Tumkur Calling..

I know the title would surprise a lotta you, but what your thinking is not the case. No, no i dont have any arrears or 'suppliiieeess' left in me. Thankfully, I managed to graduate in 4 yrs flat (surprising myself in the process....). The month of April however, exudes a different atmosphere in college. For those who've done B.E across Karnataka, most of you would've guessed by now....yes, it cult. fest time !!!

Halcyon - 06 is calling, and I wont disappoint it or myself. So off I am, tonight to the place I once used to dread going to. Same time last year, when I was driving down to tumkur, I'd told Bipin - 'Man, this surely must be the first time, I'm excited about going to Tumkur'. Today I guess, is the 2nd occasion only....

If not for my boss, I should've landed there last night itself. You always can't have the cake and eat it too, they say. No wonder, I'm still here, while Halcyon would be kicking off in about 2 hours time. Some of you might be wondering, why this great attachment to a cult. fest afterall.....

Frankly, I'm wondering too. Its my 5th Halcyon I've been associated with, in some way or the other, playing a major role in event management on 3 occasions (2nd, 3rd & 4th year). Won my share of prizes as well, had my share of fun (actually, its not over yet...), met my share of new ppl (actually...even that's not over yet...), but, there's still that longing feeling within me. Dunno when it'll die down, maybe next year I assume, cuz' then for sure - I wont be knowing too many present students in college...

Anyway, so as it stands, I'm just longing for tonight, to pack my bags, hop onto that bike and head out to de land !!!! Looking fwd to a gala time during JAM, Mockpress, Extempore, Dumb Charades..............etc etc..... Every utter of the word Halcyon send the shivers through me. I've come to believe now, that it runs in my blood. There's this real flood of thoughts which pour in, right from - giving the Vote of Thanks in 2004, to staying awake till 5 AM on the eve of Halcyon making sure everything was in place, to winning cash..hard cash in JAM n' debate, to goofing up, bigtime in DC last year, when we were asked to participate as a Guest Entry, to be chased by cops @ midnight and to feel 10 bikes, rip through the streets on their way to DD hills, to sitting atop DD hills at 4 AM stone drunk with about 20 friends for company, to jammin' in the basketball court to some hit western music ........! Jeeeezzzzz.... I'm thinking, should I report in sick to office today !!!!

Nevertheless, something is better than nothing, its said. For sure, I know, not much can be achieved at work today.....but who cares....

So off I am to the village - which to a large extent has moulded me into the person I am today, hoping to give back to it and college a part of what they've given me...

Back to the hustle - bustle of the city on Sunday, and part 2 of this shall follow then....

Or actually, maybe even before, cuz' I've just come to learn, that hostels in the village - are Wi-Fi enabled......Wooooohhhh.....

Tataaaaaaaa........

Tumkur - I'm coming over....

Close.... {This one's for you Dad}

We will reunite one day in that clear blue sky,
And start off from where we left off, with your silent goodbye.

It’s been close to twenty years now and tears still fall,
But tears from a sorrowful heart, seem to know no end at all.

We had a bond, not like one you’d find everyday,
I wish you were here, for this I really wanted to say.

Your face appears before me clearly, your laughter is still in the air,
Why were you taken away from me? It is more than unfair.

And now I must learn life, not sure of knowing the way,
You promised to be here to help me, if not today, someday.

I’m feeling lonely ever since you left, scared and unsure,
Why can’t you be here to help me through this dark door!

It was you I loved and adored for so long,
But now I’m expected to move on and be strong.

I miss you more as the days go by,
Sometimes I ask questions, but can’t help to cry!

Why were you taken out of my world in the blink of an eye?
If only you gave me a chance to say good-bye.

Life’s different after you left; it’s just not the same,
I still try to remind myself, no one is to blame.

You live in a memory now, a special place in my heart,
And I’ll carry that memory close by me,
Because, then we wont ever have to part.

Revelations of a mind....

People come and people go,
life whizzes by like you've never known,
Most dreams are fulfilled, some others are shattered,
to proudly say that 'I tried', is what that matters !

God up there is waging war on everyone,
Don't you ever think, that you're the only one,
It's a test of character, of mind, body and soul,
as he whispers;
"Clear this hurdle my child, to reach your goal !"

You try and look ahead, at that hazy view,
You’re beginning to think – Where is life taking you?
You’re not so sure, if it’s the start or end,
and then, you stop.....
To see life’s whirlwind trend...

Its more than what you can take right now,
But it still continues to flow...
And that’s how it’ll always remain,
Ready to deal the final blow !

Rest in peace - Chaitu....

SHINE ON.....YOU CRAZY DIAMOND..

Loved you.....Blind Bandicoot !

The turn of events over the last 5 days has left a very bad taste in most of our mouths I would assume. For ppl who dont know, I'm referring to the death of a good friend - Chaitanya Lingam in a car accident last sunday at midnight.

Linga's death is by far is the worst way in which reality could hit all of us I believe. Even now, and for some time more i guess, Linga passes and will pass through every now and then in our mind and thoughts, as and when we do things, which he used to do as well ! Its a most cruel way to take a life, but were no one to comment on that, are we? GOD up there finally does have his way, although we try to believe that we can lead and live life on our own terms all the time.

Im writing all this cuz' the whole episode clubbed with the trip to hyd has left indelible marks on my memory and im sure, all of ours as well. Its just that much more for those who actually went over to watch the last rights being performed, watch 2 parents sob desperately as they tried to come to terms with the drastic end to their 23 year old son, and watch a younger sister trying hard to believe that her elder brother was no more. I believe I saw one of the worst sights I ever wanted to see in my life! All of us have gone through our share of SHIT in life im sure, and more is to come i guess, but somewhere down the lane, as much as all of us tried to hide it, we realized that we were brought back onto Earth with a big damn thud! You cannot always toe the line with life you know, cuz some time or the other, it'll hit you bad. Its almost like a game of cricket, where your the batsman, and the bowler is LIFE, who always gets another chance to come at you, to make you realize that it takes only one instance to finish it all off, buddy! Yes, its quite right, when ppl say 'Youve got 1 life, live it to the fullest' - but pls for heaven's sake, define the word FULLEST to suit your capabilities!

Natural death is one thing, and thats very well accepted after a certain point of time in life, but death of this kind is not what you want to see. Especially, when you hear from his own Dad, that he was afterall on the road to recovery, trying to make something out of his life over the last 3 months since the death of his another close friend. Thats the most strange thing isn't it, GOD does things when you least expect it. All of us would surely say - He didnt deserve such an end, but do we know what we deserve for all the good and bad deeds we've done in life !

I really dont want to prolonge the misery anymore for all of us, but just wanted you guys to sit down and think - Life cannot always be driven at our own pace. We need to realize that we're in a stage, where what we do every step of the way does affect a lot of ppl around us too, mainly our immediate family and our closest circle of friends and foes. So pls pls pls be careful when you get onto that bike the next time, when you get into that car the next time, when you go ahead and do something just to please yourself, not thinking of how it would affect ppl around you !

And as Ibu said while we were parting at hyd - 'Considering the very sad nature of this trip, its a reassuring thought that atleast friends will be there through life's uncertainties'. Hope it always remains that way.

TAKE CARE and GOD BLESS.

A birthday that turned on its head!

April 2nd 2006 - Li’l did I know, that this would turn out this way. Yes of course, I turned 23 a few days back, just another year older, a few more white hairs, a few more responsibilities and the rest of the crap that follows along with it. But, who says it’s not a day to celebrate!
I really was thinking of keeping this day a very low key and sober affair, ha, not that I’m disappointed at what eventually came out of it! Somewhere down the lane, I really did miss mum yesterday, cuz’ if she was here, I’m sure she would’ve left no stone unturned as well (along with my folks like she did in 2004) in making this day extremely special for me. Guess I missed her the most only yesterday over the last 6 months, cuz you realize, whenever it’s a happy occasion, say birthdays, weddings etc etc, the first set and the most default set of people you want to spend it with are your parents and immediate family. But as it stands for me, my friends and cousins are my immediate family and that’s what paid off yesterday.

The day began with its normal chores, though there was this real flood of calls from a minute before midnight. This though stopped at about ¾ quarters past 12 and I did manage to catch up on some good sleep till dawn. Come 7AM, calls continued to flow, and this would go on till the evening. My original plan was to just stick to home, invite a few friends over and have a very simple and quiet evening! Sathi though wanted me over at his place for lunch, to execute the surprise he had in store for me. A good shower, a relatively grand pooja at home, a visit to the temple (after ages!), some extra time spent there trying to gather my thoughts and I was content, cuz I’d done everything that mum would’ve done for me on my birthday, had she been there though!
Time continued to tick along, as the minutes I spent on the cell phone continued to tick along as well. It’s a great feeling to have so many people calling you to convey their wishes, giving you that sense of joy that there are people out there in this world who pull out a minute of their time, to think of you, and hope and pray the best for you! Even more so in my case, where I’ve started to depend of some of my friends for so many various things in life and all of them have stood up to me like strong rocks!
I drove down to Sathi’s at about 1 PM, played cricket with his kids, who of course are real and true jokers and treat me that way as well! Sometimes, I think, my maturity levels really must be as low as theirs, otherwise I cant believe I could jell so bloody well with 2 4 yr old guys. A surprise cake cutting ceremony followed, which was then supported by some good home made food and topped off with amazing kheer.
Sunil, Rohit & Sindhu decided to drop by home at about 3ish, so I had to leave Sathi’s unusually early. Picked up some good Sula white wine and beer along the way and reached home awaiting these fellas. They did come and what I would then call the ‘Sober’ party began! We toasted to the occasion, sat down for a couple of drinks, chatted up on ol’ times, mainly discussing, why Josephites are so much better then Cottonians (hehe…you think I gave into that conversation…bull shit). A game of monopoly began, and that was my first taste of failure for the day, which sadly got extended into cards as well later on in the evening. Monopoly followed for about ½ an hour, in which time, I could buy only 1 Bloody property, that too a utility ‘Water works’!!! Man, I was seriously a loser at this…
The game got abandoned midway – with Sindhu leaving to catch a play. Sunil was off to drop her, and in the mean time, Roti and I decided to pick up more beer as well! So off we were, to Millenium bar and restaurant, the same place which I ended up visiting and shopping from 3 times, in the same day itself! We underestimated ourselves I think, picking up only about 8 cans of beer, as we made our way back home! Tried my best to get the house into some kinda shape (the cleanliness freak that I am!!!) before the boyzzzz dropped in. Some more beer shared between Rohit and me, discussing the various thrills and spills of life followed. Keshav who would then come to be named ‘Shavvvvv’ by Rohit a.k.a his soul mate for the evening, walked in first. In followed, Sunil as well after doing his duties as a responsible boy. By this time ofcourse, Rohit I believe had hit the roof, cuz’ when you see him talking non-stop, I mean…literally…non-stop, you can be rest assured, that his brain cells were under the beer-spell….
Some ridiculously bad PJ’s filled the room, and the occasional giggle as well. The scent of tobacco was not to be left behind either. Music played non-stop, n so did the alcohol as well…
In came the guys….mustve been around 7:30 or so, when Shevade and kris made their way in…along with of course –Vinoa De Goa Port Wine & Peach Schnapps, to go along with the stuff I’d brought already..
So what did we have on the house – Unlimited cans of beer, Sula white wine, Vinoa De Goa Port wine, Peach Schnapps, Bacardi, as well as Golconda red wine, the last 2 of which was bought in the next couple of instalments, thanks to our underestimating capabilities. Kulla followed not too soon later, in which mean time ofcourse, Manu had called and I’d invited him over as well, along with Yashwant & Akshay..
So I’d say, that’s when it all began. Bipin ofcourse was a late entry, by when most of the atmosphere had reached its peak and was in the decline again!
A most amazing and brilliant game of cards followed, to go with the unlimited flow of alcohol! I’m saying amazing, cuz I was an illiterate at cards till this point of time, when I did see a ray of hope only to be demolished by 8 other punters around me. A zillion and one games of black-jack followed, only separated by 2 breaks, the reasons for which, you know very well by now I think…
Our ‘spirits’ were literally in the air, all through the game of cards. Thankfully, I mean really, we were betting 1-2 bucks only, basically dealing just in coins…Coming to think of it, I lost close to 40 bucks I think, just betting in coins. Thank God we didn’t migrate in Rupees, lest my fortunes would’ve been sealed permanently on my birthday! Some ppl just get to have all the fun they say, and that’s how it turned out. Sunil tried saving me from the blushes, but I inturn almost left him on the verge of poverty as well ;-) Well, this game needed a lotta luck, and I sure didn’t have much of that on this day! Rohit continued to enthrall with his antics, sipping more beer along the way, ripping away 1 buck each time from his pocket only to earn 5 in return. He was truly calling the shots, as most of us around there weren’t too aware of how it was all shaping up. This went on for a good couple of hours, with VH1 Great Weekend giving us company on TV. The break eventually came, only when we realized that we’d run out of beer again. A 3rd and final trip to Millenium, (by when the owner who was truly amazed at our alcohol intakes, just greeted us with a wry smile) more beer picked up and back we were at our abode!
The cake cutting ceremony then followed, my 2nd for the day, at 9 PM! OH man, this cake was truly amazing I must say, something called ‘cherry cake’ from Sweet Chariot. I’ve always been a chocolate freak all my life and continue to remain so esp. in such matters, where my risk taking abilities would be at an abject low. This cake changed a lotta that. The traditional birthday song could be heard all over the place, followed by me feeding all the 11 fellas out there twice, some of them even licking the cake off my fingers !!!!yeekssss….but all ok, in the fit of madness I would say!
This break would however bring the curtains down on cards, tho the conversations refused to stop. We continued on our spree of madness, discussing issues from Shiv sena to DD hills to updating Sunil n’ Rohit, all about Halcyon, and our erstwhile tumkur days, as the booze followed, now with Peach Schnapps of course. Dinner did come along as well in the means of egg fried rice n the southi beloved curd rice!!!!!
As the night came to an end, so did the get-together, wouldn’t like to call it a party cuz it wasn’t one in the truest sense! People left just as the way they came in, with the final gang making their way out at 12:30, thus bringing the roof down on another of my most memorable birthdays.
Thanks to all of you again, and I say thanks this time round, cuz you guys with your presence, made me miss mum that much lesser today. Though ofcourse, the icing on the cake would’ve been her presence and her way of freakin’ out at the amount of booze we consumed?????

Chapter two - A review !

One of the most amazing plays Ive watched, Id first reveal the rating im giving it before going on to give you my review of it…It’s a straight 4.5 on 5…I would’ve made that 5 but as they say – nothing is perfect, but this one came close, very close! Ok, so now you can imagine that this whole review is gonna give you a very positive vibe about the play itself, and hopefully make you watch it as well! Hope Evam gives me my reward for doing this kinda publicity on their behalf ?????
Anyway, the plot is about 4 ppl – George Schnieder, Leo Schnieder (George’s younger bro), Jenny Malone, and Fay (Jenny’s best friend)! George is a ‘accliamed’ writer whose just lost his spouse Barbara, and is buying his time getting over her. Leo is the absolute madcap, who is trying hard to stand by his brother, but cant do much cuz of his antique ways. A parallel plot runs with Jenny Malone, whose just separated from her husband after about 6 yrs of wedlock. Leo happens to know Fay from before, and does accidently bump into the 2 women at a restaurant where he hears of Jenny’s side of the story.. Aloha he thinks, as he’s finally found the perfect woman for George, especially after the miserable experiences with women his brother’s had before (half of them hooked up by him itself!)
After strong considerations from both ends, Leo and Fay finally do manage to set up an accidental phone call between George and Jenny. From here on ofcourse, it’s the start of the 2nd Chapter, depicting the love blossom between the two.
Its hard to describe at times, but the play overall is a great treat. The humour element has been perfectly explored and balanced. Some scenes in the play, hold you on the edge of the seat for ex – the discussion between Jenny and George about marriage and their hastiness to get into it, just after honeymooning in Barbados! The humour is witty and quick-scented, making the audience go into ripples of laughter every now and then. The dialogues have been carefully thought out, for the instantaneousness with which their delivered is something to really watch out for and that makes the comedy that much better!
The actors are all in a class of their own. My personal favorite though has to be George, the guy who thinks he’s different from the rest, though all of them put up an amazing show. The sets are great and well designed, depicted by 2 apartments (1 belonging to George and the other to Jenny) and the physical / virtural seperation between them. This does play a major role esp. in the phone conversations between the 2 of them.
Overall, I’d repeat again, a must watch, especially for the youth cuz’ its very easy to relate too! I just went by the name Evam cuz Id seen ‘Barefoot in the park’ some months back at Chowdaiah, and that was right up there for me amongst the best ! But as it stands, Evam has just raised the bar higher!