It was 4 am, naah 4.13 AM precisely on Mar 17th, when I boarded an Auto at the gate of New Campus, IIM Ahmedabad; and it was the last time I was stepping outside IIM-A as a student :). I was due to come back on 31st Mar for my convo, but the feeling would nevver be same again, the walks will be different, even the brick architecture would seem nostalgic, dead buildings walking :)....
I dunno if this happens to you at such times, but somehow the nite breeze at 4 AM stirs memories of a past goneby, of days of a similar ilk, when you left somewhere for nowhere. I dunno, if it was me, or the Autowallah was being extra-nice, but he was driving super-slow on the 3-AM super-traffic roads [now, I know dats an oxymoron :P], and with each passing nook, that corner..memories came tumbling, of that morning, of that moment, of that grrl [Guys will remain guys afterall] :D. As the Auto took that bend, my mind ceaselessly creating associations and links where mebbe none existed, of moments and spaces, shared, cherished and hated, all in the same breath, all in the same latitude. We went past Ellis Bridge, the harbringer of so many treats with friends and like [well, to get to the best restaurants u need to cross it u know :))], past the Taj [host to the Mck and BCG "interactions"], and finally past the army cantonment. And, lo ! the Domestic Terminal was once more there, calling me, snatching me away from my final dregs of student life...and I knew, it was time to say Adios and move on. As I went into the airport, the finality of it all dawned on me [am really at a loss for words here :)], I have hated this place more than anywhere else I remember, but in those final moments, I will accept, there was that tug, that final cry which said, "A few days more, mebbe :)". My 14-yr old bro just now explained away IIM-A as Indian Institute of Madness, Ahmedabad :), well it was madness in more ways than one, but being sane is nevvah fun, i guess :D.
I dunno if this happens to you at such times, but somehow the nite breeze at 4 AM stirs memories of a past goneby, of days of a similar ilk, when you left somewhere for nowhere. I dunno, if it was me, or the Autowallah was being extra-nice, but he was driving super-slow on the 3-AM super-traffic roads [now, I know dats an oxymoron :P], and with each passing nook, that corner..memories came tumbling, of that morning, of that moment, of that grrl [Guys will remain guys afterall] :D. As the Auto took that bend, my mind ceaselessly creating associations and links where mebbe none existed, of moments and spaces, shared, cherished and hated, all in the same breath, all in the same latitude. We went past Ellis Bridge, the harbringer of so many treats with friends and like [well, to get to the best restaurants u need to cross it u know :))], past the Taj [host to the Mck and BCG "interactions"], and finally past the army cantonment. And, lo ! the Domestic Terminal was once more there, calling me, snatching me away from my final dregs of student life...and I knew, it was time to say Adios and move on. As I went into the airport, the finality of it all dawned on me [am really at a loss for words here :)], I have hated this place more than anywhere else I remember, but in those final moments, I will accept, there was that tug, that final cry which said, "A few days more, mebbe :)". My 14-yr old bro just now explained away IIM-A as Indian Institute of Madness, Ahmedabad :), well it was madness in more ways than one, but being sane is nevvah fun, i guess :D.
With so much changing in our lives, I believe we wish to hold onto our past, cling onto stability and innocence maybe ?...the kind of feelings engendered by that shop you bought candy from some 20 yrs ago :P ? or mebbe that shop where you played video-games day-in, day-out when you were in class 8. Just yesterday, I went to this shop from where we used to purchase plastic balls when I was some 7-yrs old, and the same guy sold me a cricket ball yet again ! He dint recognize me, mebbe he has frayed mentally, which isnt as visible as the physical decline. We have both moved on in lives, prima facie we dont know each other, but somehow his presence gives me belief and hope of a past that was innocent, that was ossum :) [Boy, I really need to get out of my home :P]
For the first time in years, I am lazing arnd home doing nothing at all, totally, toally vella in all senses of the word. Though I still have to wake up at 6 AM owing to the "Baba Ramdev" brand of Yoga-fever that has gripped the nation and with it, my mom and dad, its fun spending time "doing nothing"...baitha hoon toh baitha hoon...with not another care :D. Even the Yoga is fun :)), I put on some cheesy music [like Bluffmaster or RDB] and you should see the faces of my parents, Modern-age Yoga !, cummon :)). Apart from this I get to play Cricket / Ludo with 7-15 yr olds in the National Domestic Championship [essentially played on the top of my house with awesomm restrictions on hitting the ball]..and for the first time in my life :), I am the best player in the whole championship :P [there are advantages of playing with kids, afterall :D], and trust me its really ego-boosting given that you have sucked at all kinds of sports all your life :)). Also, I coaxed my Dad into buying a 29-in Sony with a Sony DVD player...and now my extra-long drawing room has been transformed into beegtime Home theatre :)...Day b4 me and my bro and the kids watched Harry Potter series back to back..and it was mindblowing :D. Yesterday was Raj Kapoor Special...wherein me and my friends watched Bobby and Satyam Shivam Sundaram [no kids this time understandably :))], and I was amazed at this unique ability of Raj Kapoor to render everything else inconsequential at the altar of sex, sleazy by even today's standards !!! I guess, U must be getting a drift of the ossum time I am having at home :), Ohh ! how I wish times nevvaah change :)...
I also managed to read one night @ the call center, Chetan Bhagat's second coming and The English Teacher by RK Narayan [the only book I had not read by the author]. One night @ the call center is verry-readable, and makes for some introspection on your part :). And RK Narayan as usual is fantabulous, his ability to capture human psyche and particularly children's is immense ! [I bought One night and Angels and Demons in Delhi for some 80 bucks and dat has given me hope of buying the entire RK Narayan Omnibus for zilch..if you know of places in Delhi where you can get such pirated books..plz lemme know, would be grr8ful :)]...
The day I bought my Sony, the Indian team collapsed in a torpor...and to lift the mood came my bro's expert comment..."If you can't excel with openers..triumph with tail-enders"...again aptly said :), my suggestion would be, Indian team juss plays Dhoni, Dravid and Yuvraj and 8 other bowlers :)))...dat would surely help :P...
Tk care till I come up with my next nincompoopic post :),
Btw..some nice, corny lyrics from Taxi 9211 :)
Btw..some nice, corny lyrics from Taxi 9211 :)
Ek nazar mein bhi
Pyar hota hai
Meine suna hai :))
Pyar hota hai
Meine suna hai :))
Adios
Ranjan
Ranjan
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