most Memorable New Year!!! - Part III

The rains lashing against our faces, the car moving at its pace being driven by Kuku, the cool winds blowing serenely, the night engulfing us with glowing darkness. The sight was brilliant. The sensation was mesmerising. Pune was ours and how! We drove through half the city as we wanted to go for a long drive! Accompanied by Ankita's shrieks, we hardly needed any horns. We came back home and played cards. We were to go for a movie the next day. 3 idiots. No one seemed to care. People hardly slept. I had 4 hours of sleep. We got up and were joined by Kunal. Breakfast was at Durga where we had seriously lip-smacking Khichdi and Pohe and watery Cold Coffee. The movie theatre being far off, we rushed off. The movie was quite nice, with ankita threatening to reveal the plot as she was seeing it for the second time. The afternoon we lazed in some mall and were joined further by Amar. We drove back home where on the way Ankita was caught for driving without a licence!!! Kuku meanwhile had left at 6 as he was already too late. I and Deva returned home at around 2 am on the 4th as we didn't get any tickets. What I noticed and which deserves serious commendation here is that everyone although they were heavily exhausted, came to drop us till we left Pune. That was something which touched me deeply. The experience was worth a life time. the smile still isn't fading away. The heart is yet full of mirth!!! Indeed a New Beginning!!!

My Most Memorable New Year!!! - Part II

Wow! It was already the second day of my trip and I had barely time enough to recuperate from my sleepless night before. It took us some time to leave by when it was 8.30 !!! ( I personally knew it would be though others were being very optimistic about 6) Steadily, we settled in the Tavera whose Driver we were to find out in the next 2 days, was craving for sleep since Jesus was born. All in we set out on our adventure for which I and Ajinkya had set all hell lose with the sheer magnitude of planning we had undergone!! We drove on and on and on... We were passing by some dam, the name of which I cannot remember. A vast expanse of blue water, waves rippling on its surface, surrounded by huge, lush green mountains. I was on the lookout for some place where we could dip our waters in the serenity. We got down for a few pics at a point having an awesome background. But the water was still far away. We moved on and on. Finally I spotted a few people off the coast and asked our driver to stop the car. We found a path through thickets and fences and reached the shores. Aah, it was sheer bliss. We clicked a few more photos. We again went back to our car. I couldn't wait to reach Harihareshwar. Konkan was beckoning and we soon reached Tamhini Ghat. On our way we slept, yawned, again slept, listening to music simultaneously. All of us were immensely hungry. But as we had entered the Ghat there were no roadside hotels in sight. Hunger was taking its toll!!! Especially on me. Crows, Vultures, Owls, Eagles, all were cacophoning in my tummy. We finally took a breaking the fast halt in the middle of nowhere and gobbled 2 plates each of hot Pohey. The car went on the winding route and we reached Manmad. Ajinkya as usual had to try confusing himself while trying to change plans. The new query was - how to squeeze in Murud? Dude, it is 60 kms on the opposite side of our destination, its already 12 and we still hadn't checked into our rooms!!! Thankfully we stayed put and reached Harihareshwar via a small long cut. The room was below expectations but was alright since we hadn't come to stay within the four walls right? We were allotted one hall instead of the two rooms we had booked. For lunch we went to a small hotel opposite our rooms. It was spicy but yummilicious. I as usual had non-veg. We went for a hot, under the blazing sun, afternoon walk on the shore, exploring the beach and what it had to offer. The Kokam Soda that we had at the beach was amazing. The soda guy added a pinch of masala salt which made the entire drink to fizz up and overflow in the form of froth and bubbles. A few of us could manage without spilling any drop, though the others weren't that lucky. We next went on the beach, well not exactly the beach but yes the beach. Or say the outskirts of the beach. Dhawal and Ajinkya went around the huge hillock, on the prowl for adventure whereas I, Kaustubh and Gaurav stayed put preferring to observe the beach instead. We waited and waited for the 2 musketeers to return and once back, left for our rooms, constantly arguing on what to do next. Sleep or come back to the beach? Kuku and Ajya decided to hit the pillows whereas I, Dow Jones and Gugu went on to explore the rocky structures on the beach side. All of marched in half pants. The rocks were intricately carved by Nature and went on and on and on. I Had been informed that the area was blessed with Dolphin sightings and I like an obedient fool scouted relentlessly for a sight or two. Crabs gave us ample company but were too scared to venture anywhere near us. We finally decided to climb the hill. Idea courtesy Gugu and First Climb courtesy Me! Lol. anyways, we climbed the hill and perched ourselves on a high vantage point from where we could see 200* on all sides. It was a magnificent feeling. Passersby were pointing at us but were too scared to climb up. While scouting the area we spotted Ajya and Kuku. Poor Souls were carrying our spare clothes as well as theirs and had to climb the hill that way with the heavy load. And mind you, it was a straight climb. We went still further up the hill and found a small cave. All the rock structures were formed naturally. Like pores on a sponge. I constantly kept reminding the others that the sun was about to set and we ought to be on the beach. Well finally everyone relented, but not before a few more snaps. I and Gugu sat down to build a sand castle. It was our finest creation. With a moat and a temple on top. We went a bit ahead and dived into the sea. The beautiful sea, the cold sea, the gigantic sea. A shiver ran down my spine. I submerged myself into the water and the salty warmness engulfed me. It was certainly warm as compared to the cold air. We had loads of fun in the water. We posed for pics which Kuku was kind enough to click. The mud was easy to splash around at each other and most of the times when I would scoop out a dollop of wet mud, a small shell with a live crab or a similar yucky, slimy creature would crawl out. And off it would go. The sun set right in front of our eyes, turning crimson and then the sky darkened. The air became colder and we decided to call it a day. We changed a bit and went back to our room. We were too tired to do anything. But we did bathe. Ajya and Kuku didn't tough!!! Dinner was Chinese which was okayish. The night was awesome. I learnt how to play Poker and guess what? I won my very first game. The night continued and one by one we fell asleep - me being obviously the first!!! The next day went in frolic too with new places to explore. I need to mention here the serene temple which we visited in the morning at Harihareshwar. The place is called Dakshin Kashi and is considered very holy. It felt like our very own temples in Goa. We left in the evening and reached Pune by night at around 11 or so. We chose to go to McDonalds for dinner as no one was very hungry. We were joined by Ankita whose Wagon R was to prove very useful for the next 1 day. Thereafter, we went on to fulfill my age old desire - CAD B. Chilled & chocolaty, it was ultimate in satiating a chocolate-lovers hunger! The night stood waiting for us to explore and the empty roads of Pune were more than welcoming.

My Most Memorable New Year!!! - Part I

Trust me guys, when I say most memorable, it certainly is better than the most memorable one! Everything was perfect - the places, the people, the occasion and the sync! The idea was very feeble when it was mooted and a tad unrealistic as it included arranging accommodation at places which we had never been to, gathering 8-10 people and managing their time, arranging vehicles et al. Ajinkya should be thanked for managing almost everything and we co-ordinated with him from Mumbai. He actually even came to Mumbai and we met to call the listed home stay options at Harihareshwar and Shriwardhan which I managed to download from the net. Finally we managed to get da decent accommodation anda vehicle. We also managed to decide on the place for 31st night and then all I, Dhawal and Kaustubh had to do was reach Pune.

We took the 6.04 pm Sahyadri from Dadar on the 31st. The Journey was quite eventful with all of us getting hurriedly getting down at the wrong station which happened to be 3-4 stations before our destination but luckily we got in before the train left. Observing the surroundings was the in thing. One of co-passengers seemed to no have had food for ages. Her boyfriend was getting different stuff at almost every station. She even asked the chaiwallah - Arey bhaiya sirf chai kyun laa rahey ho. Wafers nahi hai kya. But the best part was when she couldn't resist the temptation and opened the cake they were carrying and ate a fingerful of cream. The train moved on and we finally alighted at Shivaji Nagar. Getting autos was always going to be tough considering it was Pune and after arguing with half a dozen autos we got one for 80 bucks. I was quite hungry then too. Ajinkya's place was a mess. I didn't know whether the mess was in the room or the room was built around the mess. But, we found place and in the next 2-3 days managed to shift almost everything within the place for us to sit and sleep. We dressed in a jiffy and were off to Garden Court off. Chandni Chowk. But we were 5 as Ajinkya and Gaurav were the new additions and we had two bikes. Finally, we decided to sit triple seat on one bike and double seat on two. The Double seated bike would go ahead and apply brakes when they spot Policemen. The third person on the triple seated bike would then slowly get down and the remaining two would proceed only to be joined by the huff-puffing third person who was to come running. Dhawal was the third person!!!
We managed to avoid the cops and reach Garden Court by 11.30 pm on 31st in the nick of time!
The view from the restaurant was breathtaking. It was perched atop a hillock overlooking quite some portion of Pune city. The weather was cold... The food was over-priced and was okayish, but the entire experience of riding pillion on bikes and reaching that place with friends was spell-binding enough to forgive the incompetencies of the hotel staff. The new year was ushred in with borroed firecracker displays from neighbouring parties and for Gaurav it was in Loo that he chose to welcome the New Year! All said and done, we once again got onto the bikse and drove home. Of course I didn't drive. Why? Because I don't know how to! We reached home by 1.30 am or so just to be joined by one more friend... These people spent time doing all kinds of useless activities and hardly slept. I and Gaurav fell asleep by 5 only to wake up at 6 - already an hour late than the scheduled time of the driver!!!