Al Pune - All That Has Been

The Pune Side of the Pastures brought me from the land of Butter Chicken and Lassi to the land of Vada Pao and, well, Butter Chicken. My initial apprehensions of the things I’d get on my platter in this part of the country were far from accurate. I had come to a land where you’d get anything and everything to eat; literally. Pune has indeed been a foodie’s paradise. Well, if you’d be ready and willing to explore all that’s there to be. Home delivery is not very popular here ;) Allow me to introduce you to ‘Al Pune’.

The almost eight months I have been in Pune, have been an opportunity to explore and implore an array of foodstuffs available. I have been left disappointed at times but all in all, it’s been a worthwhile experience. But that is not the point of this blog; you’d get better and more accurate feedback of eating joints in Pune from elsewhere; this blog entry is to re-live all those moments spent here, with all those people who have made the Pune Side of the Pastures worth re-living. We are a hungry country and any occasion has a food link with it. Cheers to all ye folks!!

FORMAT: Name of joint (almost chronologically arranged); Location; with whom been there – why special

@PunePeople: ‘Ctrl+F’ your name (by which I call(ed) you by) and go through places and re-livable moments we have shared. I’d warn you in advance – it’s my version of the thing!

Sayaji; Wakad; The entire on-boarding gang – Sid, Munni, Gulabo, Mondu, Avya, Phooly, Jalebi, Vandy, Tej - Well, quite straightforwardly put, I had no freaking idea that you all folks would become such an integral part of Pune after-office life by just being made to spend those 5 days together. But for a starting-off place, the food here had definitely been something that got us to sit and talk together (begin talking, I mean). The last evening’s get-together and the full night chitchat at the roof of the hotel were actually where, I recall, we kicked off – and have been ever since!

The Coronet Hotel; Apte Road, Deccan; Bit of the on-boarding gang – Sid, Munni, Gulabo, Vandy, Phooly, Jalebi (and Bond Saab & Naveen) - Those two weeks were amazing for many reasons, firstly because we were on the streets of Pune with no idea of where / how to go and secondly, the food was free! I remember gorging on loads of butter chickens and chilly paneer, as some of us used to count what day of the week it was to indulge or not to ;). Sharing eating space was how we got to know each other’s preferences and that did go a long way. The Classical-est moment had to be Vandy’s reaction when she got the after dinner finger bowl with a feather of a piece of lime, and hers & Sid’d constant fighting. Leaving the Coronet somehow had the same gut wrenching feeling as leaving college did, that’s how much we got used to each other. Geesh! Those days.

Shreyas Hotel; Apte Road, Deccan; Sid, Vandy and Phooly & Jalebi – First let me laugh, laugh my heart out! Sid and Vandy, dudes, this was legendary. The way you guys reacted on being put in this hotel and the reaction you had when you saw how our Coronet was, was indeed rolling-on-the-floor-laughing material; but the mood then didn’t let me do so openly. Moving you and your belongings from Shreyas to Coronet to Royalty – Bwahaha material. Oh! And the food; let’s forget that for now ;).

Royalty Hotel; Bandharkar Road, Deccan; Sid, Vandy, Swarnali – Free food and a pleasant change from the constant butter chicken and chilly paneer at the Coronet, The Royalty had been and is a good place those taste buds. The comic scene of Sid & Vandy moving all over the place to get their belongings in place and “Swarnalini’s” warmth in feeding us was the take back.

Yana’s; FC Road; Sid, Munni, Vandy; Gulabo, Logan – Hahaha!! Sid lost his mobile before this meal and was pissed off and in no mood to come for dinner. As was Vandy. Initially it started off with me, Gulabo and Munni. Vandy reached belatedly; and Sid brought along Logan as a surprise entry. The meal was full of teaching Logan some classic Indian (almost) cuss-words; and of course a platter of awesome sizzling chicken. The sizzling brownie with vanilla ice cream was a killer. Then the point when Gulabo was cussed for I gave MadB the credit for having us to go to such an awesome place. All for the laughs ladies, it had been worth it!

Mirch Masala; Kothrud; Sid, Munni, Vandy, Phooly, Gulabo, Jalebi – This experience stands out to be the first time Phooly went beyond her inhibitions and had a chicken meal with us; Gulabo, Munni and le moi. It was a part of the plan to stay in touch and eat together even after leaving The Coronet. The other awesome bit of this experience was a little prior to this meal, when Sid and I ran for the first time on the Pune roads leaving Vandy with Munni (poles apart people- one who can’t keep shut and the other who prefers to be silent)

Shabri; FC Road & Shrikrishna Juice; Balgandharv, JM Road; Sid, Mukul, Vandy, Gulabo, Avya, Mondu, Priya, MadB & some other girl – This was the we got Mukul introduced to the rest of the ‘gang’ that was formed in the 2 weeks before he got to Pune. Can’t recall much about the food at Shabri, but the juice at Shrikrishna was indeed very filling, very filling. And Mukul’s persistence with long phone calls had him declared a test batter (and hence his nickname STD); with Gulabo was the T20 batter.

Shabri (Part 2); FC Road; Sid, Mukul and three-ladies,-whose-identity-I-have-sworn-to-keep-secret – Well, the least I say about this meal the better. As with the previous meal at Shabri, there was nothing much to write home about the food. Though there was more to this meal than the food, much more. I have Mukul to testify; the feeling of waiting on a road side bench in the middle of the night with one friend’s unknown whereabouts brings all sorts of messed up thoughts. But the laugh we had back home at 3 in the morning was hearty. Sabka Katega Na became infectious (and literal) from then.

Horn OK Please; FC Road; MadB, Gulabo, Jalebi, Phooly, Sid, Mukul, Munni, Vandy – The name is a definite reason why anyone would like to give this joint a try, and it is worth it. A major turn off was the fact that it’s a pure vegan restaurant, though the theme used in the menu card is unique. Nothing in particular to write back of the experience, this was part of our fortnightly plan to meet each other for a meal. Those were indeed the fun times, when anything and everything was part of a joke or of getting under the skin of each other!

Surya; Gulawani Maharaj Road, Erandwane; Sid, Vandy, Munni – By and large a forgettable experience, but still finds its place here for being a dingy place to have a non-vegetarian meal; where we ended up having a Veg Thali.

Sweekar; Nal Stop, Erandwane; Sid, Mukul, Munni, Sagar, Akash, Ishan, Birbal, Pappu, Gulabo, Phooly, Vandy, Jalebi, Deepu, Prateek, Sher, Harry (I think that’s it) – unarguably, absolutely unarguably, the place where I’ve had more meals with someone or solo, during my stay here in Pune. Being cheap in cost and decent in quality (not necessarily prioritized in this order) Sweekar has always been a favorite. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, awkward timed snacks, out of office meals; you name the meal, we’ve had it here. And there have been loads of scenes that we have all been a part of during the meals had here, any or all of which I’d rather not begin to mention.

Abhishek Veg; Gulawani Maharaj Road; Vandy, Sagar, Sid, Mukul, Munni, MadB, Gulabo, Phooly, Jalebi, Shipra, Ishan, Harry & ABU Team – Like Sweekar, I’ve happened to visit Abhishek Veg many times and most of them have a story attached to them. Most strikingly, this is where we got together for Vandy’s birthday treat and had the one and only picture clicked of all of us paltan here in Pune! Then the time we hopped over for lunch after a disaster of a Bodyguard. Sometime in December 2011, the first and only meal I had with my boss here in Pune was a delayed lunch after a customer meet. Then there was also our highly anti-climatic New Year’s Eve meal. The buildup to this night and the epilogue of the following morning is something you’ll (Sid, Mukul & Vandy) never let me forget ;). And more recently the after Lohri dinner meal, last order at Abhishek and the followed bike ride are worth re-living.

Chaitanya; FC Road; Machau, Pappu, Birbal, Ishan, Vandy, Sid, Mukul, Gulabo, Phooly, Jalebi, MadB (& maybe someone else I am forgetting) – my tryst with Chaitanya was quite late during my time in Pune, more like after Diwali 2011, but once addicted there has not been a place where you’d get better Parantha’s in Pune. I mean, even the dhaba’s at Moorthal & Karnal would fight to hold their title for the best Parantha’s. The Chaitaya experience stands out for being one where we (new flat-mates) have had endless bickering and leg pulling; and for being the cheapest and best place for the most filling meal in Pune. Other occasions to dine here had been with Vandy to give her the making-up treat meal, and dinner on Jalebi’s birthday.

Anand Veg; Nal Stop, Karve Road; Sid, Mukul, Munni, Prateek, Harry, Bhalachandran, Manu, Seema, Kanchan, Ankita – The first experience here was just after the Parvati trip with office folks we had sometime in September. And since then there has been no looking back (conditions apply). The wide variety of parantha’s offered here were an instant hit with Sid, Mukul & Munni; that’s before we experienced Chaitanya, FC Road. Being farther away from home than Sweekar, Anand Veg lost out on being the one place where we’d have dined the most at.

The-Restaurant-That-Was-There-Before-Dominoes; Nal Stop, Erandwane; Manushree, Kanchan, Seema, I-told-u-na, AD, Sher, Munni, PB, Ankita, Su, Rishita, Sagar, Sid, Mukul, Vandy – Nothing much to write back about the food. Though the dandiya session we had prior to the dinner meal, where we manufactured our own steps (correction, Sher did, we just joined in) and did the bhangra during garba was classical. The only other and last time we visited this place was on Sagar’s salary treat. ;)

Nirmal’s; Mhatre Bridge, Erandwane; Machau, Pappu, Birbal, Ishan, Paaji, Nitin, Prateek, Sher, Harry, PS – A welcome relief. Finally a decently priced and equally relishing eating joint right outside our house and office as well. This place could have overtaken Sweekar for being the most visited eatery but it opened quite late. The new self made nimbu soda with Ishan and the countless sensible talks of nonsense with office folks as well as the cholle bhature and chholle samosa are indeed re-livable. One fact was coined here that is pretty much applicable to all sweets joints: The quality of the samose they make depends how good they will serve the rest of the stuff, and yes, this place got top honors in Pune.

Abhishek Non Veg; Gulawani Maharaj Road, Erandwane; Birbal, Mukul, Munni, Sandy – not so re-relishable chicken; though the nearest place to get almost decent butter chicken was the only reason to visit this place. The last meal had here before going for Kahaani was a déjà vu feeling which got Birbal into some problem.

Kohlapur Non Veg; Gulawani Maharaj Road; Mukul, Munni – A forgettable experience! Ideally located joint, but not up to our mark. I have never gotten used to the type and quantity of servings served, as well as the concept of a NonVeg Thaali.

Sweet Affairs; Mhatre Bridge, Erandwane; Sid, Munni, Sagar, Voh – Yes, the name does send the wrong message. The first place we went out to eat after taking possession of our flat here in Pune. Forgettable sandwiches, though when the going used to get tough, this place had always been the place to visit for a quick urgent snack. But, the only reason we kept re-visitig this place was for the rum balls. Geesh! At 10 bucks a piece they were a cheap way of expressing kuch meetha ho jaye.

Pavitra & Tapri outside CSS; Gulawani Maharaj Road, Erandwane; Vandy – the morning we dropped Mukul at the airport, glum and in a reflective mood, the tapri outside CSS got us to thinking on what and for how long do we want to be doing whatever in Pune. The meal at Pavitra was a classic one with Vandy as she had been left behind as the other kids went for the excursion and I had to have her entertained.

DTC Tapri; Near Mangeshkar Hospital; Prateek, Sher, Harry, Paaji, Nitin, PS, Su – let’s not elaborate all about the tea-after-lunch outings we had, for they were just loaded with crazy and almost meaningless stuff. The lousy game of matching birthdates with the number plates of cars parked on the roads (Yes, it was THAT lame) was classic, and got many people like Chaitanya to avoid hanging out with us. And of course ‘The Future of India’ Force Traveller – Number plate: 2020. Epic

Aryan Veg; FC Road; Gulabo, MadB, Phooly, Jalebi, Vandy, Sid, Mukul - A treat by the girls in exchange of the unprecedented hospitality we guys showed during the treats we had at our place ;). Anyway, this was Sid’s farewell dinner and that’s what it’s going to stay as. Can’t recall much about the food, but laughing out loud on the good old lousy jokes were re-livable

Punjabi Rasoi ; Koregaon Park; Sid, Mukul, Munni, Gulabo, Jalebi, Phooly – the awesomest chicken we’ve had in Pune (that’s saying too much, but definitely one of the best). The ambience was truly Punjabi; not so much so, but because of the background score humming at the joint. It was raining outside and the delicious chicken meal, accompanied with the truckloads of nonsense talks we had mastered by then. This meal was I think just before the Diwali break; where we walked all the way from Central Mall to KP in the light drizzle with Ashwani – and as we did end up getting a nice drench as I got a nice piece of everyone’s mind for suggesting walking in the rain ;).

Naturals Ice Cream; Koregaon Park & Near Magarpatta; Vickey Paaji, Esha Bhabhi, Sid, Mukul, Munni, Gulabo, Jalebi, Phooly – Paaji & Bhabhi took me took the branch near Magarpatta and had the place introduced as Juhu’s special famous Naturals Ice Cream. Dunno if it is actually from Juhu (I know it is!) but the ice cream is sure damn special; Coconut something being my favorite. The Punjabi Rasoi meal was followed by dessert here.

The Burger Barn; Koregaon Park; Vickey Paaji, Esha Bhabhi, Munni, Gulabo, MadB – Dinner treat with Paaji and Bhabhi and got introduced to the WTF. Made a point to revisit this place; and managed to do so at a dinner treat with Munni and farewell treat by the girls. My wish to have my pic on the wall of fame still lives on. A must visit place.

11 East Street Café; East Street, Pune Camp; Vickey Paaji, Esha Bhabhi, Amrit, Vandy – Yes! This is an awesome place to visit, that serves awesome food. With Amrit in town, the Sambi’s hit off to the famous café for a dinner meal. Then the second time was for a farewell treat, this time from Vandy; in exchange of all the bike rides I had to give her. Hang on! Hang on! I paid for this meal, this wasn’t my farewell meal. Oye hero, treat pending from your end.

The Bounty; Koregaon Park; Vickey Paaji, Esha Bhabhi, Amrit – Phew! I finally got Paaji and Bhabhi to let me pay ;). This was a meal of nice sizzlers, pasta, drinks and ambience, possible only because Amrit got down here.

IndiJoe, Koregaon Park – Vickey Paaji, Esha Bhabhi – Farewell from Pune dinner treat.

Magarpatta Parantha; Magarpatta internal market; Vickey Paaji, Esha Bhabhi, Amrit – I cannot recall a time when I had been more desperate to gobble up any parantha and drop dead asleep. This was after the EPIC Sinhagad trek early morning sun rise catching trip. A crazy build up, at 1 in the night, hitting the roads at 3, beginning the trek at 4, witnessing sun rise at 6, Pakoda’s and afeem wali chai and sleep till 8, the rickety drive ride down and the drowsy drive back to Magarpatta at 10. This was indeed epic.

Sinhagad Tapri; Sinhagad fort; Gulabo, Sid, Mukul, Munni, Phooly, Vandy, Sher, Paaji, Nitin, Prateek, Parag, Chaitanya, Sachin Bhai – the first visit here was just at the fag end of the rainy season, in a rickety Tata Sumo. Laughing and leg pulling, witnessing the sunset among the hill is a sight that is ever so vividly captured in mind. The other visit down here was with the bwoizz from office. Early one Sunday morning we drive to the base and trek up the mountain. Amazing serene weather conditions at the top of the fort. Absolutely beautiful and fun filled morning. And of course there was the ropeway crossing experience to cherish.

Geesh! This is now getting too much to type in detail. I’ll just keep it in brief

Dominoes; Erandwane & Karve Putla – DBU ki fauj, Gulabo, Munni, Phooly, Jalebi, Machau, Ishan, Office ki janta – Being the unknown guest at Pappu’s birthday treat with Sid and Mukul. Munni’s farewell treat with the bandiyaan. The hangout for a meal when no mood to have roti daal paneer. And chilling for Sher’s birthday, Prateek’s engagement party and Paaji’s promo party ;).

KFC; JM Road; Munni, Sid – Nothing left to be said. The heavenly chicken burgers and chicken bucket!

McDonalds; Karishma Society, Karve Road & Aundh; Office ki janta, Gulabo, Phooly, Jalebi, Sid, Mukul, Ishan, Pappu, Deepu and some CA’s – Kanchan’s surprise birthday treat. The hangout for a meal when no mood to have roti daal paneer. Deepu’s Pune visit.

Hyderabad Spice; Karve Road; Home Treat – the day the guys decided to play host, and how! A spicy takeaway meal. The awesome part of playing host was the re-livable piece.

Konkan Express; Kothrud; Vandy, Tezz, Phooly, Jalebi, Gulabo – Reunion dinner meal with Tezz with the janta. Obviously Sid and Mukul missed out on this; but great fun catching up. Hey wait! What happened the night before this one??!! ROFLOL

Swargate Terminal Chai & Snacks Stall; Swargate Terminus; Machau – the nearest place to home to grab a quick cuppa tea and pakoda’s as Machau had his sutta


HRC; Koregaon Park; AD, I-told-you-na, Sher - Yes! This is the Hard Rock Café, Pune. Period. Finally got to know what is and why is the hype of the HRC chain. The ambiance, the clutter and clatter, food! And drinks. Wow! Ticked off the bucket list.

Some-Nice-Looking-Restaurant; near SGS Mall; Jamshedpur team, Vandy, Sher, Pappu, Birbal – Showing our team from Jamshedpur Pune! And how! The complexities of dining with 15 people in a decent restaurant. The plan, that didn’t materialize and then CO2…!!!

Anand Tiffin Hall; Nal Stop; Sid, Mukul – One time dinner meal, cheap food. No fun getting here again.

Kailash Bhel; Katraj; Harry, Sher, Sandy, Ishan, Birbal – The Awesome Drive Through The Katraj Tunnel. And the best bhel, pani puri & SPDP in Pune. Thanks Harry for getting us here!!

Manas Resort; Manas (near Pirangut); Paaji, Nitin, Sher, Vageesh, PS, PB, Rishita, Kavita, Prateek, Chaitanya, Harry – a truly surprise farewell treat. The go-karting was the cherry. Thanks folks. This was good!!

Latest additions as per memory recollection and the actual last few suppers in Pune.


Up & Above; Chandani Chowk; Mukul, Machau, Pappu, Ishan, Birbal, Harish, Sandy, Vandy, Monika, Fond - We came here one weekend before we dined, on a bike ride. Machau, Mukul and me decided to have my farewell dinner here, but as it so happened, the very next day Mukul got his shock relocation call and his farewell was planned, the next weekend. Getting all the folks together was a challenge. Food was good but the bonfire after dinner was the real saver.

Marz-O-Rin; MG Road; Madb, Gulabo, Vandy - MadB and Gulabo never let you down when you have to go to a good place to hangout. So too this time! After showing them the Gurudwara at Pune Camp, a nice quick dinner snack at Pune's famous shack was a cherry. Gonna miss having you guys around ;).

Asian MeLange; Kothrud; Phooly, Jalebi, Vandy, Vindy - Well, the farewell weekend just went on and on. This time with the remaining girls. Rooftop barbecue and butter paneer were killers, as always. Finally got to meet Vindy.

Kahwa; Karve Road; AD, I-told-u-na, Sher, Harry, Deepak Bhai - I am sure AD and Deepak Bhai would have better words to describe the food / ambiance / service here. The surprise of Sher and Harry popping up here was nice. A farewell coffee treat ;).

Kobes; Law College Road; Sir, Boss - The actual last supper in Pune this time. And looked forward to this like none other. A dinner with bosses is always something unique. Great sizzlers. A fitting farewell meal. :)

Phew....!! Not at all easy to write this!
Anyway, now said and done - and posted. Lets get moving!!

Cheers to All

PS: The epilouge of The Pune Side of the Pastures and the prelude of this one was Dum Ghutkuu. in retrospect, it does seem for all the better.

This is all that Al Pune was all about

Just for her killer wink smile ;)

This is a love story; been cooked up somewhere amidst the many unimportant day-to-day dealings that have monotonized life, in general. This episode might resemble some particular instances you have seen elsewhere, all unintentionally.

STATUTORY WARNING: This story is meant to have a male protagonist. It is in fast forward mode.

Both the above warnings are not co-related.

He was there in the crowd. Sitting in a gathering of fresh-from-school college juniors, he was all the very playful, exuberant and, if you may call him, the Cassanovic guy. She was the host for the function. She had the mike in her hands and was calling the shots for the program planned. And that was where they first met. Well, not exactly, met is kind of stretching it too far.

They never talked on that fateful autumn evening,

They had no idea what destiny had in store waiting.

That one day some years down the line

Their love story would pulp, in a manner very sublime.

It all began with something like this –

He = I, She = her

Fresh in college – with ball loads of guts

Albeit with more ifs and buts;

Getting a ‘jee-eff’ was one of the things to do

Before I had to bid college life adieu. (sic)

Testosterone levels rose to levels unknown,

Deficiency of progesterone in college was a major let down.

Man! This is getting lame

After testing the waters for more than a year

And getting to know about the fairer sex from both far and near;

This one girl struck a chord like no other,

‘Maybe this is it’, I began to ponder.

My friends said, ‘soch lein 22. Aivee puhade vich na payii.

Aashiqui de chakkar vich apna na katvayii’.

She had a face I recognized and a name that I had heard,

That the two were of the same girl; was a classic case of me, an awesome nerd.

We flirted on Orkut, or were it also on Hi5!,

Or was it endless mails on which our relation did thrive?

Social Networking had a major role in getting us together, on hostel's pathetic LAN;

As did Hutch’s late night talk time plan.

On one fateful New Year’s Eve I slipped the question.

She fumbled, stumbled and thought about her apprehension,

And said, ‘yes’; a moment captured vividly in my head;

A vision of all corridors in college scrambling for space in my head.

That I was officially in a relation, on a high with glee,

Many people tried to get myself a hang of me.

The first six months, I don’t recall much about the rest,

I missed out on hostel nights and screwed up my tests.

Even when two suppli’s banged my balls blue,

I was still a bit glad, coz she had got them too.

Sense prevailed after the first major fight,

And we began to bring back things in light.

Still,

We studied, fought and tried to make the most of now;

The bike rides, movie dates and coffee chats were well wide scattered, and how.

Though the moments shared together are special and well preserved.

She had been the more daring one, and I the more reserved.

There are loads of moments that we look back and fondly remember;

Moments, encased ever so monumentally of myself and of her.

There is something about these love stories. Sometimes you just wonder that is it actually a love story or am I just fooling myself. Sometimes the sense of ultra super belongingness crops up and sometimes the chains of confinement make a mess in your mind. Sometimes you think that ‘this’ is what life is meant to be and sometimes you curse your balls / brain for having gotten you in this muddle. Sometimes you would want to and would do anything to get a smile on her face and sometimes you would crap things up on purpose. Sometimes all you need is a hug to get rid of all fears and apprehensions and sometimes, well; you feel it’s better to get it over and done with.

All these emotional traumas, if we may call them were not unknown to me. Some experienced people around had given their take on what is it all about to be in love, love and be loved in return. But, human tendency; to discover the taste of the fruit by tasting it oneself often gets the better of what wisdom is stored and shared in the mind.

So, where were we?

We have had our share of long distances between us,

Sometimes, a bit more than our share, a fact that usually gets us to cuss.

Many mobile services provided have benefitted from our crazy-roller coaster relation,

Sometimes glum with distraught and at times sickly ridden with elation.

She has been there with me, through thick and through thin.

She’s seen me on the pedestal and also in the bin.

That I have not done justice to her love, is a truth staring me bluntly in the eye;

Words have been my pacifier; I know, I admit with a sigh.

I love her, well, I kind of do.

I am confused, what am I supposed to do.

Everytime I say ‘I love you’;

I question myself, am I even true?

She has made me realize the value of a sorry;

Of a please, and of forgiveness;

Of being morose and merry;

Of knowing her and her lion-hearted-ness

Such has been our topsy-turvy time together

That going to meet her on this wintery January morning, is a prospect I envisage with a shudder.

Having brought nothing much to gift her after these 4 months,

I think and hope this poem would suffice and make her chirpy,

That I spent some time to try to make her happy...!!

PS. I saw an episode of HIMYM last night that raised a new question – which amongst us is the reacher and who is the settler. Need some light!

Dum Ghutkuu

Sitting in the darkness, trying to get cozy in whatever cold the Pune winter has to offer, I conclude: this January has brought about an unprecedented turn of events. Period. Sitting eyes closed against the wall, with Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi serenading within my newly purchased earphones (bragging rights earned), looking back at the last two weeks. With every reverberating beat of the electro-drum there is a pinch wanting to get me to write this, Dum Ghutkuu.


If The Pune Side of the Pastures was all about getting into the corporate world, and experiencing a plethora of new, candid, cherished, look-back-able moments, and rendezvous’ with new people; Dum Ghutkuu is about the inevitable fallout. It's the point where beginners luck begins to end and when it’s time to board the flight back to reality after a six month long ‘the-honeymoon-period’.

The Diwali week-off was a welcome break, and once we got back, on the job front, things were moving reasonably comfortably. On a personal front, life was on the ascendency on the sine curve it follows. Our daily room cricket matches, trying out endless option to satisfy our bellies, making the most of the weekday times we had, even tried hitting the gym, scavenging in autos and Pune’s much-more-look-forward-able bus service, Saturday cricket matches, Sunday house cleaning jobs and pretty much the Traveller-loads of bakchodi we carried on non-stop for a month to follow. With Shiela, Munni and STD, things were looking nice and bright.

Sometime in November, the four of us had our first spat – over cricket. That was a historic moment, because it hadn’t been experienced before, though, in retrospect, we did handle it nicely then, a lot to do with the senior statesmanship of Munni. Sometime then, as everyone was waiting for Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th hundred, we got to our first (and only) century in our home turf. Then the trip to Alibaug happened. And all fell back in place together. Needless to say, the Alibaug trip was indeed really awesome (So was the Matheran trip). Sometime then we also had our massive KFC gorge, before Munni pledged to give up chicken (for 2 months); and soon got deported from Lavish. Geesh that was one chicken farewell for my man!

Munni’s departure from Lavish in December was sad, though pretty much expected. His cricketing, and seniority mantle was handed over to Machau, as was his share of paying the rent. Among many incidents that transpired in the following weeks, one particular phrase is ever lasting. Once, while trying to make sense on a good yet economical meal for dinner, Machau questioned us, “Hum kama kis liye rahe hai?” A question that left us equally dazed as empty in the wallet; but yeah, well loaded in the belly.

In the mean while, Shiela and STD were fidgeting about prospects of their job postings. The part when they bitched and butchered almost everyone, I knew of, in the relocation-ing firing line, was hilarious. New Year’s Eve came by and after a classic case of health issues, auto issues, quarreling issues; the gong struck 2012 when I was in the company of 3 of the 4 best people I could have wished to be with in Pune, in the best place I could have been; and it was a pleasant experience.

Needless to say, the peak point of this period of the Pune Side of the Pastures was the moment I got my new bike’s possession. It was legendary. The GS150 had me spoilt, pampered and obsessed beyond anything I had experianced in Pune till date.

Shiela also came of age, and got a date for himself (herself). In the dying moments of his stay in Pune, before the relocation, he got his cherry on the piece of cake. STD was at his Cassanovic best, and I was well, let’s leave that for now.

The Fallout. A missed flight. A missed opportunity to make someone special feel really special. Sid’s Delhi departure. And the Order on Mukul’s relocation, like a shot of lightening, within 10 days, left us in a spate of shock and drilled in sensibility of what the demands of the corporate world are like. The original residents of Lavish were being pushed out, one by one.

In hindsight, I might not think too much about this a few months from now, but the wrenching feeling it left us in will last for quite some time. The one week how STD tried to make sense from the not so seemingly good looking opportunities he had and make a decision was a great learning experience for us.

Sitting here, in the dark, in whatever cold the Pune January has to offer, with STD trying to get a sound sleep, Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi continuing their serenading, and with the wrenching feeling fading as sleep takes over, there is one conclusion that we talked about over dinner today; that pretty much summarizes this side of the Pune Pastures, Dum Ghutkuu: Never take a decision in a moment of extreme happiness or in a moment of extreme shock / sadness; because you are more likely to screw yourself up than when otherwise.

Oh! And did I mention the phone call that changed the Pune perspective al-together? (Scanning the draft) No, I didn’t. There was this phone call, on one fine Sunday evening, that caught me alone on the roads in this crazy city, which when I answered blew the wind out of my lungs. Needless to say, that’s when Dum Ghutkuu began.

The Pune side of the Pastures

Well, this is purely extempore.


On the last working day before we close for the Diwali break here in office, with nothing motivating enough to do, and with an internet server down, thoughts lead me to write ‘this’. Oh! What timing, here comes the morning dose of (wake-me-up) tea. Great, we can move forward on this.

Back in Summer of 2011, May, when college got over, the sinking feeling was imminent. No more of the callous carefree attitude to all that I was a part of. But, since this fact had been drilled well into me, overcoming it was not that difficult after the first week. More-so, because this was the longest time I had to spend at home with mom, dad and Deepu in the past 4 years and for don’t know how many years in the future. Sitting at home and involving myself in the little things that made home, ‘home’ had been quite an experience, although the fact that Mission Pune was round the corner kept me from getting too complacent. I would have to admit, getting out of the cocoon at home and coming down to Pune was something I had been dearly looking forward to. Having no idea of what to expect and what not to, it was more like stepping into the dark; knowing that a lot can go wrong, and a few things should have to go right.

It began on the morning of 7th August. I call it ‘Al Pune’.

You know, the feeling of entering a new city, with a new job, with absolutely not even a known stranger to look forward to, with no baggage of people from the ‘old’ world and with the spirit to explore all that one can be involved in; is overwhelming and at the same time goose-bump material. And since, I had pushed myself into and pulled myself out (with new friends, new places explored and new experience) of similar situations, Al Pune definitely looked bright in prospect.

Flying out from the land of butter chicken and lassi into the land of vada pao and, well, butter chicken was how we got started (Geesh! Food obsession) And hands down; I have always claimed this ever since I got here, the weather is a sure super hit in this part of the world. Though I didn’t get to experience the place during the first week, being lavishly spoilt at the Sayaji with an entire new lot of freshers kept the initial nerves and excitement under control. The company On-Boarding session had been as interestingly sleepy as the college lectures got. But getting known to new people everyday and building rapports was the cool part. Every subsequent training session had always had the same genre about them; interestingly sleepy, new introductions, rapport building with existing colleagues and friends.

Work culture has been unbelievably relaxed and not that stressing; kind of an anti-climax of what I had been looking forward to. Though, yeah! Post Diwali break I know what to expect. In college it was always, you study, you get yours marks, you clear the cut off for the companies, you clear the test, you clear the GD, you clear the PI, get placed and then give-a-shit. But in the Corp. its an entirely different ball game. Its not a big deal whether or not you know how to speak good and fluent English, your seniors don’t expect you to address them as a Sir or a Madam, its okay if you stand up on your desk and ask your neighbor out for a stroll. I mean, the entire thing of corporate ‘this’ and corporate ‘that’ is kind of blown out of proportion (the voice at the back of my head sticks out the pacifier saying; ‘at least for now’).

Pune, as a place is genuinely worth exploring and indulging. I mean, it has its share of micro mini’s, hot long legs, sinking cleavages, crazy rush, maddening traffic sense, open roads, scenic hills, pulsating Lamborghini’s, simplistic Luna’s, rustic loons and yeah, genuinely beautiful girls. It gives you a feel of Delhi (no offence please; my Marathi brethren), minus of-course the Metro, the obvious Punjabi presence and the insecurity. Unlike what I have grown up on, Pune does really badly miss out on a decent public transport system within the city. For a Tier I city, this is a big turn down. I have mentioned the weather, and I should mention the traffic sense, no hidden fact, it sucks! Delhi, Ludhiana, Surat all have been unkind altogether; but nothing explains what is wrong with people when they get their ass behind the wheel or the handle. Though, in the same breath I would also have to admit, Marathi’s are kind people, genuinely (or it could be a case that I picked up the kind ones in sample size; whatever, I'll still buy the fact). Like, a shopkeeper would take time out to tell you from where to catch a bus to your destination, where to change lines, how much would the ticket cost; and if you push him further, he’ll also ask an auto driver to drop you to the place you want to and insist to pay by the meter.

From a foodie perspective, I have been made to believe that Pune is paradise, though yet to confirm it. Generally though, I’d buy that fact from whatever little I have seen around. The city has style, standard, oomph effect – and thus has to have a good foodie paradise to support all this. Again, the Delhi comparison! On a 100km radius from the city, Google baba (plus MadB, Gulabo, Mondu, Avinash and other people in office) claims that there are interesting places for excursions, trekking, long drives and weekend outings. From what I have seen, the Western Ghats have their own scenic beauty, very distinctive from the foothills of the Himalaya’s back home. Maybe it’s because of the time of the year I got to witness all of it, but the green layered hills and cloud capped peaks have been worth every ounce of their beauty depicted in all the guide books and travelogues I have come across.

The people with whom I have spent these three months have made Al Pune all-the-more worth looking-forward-to after the Diwali vacation. Siddie is a very balanced flat mate, STD is the mazze lene aur dilane wala flat mate, Munni is our silent man from the south land, Vandy is among the interestingly weirdest people I have ever come across, Gulabo has got me to learn more about myself, MadB deserves all credit for reviving my blogging habit and helping me around Pune, Phooly keeps me on my toes and Jalebi has the best “whaaaat!!??” ever! Sagar, Vijay, Manish have been people to look forward to meeting and chill during and after office hours.

Well, with that, that’s an hour and a half eaten away. The wake-me-up tea has become ice tea. Crap! Still no net connectivity. Well, I’d have to hijack Vijay to load this then. Thanks in advance dude.

So long till after the Diwali vacations!! Peace and happiness to one and all!!

PS. 'Interestingly Sleepy" is not a derogatory term.

Growing Up

Quite a while before the Home Alone pranks, the Shrek series, the Mr. Bean gags and the Harry Potter legacy got hold of our imagination and became the way toddlers grew up to kids; there were an altogether different ‘generation’ of children motion pictures and animation movies. Whilst all the above mentioned series’ emerged early at the turn of the century, the ‘generation’ I am talking about has been around since the mid 80’s. And I for one, with Deepu, Amrit and Ranjodh as siblings, grew up on them. That’s before Shing Chan, Ben10, Doremon, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z and hell knows what other lousy sci-fi animated series took hold of my younger cousins’ imagination. From the days when all we had was Cartoon Network and (the then top-of-the-line) video cassettes to today’s Pogo, Hungama, Nick, Disney and (the oh-so-normal) DVD’s, our generation has really come of age. On a personal note I do loathe, and don’t make two senses of it, the ching-chang-chung animations. Period.

This here is a collection of the children motion pictures and animation movies that I have grown up with. The list is not entirely conclusive, so I’ll require you three, Deepu, Amrit and Ranjodh to add on anything I may have missed out. Some part or the other of each of some of these collections is still a vivid memory. So much for the love of growing up…!

They were indeed good ol’ days…!!!

The Jungle Book – the epic tale of Mowgli, Bagheera and Ballu as they chill out together, do some monkey business, some elephant talkies and fight off Sher Khan. The Monkey Dance Song and ‘Bare Necessities’ are forever classics and humming them brings back the nostalgia of watching the movie on a weekend as mom or chachi had popcorns popping away in the kitchen. A toast!!

Ballu & Mowgli



Monkey Business ;)







 

The Best Friends - Bagheera & Mowgli

"Bare Neccessities...!!"

"Just Wanna Be Like You" - Monkey Business

Lady and the Tramp – one of the first love stories I have ever seen; had to be between dogs. The typical rich, spoilt and willing to explore ‘girl’ meets the backstreet, adventurous ‘boy’. You see, the trend has never changed since then. The happy-go-lucky tale with the romantic angle (yes, a romantic song and a kiss as well!!) followed by the almost tragic end before the savior of the day comes to fore and unites the two love birds, I mean dogs. It had been good.

 

The first love story I happened to see on the telly had to be between dogs. ;) 

Beauty and the Beast – epic! One word that describes this animation movie is Epic. The tale starts off in a small village, a crazy scientist and his young (beauty-ful) daughter on a visit to the city, wild dogs, the magical enchanted castle and the beast; has all the ingredients a modern day masala movie would want. The more than friendly and welcoming ‘automatic’ pots and pans, wardrobes and pianos and what-not enchant the entire epic animation. The entire castle comes alive as they gear up as the villagers come to attack the beast. In a fierce battle the beast dies; and beauty confesses her love to the beast just before the last petal of the enchanted rose falls off, thus overcoming the curse placed on the beast, as he transformed into what he had originally been – a prince charming. The great grand daddy of all ‘Transformers’, this has always been one of my favorite.

 

One of the more magical and enchanting fairy tales I grew up on - The Grand Daddy of All Transformers

Bambi – this I’d have to admit had not been one of my favorite cartoon movies, more-so because of the rather sad tone of the entire movie. The tale of how a mother and baby deer are separated in a snow storm and how the foal grows up and ‘finds who he really is’ has not been one of my to-be-watched-again animations. Yet the movie resurfaced in memory many years after the toddler times, when I had been nicknamed Bambi, for a reason I have, up till now, been in the dark of.

 

The Lion King – this epic animation movie would always be in the top 5 of the best all time animations I have come across. Although there have been sequels to the original animation in ‘Lion King 2’ and ‘Simba’s Pride’, nothing beats the truly African Savanna touch of the first movie. Rafiki’s hailing to the gathered herds and the skies above, of the birth of the new cub prince of Mufasa is one of the more awe-inspiring scenes captured in mind. The music and the lyrics are African in nature, hip, jolly and hummable. Simba’s fun and frolic number with Zazu and Nala, ‘Oh I just can’t wait to be king’ or Uncle Scar’s intimidating ‘Be Prepared’; the music is what made the movie an epic. Then of course, Timon and Pumba groove on the ‘Hakuma Matata’. This phrase has been a part of the folklore around me in college. Simba’s awakening, his rekindled friendship with Nala and Rafiki’s, ‘It Is Time!’ make this movie a super-must watch. So much so, the more I type the more I want to get its print and relive those moments. This has been arguably the best of the lot. Having lived a good portion of my life near the African Savanna, the Lion King was always going to be an all time favorite.

The Lion King Pride 

 

 

Hakuna Matata - Timon, Pumba and Simba

  

 

 The Fight - Uncle Scar and Simba

Mufasa and Rafiki

"The Circle of Life" - at its best, illustrated by the African Savanna 

"Hakuna Matata; It means No Worries, for the rest of your days....."

"Be prepared; for the Coup of the Century" - intensity song!!

Hercules – the name says it all. Unarguably one of the more iconic heroes in historical based animated movies, Hercules has not lost its imagination grasping power, even now when it occasionally flashes over HBO or Pogo. Hercules, the Greek demigod, who is made a mortal, sent to earth, makes some loyal friends as he fights his way against his dad’s Zeus’ brother (don’t recall the name). There is also his love interest who with his bunch of friends and, if I correctly recall, a horse help him fighting the ‘bad guy’ and return to Olympus to be united with the Gods. Phew, this is what fairy tales had been made of.

  

 

The entire cast of Hercules'

Bob the builder – the name makes me ROFL. Mainly because of the lousy song my younger cousins hum, the one Pogo has had drilled into them; ‘Bob the Builder, kar ke dikhayenge’. Shukks. ROFL stuff. Don’t recall how the original movie was plotted but it had been fun throughout!

Cinderella – probably more of a metaphor now-a-day, the original Cinderella for me is just a random memory among the collection of animation movies and children motion pictures. Primarily girlie in approach, the tale of the young ‘real’ princess, tormented by her step mother and step sisters, who, with the assistance of a bunch of helpful rats, fights the adversity in life and with the charm of her Fairy-God-Mother (Harry Potter fans read: Patronus) attends a dinner ball where she finds her prince charming. And the story goes on as we all know. It’s a happily ever after tale.

Snow White – again, like Cinderella, this tale of a young beautiful girl who is saved from the clutches of her assassin and takes refuge in the adobe of 7 dwarfs in the middle of the jungle. The epitomized, ‘Mirror Mirron on the Wall, Who is the Fairest of us All’ by her step mother / witch is what makes this tale last forever in memory. Another of the happily ever after tales, the name never gets out of sight (nor mind) as now we have an apparel change by the same name.

Over to the Children Motion Picture Segment

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – have seen this movie plenty of times to recall it pretty vividly. These 3 (or were they 4?) siblings who are made to be adopted by a cranky witch, have this magical bed, which would go to anyplace you tell it to only of you screw the bed knob in a particular direction for a particular number of rotations, tap it a particular number of times and mumble some ‘humma dumm dumm’. This young disaster of a witch with the help of the siblings, go flying across London to find an ancient spell that would save England and themselves in the impeding war. Yes! Pretty much, that is the crux of the tale. It does have some animated parts. Have to so very bloody watch it again!

The Magical Bed - with the main cast

Rustic London music @ the Chor Bazaar equivalent - Portebello Road

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – I still remember chichi jaan humming the song of the movie. It was one of the awe inspiring movies of ‘those’ times about a car that will fly in the air and float on water. There is this family (or do they just get together by chance?) who go flying for some reason or the other. Somehow they get into the clutches of the bad people who keep them imprisoned. They do something to make their escape possible. Damn! I have lost track of so much. Delhi is due this vacation. Have to bloody catch up again. (No! I’d rather not Google up the plot)

The Sound of Music – revolutionary for its age, this movie was about this nun who wanted to break free. Not from the sanctity of the church, but more generally to explore the world and travel. She moves around and comes to the house of some rich guy where she’s appointed the caretaker of these kids. A musical in the truest for, the everlasting song has to be “Doe a deer, a female deer; Ray, a drop of golden sun; Me, a name, I call myself; Far, a longer way to run”. The ‘saregama’ should have something like this. There must have been some sort of story involving some tragedy, or challenge, or a love angle; I don’t recall. But have always remembered watching this movie had been fun.

Marry Poppins – Finally, got this far. Marry Poppins, a movie that can take credit for giving the name of this blog. Another tale, somewhat similar to B&B and Sound of music (sans the magical aspect, that is), is about this wonderful witch who comes to be the caretaker of the kids of a family in urban London. How she gets them in line and takes them on a trip of a lifetime, where they enter a painting on the road, is how the movie plot gives way. There is the male lead as well. Loved the movie for Supercalifragilisticexialidocious.

Sing Along - "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" ..!!!

101 Dalmatians – pretty straight forward; a tale of an average guy and girl who fall in love and move in together (I think, they do marry). Their respective pet dogs, both Dalmatians, who got them to meet in the first place, also get ‘in a relationship’ and have pups. 101 of them. The evil boss of the girl, Cruela De’ Vill, gets fanatic about using the fur of the Dalmatians for a gown of hers, and hires two cranky burly guys to hijack the pups and bring them to her. The story is how the two burly guys do the Home Alone antics as they are tricked by the pups; and how the doggie network works in getting all the hounds of the city together for the cause of saving the 101 pups. Cruela De’ Vill also comes into the struggle to get the pups towards the end. Though, the pups are all saved and De Vill is handed over to the cops for some animal offence charge. There had been a sequel to this tale in 102 Dalmatians, though I don’t think I saw it. The 101 version had been fun watch.

Babe the Gallant Pig – wow! Nostalgia! The tale of a farmer and his wife who are debt ridden on their farm and see the option of a lottery or something in taking their baby pig to the city for something I don’t recall. It’s great fun to watch the farmer’s wife take the baby pig to the city; where, of all things there are no pet pigs! She finds a place to live where the pig makes some friends who are rather indifferent to him. They perform a song / dance sequence where a fire goes off and the old man of the place where they live dies. There is also a struggle to fight off some people who want to take over the place they are putting up in. Babe, the pig saves the day here and with the help of the animals manages to pull off the lottery thing. It is a happy ending. This too, is on the watch list this vacation!

Ranjodh, bro is has indeed been of great help searching up the old drawers and dictating me the entire collection we had. Some of the movies I don’t have registered in memory, but which, as you say, we have seen, are follows:

(a) Rugrats,

(b) Airbud – a tale of a sports dog,

(c) Beethoven – a tale of a pet dog,

(d) Polly – something about a green parrot,

(e) Homeward Bound – a tale of 2 cats and 3 dogs finding their way home when their family lose them in air transit,

(f) Hunchback of Notre Dame – (couldn’t recall it’s story, had to put it in this list) a tale that had been one of my favorite but now a memory, is about this orphaned kid who is taken into custody by the local church, where he is the guy who sounds the hourly gong. I don’t recall how this ugly looking ‘hero’ gets his way out; there must have been a ‘princess charming’; need some Google help.

And that is, atlast, that!!!
Geesh.. I'll never make any blog this long; had it not been for the sake of growing up with Deepu, Amrit and Ranjodh... Cheers, Siblings..! RoFl...!

Little Deeds of Kindness

I do not know why I am calling this entry by this name. I mean, there is so much more about this episode than the act of kindness. In defense though, to come to think of it, this entire episode would not have been possible without the little deed of kindness. Dad and Mom, if you ever read this, I dedicate this to you. Or yeah, whatever, either way, this goes out to you two. Secondly; Arjit, Vipul and Jagpreet, brothers, apologies for what I had to do to you guys for this.

What was the date? Err… 30th March 2011, I think.

That morning, when I got up, little did I know what surprise I had in store waiting. A normal weekday morning, had everything normal about it, except that this Wednesday would go a long way in history. The morning pleasantries, breakfast etcetera. Mom and Deepu were at home. I asked mom where papa was. She said that he had to get to the bank for some urgent work. He’d better be back fast before the roads become inaccessible.

I went to the roof top. It was 9 in the morning and you could see there was a crowd filling in attendance. Already? Any other day I would have cussed the crowds for having nothing else to do. But not today. This was unarguably going to be a very big day in many peoples’ lives. It was the 2011 Cricket World Cup semifinal, the host, we the Indians, pitted against arch rivals, Pakistan, playing on the very land that divides the two republics, the same land that witnessed many a bloody battle between two of the more stubborn nations over their 60 year history, the land that shares the same name on either side of the border, the land of proportional measure either side of the border, Punjab. You couldn’t blame anyone for the emotions that ran high. This was epic material. This was as if a flash of the wand of destiny made everything fall into place. If there ever was to be an “it” moment, for a cricket crazy fan, for a cricket nation, this had to be it.

I didn’t try to get a ticket for the match. No, I mean, I did try but I knew I could have done better. Whatever! Hardly makes any difference. We had a plan of our own. The new Panasonic Plasma was to don the roof top when the sun went down that evening. The mehfil was to begin then. Lit by the stadium flood lights nearby, back ground score by the forty thousand strong choruses in the cauldron, brought straight to us with an 8 second delay by DishTV (I can’t believe it, I should be paid for naming those lousy morons in this entry), food and drinks, on the house. This was to be a special way of making optimal use of our proximity to the PCA, the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Punjab. In special attendance were to be Arjit, Vipul and Jagpreet.

Sigh! It was 9.30 and from the roof it was visible that the lines from the gates had reached already our street. That’s like almost 200m. And by 10.00 they had blocked direct access to our main gates. Mom summoned me down around then and told me to head to Chandigarh to pick up dad who had caught up on a puncture on Dubeyji’s bike. I took off and got dad back. It was difficult meandering through the masses that had now been standing in the line for almost four hours. I knew the gates were to open at 1 in the afternoon for a 3pm match start. Another better part of three hours to go. Golly! This is indeed a cricket crazy nation; an understatement.

I asked dad about the trip to the bank, early in the morning. I was told that that some loan taken against the place we were staying had been neutralized, (use any financial term you’d like, for me it’s neutralized) which meant that a major tension was over and done with. (Read this between the lines – normally mom gets tenser about such things, but, well you would not blame her for it). Anyway, this was really good news. I mean really good news.

Just soon as the info regarding the loan thing being sorted settled down, dad suggested we do something for the crowd assembling outside our house to get in the stadium. Douh! He suggested we put up sweetened drinking water, chhabeel, on a table within our premises for the fans to have. It goes with a Punjabi tradition and in the Sikh culture, of offering a refreshing drink on the roads to travelers during the peak summer months of April to July, as a commemoration to the 5th Sikh Guru’s sacrifice.

To come to think of it, this was indeed the ‘optimal use of our proximity’ to the PCA, and with the loan thing sorted out, it made all the more sense. But! It would be excruciatingly killing to serve those freaking lucky few who had managed to get their hands on tickets to witness this saga. Damn. The pangs of jealousy. But yeah, when dad says so to do it, and mom agrees, there’s almost nothing that you can do or say without sounding senseless. So, we got to it. Deepu and I set up the table just inside the gate got the water supplies as mom and papa were preparing the sweetener to be added on. I opened the gates and announced that water is being served for everyone who needs it. And we were on.

It felt good. Initially only the few people who were just in front of the gate came up. But as word spread, many more people from nearby also started pouring in. A true working successful example of how a good product and service can market your enterprise. Soon the sweetened water was also arranged and our house gate was thronged. A working example of the production planning tool of supply management based on the demand forecast. Also had hands on experience of the effect of the fluctuating demand on the method and mode of supply. Then we realized a very common psychology with people standing in the lines. No one would like to leave their positions for water, when they had waited for over 2 hours in the heat. So this gave way to the next brainwave, of walking down the road serving 15 glasses of the chhabeel at a time. Although each round lasted less than a few 10 meters here and there, is was the farthest reaching approach to reach the customer. A Marketing Tool again.

And when everyone you serve returns the favor with a ‘thanks’ you tend to feel good, about having done something good. About having done a little deed of kindness. And with each glass, ‘India ko jeeta ke aana’. God! This cricket crazy country!

And then… Like a bolt of lightning straight out of nowhere, a guy came up to the gate, the table on which we had the glasses placed. He wispered, “Dude, are you also watching the match?” “Yes, I am. On TV.” “We have an extra ticket of a friend who didn’t turn up. Would you want it?” Oh My God…!!! “Are you serious?” “Well, yes, we had a mind to sell it anyway and thought of asking you guys first, since you are doing a great job.” “Yes. I want the ticket. How much do I have to pay for it?” “It’s a general block ticket. For 500/-. Pay as much as you think is right.” Oh! This frikking conscious. This ticket is worth a gazillion at this hour. Barely an hour before play begins. And I have the right to pay whatever I want to for it…! Mom was nearest at hand, a wise person to have at a time like this. She asked me whether I had called the guy up or he came forward himself. She asked me whether the guy had bought the ticket in black or from the counter. Since it was him who came forward, she told me it made sense to pay the amount the guy had to pay for the ticket originally, either in black or otherwise.

When I got back to the guy at the gate, he insisted that I pay as much I deemed perfect for the ticket without disclosing how much he paid for it. Hell! This is insane. I dished out a 500/- Gandhi for the ticket in my hand, and the guy left the gate and became a part of the overflowing crowd rearing to enter the ‘Coliseum’.

Dad, refused to believe the authenticity of the ticket unless I be able to enter the stadium. I was lost for words or any expressions. Within five minutes, from doing the rounds of serving water to being a proud ticket holder, I didn’t know what made sense or what not. Vipul and Arjit would have insisted I sell the ticket for a couple of thousand bucks and watch the match in a lavish lounge.

I don’t know. I decided. It’s not normal for some random guy, whose name I don’t know, whom I don’t recognize, to come up to me of all thousands of other ticketless people and offer me the match ticket that begins in an hour or so. Forget the cost of the ticket. It comes down to the Ying-Yang concept. The do good and get good. It comes down to that little deed of kindness you do, by instinct or all the more willingly, that pays dividends. It’s a very conveniently arguable issue. It’s sometimes very clichéd. It may be ironical at times. Whatever! I don’t preach deeds of kindness, but when you happen to do some, something good would definitely happen. And for me I got to experience something un-matched probably unmatchable. Probably so much so, that no other contest would be worth watching live in the PCA ever again. On the other hand, (hysterically speaking) I don’t think I would have ever forgiven myself for not watching “this” match in the stadium next to our house after what happened later that evening, and more so, a few days later on 2nd April.

So, as it happened to be. I finished off with the water serving at the gate. Left Deepu and Papa to carry on the same for some time till most of the crowd had thinned down. Changed into something for the occasion and hared across the nearby parks to get to the entry gate my ticket directed me to. No hassle, an easy access into the stadium premises. Further into the actual playing arena. This indeed was “it”. Dad got to believe that we hadn’t been duped of 500/- bucks. The summer sun in the afternoon was at its piercing best. But nothing could have diluted the spirits. The icing on the cake was, by far, by-way-far, the feeling of 35,000 people singing the National Anthem together. Literally Goosebumps stuff.

The next eight hours would be an embedded memory for a very long time, and with this blog entry, for an even longer time. Screaming and shrieking my lungs coarse with other 40,000 or so unknown people, witnessing India gallop to victory was as befitting as it gets. I guess I would have to catch up on cricinfo.com regarding the intricate details, but the overall feeling is pretty much put-into-words by this.

I’d definitely owe this treasured experience to that little deed of kindness dad and mom got me to do. God! This really had been awesome.

It goes without saying that Arjit, Vipul and Jagpreet were left high and dry on that evening. The new Panasonic Plasma after-all didn’t get to don the roof that night. But well guys, if you read this, apologies again. And knowing your replies, fuck you again! :)

Cheers!!!

Glimpses:

The Pavilion in the scorching summer afternoon sunshine The cheering crowds in the Grand Stands

The Pavilion, as dusk sets in. One of the better lit moments of the game

The flood lights in full blaze Cheering our team to Victory The Winning Moment at Mohali

A few days later, in Mumbai, this happened. That, totally justified this evening. (c/o www.cricinfo.com)