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We might be sitting here, but surely we aren't among those who sit quietly in one place, lazying around!!! Read on, and you'll knowThere are all kinds of people – some lazy, some diligent. Some aren’t lazy, but their low energy levels give an illusion that they are lazy. And there are some who are always running helter-skelter – always on their toes, never ready to keep quiet in one place. Guess this post is about two such people – I’m one of them. Now, maybe I’m praising myself!? Doesn’t matter….
“Why Are We Two Always in the Front???”
So the “two” happen to be Girija and me. Once we got out of Garuda and started roaming (or maybe loafing) around, we sort of split into groups, pairs, etc. I remember initially it was Mainak, Girija, Shalini and I. Then as we moved on, the groups re-shuffled and all. And in the end I found myself with Girija leading the way.
So we moved on from Brigade Road to MG Road, and still we were in the front. We look back and find Mainak, Suraj and Rahul right behind us. So assuming the rest are following, we keep chugging along. And then I get a call….
“Where Are You Going?” “Anywhere is Fine as Long as We Are Together!!!”
Well, the call was from Swarna asking us where we were going. I said, “Wherever the road takes us!” Then she asked us to come back, since they were “unable to walk”. So we head back – perhaps 500 metres. And we find the remaining people there. Shalini’s sandal was “biting her leg”. And I told her, “Why are ya messing around with these fancy sandals which are no good in comfort. Wear shoes!” And I get her signature stare as a reply.
Then everyone asks, “Where do we go?” Rahul says, “If we go staright, we’ll end up in Cubbon Park.” Then Shalini with her “kiddish” response, “There’s a swing in Cubbon Park. Chalo jhoola jhoolte hain.” (I guess I’m repeating a part of one of my older posts – this is just for continuity of this post.) No one agreed with her swing-theory, but still everyone agrees to go. I wondered how they were going to walk 3-4 km to Cubbon Park!
“Eh!? We Are in the Front of the Pack Again!??”
As it happened, and it wasn’t really unexpected, we two end up in front again. So this time we decide to take a break and sit down, right in front of a traffic signal. Soon everyone joins us and there we were – at the traffic signal – I never feel embarrassed about such stuff, but others were – so we move on. A few stay back to bring Punit who had asked us to wait at MG Road for him. Then we find ourselves in front of Hotel Empire. Half of us were willing to go there for lunch, the remaining weren’t. So we reached a consensus and decide to go to McDonalds. And as expected, we two were the first to reach there too!
“Buck Up, Lazy Bums!!!”
So we go to McDonalds and find place to sit on the first floor (guess that was second floor of the building, but first floor with respect to McD). And someone had to check the available items at the ground floor. The others were just lazing around. So Girija gets up and asks one of the guys to come along. And no one is willing to go (you know how these guys are – scripting stories about any “couple” they see walking around – it was just for fun, no serious stuff and everyone took it without any hard feelings). Anyways, we both go and check the available items. And it was a relief when Punit and Shalini go to buy them – finally we can have a seat! After all, we need food to recharge our energy levels!
And after that, we two were among those who went to……!? Guess I’ll save that story for later!!!
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Arun
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Some meetings are planned - and some just happen – eleventh-hour rendezvous. And some – guess you can call it coincidence, maybe destiny!
(From left) Vijay, Arun (that's me), Mainak, Suhas and Samuel!!!
En Route to School – Again!!!
So my real old friend Mainak had come over to Bangalore for a couple of days. And he wanted to see the school he had studied in till X (I was in the same school till XII). So we meet up at Gangamma Circle and decide to take a walk – perhaps one and a half kilometers, but as they say – There’s no walk too long.
So we go and take a look at our alma mater and then start roaming around in KG Halli – why, we don’t know. Perhaps we were hoping to catch a glimpse of our old classmates. Anyway, we couldn’t find anyone familiar and so we decide to go back via the watch factory route. And we sit at the watch factory bus stop – perhaps it was destiny which made us sit there, instead of catching a bus.
Luck or Destiny???
So we had been sitting there for some time – seeing buses pass by, but never bothering to catch one! Then we see three guys going on a scooty – and the middle one happened to be Suhas – one of our old classmates! Mainak just kept staring – I don’t know if he recognized Suhas or not. But I surely did. Next second I was shouting, “Suhas!”. He turned to see who was shouting his name. And man – was he surprised at finding us there. Simple reason – neither of us live in Bangalore. Mainak stays in Trivandrum nowadays and I’m in Hosur.
So two become three – and we continue refreshing old memories. The bus stop was turning lucky for us – or maybe we were fated to meet!
Bikers Inc.!!!
Bangalore is a city where almost every college-goer has access to a bike – his or his friend’s (I’m just speculating – I haven’t done a survey on this). So after some time I get a call from Vijay – another old classmate, asking me where we (“we” referred to Mainak and me, he didn’t know Suhas was there too) were. I tell him and he decides to join us – lady luck continues to shine. Soon enough, he’s there on his bike.
So three became four now – I thought things couldn’t improve. But they did – four became five. Samuel (guess you are tired of hearing this – he’s another of our old classmates) calls me and tells he’s also coming. So he comes riding pillion on his friend’s bike. So there were five of the old X-C class.
High five! Yippeee!!!
Together after Years – Memories Keep Flooding!!!
So we go into a nearby park and start chit-chatting. And believe it or not, we might’ve forgotten about our Xi and XII classes, but we do remember our X-C class – the class every other class was jealous of! And incidentally, all the five of us had remained more or less unchanged in spite of the passing years – unless you consider the increase in height of some guys. So the memories came back flooding – where we used to sit in class, how Suhas and I used to have chalk fights with the girls getting caught up in the cross fire (actually, we used to aim for the girls – “Suhas vs. Arun” was just an excuse), how we were scolded by our teachers, and so on. In spite of all the differences between boys and girls, we were always united against an outsider – guess that’s what made X-C different from other classes of the same batch!
Soon enough, it was time for us to go home. So we departed – with a new memory to cherish! All thanks to fate!!!
(From left) Vijay, Arun (that's me), Mainak, Suhas and Samuel!!!En Route to School – Again!!!
So my real old friend Mainak had come over to Bangalore for a couple of days. And he wanted to see the school he had studied in till X (I was in the same school till XII). So we meet up at Gangamma Circle and decide to take a walk – perhaps one and a half kilometers, but as they say – There’s no walk too long.
So we go and take a look at our alma mater and then start roaming around in KG Halli – why, we don’t know. Perhaps we were hoping to catch a glimpse of our old classmates. Anyway, we couldn’t find anyone familiar and so we decide to go back via the watch factory route. And we sit at the watch factory bus stop – perhaps it was destiny which made us sit there, instead of catching a bus.
Luck or Destiny???
So we had been sitting there for some time – seeing buses pass by, but never bothering to catch one! Then we see three guys going on a scooty – and the middle one happened to be Suhas – one of our old classmates! Mainak just kept staring – I don’t know if he recognized Suhas or not. But I surely did. Next second I was shouting, “Suhas!”. He turned to see who was shouting his name. And man – was he surprised at finding us there. Simple reason – neither of us live in Bangalore. Mainak stays in Trivandrum nowadays and I’m in Hosur.
So two become three – and we continue refreshing old memories. The bus stop was turning lucky for us – or maybe we were fated to meet!
Bikers Inc.!!!
Bangalore is a city where almost every college-goer has access to a bike – his or his friend’s (I’m just speculating – I haven’t done a survey on this). So after some time I get a call from Vijay – another old classmate, asking me where we (“we” referred to Mainak and me, he didn’t know Suhas was there too) were. I tell him and he decides to join us – lady luck continues to shine. Soon enough, he’s there on his bike.
So three became four now – I thought things couldn’t improve. But they did – four became five. Samuel (guess you are tired of hearing this – he’s another of our old classmates) calls me and tells he’s also coming. So he comes riding pillion on his friend’s bike. So there were five of the old X-C class.
High five! Yippeee!!!
Together after Years – Memories Keep Flooding!!!
So we go into a nearby park and start chit-chatting. And believe it or not, we might’ve forgotten about our Xi and XII classes, but we do remember our X-C class – the class every other class was jealous of! And incidentally, all the five of us had remained more or less unchanged in spite of the passing years – unless you consider the increase in height of some guys. So the memories came back flooding – where we used to sit in class, how Suhas and I used to have chalk fights with the girls getting caught up in the cross fire (actually, we used to aim for the girls – “Suhas vs. Arun” was just an excuse), how we were scolded by our teachers, and so on. In spite of all the differences between boys and girls, we were always united against an outsider – guess that’s what made X-C different from other classes of the same batch!
Soon enough, it was time for us to go home. So we departed – with a new memory to cherish! All thanks to fate!!!
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I really don’t know why – but I really love the phrase “warhorses of X-C”. There used to be what one can call “wars” – sometimes girls vs. boys, sometimes within themselves. But it was all playing and fooling around. Once we got out of X, guess we really lost touch with each other. And it continued that way for years. But finally, one of my really good friends Mainak decides to come to Bangalore to pay a visit to his old classmates. And I thought – “I ain’t gonna miss this opportunity”. Let’s try to ruffle up the old lot, find whomever we can and we can have a gala time.
Mind, I happen to be the one who’s in touch with majority of the class (I recently read a book “People Power” – I think it’s authored by Diane Fletcher. And my social networking has always been above-average I can say). So it was time to set the wheels in motion. And we managed to get hold of 14 “warhorses” – not a bad number by any standard…….
“10 am is Early??? Are You Insane!!?”
Many complained that 10 am was a little too early. And I had only one thing to say,”If I can travel 50-odd km from Hosur to Bangalore and be there by 10, can’t you travel 20-odd km???” And finally everyone agreed to come at 10am. Though it was past 11 by the time all the 14 showed up.
So I change buses, sprint on the roads and reach Garuda mall, our gathering place, at 9:59 am (lucky me, I don’t like being late when I myself decided the time). And at the same time, Shreyasi alighted from an auto. Then comes Sangeeta after 5 minutes. Rahul, Mainak, G Suraj, Swarna, Philomina and Vindhya walk in a few minutes later. Then come Girija, Shalini and Harini. Vijay turns up at 10:40 or so. Punit said he’d come by noon. So there were 13 of us – guess 13 turned lucky!!!
Quite a few didn’t turn up and I have no intentions of bringing up their names. But I would like to mention two of them – Saurabh, who couldn’t come because he slipped and fell from the stairs and Tarun, who was in Chennai (he said no one told him beforehand or he would’ve come – guess there was a flaw in my planning!)
“No Cameras Allowed??? Just What is This Place???”
Mainak says he wants to have breakfast, so we go to the food court. As it always happens, cameras and mobiles start clicking and then the guard comes and says, “Cameras not allowed!” That really pissed me off and I believe, most of the others too. So we decided to go out – after all it was the mall losing on customers, we had nothing to lose. So we go outside and start clicking – the guards couldn’t say anything. Even though we were in front of the mall, they had no right to boss us around there.
So after clicking around, we decided to take a walk – where, we had no idea. “As long as we are together, anywhere is fine.”
“You Can’t Walk!??”
So we start walking – brigade road, MG road – anywhere and everywhere. It was Girija and me leading the way – guess we fall into the category of “over-energised” people, and tiring us out would really require something. Mainak, Suraj and Rahul were behind us. We were halfway through MG Road when I get a call from Swarna saying they can’t walk anymore and asking us to come back. So we head back and find the remaining eight standing on the pavement.
Then our “bird-brain” (don’t take it seriously yaar) Shalini says, “Let’s go to Cubbon Park and ride the swing.” Everyone was like, “Are you a kid or what?” Nevertheless, we decide to go. Mind, Cubbon Park was around 3-4 km away and I had no idea how all these tired geese would get there. But we had hardly walked a km when we get a call from Punit telling us to wait on MG Road. So we gather him up and then it was time for lunch. Guess I’m eliminating many details, but this post is getting long. I’ll bring them up later in some other post.
“McDonalds – Why is it Always the Same???”
As it always happen, we chug along to McDonalds. I have nothing against it – but I’ve been there so many times and it sort of gets monotonous. Nevertheless , “As long as we are together, anywhere is fine.” Right!?
Then we order and start eating. Then we find fries and coke remaining. Everyone taking a bite, everyone taking a sip – I think in the end no one knew who was drinking from whose glass. Doesn’t matter – we are nothing short of a family, as Shalini said. So we finish our lunch and six of us decide to leave – Rahul, Philomina, Vindhya, Swarna, Harini and Shreyasi. The rest of us stay on – now the question, “Why?” Guess it’ll be answered in some other post.
So ended the fun-filled roller-coaster joyride! It just showed one thing, “We might be all over the place, but when we are together we are one!”
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I loved my school life like anything – and the teachers there were great, unlike those at college. As was tradition, when we were in XII we had to become teachers for a day. How this tradition came about I know not, but I knew one thing – I, for one, can never be a school teacher!!!
5/9 to 14/11!!!
It’s a common practice in Indian schools for the XII class students to “act” as teachers on Teacher’s Day, September 5. But in ours, it used to be on Children’s Day, November 14. The reason – the students supposedly only loaf around pointlessly on the day they become teachers, forgetting their duties and exercising only their rights. So it’s unbecoming a tribute to teachers.
I personally never wanted to do all this on Children’s Day (if it was on Teacher’s Day, I might’ve gone). But no choice, we were given our “roles” for the “one-day play”.
All the school’s a stage and all the XII students mere players…..
“Me!? Physics Teacher???”
Now that I had no choice but to do all this, I would’ve loved to be a primary teacher – at least there would be nothing to do. The kiddos would be excited but controlling them won’t be that much of a trouble. Not to be – I had to “enact” the role of Mr. S.M Pandian – our physics teacher!!!
I idealized him – one of the best teachers I ever had. But that made the job even more difficult – how on earth was I supposed to teach physics if he asked me to!? Fortunately, he didn’t give any instructions and we were given a free rein. Just maintain the discipline and we are done…..but even that became an uphill task….
The “Autograph” Brigade!!!
Another custom, I can say. Everyone wants autographs from the “one-day teachers”. Even I used to do this till I was in V or VI. Later, I lost interest in all this. But you can always find kids vying for the crown of “The One with Most Autographs”. And as most of us had half of the periods free, all we did was roam around in the campus. But the moment we went near the primary block, we were surrounded by these autograph-hunters. Then it was the Headmistress (one of the students who really took the teacher thing seriously) chasing the kids and “ordering” us to go back to our secondary block. Nevertheless, one sari-clad girl isn’t much of a match for a battalion of kids!
All of us kept scribbling our names on the diaries and notebooks much to joy of the tiny tots – after all, we did the same things when we were kids. But alas! The “Lady Hitler” (I don’t want to mention her name, but my school mates would know who she is) of our school got another reason to fire a cannon ball at us….
The Crappy Side of School Life - Ignominy Inflicted!!!
Well somehow, the day was over and we were charge sheeted the next day. Offence – inability to maintain discipline in the school and giving autographs resulting in loss of order. And we were made to kneel down in the basketball court for an hour, while the above-mentioned oaf of a teacher kept screaming on the mic. That was humiliating – it was as if we begged them to make us teachers! They seemed to have sky-high baseless expectations. Most of the teachers had no problem with a little indiscipline on one day. But not her. And the autograph thing – I would’ve loved to ask her what she did when she was a student. I have always wished that my college teachers turn out to be like my school teachers. But when it comes to the ones like these, I’ll take my college teachers!!!
I wish I would forget this…..school life is full of happy memories, and I don’t want the ones like these to tarnish ‘em! But try as I may, memories keep popping!!!
5/9 to 14/11!!!
It’s a common practice in Indian schools for the XII class students to “act” as teachers on Teacher’s Day, September 5. But in ours, it used to be on Children’s Day, November 14. The reason – the students supposedly only loaf around pointlessly on the day they become teachers, forgetting their duties and exercising only their rights. So it’s unbecoming a tribute to teachers.
I personally never wanted to do all this on Children’s Day (if it was on Teacher’s Day, I might’ve gone). But no choice, we were given our “roles” for the “one-day play”.
All the school’s a stage and all the XII students mere players…..
“Me!? Physics Teacher???”
Now that I had no choice but to do all this, I would’ve loved to be a primary teacher – at least there would be nothing to do. The kiddos would be excited but controlling them won’t be that much of a trouble. Not to be – I had to “enact” the role of Mr. S.M Pandian – our physics teacher!!!
I idealized him – one of the best teachers I ever had. But that made the job even more difficult – how on earth was I supposed to teach physics if he asked me to!? Fortunately, he didn’t give any instructions and we were given a free rein. Just maintain the discipline and we are done…..but even that became an uphill task….
The “Autograph” Brigade!!!
Another custom, I can say. Everyone wants autographs from the “one-day teachers”. Even I used to do this till I was in V or VI. Later, I lost interest in all this. But you can always find kids vying for the crown of “The One with Most Autographs”. And as most of us had half of the periods free, all we did was roam around in the campus. But the moment we went near the primary block, we were surrounded by these autograph-hunters. Then it was the Headmistress (one of the students who really took the teacher thing seriously) chasing the kids and “ordering” us to go back to our secondary block. Nevertheless, one sari-clad girl isn’t much of a match for a battalion of kids!
All of us kept scribbling our names on the diaries and notebooks much to joy of the tiny tots – after all, we did the same things when we were kids. But alas! The “Lady Hitler” (I don’t want to mention her name, but my school mates would know who she is) of our school got another reason to fire a cannon ball at us….
The Crappy Side of School Life - Ignominy Inflicted!!!
Well somehow, the day was over and we were charge sheeted the next day. Offence – inability to maintain discipline in the school and giving autographs resulting in loss of order. And we were made to kneel down in the basketball court for an hour, while the above-mentioned oaf of a teacher kept screaming on the mic. That was humiliating – it was as if we begged them to make us teachers! They seemed to have sky-high baseless expectations. Most of the teachers had no problem with a little indiscipline on one day. But not her. And the autograph thing – I would’ve loved to ask her what she did when she was a student. I have always wished that my college teachers turn out to be like my school teachers. But when it comes to the ones like these, I’ll take my college teachers!!!
I wish I would forget this…..school life is full of happy memories, and I don’t want the ones like these to tarnish ‘em! But try as I may, memories keep popping!!!
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Arun
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I have always been a ”jack of all, king of few” – at least I believe I am. I am used to doing petty chores at home – ranging from that of a plumber and a cobbler to a carpenter. And incidentally - by luck or by fluke – I’ve had such classes at school too. The IX class extravaganza (should I call it so) can never be forgotten – dance classes, music classes, glass painting and so on – nothing lasting more than a few weeks at most....
“Dance – Are You Insane???”
I got dumped into the batch going for dance classes – how I have no idea. But it seemed to consist of both guys and girls. So I thought – let’s go for one class and then we will see…..
The dance teacher tried her best to “tame” the guys – but none of us were willing to go the “classical dance” way. She hardly started dancing when we started muttering, chattering, hooting…..and stuff. Nevertheless, it seemed a scene out of a comedy movie. I wouldn’t have minded staying there without having to dance seriously, but the teacher wouldn’t agree to that. She was hell bent on teaching her students classical dance. At least western would’ve kept us there for a few days I guess. But classical – we didn’t even last a day. Or rather, the teacher drove us away. A one-day escapade!!!
“Tabla – Dha Dha Tirakita Ta!!!”
Next I went on to tabla classes. It lasted longer than the dance classes – that’s all I can say. The teacher was another sample – he was happy to see many people attending his classes, but he just didn’t have the time or the equipment to teach all of them. So we hardly learnt anything there.
The only thing I remember about those classes is weird suggestion to avoid the functioning of sweat glands in the palms, “Boil a mixture of ‘kaalshum’ and water and apply it on your palms.” And everyone started wondering, “What the hell is ‘kaalshum’?” Then he says, “It’s the one which is present in chuna (lime).” So it was calcium. And he says we can use chalk powder as a source of calcium. Of course, I had no intentions of following his weird Calcium-therapy. Moreover, calcium carbonate isn’t actually harmless to human skin. But we had a weirdo in our class too – Madan. He decides to try it. And the result – he ends up with blisters on his hands. That taught us not to trust that guy.
But before any more such weird suggestions could come from his repertoire, it was time to bid adieu….
“Keyboard – Losing Steam After Kick-Off!!!”
Then we got news that keyboard classes are going on as well. And few of us decide to jump there – keyboard sounds a lot more “modern” than the primitive tabla!
So we go there – and it was a disaster to say the least. We had no idea of chords and bass and stuff. It was pretty humiliating actually when you are asked to play a tune and it goes awfully disastrously wrong. Then the teacher says he’s taking private classes as well. And for some reason, I decide to go (mind, that was a wrong decision, still repent it). So I go and learn a few things – I won’t say he was a bad teacher, but he wasn’t such a good one either. And I hardly went for two months when I entered class X – full time studies as they say – and I left the classes. So it was pretty much a waste – and I bought a casio on top of that (haven’t played it in ages). Maybe someday I’ll take it out of the trunk and strike a few chords…..
I’ve had time to re-start all these years, but I’ve never been able to generate enthusiasm for any of them. Starting everything and leaving it without learning it fully – that’s all I am about I guess. The Universal Novice!!!
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They say vengeance is in a snake’s blood, but does this theory extend to other poisonous creatures as well - scorpions for instance???
The Midnight Wanderer!!!
Well, there was a function in our house and I had to go pick up my relatives from the bus stop. So I was practically roaming around on my bike almost the whole time from 8 pm to midnight. It was during these journeys that I – or rather my cousin – found out this pretty strange phenomenon.
So there’s this house - right under the street lamp. So the area in front of it is always well-lit even during the night. It was here that we found a scorpion moving back and forth for about an hour continuously. Now scorpions are among those one can call nocturnal – they don’t usually move in enlightened places. Yet this scorpion kept moving right under the light, rather than in the shadows. Quite surprising right – and the two of us had pretty different hypotheses to put forward (though none of them have any scientific basis – might even be termed foolhardy)….
“It’s Guarding the House!!!”
This was what my cousin suggested – that the scorpion is acting guardian angel to the house. Quite expected from an optimistic person. But a watch-scorpion (guess that’s what you can call it – a man guarding a house is a watchman; a dog guarding a house is a guard dog)??? The idea doesn’t seem right even in my head – so how can it be really happening???
Though bizarre events aren’t really rare in this world, but I know that the dwellers don’t have any such “pet”. So this idea seemed pretty far-fetched. Then she asked me what I felt. And I have never believed that this world is full of goody-goody non-violent creatures. My usual responses to such situations – “An eye for an eye”….
“It Seeks Revenge!!!”
Well, this one had to be better than the last one. “Tit for tat” has been around for ages. So if someone does some harm to you, it’s not out of this world to retaliate. So maybe the scorpion wants to get back at someone for harming it and it’s awaiting the right opportunity!!! Vengeance can drive many mad to do crazy things…..
Right now, even this seems highly improbable to me – maybe the scorpion was just too foolish to do that!!!
It’s just another out-of-the-ordinary event. Maybe it would make a decent enough news report…..but who knows???
The Midnight Wanderer!!!
Well, there was a function in our house and I had to go pick up my relatives from the bus stop. So I was practically roaming around on my bike almost the whole time from 8 pm to midnight. It was during these journeys that I – or rather my cousin – found out this pretty strange phenomenon.
So there’s this house - right under the street lamp. So the area in front of it is always well-lit even during the night. It was here that we found a scorpion moving back and forth for about an hour continuously. Now scorpions are among those one can call nocturnal – they don’t usually move in enlightened places. Yet this scorpion kept moving right under the light, rather than in the shadows. Quite surprising right – and the two of us had pretty different hypotheses to put forward (though none of them have any scientific basis – might even be termed foolhardy)….
“It’s Guarding the House!!!”
This was what my cousin suggested – that the scorpion is acting guardian angel to the house. Quite expected from an optimistic person. But a watch-scorpion (guess that’s what you can call it – a man guarding a house is a watchman; a dog guarding a house is a guard dog)??? The idea doesn’t seem right even in my head – so how can it be really happening???
Though bizarre events aren’t really rare in this world, but I know that the dwellers don’t have any such “pet”. So this idea seemed pretty far-fetched. Then she asked me what I felt. And I have never believed that this world is full of goody-goody non-violent creatures. My usual responses to such situations – “An eye for an eye”….
“It Seeks Revenge!!!”
Well, this one had to be better than the last one. “Tit for tat” has been around for ages. So if someone does some harm to you, it’s not out of this world to retaliate. So maybe the scorpion wants to get back at someone for harming it and it’s awaiting the right opportunity!!! Vengeance can drive many mad to do crazy things…..
Right now, even this seems highly improbable to me – maybe the scorpion was just too foolish to do that!!!
It’s just another out-of-the-ordinary event. Maybe it would make a decent enough news report…..but who knows???
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I’ve studied over quite a few places – making new friends on the way. And I believe I’ve this knack of getting good Bengali friends everywhere…
And they do share quite a few similarities. All of them have been in the same league as me in academics, but always ended up getting a shade lower than me. All of them have handwritings, well better than the untidy scrawl prominent among the masses.
(I had to choose four and these four were the ones who came into my mind while writing this post. Others might forgive me if I forgot to mention them.)
KV 2(AF) Jodhpur – Shankhmoy!!!
He was my first Bengali friend – at least as far I remember. We were classmates only for a year – when we were in IV class. Then this father was transferred to Jamnagar, while I stayed there for another 3 years. So there we were, kids aged 8-9, playing pithoo, climbing trees and doing everything possible to exert our mightiness in the little world we knew. Well, even after he left we kept exchanging letters for a few months. But eventually even that link broke and we lost touch with each other for years. But last year, all thanks to orkut, we got in touch again (Hail internet!). Now he’s in Auckland and I, here. But I’m sure we will meet someday – for sure. Destiny didn’t bring us back in touch for nothing….
KV 1(AF) Bangalore – Mainak!!!
We joined the school in the same year – 2002, separated by a few months. And we rose in a jiffy to the top two academic positions in the class. He was perhaps the best rival I ever had. We were always at each other’s backs, trying to outwit the other. And most of the times, I pipped him with one or two marks. I still can’t forget the Green Olympiad 2004-05 when I got 73 and he, 72. And this kept continuing as long as we studied together, culminating in the board exams. Three long years – which I miss the most in my life!
Then he moved to Delhi and I stayed. But we never lost touch even once during this period. Now he’s in IITKgp and I’m in NITW – Choosing different ways to the top! But I believe I’ll meet him soon – within 3 weeks of this post unless I’m mistaken!
KV 1(AF) Bangalore – Shreyasi!!!
Actually, it was the three of us entering KV 1 in the same year – Shreyasi, Mainak and I. Shreyasi left right after VIII, and frankly speaking, I don’t remember ever talking to her in class. And I didn’t even remember who Shreyasi was when Mainak told me, “Shreyasi scrapped me” last year. My memory failed me I believe. But ever since, we’ve been in touch and I’ve had the good luck of meeting her a couple of times last year. We are two of a kind I believe – teasing, taunting. She’s always telling me,”Sudhar jao” and I always say,”What to do? Difficult to change now.” I can’t keep quoting every quote else it’ll take hours. So I’ll finish this one here. And I believe this is the second year of our friendship. Hope it keeps going!
NITW – Maji!!!
Arnab Maji, known as Maji coz there are just so many Arnab’s over there in NITW. So I never knew this guy in first year – guess I must’ve seen him a couple of times and that was it. I was in ‘A’ section while he was in ‘D’. But in second year, we became classmates as we entered the Dept. of Computer Science. And with both our names beginning with the letter ‘A’, we ended up in the same lab batch as well. So it all began – in the lab. And the bonds have just grown stronger as the year has passed. We’ve studied together, dined together and most importantly, played FIFA together (or rather, against each other!). So one year up, two more to go - looking forward to chit-chatting in next year’s lab!
I accept this post might be a little on the boring side, but I scribble whatever comes into my mind. And this too popped up – after all, it’s friends who make most of the memories!!!
And they do share quite a few similarities. All of them have been in the same league as me in academics, but always ended up getting a shade lower than me. All of them have handwritings, well better than the untidy scrawl prominent among the masses.
(I had to choose four and these four were the ones who came into my mind while writing this post. Others might forgive me if I forgot to mention them.)
KV 2(AF) Jodhpur – Shankhmoy!!!
He was my first Bengali friend – at least as far I remember. We were classmates only for a year – when we were in IV class. Then this father was transferred to Jamnagar, while I stayed there for another 3 years. So there we were, kids aged 8-9, playing pithoo, climbing trees and doing everything possible to exert our mightiness in the little world we knew. Well, even after he left we kept exchanging letters for a few months. But eventually even that link broke and we lost touch with each other for years. But last year, all thanks to orkut, we got in touch again (Hail internet!). Now he’s in Auckland and I, here. But I’m sure we will meet someday – for sure. Destiny didn’t bring us back in touch for nothing….
KV 1(AF) Bangalore – Mainak!!!
We joined the school in the same year – 2002, separated by a few months. And we rose in a jiffy to the top two academic positions in the class. He was perhaps the best rival I ever had. We were always at each other’s backs, trying to outwit the other. And most of the times, I pipped him with one or two marks. I still can’t forget the Green Olympiad 2004-05 when I got 73 and he, 72. And this kept continuing as long as we studied together, culminating in the board exams. Three long years – which I miss the most in my life!
Then he moved to Delhi and I stayed. But we never lost touch even once during this period. Now he’s in IITKgp and I’m in NITW – Choosing different ways to the top! But I believe I’ll meet him soon – within 3 weeks of this post unless I’m mistaken!
KV 1(AF) Bangalore – Shreyasi!!!
Actually, it was the three of us entering KV 1 in the same year – Shreyasi, Mainak and I. Shreyasi left right after VIII, and frankly speaking, I don’t remember ever talking to her in class. And I didn’t even remember who Shreyasi was when Mainak told me, “Shreyasi scrapped me” last year. My memory failed me I believe. But ever since, we’ve been in touch and I’ve had the good luck of meeting her a couple of times last year. We are two of a kind I believe – teasing, taunting. She’s always telling me,”Sudhar jao” and I always say,”What to do? Difficult to change now.” I can’t keep quoting every quote else it’ll take hours. So I’ll finish this one here. And I believe this is the second year of our friendship. Hope it keeps going!
NITW – Maji!!!
Arnab Maji, known as Maji coz there are just so many Arnab’s over there in NITW. So I never knew this guy in first year – guess I must’ve seen him a couple of times and that was it. I was in ‘A’ section while he was in ‘D’. But in second year, we became classmates as we entered the Dept. of Computer Science. And with both our names beginning with the letter ‘A’, we ended up in the same lab batch as well. So it all began – in the lab. And the bonds have just grown stronger as the year has passed. We’ve studied together, dined together and most importantly, played FIFA together (or rather, against each other!). So one year up, two more to go - looking forward to chit-chatting in next year’s lab!
I accept this post might be a little on the boring side, but I scribble whatever comes into my mind. And this too popped up – after all, it’s friends who make most of the memories!!!
