Yaadein

कुछ  यादें  एक  खलिश  सी  होती  हैं 

बरसों  दिल  में  सुलघ्ती  रहतीं   हैं

दबती  छुपती  तो  हैं  मगर  दहकती  रहतीं  हैं

बीतते  सालों  का  मरहम  पा  के  भी  दर्द  देती  हैं 

गुज़रा  वक़्त  सब  कुछ  भुला  नहीं  देता 

मन  में  बसा  चेहरा  धुन्दला  नहीं  देता

तेरी  मुस्कान  दिल   में  अभी  भी  गूंजती  हैं

ये पलकें  आज  भी  तुम  को  ढूँढती  हैं

तुम्हे  याद  कर  यह  आँखें  दो  बूँद  और  रो  देती  है

नहीं  लिखा  था  शायद  साथ   तुम्हारा 

होगी किसी  खुदा  की मर्ज़ी  पर  हमें  नहीं  है  गवारा 

गलती  तो  खुदा  से  भी  होती है

यादें  आ  आ  कर  बस  येही  सदा  देती  हैं

What (not) to expect when your are expecting

First up, a disclaimer. This note has nothing whatsoever to do with expecting with a pregnancy connotation.

Here's a poser. How many times have you ended up dejected, dismayed, disgruntled or any of the words that describe any of the emotions that lie in that spectrum?

Expectations are a part of the dowry that comes along with any relationship organisation-employee, husband-wife, parent-child, you name a relationship and there is a set of expectations.

Now, these expectations may be categorized as:

A) Natural: Parents nurture
B) Social: The love thy neighbour genre
C) Contractual: I pay, you deliver & vice-versa
D) Obligatory: Caring for elderly, grand-children or anything in the IOU space
E) Internal: Expectations based on self-image


While some of these expectations, more specifically categories A-C  set themselves, the one cardinal rule that applies to  categories D & E moreso category E is:

"An expectation not set, is an expectation not met"

Like any other rule there will be exceptions that will go on to prove the rule.


Coming back, here a few pointers based on wisdom on what not to expect and I'll try to address each of the categories that I mentioned above. These by the way are notes to self too.

Category A: Nature
A parent should not expect compliance to orders/commands in return for the nurturing:- Millions of years of human history bear testament to this and still do. Just take a look around if there is a parent-child act playing out the most likely speak of the parent is "don't go there" or "don't do this" or someother instruction beginning with a Don't.

Category B: Social
Do not expect courtesy:- This one is my pet peeve. The other day I was at a counter paying the quarterly fee at my daughters school. In walks a kid, a thirteener perhaps and get this... there's one counter with just me standing there and he puts his hand across my shoulder and tries to pay!! I just step aside allowed the kid to pay and just said one thing "Son, I think you are old enough to understand the concept of a queue." While that did elicit a quick apology, I did not sense any remorse.


Category C: Contractual
Do not expect professionalism:- Ha! I know this one resonates. Organisations are full of Johnnies who serve no fruitful purpose and are undeserving of their paycheck.Somehow, its become unreasonable for you to expect things delivered in order or in time from colleagues. Some  hide behind bosses, some behind friendship, neither want to move their asses!


Category D: Obligatory
Do not expect. As pessimistic or cynical as it may sound this is the category where it is important that when you did whatever you did for whomsoever you did it felt that you had indeed obliged.If not, too bad because that IOU post it that you have on your memory wall is headed straight for the recycle bin. When in doubt apply the rule!


Category E: Internal
No if, no but, only gut:- This one is all about you, it's about your opinion of yourself and it's how you feel you have done...in your gut. This is the trickiest of the categories and here's where the world will quote 

"Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachna
Karmaphalehtur bhurma te sangostvakarmani"

for the uninitiated translated this verse from the Bhagwad Gita would mean:
"You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action। Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty"

Taking a corporate example for this one again, one of Rewards and Recognition. All of us long for recognition of our efforts, applause makes everyone special. However, this is an expectation that is almost never set. We are all too nice to say it aloud.Is it wrong to say that I have busted or will be busting my back side towards this assignment/project, I deserve some recognition on this one?
Apparently, yes and I can feel the corporate 'same pinch' ;-)

Finally, to close a quote from Charles Dickens Great Expectations and I use it in the context of us being the designers of our set of expectations

“I am what you designed me to be.I am your blade. You cannot now complain if you also feel the hurt”

Moving On...

How many times have we bid farewell to people? Life puts us through these moments in various ways; be it graduating from school, changing houses, breaking up with your girl (or guy as the case maybe) and for most part of adult life changing jobs.

The feelings depending on whether you are the "bidder" or the "bidee" for lack of a better term vary and actually present a rainbow of emotions.

This piece is about one such emotion more so from the perspective of the bidders or the folks who are saying good byes to someone who has decided to leave them.

This is always the elephant in the room that no one looks at, wants to recognise the presence of even and that is the feeling of left behind. In some senses even bordering on a sense of betrayal.

The key question is something on the lines of others getting to find things for themselves which are better than your lot.

Yes, jealousy has a role to play but my belief is  that it is not the prime mover. Depending on who you are the drivers are different.

A school teacher feels left behind seeing class after class graduate and leave in search of a better future whilst their future is to watch another batch graduate.

A broken-hearted lover instead of reminiscing the good times is actually thinking of how their special someone can find love and happiness without them or more painfully.... with someone else.

A colleague on the other hand might be coming from a point of insufficiency or self-doubt.

Regardless, the idea is not dig deeper into human psyche or to find the reasons behind this behaviour but to acknowledge.

I for one have gone through all or some of those feelings at some point or the other, that being said I have also been on the other side of being the biddee and must say that the ride on the other side ain't that smooth either.

There are questions this side as well....
Will the folks at school/work remember me a few years on ?

Will the person I'm breaking up with find happiness  that they deserve? Now that I love someone else do I not like them?

My take...it is OK to be feel what you feel, very often we are too caught up with what we ought to be feeling. So if you are not happy someone got a job so be it. If you are not sad that you are breaking up so be it. If you are not whatever whatever so be it.

Moving on & getting left behind are perhaps two faces of the same coin.The key I would say is looking ahead. 

So here's to looking ahead.


And not to miss, a song called Peace of Mind made popular by Boston that probably captures one such feeling


Now if you're feelin' kinda low 'bout the dues you've been paying
Future's coming much too slow
And you wanna run but somehow you just keep on stayin'
Can't decide on which way to go
Yeah, yeah, yeah

I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind

Now you're climbin' to the top of the company ladder
Hope it doesn't take too long
Can't cha see there'll come a day when it won't matter
Come a day when you'll be gone

I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind.

Take a look ahead, take a look ahead, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah... whoa!

Now everybody's got advice they just keep on givin'
Doesn't mean too much to me
Lot's of people out to make-believe they're livin'
Can't decide who they should be.

I understand about indecision
But I don't care if I get behind
People livin' in competition
All I want is to have my peace of mind.

Take a look ahead, take a look ahead. Look ahead.

Fursat

ये फुर्सत क्यों बेवजह बदनाम है
क्यों हर कोई यह कहता के उसको बहुत काम है

इस तेज़ दौड़ती, बटे लम्हों में कटती ज़िन्दगी का, चलना ही क्यों नाम है
कैसे रूकें, कब थामें, एक पल को भी न आराम है

कब घिरे कब छटे ये बादल, आये गए जो मौसम सारे न किसी को सुध न ध्यान है
पलक झपकते बोले और चले जो, अपना खून खुद से अनजान है

ये फुर्सत क्यों बेवजह बदनाम है
बस यही तो है जो अनमोल हो कर भी बेदाम है

अनकही -The Unsaid

मैंने अनकही सुनी है

सुनी है मैंने वो सारी बातें

जो किसी ने मुझसे न कही है



सहमी हुई धडकनों की आवाज़

छपक्ति पलकों के अंदाज़

तेज़ दौड़ती साँसों की हर बात

इन सब में छुपे वो सारे राज़

हाँ मैंने अनकही सुनी है



मुस्कुराहटों के तले दबी तड़पन

बदलते सुलघते रिश्तों में पड़ती अड़चन

बर्बादी की ओर बढ़ते कदम

अंजाम से अनजान बेपरवाह

उन सभी समझौतों को

हाँ मैंने अनकही सुनी है



ऊँची उड़ानों में डूबते अरमानों को

बुरे वक़्त में बदलते इंसानों को

दोस्ती में पड़ती दरारों का आगाज़

टूटे दिल में थमती हरकत

मासूम आँखों ने जो पूछे

तमाम उन सभी सवालों को

हाँ मैंने अनकही सुनी है



सुनी है मैंने वोह सारी बातें

जो किसी ने मुझसे न कही है

Time to Fly

Some pages in the book of life are best unread
No point looking back nor consider retreat

Got to find a raindrop that patters to your beat
There is a cloud that has your silver line

There're shells at a beach for you to find
Spaces for you to venture into

Challenges waiting for you to try
Dreams waiting to come alive

Go on! Turn the page
Life's waiting to be lived

It's not just spreading your wings
But courage that makes you fly

The Fast(ing) and The Furious

How much time do we spend discussing and debating current events at lunch with colleagues,with friends over a drink or otherwise?

During the past couple of months thousands of minutes of airtime and reams of newsprint would have been spent on discussions and debates on corruption. A topic that perhaps has been on top of this 65 year old democracy's memory. State of affairs is such that the only thing seemingly clean with nations politicians is their starched pristine khadi's. Even the white ambassador has made way for swanky 4x4's.

Yes, a healthy debate is the corner stone of a parliamentary democracy but the debates and discussions cannot be endless. The onus is on all parties to discussion to either convince, concede and conclude.

Must admit, I have been fascinated by the buzz that is being generated by the digitally enabled social networking populace. Twitterati apart, several of us have in these past few months put up status updates voicing support for or condemnation of the governments. The figures on updates or even jokes doing rounds on CWG, 2G etc would be of the order of millions.

The fascination however, has not stopped me from wondering whether mere digital airing of support for causes such as the ones above or the Tsunami in Japan or a Famine in Ethiopia have any meaning or more importantly of consequence.

Are we just falling prey to this wave of "Armchair Nationalism"?

While we get jingoistic about these social causes are we failing to do something in our span of control/sphere of influence?

How about not pushing a 100 buck note to the cop when he stops us for jumping the lights. How about paying our taxes as they are due? How about not sliding the extra 500 bucks for getting the paperwork faster? How about not fixing the electricity and water meters?

All of the above are forms of corruption are they not? And we willy-nilly are to blame for allowing it to breed around us and honestly within us.

Our efforts and angst seem to be directed at the "big fish" as though making examples would suddenly awaken the conscience of the small fry down the line.

While nothing can be taken away from the fact that thousands of crores have been swindled or flushed down the drain.

I believe it all got broken down to the extra 1000 bucks some officer somewhere allowed some contractor to make. The reason he did that it is that all of us believe a 1000 bucks here and there would not make a difference. Fact is it does make a difference.

So here's hoping that this awakening is one which starts within us and impacts things around us.

Else, all we'll do with these "Facebook Revolutions" is make some candle guy some where a rich guy.

And to close a few lines from a number made popular by Tracy Chapman

Don’t you know, they’re talkin’ bout a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
Don’t you know
They’re talkin’ about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper

While they’re standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation
Wasting time in the unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion

Don’t you know
They’re talkin’ bout a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
Poor people gonna rise up
And get their share
Poor people gonna rise up
And take what’s theirs

Don’t you know
You better run, run, run, run, run,
run, run, run, run, run, run, run

Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talkin’ bout a revolution.......

A Tale of Two Cities (R.I.P. Dickens)

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had ­everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present peri­od, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
Courtesy: Charles Dickens (sometimes the best way to say it is by quoting the original)
This is a new tale of two cities. One with phoenix like capabilities and the other with a mythical lineage. This is the story of the path they traversed over the past 10 years or so. This is the tale of opportunities lost. This is the tale of Deadly and Greedgaon.
Liberalisation was doing its job and money was coming in thick and fast. All the key economic indicators were looking up. Multinationals were setting up shop big time. These were the times when "outsourcing" was the buzz word and not a bad word.
The real estate hawks had got it right. The waiting game had paid off. All the farmland that they had picked up was about yield rich dividends not of the green kind but of the concrete kind.
In Greedgaon tall, shiny glass buildings came up and so did swanky high rise apartments, the cycle of prosperity had been kicked.
The BPOs took the bait because they had worked on keeping the cost base low and the MNCs saw virtue in picking up the false ceilinged, centrally air-conditioned replicas of where they came from. So out went the socially and politically correct Rajendra Places, Nehru Places and the business districts moved out of Deadly and into Greedgaon.
The BPOs and MNCs both needed people and people is not a thing this nation was short of then or is now for that matter.
Well, all these people needed a place to stay and since Deadly and Greedgaon were not "well connected" in those days Greedgaon became the better option.
The offices and the apartments had come up with the people moving in the malls sprang up too.
There was of course one teeny-weeny problem there was still no connectivity between Deadly and Greedgaon save the Multiple Gaddhas Road or as it is known the MG Road. For people who had moved to Greedgaon roads continued to be something like science fiction i.e. possible, but only in the future, one that is still awaited.
The powers that be were enamoured by infrastructure and aided by all the trips the netas were making to neighbouring China decided it was time for the Deadly Greedgaon Expressway. Now have they not told you that "Good things come to those who wait; All good things take some time" and time they did take.
In the meanwhile, roads or no roads, connectivity or no connectivity the hundreds of thousands who had joined workforce at the plush offices in Greedgaon had to get to work and get around. The money was good and loans came easy it was time to give another sector a boom. The upwardly mobile executives bought their shiny sedans and monstrous SUVs and started zipping around.
Now we had large offices, lots of apartments, huge malls, thousands of cars but still no roads.
Time passed, more offices, more apartments, more malls and more cars came up and the good thing that all were waiting the Deadly Greedgaon Expressway finally opened.
The expressway was world class with its wide metalled roads and neat signages, there was of course one minor problem. The expressway went over practically every important road (the reference is to physical places where they are supposed to exist!) of Greedgaon.
Now, while Greedgaon was busy becoming the Million-hole City, Deadly was attempting another rise from the ashes. The Metro started, roads widened, more flyovers came up and more people could get to the Greedgaon Tollgate faster obviously in their faster, high powered fuel guzzlers. And then the people waited, no not for good things but just to reach wherever they wanted to in Greedgaon.
The bottomline, over the years the BPOs/MNCs benefitted from the low costs; the real estate guys made big money selling, leasing, developing; the local farmers turned cubby hole millionaires; the car companies made great fortune selling cars; the oil companies too kept afloat since people with their BS IV compliant cars were now consuming more fuel for travelling the same distance.
Deadly on the other hand was scheduled to host "The Games" and so the forward thinking government declared that it intended to transform Deadly into a world-class city.
Thus began Deadly's travails. The Madame at the helm of the affairs like all things Deadly deemed that improving public transport was key.
On the agenda amongst several noble things was converting the fleet of buses into green machines albeit prodded, nudged and eventually kicked by the judiciary before some part of it could be implemented. First the orders and then the deliveries were delayed oh yeah we must remember "Good things come to those who wait".
Next on the list was a master-stroke called BRT that perhaps single handedly causes more misery to more people at any given instant than anything known.
Honourable mention for the almost Tughlaqesque beautification drive that involved uprooting the existing lampposts and replacing them with new ones or uprooting existing signposts and replacing them with new ones or digging up the existing footpaths and relaying them and oh did i forget to mention the recolouring of all traffic poles.
The citizens through this all have gone through a melee of juxtaposed emotions patient yet irate, brazen yet accommodating, troubled but at times impressed and disgusted yet hopeful.
To conclude a few lines from the epic.
"I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles to be truly free, in their triumphs and defeats, through long years to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually making expiation for it­self and wearing out."

Thank You

A chance encounter
A wave of hand
A familiar face
A breaking smile

Triggers a train of thought
A walk down memory lane
Vivid images of cherished times
Of growing up and carefree lives

Classroom pranks and innocent lies
Stolen lunches and greedy bites
Muddy shoes and loose hung ties
Of friendships stronger than family ties


The teachers who fanned our imagination
With a word of praise and the occassional stick
An encouraging smile for every puzzled look
Of discovering a world beyond text books

It all comes back each time I pass you by
I find myself await another smile
This perhaps is a good time to say this
For its been brewing for a while


Everything I've ever wanted or wanted to be
For making me who I am or ever will be
Thank you dear Alma Mater
For being a part of me

Kuch Kahaniyan - Episode 5 - The Final Take

OK here is a different take on growing up. One that does not involve alcohol. Well, after all its not just alcohol that makes people do silly things.... right?
Yes, this one is about Love and to some measure about Sex and Dhoka as well ;-)
Also time for the disclaimers, do read through because they are different.
Disclaimer:
All characters and incidents in this narrative are rooted in truth.
Not every character is necessarily one individual, the characters are situational.
Chronology has been compromised in favour of spicy reading.
Another Important Disclaimer (This one is for marital harmony):
I wasn't necessarily involved/present when some of these happened.
#6
The late 80's and the early 90's had lots of stuff happening for, around and to us...Trysts with alcohol, Driving Licenses, Rock Music and Girls!!!!

We were in our mid-teens and the other gender had started making its presence or need felt amongst us. Believe me, for those of us who spent long years in Boys Only schools they had a lot more importance a helluva lot more early!!

My final take is actually about 2 different takes on what the protagonists thought was "First Love" and the instances that made their way to for lack of a better term "friendship-lore". So brace yourself for a longish read.

#6.1 Love

Mr. Fool for Love (FfL) was an average student. He was an average looking guy too. But...the young man had a phenomenal voice. Not the singing kinds though; it was one of those deep throaty voices that were tailor-made for voice overs.

Staying with our theme....Our man had the hots for this rather petite looking girl (for the sake of this story we will refer to her as Ms.G) who stayed 2 blocks away in the same residential complex as FfL. This tale is about the lengths that FfL would go to just to get a glimpse of Ms.G.

FfL had decided that he was in love. He had also decided that it was time to announce it to the rest of the world (i.e. classmates at the Deprived Boys School or DBS).

One fateful day he did just that. The close friends were promised what was called an "Intro" during those days with Ms.G and who knows a possible intro with ahem..Ms. G's school mates. The final bell was eagerly awaited and a bunch of us were outside in a jiffy. Meeting Ms.G had its share of logistical challenges as well. It meant we had to go all the way to FfLs house and then home. Now cycling the additional distance just to meet Ms.G was not exactly an appealing thought for the rest. FfL quickly sensed this and a deal was worked out. We were to leave our bi-cycles in school, FfL would sponsor return auto-fare (the equivalent of which in current day terms would be someone sponsoring a stretch limousine with booze and blonde's thrown in)

We piled into the auto and reached the rendezvous Ms.G's bus stop and waited. FfL had ensured we were well in time and Thums Up was promptly thrown in to prevent anyone of us from complaining about waiting. A rickety DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation for the unaware) school bus pulled up and a flurry of students Ms.G amongst them got off. FfL marshaled all of us and we were hot in pursuit when we finally got in-step with Ms.G.

"Hello G, how are you?" said a visibly excited FfL. "These are my friends from DBS."

"Hello guys" was Ms.G's reply and even before one of us could put his hand out for a shake, FfL nodded in the other direction hinting/pleading for us to vamoose. While FfL walked 10 more steps with Ms.G till her doorstep.

"What? No Intro?? What about meeting Girls???" said one us grudgingly promptly being hushed by the others and making the disappointed and oddly silent ride back in the auto.

That examination year, FfL took a major chance as a proclamation of his love and memorised only 1 Sanskrit essay that had Ms.G's name in it. He got Lucky!

Last heard, FfL got another opportunity to walk with Ms.G. He did not invite his friends this time.

#6.2 Sex aur Dhoka

It was the first winter in college (grad-school). Mr.High on Hormones (HoH) had now been dating Ms.Aphrodite (Ms.A) for over a year now.

The passing out of school and entry into college had brought along with it a new found freedom. Freedom from wearing uniforms, having to attend lectures or classes continuously and freedom to spend more time with a certain "special friend".

HoH and A would invariably bunk a lecture or two and make sure they got "Quality" time together. A day spent scouring the streets of Delhi on foot, sitting and talking endlessly in a favourite joint or sometimes cosying up at one or the others homes.

It was one such occasion HoH and A made their way back from their respective colleges to A's place. A's mother was out of station and her dad was driving to the next city for a meeting and was expected back only late that evening. This meant a lot more "Quality Time" for A and HoH.

They got back ordered some take-out and settled down to watch a movie (that was, at least, the stated intent). Some way into the movie the door-bell rang. A and HoH froze, they'd already received the take away!! A tip toed to the door and peered through drawn up curtains.

She came back running and uttered "Its Dad!!! Hurry Up!!! Hide!!!"

Those are not exactly the words one is waiting to hear while cosying up.

"Whoa!!! Where???" HoH sprang up. "I don't know... anywhere" said A, almost bursting into this rather rare tearful anger. HoH promptly slid under the bed.

From underneath HoH could hear A's Dad narrate how he had got a flat tyre someway out and had rescheduled his meeting for later. Having done that he thought of returning home and changing into a fresh suit!!!

Well it was a rather interesting view from the "spot" that HoH found himself in.

I am sure all of us know it was not really A's Dad that HoH had hoped to see undress!!!

To officially bring to close this series that occupied my mind-space for over a year some lines from a song which sums it up for me

Love, love is strange
Lots of people take it for a game
Once you get it you never wanna quit
After you've had it you're in a awful fix ....

Kuch Kahaniyan - Episode 4

So here's one resolution that did not quite go the way it was planned. Well, the reference is to a resolution by yours truly to get more consistent with writing.

This one has been brewing for a while though and it took a minor get together of the cast of characters for me to pull this one out of the cupboard.

Disclaimer:
All characters and incidents in this narrative are rooted in truth. Resemblance and reference to people and places is intentional and not in the least coincidental.
Another Disclaimer:
I wasn't necessarily involved/present when some of these happened hence some amount of artistic liberty requested.

#5
They say going through the grind of an engineering course does, if not anything else, hone inquisitive thinking. You question the way things work, move yada yada yada. Mind you the inquisitive thinking takes an experiential form when slightly inebriated.OK, that is just a technical way of saying you get stubborn and stupid when you drink your self silly.

This was the final year of engineering for some of us. The last few months of any course often witness an increased level of bonding (read alcohol consumption) between friends.

Our institution was located in Tumkur a fair way away from the city of Bangalore, a town devoid of any night life. This particular incident is about one of our nights out in the city.

About 8 of us joined up for dinner and a session of beers. Post the sizzlers and multiple rounds of beers it was time to say our goodbyes and go crash at the pre-assigned pads of the friends who were from the city.Being from the city meant all of the following possession of a bike or a "Kiney", knowledge of liquor vends that would oblige and a list of must do drives.

As we stood around in the parking lot over the mandatory parting smoke

"Awesome weather man, would be great to get some wind on your face..." said the Adventurous Guy (AG)

"Dunno about the wind but I wouldn't mind another beer" said Silly Guy (SG)

I did mention that there is a cast of characters, so you will have to bear with all the names (which obviously have been carefully coined)

The Teetotaler Guy (TG) said "You guys have had enough..lets just get back home" to which the Profound Bong (PB) started to nod. He was not even half-way through the nod that the Tam Dude with his face beaming came up with
"Machan lets drive to Nandi Hills that way AG gets his wind on the face and SG his beers, God knows I can use a few too. If we start now we can catch the sunrise"

The normally Reclusive Prof did some mental stuff and said
"Yeah! You know guys, this probably will be the last time all of us can be out together... the semester end exams start 3 weeks from now"

I guess none of us questioned the finality of the what had just been said, not even the Overbearing Guy (OG).

We all set off in the direction of Nandi Hills a 65 km drive from where we were.

True to the promise the drive was laced with a lot of wind on the face for the riders and more beers for those on the pillion.

We had stopped for a bio break, we were now on the ghat section and barely a kilometer or two from the top.

Suddenly Silly Guy said "Hey! I want to ride the bike too.."

"Shut Up and sit behind AG" said Overbearing Guy

"Its just a kilometre to the top...Come On!!" said SG refusing to listen.

"Is it OK with you if I take your Kiney?" he turned to the Matter of Fact Guy (MfG).

Tam Dude butted in and said "Guys we are going to miss the Sunrise if you keep arguing"

Overbearing Guy continued " No Da..this bugger can't ride the ghats here are steep"

"Let him do it OG..." the Adventurous Guy said "I will sit behind him do not worry"

"Yeah..its just a Kiney...all he's gotta do is balance it" opined the Prof which was met by yet another nod of approval by the Profound Bong.

That said the group set of OG and PB zipping out first in anger and protest with Teetotaler Guy and Prof taking wing side to OG-PB duo.

Murphy's law "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"

Spotlight on the Silly Guy. Bolstered by all the support and mildly irritated with the OG, SG set off with AG riding pillion and having achieved the initial momentum started to negotiate the bend.

SG realised he was almost off the road, saw a small rock jutting out, tried to avoid it, swerved and ended up sprawled on the road. AG somehow sensed the impending disaster and managed to jump off.

Meanwhile, Tam Dude and MfG riding the other bike took the bend only to find SG sprawled on the road with AG laughing away.

MfG ran towards them saying "Shit! Shit!! Shit!!!"

Seeing him run one would have almost thought it was his love for his roomie of 4 years who lay sprawled. Well as I said almost.

MfG ran and picked up his Kinetic and his cry of angst was because the sides were scratched and the rear view mirror broken.

SG for the life of him could not understand why AG was laughing away to glory and the fact that the Kine got more attention than him from MfG had not escaped his notice.

Adrenalin rushing in his stream and blood oozing from his eyebrow SG declared "I am feeling very hot", suddenly unbuttoned his torn shirt, pulled down his jeans and plonked himself on the embankment.

Tam Dude came around and said "Machan you want me to light a cigarette? You'll feel better."


The other four had made it to the top in the meanwhile and were getting restive wondering what was taking the rest of us so much time. After a few minutes decided to turn back and check.

They reached the spot to find SG on the embankment with Tam Dude, MfG and AG standing around him.

"Damn you SG....I told you its not your cup of tea you stubborn prick!!!" shouted OG "You've spoilt it all..now lets head the hell back"

Adventurous Guy continued his devilish laughter, while MfG rued the broken rear view mirror.


Teetotaler Guy the only compassionate soul took a look at SG's bruise and said "Guys this ones deep..this guy needs some medical attention"

In this entire melee someone, I guess the Reclusive Prof said

"You know guys..in the beam of the headlights of our bikes..with SG lying half naked and you guys standing around smoking..it looks almost like a highway gang-rape"


Even SG managed a smile on that one.

The rest of the story...
• The guys did make it in time for the sunrise (must admit it was a sight to behold)
• SG got 4 stitches across his eye-brow albeit four hours later that too without an anesthetic at some shady nursing home in the village nearby
• SG never ever rode a bike again