Because Together We Can and Together We Will…

‘Because #Together We Can and Together We Will’ This was the motivational tag line between me and 2-3 of my friends who were also my roommates while I was doing my engineering. There were times when we felt down on confidence, when we felt as if the world was against us, when we felt that the forces of nature were conspiring to defeat us. It was in those dark moments, that we would hold each other’s hands and repeat our magical mantra and instantly would feel the negativity around us dissipating in thin air.

I remember an incident very vividly when this little motivational gig of ours had a big influence on the way our engineering life panned out. Engineering exams are laced with poison that every student has to swallow and life often becomes lonely and tedious while studying for those exams which will in all probability, will shape the careers and determine where life will take them in the future. A single blot on the scorecard is frowned upon by prospective employers and the scorecard is supposed to be a mirror of the students’ abilities which is often not a correct reflection of the same.

It was before one such exam, the name of which was enough to strike fear in the heart of students, to paralyze them with dread and terror, EMT which was shortened for Electro Magnetic Field Theory, that I was very low on confidence. The vast nature of the field and the absurdly difficult problems posed by the subject had me all sweating and feeling the heat just the day before the exam. It was not as if I had not studied for the subject but I was not confident at all if I could reproduce the goods in the exam. That was what mattered at the end, everyone remembered and gave importance to the scores not how hard or how many hours one put in to studying.

The night before the exam, as before every exam I and 2 of my roommates went for a short walk around the hostel campus after our dinner. That was the time when studies, at most times took a back seat and we just chatted about frivolous things. My friends knew my anxiety of the upcoming test and decided to give me a nice little pep talk. While we were lying down on the green grass of our lawn, facing the innumerable stars that twinkled without a care in the world, my friends made me look in the direction of the star which was shining the brightest and seemed a little bigger than the rest of them. I tilted my head slightly to get a clear view of that large shining star. My friends said to me that I was like that star and that I would be alright in my exam. They reminded me about how I had done well previously as well when the chips were down, they told me about the time I had topped my CS exam while studying in the jungle all night, they harked about how I was one of the few guys who had passed the very tough Math paper the last year, etc… We often saw shooting stars in the sky when we were lying down facing the night sky and we saw one just as my friends were talking to me. We all became silent for a moment, closed our eyes and as always made a little wish. When we opened our eyes, and looked into one another’s I knew that there was only one wish that they could have yearned for that night.

Just then, as we were getting up, holding on to each other’s hands for support, we said in a chorus ‘Because Together We Can and Together We Will…’ That little time spent with my friends fired me up and approached the exam not with trepidation but with a renewed confidence. I managed to scrape through that test and really had my friends all to thank for as without them, I would surely have been tense and made a hash of things as a result.

My Journey From Home To Hostel ... #StartANewLife

My 12th standard HSC board exams had just got over and I had decided that I will do engineering just like many of my friends. The wait for results was an excruciating one but that time gave many of us friends some time to contemplate about our future and the choices that we were going to make. The results were announced and I did not get very good marks, not that I was expecting to top the exams but the results left me disconsolate and worried if I will be able to secure admission in a good engineering college in Mumbai. The admission process for engineering stream is a long drawn one which can go on for several months.

We had to fill up a form in which along with all our personal and academic details, we were required to fill in the 'Top 50 Colleges along with the Field of our choice' in descending order. So that was it, everyone filled up that form like their life depended on that sheet of paper. Since many of us friends had got similar marks we filled up the form in the same way. The best 40-45 Colleges of Mumbai were filled at the top and then the last 5-10 choices were filled keeping in mind our moderate marks. They were supposed to be the fail-safe in case we did not secure a place in the top 40 colleges, the chance for which was minute.

I filled up colleges only from Mumbai itself as I did not want to relocate and live in a hostel. The mere thought of it made me uncomfortable. Nobody in our whole family had ever done engineering, forget about staying away from the family in some hostel. My friends, however had no such tough decisions to make and they included some colleges which were situated out of Mumbai and could take in students with a little lesser marks. As expected, I did not get selected at any of the top colleges of Mumbai and time was fast running out. I had to make a decision soon.

One day, suddenly, out of nowhere, I received a call from one of my childhood school friends who told me that he had taken up engineering at a college in Ratnagiri. We had not been in contact since school as we had taken admission in different colleges. When I told him about my current predicament, he told me that his college still had a few seats left in the field of my choice and that I should try over there.

I told him that I will tell him in a few days about my decision and also asked him about how was the college, its environs, its students, etc. He told me that many of the students were from Mumbai and the college was located at a good place. Then we talked about our good school days and the mischief that we used to have together.

I had a talk about this with my Father and together we decided that in order to progress one has to make sacrifices and live away from the family. Change was the only thing that is constant in the world and without change the world would stagnate. My Mother was not approving of me going away to live in a hostel but me and my Dad persuaded her. I told my friend about my decision and he was elated, he assured me that all would be fine. I paid the fees and took admission in an engineering college that I had never heard of before.

I was very circumspect about this whole 'Living in a Hostel' affair and set out from my home towards my destination with a heavy heart and perhaps with a tear in my eye. When I reached at my college, my friend was there to welcome me. He showed me around the campus and I was delighted to know that he had arranged for us to be room-mates! 

I remember that I could not sleep for many days at that place, the room was too small as compared to my house in Mumbai and the bathrooms stank. The food at the mess was the worst, it was insipid and tasteless. I was homesick and badly wanted to return home. With Diwali approaching, we friends were involved in a dare devil act to escape from the hostel, my first of the very many adventures that I would have during my engineering days.

Slowly, I settled in at my new home away from home and made new friends. The hostel life gave me so many experiences to savor, so many memories to cherish. I learnt so much during those days; how to do my own work, how to enjoy while studying, how to take decisions independently, how to survive without sleep and food, etc. I and my friend remained room-mates for the next four years and had a blast. Those late night vada-pavs, the mid-night birthday parties, spending the whole night playing card sessions, playing cricket on the terrace, studying in the jungle for an exam!!

When the time came to leave the hostel and return back home, we were all very very sad. I remember that we did not want that time to get over, those days spent at the hostel was the best time of my life. That was nearly 13 years ago. Even today whenever, we talk, the talk invariably starts from our college days and proceeds further. Change, as my Father had rightfully said, was the only constant and changing for the better was the only way to success.

Hostel Memories - Story of Optimism about Life!!

The last semester engineering exams are going on and everybody is so excited. The students have spent four long years in a hostel, miles away from families and friends, slogging away day and night to realize the dreams of their parents and to build their own career. Plans are being chalked out every single day, we will do this, we will take a vacation there, we will shout like crazy in a chorus after the last exam, etc… There is a ‘Days to Freedom’ counter that has been set up on the wall of my hostel corridor. The last 31 days are written on the wall and with each passing day one number is stricken off by a member of the hostel with his autograph. The hostel is a mixed bag of emotions; everybody is excited and nervous, sad and anxious, some are confident and assured while some are apprehensive and confused… There is that strange sensation of impending joy and happiness mixed with a tinge of anxiety and sadness which is just around the corner but which is very difficult to put in words.

Only the last two papers remain now. Last 9 days before a new batch of engineers graduate and join the grind of corporate lives. Just a day before the second last exam, a friend and fellow hostelite suffers from what appears a heart attack and dies while on the way to the hospital. Let us call that friend ‘Amar’ because he will always remain alive in our memories and hence is immortal. Amar was a friendly and jovial boy; a little shy and quiet, always ready to help other students in times of their difficulties. He was not spectacular with his grades but he was not a failure either. The whole hostel was in a state of shock and pain. We had lost a friend, a friend with whom we had spent the past four years and someone who was on the cusp of being an engineer. There was speculation that he may have had a bad paper and might be under stress but I had seen Amar for 4 years and he was not the kind to be distressed over fewer marks in a subject.

We did not know how to react to such a loss; I guess none of us had seen death from such close quarters. The hostel which was always buzzing during the exams was silent as a morgue. Almost all of us attended his funeral later that day with tears in our eyes. Yes, we had to study for the exam slated for the next day but that was the last thing on our mind. Sometimes, something’s are just more important than studying for an exam. We tried to comfort his parents but they were inconsolable. His mother cried non-stop and we told her that she may have lost one son that day but she has surely found another 20.

It was over the next 8 days that made me feel so much like a human being. The loss of a fellow student and friend had brought the rest of us closer to each other so much more intimately. We all stood united in the face of adversity and we behaved like mature and responsible people. The boys engineering hostel is a boisterous, raucous and messy place at the best of times. But it was all very quiet in the corridors since that incident. It was decided that the ‘Days to Freedom’ counter would not be updated in the memory of Amar. Where Amar had signed, we wrote messages for him. After the last exam there was no wild celebrations or chantings, loud music which was a norm after each exam was conspicuous by its absence. There was a heaviness hanging around the hostel and the eyes seemed weary. There could not be any victory party after a comrade had been left behind.

It has been more than 8 years since that fateful day but it is still very much clear in my head. It took a death as we students came together, showed solidarity and just the way we conducted ourselves in the face of grief is something that makes me proud even today. There were some heart touching scenes throughout the incident and it filled me with so much hope about our future. The love and emotions that flowed, the moment when we all observed a two minute silence for him after the last exam got over; those moments filled me with optimism about life, about love.

My hostel memories came rushing back recently when Phil Hughes died after being stuck by a bouncer at SCG. The way the whole cricket fraternity came together was just in a way that we had done. Cricket actually took a back seat and when it resumed it was a better place to be in. When Johnson stuck Kohli flush on the helmet in the first test, he seemed petrified. All the Aussie players seemed genuinely concerned and surrounded Kohli enquiring about his well being. In the normal course of events, they would have sledged him and giggled but death teaches us all so much. Remember Venkatesh Prasad once hitting Ponting on the head down under in the 90’s and rushing to inquire about his health but Ponting had just waved him away with an abuse. Yes, how times change and change for the better. Sometimes, it just takes death to teach us how to live.

Tell us your favourite story of optimism - optimism about life, about love, about the world and its future.

My Diwali Memories

As we all know that Diwali is one of the biggest festivals of India along with Holi. And it is no secret that these festivals are best celebrated with one’s near and dear one’s – with your family, in your own house – the #GharWaliDiwali.

I fondly remember that as a kid in the 1990’s Diwali meant so much to us. The wait for the festival would start as soon as new calendars were brought in the house (December end) – we would quickly turn the leaflets to search for Diwali dates. It was not too difficult to find them either as a whole chunk of dates would be colored in ‘Red’ sometime in October or November. The planning would start right then (yes, 8-9 months in advance!!) – what would we buy, of all the chocolates that we could get our hands on, what gift would our parents give us, where would we travel during the 25 day long school vacations, etc.

With a few weeks left for the festival, my parents would take me out to do some shopping – 2-3 t-shirts and a solitary jeans – which would have to last at least until next Diwali!! The markets would be brimming with people, all happy, smiling faces – most of them buying probably for the first time in months!! My parents would also buy me a large box of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk if I refrained from buying crackers (bribing starts early in India you see!!).

We would then start waiting for the school to shut as the real fun and non-stop games could then begin in earnest! On the last day of school, before it closed for vacations, we would all sing in our school bus until our voices became hoarse and the grin on our faces could tell a story unto themselves!

Morning to evening cricket sessions followed with small breaks for only lunch and some tv in the afternoon. Soon the cousin’s arrived and the fun factor multiplied with us running all around the house enjoying ourselves to the fullest.

On the day of Diwali, we would get up early and wear our new dresses and then visit the temple in the morning. The home would be a concoction of scent’s with the aromatic fragrance of the flowers used to decorate the house to the earthy smell of those earthen diya’s to the sickly sugary aroma of the kheer being prepared by my Grandma in the kitchen! We kid’s would then make a round of the homes in the locality – each one would welcome us with a huge smile accompanied with some sweets and occasionally chocolates!!

The Diwali puja would be held in the evening at our Grandfather’s house where the whole family would gather. Grandfather always insisted that the kid’s should eat first and so we all sat in a neat straight line and would gorge on what was probably the best and most luxurious meal we would have in the whole year!!

The day after Diwali would probably see travelling somewhere for a few days or I would get to visit my maternal Grandmother for a few days where I caught up with my cousins from that side of the family!

All these memories came flooding back as I read the topic on Indiblogger, ‘Diwali – A time for family’! How times changed as I, along with two of my friends attempted a risky maneuver to escape from the hostel campus some 10 years ago so that we could celebrate Diwali at home – Read about that daredevilry here, or how I will come home for a few days next week to celebrate Diwali at my house. The festival of Diwali brings those childhood memories to the fore and it is great to be able to celebrate it at your own house where my mother still pampers me like a kid. Diwali was and will always remain special for the joy it gives, for the smiles it spreads and for the gourmet delights that one can binge on without feeling guilty!!

Always remember that the best Diwali is the Diwali celebrated with your family or #GharWaliDiwali!!

Happy Diwali

My First Guest Post - A Tribute to Sachin, the God of Cricket

Well as Sachin is all geared up and set to play his final, his 200^th Test Match for India against the visiting West Indies team at his home ground, the Wankhede Stadium, I wish him all the luck. I am also getting nostalgic remembering all those days from the 1990’s and 2000’s where Sachin would, more often than not play a lone hand for India.

I was delighted when Arti of My Yatra Diary fame, well she is no less then Sachin when it comes to the world of blogging, invited me to do a guest post on the Little Master on her famous blog!! I have written a heartfelt account of my association with the God of Cricket, Sachin, over at My Yatra Diary.

Cricket is our Religion... Tendulkar is our God

Here is a small excerpt from my post

I once experienced what it must be like to be in the stands, when the ground is full, when Sachin is out there in the middle. Surprisingly, that match did not even involve India! Sri Lanka was playing New Zealand at Wankhede during the 2011 ICC World Cup and suddenly, during the second innings when New Zealand was batting the entire ground erupted with chants of Saaachin-Sachiiiiin, Saaachin-Sachiiiiin. The roar was defeaning, the crowd delirious in its chanting. I saw cricket fans dancing and shouting their throats hoarse when Sachin was not even at the ground!! I too joined them, the maddening hymn reaching a feverish pitch. This continued for a good 10-15 minutes. The Mumbai crowd had probably got its money’s worth in those few moments when they showered their lad with unabashed love and remembrance.

Do read the whole article here

Please share your Sachin memories in the comments section, either over there or here in this post!!

Nostalgia - India vs Sri Lanka, 1996 World Cup Semi Finals at Eden Gardens, Calcutta

India vs Sri Lanka, 1996 Cricket World Cup Semi Final Match at Eden Gardens, Calcutta

The 1996 World Cup which was hosted jointly by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka was the first ever Cricket World Cup that I feverishly followed.

Many moments are still etched in my mind from that tournament – West Indies losing to Kenya, India beating Pakistan in an electrically charged Bangalore, Chris Harris making a wonderful century against the Aussie’s but still ending on the losing side, West Indies committing hara-kiri against Australia chasing only 208 but ending up losing after being 2/165 at one stage, Australia and West Indies forfeiting their games against Sri Lanka due to security concerns, etc.

But in this post I will describe a game which I remember like it took place only yesterday. India was to play against Sri Lanka in the Semi Finals at Eden Gardens, Calcutta.

Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss and elected to bowl first, perhaps influenced by the fact that the Lankans loved chasing and the ease with which they had won in the league game against India chasing a huge score.

With 100,000 people egging on their team wildly, Javagal Srinath removed the dangerous opening Lankan pair of Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana with just a solitary run on the board. Out walked Aravinda, their star batsman, under massive pressure. Pressure, what pressure? I was just 11 but I still vividly remember that savage assault of his on the Indian bowling. He cut, drove and punched like a man possessed. Nothing mattered to him at that moment, he played some delightful strokes, and he was in the zone. He reached his 50 off just 32 deliveries and yet not a single stroke was played in anger. You would find it difficult to hear your own voice in that mad Eden Gardens crowd when those two early wickets fell and still a passerby could be forgiven if he mistook it for a mortuary at mid-night while Aravinda was out there bisecting fields as if batting with set-squares, protractors and compass!!

He was finally castled for 66 which came of just 47 balls but such was the ferocity of his mauling that it left India shell shocked. Arjuna Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama and Hashan Tillekeratne all contributed to the score and build on from where Aravinda De Silva had left to take the Lankan score to 252. It was certainly not a frightening total and the strong Indian batting line up would have been pretty confident of chasing this down.

India lost Sidhu early but the Mumbai lads Sachin Tendulkar and Sanjay Manjrekar steadied the Indian ship and the fans nerves by taking the score to 98 without any real difficulty. It all seemed easy out there for the Indians. And then, disaster struck. Sachin lost his balance to a full leg side delivery from Jayasuriya and little Kalu whipped the bails off in a flash. India 98/2 and perhaps a little panic set about in that Indian dressing room right at that moment, a little moment of self doubt perhaps crept into the minds of the incoming batsmen.

The Moment when it all started to go downhill for the Indians, 

Sachin stranded down the pitch

Azharuddin joined Manjrekar but for a fleeting moment as he spooned a simple return catch to Dharmasena and India slipped to 99/3. The Sri Lankan spinners then began to extract vicious turn and zip from the Eden pitch. Nearly every ball started turning square and not losing a wicket seemed a no less than a miracle. It was dramatic as it seemed that the pitch had crumbled in a matter of a few overs. Batting almost became impossible as the batsmen struggled to even get the ball off the square. Sanath bowled Manjrekar and Jadeja behind their legs leaving stunned faces in the crowd. The spin quartet of Sanath, Murli, Aravinda and Dharmasena could have easily passed as the fearsome pace quartet of West Indies of the 80’s in that moment. As India lost Ashish Kapoor to a fine running catch by De Silva, the crowd had had enough.

India had slipped from 98/1 to 120/8 and it could take no more. Water bottles were thrown on the field and seats burned. The ugly side of fanatic Indian crowds had made an appearance in the wake of a truly disastrous Indian performance. The match was temporarily stopped and just when it was about to resume the riots in the stands started again. Clive Llyod awarded the match to Sri Lanka and rightly so as India hardly looked like it could scrape a run let alone score 130 odd runs in just under 16 overs! The image of a crying Vinod Kambli making his way off the field was a distressing sight even as a placard in the crowd read – “Congratulations Sri Lanka, We Are Sorry”

My Incredible Cricket Story

The Following guest post is by Ratika Chauhan who is a Doctor by profession, a Writer by passion and a Cricket Lover by obsession! You can read more of her beautiful writings at her blog - Asteria's Canvass

Read the following account of her coming face to face with an external examiner during her Medical Vivas who was, like her, a die hard cricket fan too!!

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Most of you would be wondering, "What the hell is a girl doing on a cricket dominated blog?" Well let me clear the air and burst the mythical bubble that cricket is for guys, girls (and I have seen many) equally crazy after this so called gentleman's game. To be honest I think majority of them are just crazy after cricketers which makes them sit patiently to watch them unleash the primal fury, even if its hitting the ball.

Well my love for cricket originates from World Cup 1996 (I know my timing to fall in love with the game was just impeccable.) when my Mom finally relented and got  a cable connection. I have been a fan since then, I howl, I whistle, I abuse, I cry and like every other Indian forget my woes during those 50 overs (20 now a days) and live the game. There have been many instances when my love for cricket landed me in hot soup (hooting and whistling for my batch's team in ragging time and getting thoroughly ragged , organizing an unauthorized rain dance party in hostel after India won first ever T-20 World Cup and other 1000 such instances.) but those stories are for some other day. As I always say truth is stranger than fiction similarly cricket saved me in my final year viva. Yes you heard me right cricket, the game responsible for many students failing actually saved me in my viva.

But first let me burst another golden bubble that medical vivas are exciting and adrenaline based, they are so not, they are as scary and as mundane as any other field. Our final year exam was no different than yours, after a grueling session of theory exams we were ready to be thrown in the lions' cage (errr, I hope none of my professors is reading!!) We were royally exhausted, thoroughly starved and disgustingly scared just short of crapping our pants. My A batch or the sub-batch was the first to face our medicine practical, and adding to the already scary scenario was the fact that our external examiner was known as "The Terminator" owing to his previous record of deliberately failing 49 out of 100 students.. well the shit had already hit the fan and we were just waiting for the poop to fall.

Did I mention that in my whole freaking batch I was supposed to be the first girl to face the terminator??? Well the wait finally ended and I saw the terminator, he was a 6 feet tall turban clad Sikh, with a heavy moustache and an equally heavy built..."God save me" was my first prayer as I entered the room.

The cases or the patients were decided by a chit system and there was one case we all were praying not to get, it was the mother of all neurology cases we had ever seen, with the most unusual complications. But as God was busy somewhere else, I was the inglorious student who landed that case. That was the moment I apologized mentally to my Mom and Dad for failing in advance.

I know that all my batch-mates were praying for me rather than their ownself as they knew I had the monster of all cases. When my turn for bed side viva (the viva is taken in the ward itself in front of everyone ) both the professors , my internal HOD and the terminator sat in front of me and stood behind them all my senior interns ready to prompt me the answer if I faltered. God bless the seniors.

As my viva was proceeding smoothly, I realized they haven't left any possible question on the case, but I guess the support of my seniors, my HOD's faith and my batch-mates prayers all joined together and I was able to flow through the viva without drowning. The moment my professor Dr.Gopal Shreshtha got up with a smile on his face I knew I will not flunk at least but my momentary joy was about to crash and burn because we were still to face the terminator alone for short cases.

I don't need to describe the scenario for short viva, the hallway is strewn with nervous students, the person ahead of us becomes a God as he tells us what was asked to him, our brain attains some super power and we remember every word we lay our eyes on in those few minutes, we become extra polite to the guard sitting outside for he is the one who rings that dreadful bell...

As I went inside the cabin, I suddenly developed never-existing claustrophobia as the walls seemed to close in on me.

"Yes Dr. Ratika, how are we doing today?" boomed his gruff voice. I wanted to say you might be enjoying the torture but I am about to faint with fear.

"Sir, I am doing well, thanks for asking." I managed to croak.

"Well, what was your long case, Dr. Ratika.?"

"Sir, the neurology one with aphasia."

"Of course, of course how could I forget?? Even I have not seen such a twisted case"

And that moment my empty stomach decided to play games with my already ill-fated viva, and it rumbled, not those inaudible light ones, but a deep one loud enough to reach the terminators razor sharp ears.

"Have you not had your breakfast?"

" No sir, I did not have the time to go to the canteen."

"Never mind, here share my biscuits, they are hide and seek, the best biscuits, your college did not want to upset me in any way." and he laughed heartily.

If there ever was a moment of disbelief it was that moment where that hulk of a professor, having a reputation of terminator was offering me biscuits...his own biscuits. I definitely had tears. That defining moment allayed my fears just a touch and I felt a bit more comfortable about the whole situation.

But little did I know I was about to tumble in that pretentious whirlpool.

"So Dr. Ratika , since you have already given your long viva very well, I will not ask more questions. So tell me what is your favorite sport??"

"Cricket." I chirped, without even thinking about the scary consequences of such a question, the slight eyebrow raise indicating I have hit the proverbial axe.

"Its my favorite too...well along with most of fellow Indians. And who is your favorite cricketer?"

Now my glucose deprived brain decides to play smart-aleck and I start over thinking, why was he asking me this? Whats his agenda? Will he fail me if I say Yuvraj Singh because he is good looking.

"Sachin Tendulkar." I finally replied

"Playing safe? Are we? Ok I'll give you a gamble, if you can tell me 7 different ways how a batsman can get himself out I'll give you the highest marks in practical, If you don't ...well we will come to that later."

I did not like the sound of 'well we will come to that later' and as such Dr. Bedi was making no sense whatsoever, I mean I was there for a medicine viva and not a cricket viva.

But I had already put my big foot in my mouth so I started straining my mind.

"Caught, Leg before wicket, run out, hit wicket, stumped, bowled...."

"Yes, you are doing well just 2 more..."

I had mentally cursed him in every possible language, despite him sharing his hide and seek biscuits with me. I was scanning every nook and corner of my brain for those last 2 ways.

Suddenly out of nowhere, God himself made a grand entry in my on-the-verge-of-getting-a-stroke brain and I remembered a newspaper headline "Michael Vaughan - controversial dismissal."

"Sir, handling the ball.....and time out."

"Well done Dr. Ratika, you have gained those marks and you will see I will abide by my promise."

I was half expecting one of my batch-mate to wake me up from the dream and shove me in the viva room, but all I saw was Dr. Bedi smiling ear to ear and making some joke about himself, I was either too dazed to be happy or shocked as my mugging up those mnemonics just went to a waste. But somehow I mumbled a tiny "Thank you." and came out, as expected the other students who still had to face the terminator jumped on me like a pack of hyenas, but I knew they would not believe that I was not asked any study based questions, so I cooked up some tough random questions. Later after our results were announced, when I told them the incident, still they did not and said my extra creative brain is imagining things. What can I say truth is stranger than fiction.

That is the story when cricket gained me marks and that is the story from where I started believing in miracles!!

A Walk Down Memory Lane...

Childhood memories… Aren’t they some of the most precious and priceless ones that we possess? Yet, we can barely recall anything significant from our childhood days. All we remember is probably playing lagori and cricket with our friends, attending school and sometimes bunking it by feigning stomachache, fighting with our siblings and cousins, etc. Why?

Because time has a curious way of blurring out what has passed. Time causes these memories to gather multiple layers of dust and they are usually forgotten as they get pushed down, lower and lower, in the dark and deep far away unused recesses of our complex brain. Most of these memories are lost forever but a very minuscule percentage of these remain etched in our mind, as fresh, as though they were an occurrence of yesterday…

One such childhood memory which, I think of quite often is the family night walk that we used to go on every Saturday - My parents, me and my younger sister. We had this routine for many years; wherein, we used to go for a long and slow walk after dinner. We would walk as slowly as we could, lazily covering about 3 kilometers on each of those walks. What a nice little 'Family Time' it used to be, a few hours of some real and pure fun and entertainment! Before embarking on the walk, my mom would caution me – Beta, gudiya ka khyal rakhna aur hamare saath saath rehna. Though I would have barely been around 10 yrs or something, still these words would always wake up the responsible brother in me. Holding my cute little sisters smallest finger of her left hand tight, together we would step out in a new world, the real world. One of our favorite stroll highlights was the visit to the local garden. Mom and Dad would occupy a park bench leaving us both, all by ourselves to have the time of our lives. The entire garden is ours, we are completely free! We would amuse and giggle and then roll down on those soft green grassy slopes!

(image courtesy: snapshotpics.com)

We’d watch the flowers available in all shapes, sizes and colors blooming all over the garden, or stand on that wooden bridge above the small pond gaping at the milky white ducks or try to spot some fish in the water or just run around racing, trying to outdo each other in who touches that light pole first. I reached first! No, no, it was me! Hehe, how we would bicker kiddishly!

Ah!!! JOY… JOY was such a cheap commodity then!!! In those times, kids derived extreme joy and unadulterated happiness playing with an empty Cardboard Box... For the kids of today's generation, the novelty of playing with an X-Box fades away in a couple of weeks!!! Those halogen filled gas balloons, the occasional chocolate ice creams, the ferry-wheel car rides by the pavements, the multicolored icy golas with the extra juice, the fluffy pinky candy floss… I still recall, how merry it was for us, complete bliss… how we used to take pleasure in the simple sweet moments of life, unmindful of the traffic of people swarming around us, unmindful of any word – worry – ever existing in the dictionaries of life, unmindful that... time… those precious minutes, hours and seconds were fast slipping by… taking with itself all these small joyful, real moments, somewhere… far far far away from me…

(image courtesy: thewallpapers.org)

I am often left wondering - When, Oh when did we stop going for those much loved and enjoyable walks and why? Perhaps when color and cable TV infiltrated our modest home? Perhaps when tuition's assumed more importance and ate away our time? Perhaps when Dad was transferred out of Mumbai for a year?

Perhaps it was time that snatched it all away from me and perhaps it will be time that will provide me an answer someday, I don’t really know... but I think what I do know, is that I should be extending a sincere vote of thanks to the sincere souls out there for giving me an opportunity to at least relive a real childhood experience through this post! Thank You IndiBlogger and Kissan! :)

PS: If you liked reading my 100% Real Experience, Please do Vote It Up Here! Thank You :)

Three Friends, One Fiery Adventure!!!

Date - 13th October

Year - 2003

Place - D-34

Day - About 12 days before Diwali

Well, D-34 was the hideout (read hostel room) that I shared with 2 room-mates of mine, RS and PT. One night, after having the pretty insipid food served in the mess we returned to our room, discussing how we will be spending the upcoming Diwali (25th October) holidays...

RS started the conversation, "Damn, just 3 days off on Diwali! Come on, we need a real break, man!"

PT added, "Yeah, we used to get around 20 days off in school!!"

I (DS) further added, "And add to this the home sickness, I am so missing home"

Hearing this both RS and PT said in unison, "What do you think, aren't we missing home? Especially the home made food and the television and spending time with friends and family!!"

This was the conversation between a bunch of fresher’s who had just been admitted to an engineering college about 400 kilometers from Mumbai. 

Our college campus was situated at an isolated and peaceful location just off the state highway. The nearest village was 8 kilometers away. The campus perimeter was marked by barbed wires. Beyond these wires were thick forests, barren lands, fields... very little human population inhibited these areas except in remote villages...

Away from home and away from all the warmth of a family, these simple folks were missing the festive atmosphere back home and all the love and affection, not to forget all the feisty gourmet that came along with it which was conspicuous by its absence in the hostel and the college campus in general and all they wanted just wanted was a way to run out of it.

"Can't we leave early so that we can enjoy the festivities back home in Mumbai?" inquired PT.

RS responded almost immediately, as if he had been expecting this question to crop up sooner or later, "May be you are forgetting that we are in college! It’s been barely 15 days since the lectures have started... This is engineering... Not your school, it’s a hard grind here."

"You are absolutely right RS, this is not school. We can just leave... Who need’s permission eh?" I winked.

"Obviously we don't need permission, but there is only one gate in the campus from which everyone has to enter or exit. And the rector is such a prick that he has instructed the guards that no one leaves the gate with any sort of luggage/ bags without his permission!!" RS retorted!

"This is just so miserable, this is hell, well may be… even that is better" PT stammered to which RS and myself agreed resigning ourselves to our wretched fate before finally going off to sleep.

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All of that night and most of the next day, and that included the lectures too, I thought on ways that would enable us to leave a bit early. Some were downright ridiculous like bribing the rector while some others sounded absolutely impossible like leaving the campus empty handed (since we had most of our clothes and basic stuff here with us). But by evening, I was happy that all my efforts had not gone down the drain and I was ready to unveil a reasonable plan to my room-mates after dinner.

That night, soon after returning from the mess.

"Hey RS and PT! I have a neat little plan that will enable us to leave for home early..." I bubbled enthusiastically with a sly smile beaming on my face!

"You are still having flights of fantasy man! Are you not satisfied by our wasteful conversation of yesterday night! Let's discuss something new and more interesting." PT pleaded, reminding us how we had wasted the whole of yesterday night.

But thankfully, for me, RS was a little more positive, "What is the harm in listening it out? He has been pretty smart with this sort of weird ideas right from our school days!"

I started without even waiting for the nod of approval from PT as I was too eager to share my plan with the two of them, "We will leave in the middle of the night by escaping through the barbed wires situated behind the hostel. We will traverse through the thick forest and make our way out at a place 3 kilometers from the nearest village. From there we will take the state highway up to that village. After resting for a couple of hours, we will take a bus to the next town from where the trains going to Mumbai make a halt. We will buy our tickets and voila! Free birds we shall be!!!" I completed with a big wide grin across my face, expecting applause from my two dear friends!

But what I got were a couple of stunned faces and some obnoxious glares staring at me which made me wonder as if they had seen some ghosts!

"But what if we get caught? You very well know that it's allowed to leave the campus only through the front gate. The punishment is straight suspension! It might also affect our grades and term work later on..." PT finally broke the haunting silence.

"How will we find our way through that thick cover of trees and dense bushes? We will get lost for sure! Its 5 kilometers that we have to be on track... That's a lot!" RS asked, concern writ large on his face but still, voice wavering with enthusiasm.

"Who will catch us at close to midnight? It will be lonely and deserted at that time!" I pointed out with confidence.

"But what about RS's doubt? He has a valid point" PT countered, apparently satisfied with my answer to his own question.

"That's one difficulty I had thought of too." I said before adding, "We will go through the route once during the afternoon in the next few days so that we get used to it... Everyone will be attending lectures at that time... We will slip out quietly after lunch..."

"It's too... too risky!!" PT said again looking glum.

"What do you think RS?" I asked RS who had been quiet for some time now...

"I think it's doable. There is risk involved, certainly, but then without taking risks in life one cannot achieve much anyway. It's a risk worth taking... Let's go through the plan again to weigh the pros and cons.", he finished, as we both looked at PT simultaneously looking for his nod of approval.

"O... Ohk..." is all that PT could manage probably because he did not want to be left alone while we made our way out of here!!

We discussed the plan in detail that night, talking and gesturing amongst ourselves animatedly like little kids who had landed themselves key roles in a Hollywood thriller!! At 2.30 in the morning, we had re-visited the entire plan thoroughly and it was decided that we will conduct a test run of the jungle route the next afternoon. We swore that this would be our secret and would not be disclosed to anyone under any circumstances, including our family members.

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The next 3 days were spent sweating over the plan again and again at least twice a day! We would talk in hushed tones and the gate of our room would invariably be bolted from the inside at most times. The test run had been completed successfully on the 14th October thus boosting our morale and confidence.

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October 17th, 2003


After what seemed like an eternity, the day to put words into action had finally arrived. The lectures had always seemed boring and endless but today, they seemed to be taking even longer than usual to come to an end. We all tried to keep as low a profile as we could that day, returning to our room immediately as soon as the day at the college came to an end, not loitering around and hanging about aimlessly after the college hours like was a norm on the other days. Food at the mess was consumed relatively quickly and quietly.

10 PM

Approximately 2 hours to go before we attempted our dare devilry!!

Nothing much was spoken between us in those two hours, if there was, I do not remember... The bags were packed, as the clock ticked away slowly, enjoying our predicament! At 11.50, I rose up from my bedding, and taking the cue, RS and PT followed suit. I opened the door and peeped out, all was silent in the hostel corridor. I motioned to my friends that it was time to move. With thumping hearts we made our way down the stairs as quietly as possible and slipped away, into the darkness behind the hostel.

Getting through the wires was easy and before we knew, we were into the wilderness of trees and bushes and shrubs. There was a chill in the air and the cold October wind smacked us in our face. We stood motionless for a few moments as our eyes adjusted to the darkness. None of us had a mobile whose dim light could have proven handy; we relied solely on our eyes to make our way through. Soon, we realized that it was one thing to go through the jungle in the afternoon without any luggage and quite another to try and make our way through it in almost pitch black darkness with an added 8-10 kilograms weight on our backs. We moved slowly, with calculated steps, talking intermittently only to make sure that we are on the right track.

The lack of any clear pathway and the thick cover of trees were proving to be a handful as we stuttered and stumbled and felt lost on many occasions but we kept pressing forward making slow progress. The landmarks that we had noted on our test run were proving quite fruitful and one by one the large Mango tree, the huge cluster of cacti, the spread out colonies of ant-hill, the barren tamarind tree were all ticked off as we  continued our quest for freedom in haunting silence. It took us a good part of 3 hours to navigate through the maze of the dense vegetation to cover 5 odd kilometers but we eventually found ourselves staring at the state highway at some distance at 2.40 am. We decided to relax for 10-15 minutes under a huge Jambun tree to catch our breath back and also to give out tired and battered limbs a much needed rest before we commenced the rest of our journey. We laughed and hi-fived each other while stretching out our tired muscles for a few minutes!!

The rest of the 3 kilometers to the village was covered without any major incidents except when a couple of cars passed us and we ducked for cover as we feared that  it could be someone from the college and that we may be recognized and caught. By 3.30 we reached the village and headed straight for the bus depot. We were all extremely tired from the 8 km arduous journey but the happiness that came from our newly acquired freedom was far far more! There were still 2 hours left for bus which would take us to the railway station from where we would catch our train.

"We have done it! Did I not tell you it will be easy" I boasted.

"Yes... Yes, you are an Einstein!!" RS muttered, probably in the hope that I would shut up and he would catch up on some sleep!!

"It was fun too, navigating through the jungle!! What an adventure we have had!!" I continued.

"Now that it is over, it seems like an adventure. What if we would have been apprehended? Our careers would have been in jeopardy." PT said letting out a huge yawn.

"Yeah!" I said "Whatever..." and we all caught a small nap getting up just in time to catch the bus.

We reached the railway station at 8 am, booked our train tickets scheduled for 8.45 am.

"Seat number 16, it's mine." I heard a voice behind me. RS and PT looked like they had spotted UFO's about to land behind me. I turned around to find the head of department (HOD) of E&TC branch, tugging at my shirt.

He then, looking at me with piercing eyes, asked "You all are students of VJIIT, if I am not mistaken"

I almost fainted but regained my composure soon enough "Yes Sir, First Year"

"Should you all not be in the college attending lectures at this moment?" he asked looking suspiciously at us.

"Sir, actually we came here to see off PT's uncle who is leaving for Mumbai" I said, pointing to the man who was seated on the seat number 12. My sharp mind and fiery tongue were working furiously!!

"Yes Sir, we will attend lectures after lunch today as uncle insisted that I come to the station as he was alone," PT added "And since I was alone, I asked my friends DS and RS to accompany me" giving us a rare and probably the first glimpse that he too had a fiery tongue with an extremely sharp mind!!

"OK" was all that the HOD said, now looking at the man to whom I had pointed out earlier.

O God, please let this man doze off suddenly or be deaf/mute for a few moments or anything that would prevent him from hearing and answering to what was going on! I thought to myself. We were all scared to death and feared for our future!

But the man replied confidently "PT is my nephew. These are his friends who have all come to help me board the train. Actually I was feeling a bit sick and with all this luggage, I needed a helping hand. Where are you getting down?"

"I will alight at Panvel" HOD Sir replied, a faint smile escaping his lips for the first time!

"I have good company till then. I will get down at Dadar" the man said as the train let out a long and shrill whistle. The man had used his sharp mind and fiery tongue, as he had let us known where our HOD would be alighting while at the same time changing the topic.

“Phew!” I almost let that out loud only to be elbowed by RS!

"Good Bye, all of you. Study well! See you soon" the man said bidding us adieu with a wink.

"Bye uncle. Have a nice trip Sir" we all replied, arranging even our luggage under the seat, as we darted out of the compartment.

We then ran and jumped into the next coach. Once there, it was decided that we would complete the rest of our trip in the general compartment as it was too risky and impractical to travel in the adjacent compartment. We then made our way into the general compartment just before the train started. We discussed how lucky we had got that day. We alighted at Dadar and thanked the man for understanding the matter and helping us out. He assured us that the HOD was convinced that we would be returning to the college.

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30 Minutes Ago

We were sitting on a bench at the platform, chatting and laughing, chatting about the past few days of our lives. Not many passengers were seen on the platform as this was a small station and not the starting point of any long distance train. We saw a man with heavy suitcases and bags struggling to make his way onto the platform. He seemed sick and was all alone. He came and sat right next to us. We soon got talking with him too! His seat was in an adjacent coach to ours and was going to Mumbai to meet his engineer son, who was settled there. We told him that we too were engineering students and were going to Mumbai to be with our family to celebrate Diwali a few days before the official holidays began (obviously we did not tell him the way we had left!!!). He was quite friendly who seemed quite warm with us. We continued conversing till we heard the whistle of the approaching train and got up. We first got into his coach to help him carry his luggage. We were about to leave the compartment... when... "Seat number 16, it's mine." I heard a voice behind me.

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8 Years Later...

This was something that had happened in the fledgling days of our engineering careers... But all thanks to our sharp minds and fiery tongues, we escaped a severe punishment or even a suspension, had a gala time enjoying the Diwali festival with our loved ones back home, our troika became the HOD’s favorite in the terms that followed (since we were in the first year, the HOD never really bothered to check if we did attend the lectures during the days leading up to the Diwali vacations), and to top it all, we three became friends for life!

PS - This post is inspired from a true story which happened with me during my first year of engineering.

PPS - This was my entry to the contest on Indiblogger - Sets You On Fire

If You Like it then please Promote it Here - Three Friends, One Fiery Adventure!!!