Mind blowing experience

I must confess, I have NEVER really understood, the attachment people generally have towards their old colleges, their seniors n juniors. I have always believed that it’s just a phase, u make the most of it n move on. That's the same sentiments with which I left WeSchool, Bangalore in April 2011. What I didn't know was that the next 8 months were gonna change that belief forever.

In the first few days of December 2011, I got a ping from Sovan (for those unaware, he was my junior) asking "Sir ji, would u be interested in coming for the 2nd edition of WeCket?" Happy as I was to hear it(having missed my convocation due to work), I knew people would be too busy with work to make it. Yet I thought, why the hell not just go, even if nobody else comes, it’s the least I could do for Sovan, given he had a major part to play in our last year’s victory (an unselfish act on his part, which had won the hearts of every senior). Plus, never really got an opportunity to thank him properly either.

And so, I landed in Bangalore on Saturday the 24th at 1 am, n was in front of Sony Centre Kormangala 4th block (another wonderful memory , n YES I am talking abt U only) by 2 a.m. Partied MBA style at Mithun's place till around 5 am , slept n was up by 9 am, ready for practice. Again, thanks to Sovan, we had our old bat, old ground n two juniors including him, to make up the numbers on the field for practice.

On the practice field, it was as if time had never changed, despite haven’t picked up a ball in 8 months. I was back playin cricket with Jamil bhai, Lodha, Sharma, Doshi, Mithun, Shruti, Mangesh , Niket , Sandeep n the juniors. It was pure nostalgia being back at Woodstock. Was surprising to see that the tuck shop guy(Krishna Babu) remembered us, n even asked should he keep the stock ready for one last of our famous all night MBA bashes. Later after an grueling practice session, again on Sovan’s request, we decided to go to college for the inauguration ceremony of the tournament. I was keen, but others weren't, but now I am sure, they would have kicked themselves if they had missed it ;-)

Finally, the entire team went to college on bikes, n when we entered the college, we forgot that we were the alumni. The security guard had to run after us, reminding us we had to make entries at the gate. Old memories came flashing back, overcome by emotions never felt before, we decided to make ourselves slightly more presentable. It was an adrenalin rush to seeing OUR teams name MERMIDONS plastered on the walls, as defending CHAMPIONS. It was surprising to see the super juniors take a keen interest in us, introducing themselves, taking us on tour of the college, enroute to Amma (our old savior, without whose tea we would have never completed MBA) who was so happy to see us, that she even refused to take money initially.

At Amma's cart, a few of the juniors (Sovan n Prateik just to name a few), kept us busy n let it slip very subtly, that it would be nice if we all went in together as a team. Then very casually, they escorted us to Discover 3 n 4 for the inauguration. In the corridor as we were walking, we could feel the energy, the excitement, but nothing prepared us for what happened next. As we were abt to enter, as is customary, our arrival was announced as the Alumni team. We walked into a standing ovation of juniors and super juniors numbering close to a hundred (we weren’t used to see such numbers in college ;-) ), nonstop rapturous applause for nearly 5 min , all in sync, while we all just stood there at the centre stage, dumb founded, not believing it was all for US. We all felt like KINGS, like royalty coming back. And to top it all, they even had a special presentation for us, of last year’s momentous tournament, pictures of us as a team, pictures of us in action in the field. I am sure, when I say this, I am saying this for everyone, IT WAS THE BIGGEST HIGH anyone of us has every felt. The effort, the timing, and the sheer gesture of an outstanding welcome, is something, none of us will ever forget.

If we thought, things couldn’t get any better, we were so wrong. After leaving college, we decided to go back to Woodstock to meet BABA. Having gotten a second chance, I grabbed Sovan, n told him, I had to thank him properly. So we partied for close to 3 hrs, n Baba claimed yet another victim, Mithun, who was out cold for close to 12 hrs ;-). One had to be there in person, in that room, to see how happy everybody was. We called up everybody who name was mentioned, n had Mangesh spilling out a few secrets ;-). And when hunger finally came knocking, we again grabbed poor Sovan n took him to E-City for some ghee chicken. Another first for me there, was meeting 3 more juniors, n we ate n drank together, which I admit I had never done before.

And to think, it was all possible just because we all (seniors n juniors) loved playing cricket. That was the only interaction I have ever had with them, n never realized that love for the game, would make us so close. I owe a debt of gratitude to Sovan, Anubhav, Prateik, Alok, Amit ( I take only these names bcoz I can't remember any more, extremely SORRY) but also too all those juniors who played cricket with us, who made it possible for us to come back this year, because of whom, not only did we all get a chance to play together and feel so special, but also for 2 days, were able to re live the glorious 2 yrs of MBA (Woodstock, Hukka Baba, party, Ghee chicken of E-City included).

P.S. I would have said that it was the greatest experience of my life, but the next weekend was New Years, n though I can’t reveal the details of that one ;-), all I can say is, a guy couldn’t never asked for a more memorable finish to the year.

Glad U Came

Well, it’s been a while since I have scribbled something, the last time being when I was still doing my MBA and having a ball of a time, and now over 8 months later (man, suddenly I feel old), I am in this God forsaken place, doing I don’t know what (work wise), so pardon me if I over indulge a bit.

I am have been meaning to get around to letting those creative juice flowing again, but as always, I have been an exceptionally lazy bumm of late, and was only convinced of writing this one, only after a very dear friend of mine (yes U “Maam”), told me that she would love to see me get back in the game (and as promised, I am gonna embarrassed U ;-)).

Got shit loads to write about, but its kinda difficult to decide, from where to start, so I’ll start with the last major event, since March 2011. Well no prizes for guessing, that it was THE Farewell at WE SCHOOL, n the events leading upto it. If MBA were one helluva of a joy ride, THE farewell was a 18hrs period, comprising the quintessential elements of the entire 2 year span (no wonder then, a major of it is just a blurr).

I have never really been big on nostalgia or the display of human emotion, so I had assumed that, WE SCHOOL n the memories associated with it, would be the simple case of “out of sight, out of mind” like always. I had made my peace with things, said my goodbyes to the people I wanted to, mindful of the fact time and distance will dilute whatever bonds had been made. Obviously I was wrong (man, I can still recollect that when I was leaving, almost the entire batch was there n I know, I wasn’t exactly the most friendly guy out there. Lol. A testament to the sheer SPIRIT, WE had as a batch), n surprisingly one or two bonds, have only gotten stronger (Glad U Came – I ).

It’s always easier, to look in hind sight and say that u could have done things differently, undo the mistakes which u committed, undo the hurt which u may have caused without intending to, but then, life won’t be as colourful as it is now. The sweetest relationships are those born out of the cocktail of confusion, a bit of heart ache and some amount of idiotic behavior, which u are not normally associated with (Glad U Came – II). And boy, did I have my fair share of it all, especially the latter.

Jump to June 2011, and my arrival in Hyderabad, the initial euphoria and later, hitting the mother lode of all free falls (and NO, it had nothing to do with a girl/woman). I tried a concoction of my own remedies, but the only thing that seemed to work every time, without fail, was a bond whose origin can be traced back to, where else but to WE School ( I am sure u r starting to turn red from embarrassment by now). N while I admit that, what I am about to say may seem like a bit farfetched given that my history is filled with more than a few nefarious acts (more than any one man is entitled too, but it was fun ;-) ), but this angel like friend (n I use the term with utmost sincerity, without flattery n without any hidden motives but maybe a tinge of flirtatious effervescence), with her usual impeccable timing of msg’s, calls and simple yet significant acts of friendship, was able to solve the dilemma which I have had for a very very long time and regain the calm/peace of mind, that I was looking for and no matter how many times I say it, I won’t be able to express my gratitude in its full essence n YES, U r the ultimate friend a guy can ever wish to have (Glad U Came – III).

Champions

March 2nd, 2011 probably the most pure and primal form of joy I have felt in ages. I still remember in the beginning of 2nd year, when I played cricket for the first time in years n not being able to complete 3 bowls without huffing and puffing. From that day, to today has been a journey that I will remember forever.

This may seem like gloating to some people, but believe me, the amount of hard work that I have put in, in the last few weeks, has been the hardest I have worked in 2 yrs of MBA. Since day 1, everybody has been able to create a niche for themselves, something they excel in. I on the other hand, failed miserably in the only thing I was good at i.e. women. Call it a blessing in disguise, or a gift from the juniors, that they organized the cricket tournament just in the nick of time. Practicing in the hot baking sun at 2 pm, playing 3 -4 matches just for practice, trying hard to get back into some sort of shape, n then suffering a hamstring injury, just 10 days before the tournament.

But I have to admit, while the practice sessions were just for fun, on the match day, stepping on that field, I could feel the passions returning for my one and only true love, bowling as fast as I possibly could. All the aches and pains seemed to have disappeared while I was on the field. And what a beginning it was. Watching the batsmen smash the opposition all over the park and then, holding on to my first ever caught and bowled, WOW.

The tension of the 2nd match, where every bowl counted, heart’s pumping, tension flaring, bodies aching and minds racing, not going whether u were gonna qualify for the next round or not?? The ecstasy of getting into the semi’s, applying a rather generous amount sprays, just to be able to get the hamstring to stop aching, before every match, man, that’s when I knew it was my single opportunity to make a mark for myself, to prove to myself, that I was still good for something.

Being the only one dimensional player in the team (I can’t bat worth shit, n fielding isn’t exactly something I am too keen on, ur typical Indian quickie ;-) ). The most satisfying feelin was when, in the finals, the penultimate over was given to me. I thought I had been wacked out of the park for a huge six, I shouted in anguish, held my head and then somehow managed to turn around just in time, to watch the long on fielder (Mithun man, I owe u 2 wickets) take a simple catch. That was the loudest shout of anger, anguish, relief n excitement I have ever given out.

Man, it was one crazy day. Thanks to everybody n the team for keeping their faith in me. Thanks Jamil bhai, for keeping calm when I was wacked for 2 consecutive sixes, thanks Lodha for ur words of encouragement after the match with BD, Shruti for calming me down after the Trojans created that ruckus over the catch in the finals, Mithun n Doshi for holding on to those catches in the finals, Ravi for dismissing the explosive batsman in the first over to make things easier for me, and my two dear friends Purvi n Pooja for getting us food n water n cheering for us n those wonderful pics.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH, WE WON.

An impefect world

The belief in the theory of Karma states that, the gud or evil u do in this life, comes to bite u in the arse, in this life or the next, once the Chakra or the cycle of life, comes a full circle. Plus, that in order to attain salvation, one must be humble, help the weak and be unselfish enough to see beyond own personal gains and work for the greater good of the society n hence, humanity at large.

Well, I may not be the most religious person around, or for that matter anywhere close to the most righteous person around, but in my experience, the only way to attain any kind of peace of mind, is to do whatever comes to u naturally, whatever makes u happy and whatever doesn’t leave any scope for regret in the future. When God made no two ppl the same, it is almost hysterical to assume that, they would have more or less the same way, by which they can cope up with defeat or loss.

Now imagine, having a certain arrogance abt ur demeanor, a certain unjustifiable swagger abt ur attitude, a certain coldness to emotions of attachment, love, dependence and care for others. Having the belief that "No matter what u say, NO matter what u do, IF i want u, there's not a damm thing u will be able to do, to resist the temptation" . Some may call this boasting, but its not boasting, if u can back it up everyday. The key to happiness, is askin ur self this simple question, before doing anything "WHATS IN IT FOR ME". Again, the answer might be different for different people, but that answer will lead you to true bliss. An imperfect world, requires an imperfect answer to survive in.

Return of the URBAN LEGEND

Many many years ago, in the foothills of the Shivalik mountain ranges, lived THE LEGEND of a man, who was the epitome of all that is morally wrong with the world, a sadist beyond comparison and a cold hearted womanizer. He lived life to the hilt, was happy like a baby and gave two hoots about what the world around him thought of him. But as with good things, the GOLDEN era was bound to end. The lessons learnt were forgotten, the rules of happiness were bent and the darkness of the heart was replaces by the sunshine of kindness, love and compassion. Soon THE LEGEND became a myth, the reality became folk lore and what was never supposed to be forgotten was forgotten.

Over the next few years, life played more than its fair share of tricks on our man, uprooted him from his paradise, spitted him in a God forsaken place and to top it all, gave him a conscious to feel, a heart to love and a desperate need to have a special someone in his life. He was broken, bent and twisted beyond recognition, shown the depths of loneliness, screwed by the very ppl he trusted and the worst was yet to come. For the first time, in his life, he REMEMBERED THE DATES OF those cruel events and just couldn't block them away, as he had all his life. They nagged him, ate him away from the inside and made him dependent on ppl, other than himself.

When all hope seemed lost, when the darkness almost seemed vanquished, when the GOOD had almost defeated EVIL forever, SATAN blessed his favourite child with everything that had been lost. HE took away the emotions, the care, the love and most importantly, returned to our man the ability NOT only to forget the ppl he hated, but also to forget the ones he LOVED, to become immune to their sufferings and to focus ONLY on his own happiness.

Thus, with just enough time to spare, from the depths of hell has once again risen THE URBAN LEGEND from Chandigarh, to cause unprecedented heartache and to wreck havoc amongst the fairer sex called women.

Resurrection

Even the biggest atheist amongst us has grown up on stories of Gods being benevolent, kind and at times righteous enough to take up arms and fight for the survival of the goodness of the human kind. Everyone one amongst us has experienced the rush and joy of rooting for an underdog and watching him prevail against a much stronger opponent or oven coming odds which insurmountable.

          In life as in a war, the blood of the innocent is shed, the mighty are broken and annihilated and you will experience the excruciating pain of losing something that you cherish the most. You will come across someone who is better than you, someone who will take away the thing which u love the most from u, you will be played like a fool and taken for a ride, be called an overly active mind if you question the facts (even the subtle ones) and called an uncaring heart if you don’t question them. Confusion will reign supreme, you will be left to ponder whether you should be grateful for what you have or in the end realize that fighting for a losing cause at the end of which was a second rung prize anyways.

          Resurrection in its truest form means coming back from the dead, some may even modify it to mean stepping up to the plate when you are down for the count. For me, it simply means embracing what you truly are. In life you have to put on many faces, just to survive and the real resurrection is keeping your true self alive amidst all the confusion that fogs your mind and clouds your judgment. Just like a tiger can’t change his stripes nor can a lion turn vegetarian, so too a man can’t change what he truly is.

         You may strategize and plan all you want to, but the fact of the matter is neither LIFE nor GOD plays fair. So to play by the conventional rules seems rather foolish, doesn’t it?? Playing to win, seems like a logical and simple conclusion, right?? Yes, but only to an extent. After a while, what excites you more is just the thrill of the chase or put in simple words, HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME. The greatest pleasure in life is in watching the game unfold just the way you planned it, despite all the odds. Now that, all the pawns are in place, all the enemies have been identified and all the lies have been unmasked, it’s time to do what I do best i.e. play a cold and ruthless game, lay to waste anything that comes my way, enjoy the carnage and TURN NIGHTMARES INTO REALITY.

The EASIEST 8 lakhs ever

         26 November, 2010, the day the unthinkable happened. The day, when what i had been hoping for, for the last 4 yrs, actually came true. The day, which is barely 48 hrs old, seems like one FUZZY DREAM sequence of events, and though they are gonna shape the rest of my LIFE, i barely remember how it actually unfolded. lol

          People say that success comes only to those who toil hard, are talented, are focused, are

driven by the sheer determination to achieve their aim, are aware of what is happening around them and can stand out from the crowd. These are the very thoughts, which even i had when i started with my MBA. Everybody around me, was clear about what they wanted, took part in competitions and won them by sacrificing their sleep and understood concepts at breathtaking speed. I knew i had to work extra hard, to even compete with them, but unfortunately, i was ALWAYS  too lazy to do anything about it.

           Before i could do anything to alter the my course, it was time for my SUMMERS, and as love struck as i was, i lapped up the first opportunity that came my way. And as it turned out, even though i didnt get the girl ;-), i managed to score BIG time with Ruchi Soya. Not only did i make my first money in years, i also managed to make a few friends along the way. And, as luck would have it, before i could recover from the exhaustion of the SUMMERS, college was back on, with life in the midst of its darkest period.

          The saving grace, was that innocent little kid "Udayveer". First, the sudden developments at Mercedes, then the rude awakening of Croma, and finally the celebrations for the Croma ppl, all within a time frame of 20 days, is the stuff that movies are made off. Whoso ever said, happiness of others makes ur heart ache, was clearly wrong, atleast on this occasion. For 2 yrs, i had convinced myself, i was going to get into auto or telecom sales, but as it finally turns out, i am gonna be a IT guy. lol

          Today, the feeling of having achieved a package of 8 lakhs, by parting, hukking and enjoying life without a care for tom, constantly falling in and out of love, is finally sinking in. Yet somehow, it doesnt feel any different. People keep repeating it,but it doesnt sound like such a big. Maybe life is not all about hard work, BUT smart work, connecting the dots, with lies if u have to, confidence to make it sound genuine and a belief that u can make it, despite the odds being stacked against you.

          U dream of a perfect, u dream of wearing something special, looking gud, stranges showering praises on you, getting an astronomical package with ur hometown as ur base(in all probability) is what came true on 26/11/10. so if a lazy bumm like me can make, anybody can make it.wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh