21 – A Night Of Vivid Experiences

What is a birthday surprise supposed to be like? I know there are not many specific answers to this. Perhaps a surprise visit by some friends with a cake at 12 sharp or maybe a party organised at some uber place. But 2 freaks had something different in store for me. It all took form on the 22^nd of January, around 9 in the evening. I was having dinner when my mom got a call and she left the hall in a hush. Normally one would not do something like that unless there is something fishy. For a split second I reminisced the way my cousin had made a swift exit from the dining area of her house into a secluded place. Later I discovered it was her boyfriend who had called. I didn’t want to believe the same was the case with my mother for she has always been a loyal wife. Then it struck me that such irregular behaviour was perhaps a reflection of her planning a surprise for me. So I stopped eating, chased her to the other room but she disconnected the call. After a very heavy Pulav dinner, I decided to go for a walk with my ‘ancient’ pal Ankit. We strolled for more than an hour sharing our day’s experiences and about girls. My mom called, and summoned both of us home. We went and I found a big Rich Truffle lying on the table at 11:30. I didn’t want to think that was ‘the surprise’ she was planning for, cutting the cake half an hour earlier. So, I started looking around in the house for friends presuming they had come down. But there was no one around except for dad and bro. So I humbly cut the cake, they sung the birthday song and I thought that was it. But then, I got a call, from one freak, Vijal Patel. He had planned some game for me and it was to begin at that very instance. He instructed me about the game and I had to find a clue from my drawer and follow whatever was written in it. I didn’t understand what he was talking but just did what he asked to. All this came along with a strict set of instructions.

1. Neither to pick up any calls throughout the game nor to read any messages.

2. Not to take help of my brother and Ankit who were supposed to accompany me.

3. I had 5 lifelines to call Vijal and ask about the clue if I could not find or crack one, as each clue would lead to the next.

So the game had to begin. I removed the 1^st clue from the drawer as instructed, read it, touched my parents’ feet and changed my clothes to set out.

Clue 1: Go To The Place You Took Your 1^st Breath

I knew at once I had to go to the hospital. So I took my car keys and left with Ankit and my brother. Ankur hospital, the place where I was born, is just a couple of minutes’ drive from my place. So I went there. I searched and searched for the next clue but couldn’t find it. Then I decided to call up. The second freak picked up. Name, Sagar Shah. I asked him about the clue and just as he was about to utter I spotted a placard in a dark shadow of the hospital board.

Clue 2: You learnt A-Z, 1-100

I quickly got into the car and we drove off to my kindergarten, Dreamland School (which is now a bank). A placard was clearly visible on the entrance gate. I could envisage a smaller me running out of the school gate with a little water bottle. After all, this was the 1^st and the last institution where I stood 1^st , not only in my class but the whole school.

Clue 3: School Begins – History, Geography, Physics, and Math – Study Time

From Kandivali I rushed to Orlem, Malad to my school. This was the hardest place to find the clue. With the huge expanse of St. Anne’s High School, I didn’t know where to start searching for. I decided to go to the back gate. Checked all the trees, walls, the gate itself but couldn’t find the clue anywhere. Then covered the distance of 300 odd metres and went to the front gate. A huge dark ground with a massive church, and a scary cemetery. Where do I find the clue? With the kind of freaks who had staged the game I guessed the clue could even be buried inside a grave. Luckily the gate was open and we got in. I searched around looking in the bushes, on the church notice board and then near the cemetery entrance. Trust me; despite the kind of physical structure I possess, I couldn’t dare enter the cemetery at 12:27 in the night. Luckily I caught sight of the back of a notice board and found another placard.

Clue 4: Sweet 16 – T_A_U_ _O_ _ E _G_

I cracked it the moment I saw it, Thakur College, Kandivali (E). I didn’t want to leave school, my 10 years were right in front of my eyes, all the cries, laughs, exams, friends, playing cricket, seeing the ball in the cemetery in broad daylight and yet hoping someone else and not I will have to fetch it. Yet I had to leave for the present time. I reached college at 12:45 and got the clue rather easily from there. Best friend Afza came to mind, but had to leave again.

Clue 5: Lal Bharti – Fill Your Stomach Here (Translate in English)

So from Kandivali (E) I left for West, to my favourite food joint, Red Indian. I just wanted to grab some food but of course the hotel was shut. Ankit and bhai were also feeling hungry. Got the clue rather easily though.

Clue 6: Pumped Muscles With Bro For The 1^st Time

So, I had to go back to my area where I 1^st joined the gym with my cousin. Got the clue from there, easily again. A drunkard created some nonsense though. He abused me and asked me if I was Sonia Gandhi’s son to roam in the night, feeling important and looking for clues. I thought, ask the freaks, man.

Clue 7: Enjoy Watching Your Favourite Superstars Almost Every Week Here

So, from Malad (W) to Kandivali (E) to Kandivali (W) I had to now go to Malad Link Road. Phew. Movietime is where I watch most of the movies. It is the best and rather cheap. Some 8 huge dogs were sleeping around in the compound. We 3 had a tough time sneaking in. But I found the clue again, easily.

Clue 8: Cake Shop – E_E_N

Whoa, Malad se seedha Lokhandwala, at Eden’s cake shop. We got us a bottle of water, now assuming that the 2 freaks had planned a long night. Reached there at 1:23 a.m., but the shop was closed. I searched for the clue all around but to no avail. So, finally called up Vijal to use my 1^st lifeline. Actually, I was supposed to get the cake (paid for) from the shop along with the clue. But since I reached later than expected, Vijal told me about the next clue.

Clue 9: 23-01-09 You Saw A Millionaire

Last birthday, we had been to Fun Republic to watch Slumdog Millionaire, so I drove up. It was pitch dark and a few couples, holding hands, getting cozy, had just left from the late night show. The clue was stuck on a tree branch. I gathered it.

Clue 10: You Lost Matches Against 3 Top Class Gunners at Chandi Bitchy.

A few weeks back I had been to a beach with Vijal and his friends and his amazing London based cousin, Dupesh. We played football and my team lost. But terming himself as a ‘top class’ Gunner (Arsenal man), Vijal made me cackle. We drove upto Silver beach, Andheri. Now, having been there just once I did not remember the exact location, so struggled finding it, courtesy a few idiots who were as dumb as weasels, showed us the wrong ways. Finally I reached a beach of sorts at 1:45, only to discover it was not Silver beach. Two elderly men sitting in a rickshaw parked there got down and enquired us about the wandering. We assumed they were drunk and did not pay heed. To our horror they were policemen, dressed in civil clothing, tracking us all the way from the moment we entered the area. I told them about the incident with the drunkard and explained the game to them. They amiably helped us with the right way. Thanks to my cute brother, the policemen did not pester us. Felt safe and proud that they were doing their job so vigilantly. We reached the completely deserted and quiet Silver Beach only to discover that we had found the same lane right at the start but I was not certain.

Clue 11: Where You Walked The Ramp

We rushed to Bhaidas hall, Vile Parle, where I had walked the ramp in my 1^st year Bachelors with a few others, including Miss India 2009 Parvathy Omanakuttan (she was a final year student back then), for the SVKM festival, U-Wah. (Now come on don’t make me feel important!)I felt the heat, the flashlights, and the stage again, but had to get back to reality.

Clue 12: Where You Got Matured And Met The Best People – Hurray!

Well, if you are wondering which best people, I tell you, Vijal and Sagar were boasting about themselves, and a few other college mates. I reached my Management college (UPG, Parle), and at the gate I spent some time when all the memories of shooting the short film, fooling around with friends, preparing for presentations etc. flashed in front of my eyes at 400 frames/ second. Those were certainly the best days of my life.

Clue 13: You Got Fatter & Fatter Eating Mayonnaise Here

Well, that for a fact is true. The fast food available opposite Bhaidas is like a treat. I searched for the clue in complete darkness, could not find it for 15 minutes, called up Sagar to discover that it must have been ripped off by someone. So, I actually had not used up any hints by then. My bro, Ankit and I had a Mexican Roll from Ice n Rolls at 2:15. Gosh, they earn so much, work so much.

Clue 14: You Bought Your Playstation Discs From Here

Alfa was the place. Vijal and I frequently visited this place to check out the latest titles. I went there and found the placard.

Clue 15: Go To The Most Unique Bachcha’s House

Got it spot on the second I read it. I bet the UPG guys will also get it. It had to be Sagar, freak no.2. So, from Irla, I had to go to Andheri (E). I thought that would be the end of my long night. I reached bachcha’s place at almost 3. Before I could knock or ring the bell, the door flung open with a sleepy maid coming out to hand me another clue. That was some sight. I said sorry and left instantaneously.

Clue 16: Gunners House Welcomes You

That is supposed to be freak no.1’s house at Parle (E). I heaved a sigh of relief and nicely parked my car convinced enough that that was it. To my horror there was the watchman who handed me one more clue. Yes, another clue. It was 3:10 and I was clueless, puzzled about my final destination.

Clue 17: The Person From UPG Whom You Admire – Go To Her House For The Next Clue

UPG people know who she is, and yes she indeed is worth all the admiration, and even more. But this clue was a shocker, simply because 1, I did not know how I would show up at her house at 3:15 in the night, and 2, how she would react to it. By now you know what the freaks are capable of doing. I used my 1^st lifeline here since I was unaware about her building’s exact location. Vijal guided me as I drove and luckily they had hidden the clue at her building gate and not in her house.

Clue 18: Certified Best South Indian Food (R.K.)

I had a hunch before but now I was sure there had to be 21 clues. I reached Radha Krishnan at Parle (E) and grabbed the placard from opposite the restaurant.

Clue 19: The Station You Visited For 3 Years – Go And Pick Up Your Next Clue From Its Bridge

Now I had to go to the Parle station bridge. Imagine, 3:30 in the night, and I climbing bridges and searching for a stupid piece of paper. But I did so, rather anxiously.

Clue 20: You Saw Arsenal Vs Manchester United Here And Lost (Nasri It Was)

Okay, I support United. Unfortunately, that evening United lost to the Gunners, and Vijal and his London based cousins took the mickey out of me. This was U-Turn, a lounge of sorts at Khar, yes you read right, Khar(Station). From Parle (E) to Khar (W) station, well that was too much. 3:55 a.m., we reached U-turn. This was the place from where I got the final clue. The poor watchman was waiting for me all the while. He even forgot the name of the person to whom he was supposed to handover the placard. He remembered Rajesh, and I had to correct him. This placard was much bigger, a placard stuck on a huge black card paper. When I unfolded it, it read ….

Clue 21: Someone Is Waiting For You At Mannat

Yes, you guessed it right. King Khan, my lovely favourite Shah Rukh’s Mannat, the final destination. I cherished it when I read. But reaching the final destination was not easy. As they say, when you inch closer to your destination you face bigger tribulations. I don’t remember when and how in half sleep I drove to the Reclamation. Ankit and Nisarg were just laughing at me. We reached Bandstand at 4:45 where I saw a few uncles and aunties jogging around, in their tight track suits, all the flab bulging and bouncing. I parked my car outside Mannat, hoping to see the freaks but could not find them. I called up, Vijal spoke in a sleepy voice and in seconds he got his car there. Sagar and Vijal had gone off to sleep waiting for me to reach. They got down, wished me, hugged me and we chatted for almost 45 minutes. Although there was no cake to cut, we spent some excellent time. We left Bandstand at 5:30.

Wait, it is not over yet. You think it is so simple! Let me talk about the freaks. I called Vijal and Sagar freaks because they actually are, EMOTIONAL freaks, best freaks you can ever meet. They contacted my mom, (remember the hush?), took my brother around for assistance of places they were not familiar with, when I was out for the walk. Made placards and physically went to all the places that I was supposed to go to, made sure the placards were safe. Waited for me at Bandstand expecting I shall be there by 2. Poor guys spent some time at a hookah parlour which they had to leave at around 2:15 because it was closing. Their car tyre got punctured at 3, which they patched up. Were shooed away by the police patrolling Bandstand, waited sitting in the car for almost 2 long hours without having even a bit of food since 7 pm ( almost 10 hours if you’ve got calculation problems). They slept in the car awkwardly; all this for whom and what? To celebrate my birthday! Especially when freak 1 was in dreadful mood the whole day and freak 2 had to prepare and revise for his upcoming exams. Now don’t you think they’re really super duper freaks, lovely freaks, adorable freaks, freaks who plotted the game so meticulously that I could revisit the key points of my life and relive them, freaks who went to all extents and took great pains to bring in their mate’s birthday. I feel very proud when I say they’re my friends, special friends, my god sent pals and I’m lucky to have them around. They were wrong with clue no 12, they are not the best people, but they are outstandingly best, of paramount importance to me. They saw to it that the final destination was at Shah Rukh’s, whom I worship almost as God. Of course they made me feel important, even more than Mrs. Sonia Gandhi’s son (he’d be jealous of me, Rahul, if he reads this). Thus, I dedicate my 21^st to Sagar and Vijal. Love you freaks!!!!

Special thanks to my bro and Ankit, who did a great job of accompanying me throughout without a frown. Also, hearty thanks to Richa, Khyati and Bhagwat who made my birthday evening special with their presence. Pictures of the same can be viewed on my Facebook account. Would’ve lovedd to write about it too but as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

The Girl I Loved

It was the monsoon of 2003 and as it drizzled outside I made my way into a coaching classroom full of chattering students of the 10^th grade. There were several new faces and a few familiar ones as well. I found a place to sit near my school pal. The teacher made her way in and we settled down. She hurriedly started off with the roll call which was to be followed by an introduction of the student whose number was called out. It was nice to know about the unknown ones but some of them were actually a turn off. The teacher called out ‘23’; the door of the class flung open and a feminine voice spoke ‘Yes ma’am’.

It was a typical entry like that of an actress in a movie who is late for class. At first, I couldn’t see who she was from where I was seated but as she moved in she was entirely visible. The girl standing there was fidgeting with her crimson bag and was trying to get her long semi wet hair off her face. A little rain droplet was trickling down her forehead and reached her brows, which were twitched with nervousness. She had big black almond eyes and a perfectly shaped nose with a larger bulging tip. Her cheeks were as pink as that of a Russian new born, and as plumper. Her clean face had an unimaginable glow.

‘Your name?’ the teacher enquired.

‘Vidhi, ma’am.’ She grinned.

The trickling droplet had now rolled down to the right side of the upper lip and was resting there. She was allowed late in class as it was the first day. Vidhi was dressed in a scarlet half sleeved top and a red and black polka dotted skirt with frills. She searched for a place to settle down and I only wished that she would sit next to me. But she didn’t. Throughout the span of the lecture my eyes rolled from a string of hair falling on her forehead to the Priyanka Chopra like pouted lips of hers. There was something about her, something that I’d never felt like even after looking at the ultimate beauties. At the end of the lecture the teacher asked Vidhi to introduce herself and she did so with admirable elegance.

I spent the 1^st week of the class by just looking at her in admiration. She sent out positive vibes that were good enough to make a dead lily alive. I felt refreshed and relaxed in her presence just like one feels when there is a fresh supply of oxygen in a suffocating closed room. More than the beauty, her innocence and simplicity attracted me. I tried to make an effort to sit next to her but somehow never got lucky. Unluckily, both I and Vidhi were separated by the division of the class in 2 batches for English, Math and Science because of new admissions, and the class wasn’t big enough to accommodate too many students. However, on the other hand, I considered myself lucky because we both were in the same class for Social Sciences which happened once a week. Every week I’d try talking to her and one fine day things fell in place and we spoke. It was a nice little conversation and slowly we got familiar to each other.

‘You know I’m not good with girls, I come from an all boys’ convent’. I told her.

‘And I’m from an all girls’ convent’. She replied.

I’d laugh about this to myself as we both were so shy and everything remained all so formal between us. My feelings continued to get stronger for her and I always had a gleam of hope that someday we would really know each other well, and something would spark off between us.

On the 5^th of September that year, our professor played a few games with us on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, when no one wanted to study. There was a couples’ game where we boys and girls had to act as quickly as possible as instructed by our professor and the slowest couple would get eliminated. I didn’t want to volunteer to play the game, however, when I saw Vidhi getting out of her seat I jumped out of my own hoping that we’d be chosen as a couple for the game. But to my distaste the professor gave her to another guy and I got another friend. Ironically, we were the 2 couples to reach the finals and I won but I wanted to win the game with Vidhi. Winning didn’t feel good as Vidhi was disappointed and I really felt bad for her. Nonetheless, we bonded well after the game finished.

Just a week later, I fell off the 1^st floor and got my leg fractured, and had to spend 2 days in the I.C.U. and 52 days on the bed. During this entire phase I would sometimes forget about my pain and I’d find myself in the class sitting beside Vidhi, talking to her, in my dreams. Surprisingly my feelings strengthened for her despite being away from her and that was the period when I first felt that I’d fallen in love. I knew it couldn’t be true, I thought that at the age of 14 it might be infatuation or at least I had heard people saying that teenage love is not real. Whatever it was, it was untainted.

When I got back to normal it was Diwali time so there was no scope of meeting up with my friends, and even Vidhi. The Social Sciences portion was almost over by the time I started going to the tutorial again. This left me barely any chance to meet her.

In no time the board exams were near and I’d not met her even once since my fracture days. I lamented about the fact that we didn’t have surnames with the same initials, which would have put us in the same exam centre. The board exams got over and we chose our own paths and there was no way I could contact her since there was no Facebook or Orkut back then. I was too gutless to ask for her number directly or from friends.

2 years passed by and I was unaware about her, what she was doing and where she lived. It was painful as I couldn’t even see her once in that entire period; 2years = 730 days = 17,520 hours of excruciating pain. My feelings for her had reached the peak and I knew it was love surely as I never felt the same for other girls assuming that I was cheating on Vidhi.

On the 26^th of December, 2005, I was with my friends when I spotted a much more beautiful and matured Vidhi, with her family at a mall and I went on and spoke to her. Most of the baby fat had vanished but I could still see the same innocence on her face. I couldn’t talk much and felt shy to ask for her number in her family’s presence. My heart was beating a thousand times faster and I just couldn’t take my eyes off her. My friend Tanya had a tough time urging me to make a positive and an effective move as she knew about Vidhi but all that went in vain. We had to go since we had booked tickets for a movie in the same mall and so it was time out for me.

I could see her in the actress throughout the movie and felt helpless and stupid for not asking her number. When I went back home I couldn’t concentrate on anything but her. I decided to vent my feelings about her in a letter conveying how much I loved her. On January 3, 2006 I wrote a 9 page long letter and always kept the letter in my wallet expecting that I’d bump into her someday and get lucky.

I met her at a local stationery shop in February but she was with her mother so couldn’t give her the letter. Then, 5 months later, I met her at a college where we both were filling up forms for our B.M.S. admissions. She was with a common friend Raj, and I had the letter with me, but I don’t know why I couldn’t pluck up the courage to just give away the letter. We spoke for nearly 10 minutes but I couldn’t just do it, chiefly in the presence of the friend. Vidhi couldn’t get into that college as she felt short of a few marks. This took away whatever hope was left.

3 months later we met incidentally at a restaurant. This time we both were with our own set of friends and I decided to hand over the letter come what may. I waved and approached her and as I went on to remove my wallet I reminisced that the letter got drenched in the bloody untimely rains 2 days back and was tattered. I cursed myself and felt like tearing my hair off and jumping off a cliff.

April 2008, I met Raj, we had a long chat about old times and I told him about Vidhi. He was shocked to hear that and told me that Vidhi had got into a relationship just a month back. It felt like a fully grown elephant had fallen on me from the sky or a million bullets shot from point blank range pierced my heart at once. I was totally devastated and felt alike my shredded letter.

I would consider myself a fool to blame Vidhi for whatever happened then and the things I went through, for she never knew about my feelings. I have only myself to blame, and probably the unfortunate events of my life. The story might have been different had I handed over the letter. But the fact that I could never give it to her will always haunt me. I will always regret the fact that I could not know her as much as I wished to. I hope she has a great life and enjoys every bit of it with lots of love to savour, and yes, she will for eternity be ‘The Girl I Loved’!!!!

P.S. : Forgive my mawkishness people, this is close to my heart.

An Unlikely Source

It’s been exactly 6 months since my last post. I thought I didn’t write good enough to engage people, and also never found time. But, due to some overwhelming responses that I got of late from some of the unlikeliest sources, I got heavily inspired and encouraged to revive the process of writing. Since this process began from unlikely sources I thought of sharing something that truly relates to an unlikely source.

I had just finished watching Sherlock Holmes, and was looking for a rickshaw to get back home from the highway. A rickshaw stopped by and I got in. Just within half a kilometre’s distance from the cinema hall, an RTO officer fined a bus driver for his disorderliness. That is when my rickshaw man spoke up, about the sincerity of the officer, and the foolishness of the bus driver. Although not a novelty, I got a little surprised though when I heard words like ‘RTO guy’, ‘mistake,’ ‘discipline’ and ‘care’ from him. Well then I thought he hails from a metropolitan where every other being is exposed to an overdose of English all around. So the excitement fizzled. But this guy had something in store for me. He started talking about the system and corruption, and the kind of drastic changes the common man needs to bring within, and what consequences that would have on the society. I was impressed. So, I went on. He asked my occupation and I told him about filmmaking. He enquired about my ‘Academy’ and I told him. He asked me why I did not do an MBA, and I told him. He asked me if I knew about ikfaye. And I was like ‘what?’ He repeated, ‘ICFAI’. And now I was awfully shocked.

A man riding a rickshaw knowing things from diverse quarters and having such a thoughtful mind, was far from what I expected. When I travel by an autorickshaw, I usually look outside, think highly of the nature and things around, observe people and developments, think and reflect on my stories, and yeah also admire beautiful girls either walking or travelling. But surprisingly, today I was barely interested in doing all that. Today, I wanted to talk to the man. When I asked him his name he proudly uttered, ‘Umakant Mishra, writer aur lyricist’. I thought he was just going overboard by the kind of pleasant response I was offering. He recited me something, and considered I would understand it better being a film student. Despite it being in Bihari, and the constant disturbances created by the traffic, I wanted to listen to him just because of his sheer devotion. He hummed and rode. I was totally in awe of him. When I suggested him to make an effort to work more on all that, he said he had already got himself registered with the Writers’ Association in Andheri. I was dumbstruck. I asked him how he managed to do both, and he said he rides from 5 pm to 7 in the morning and the rest of the day writes and recites. I really wanted to hug him for being so dedicated. We exchanged numbers when we reached the destination.

The 35 year old made me feel disgusted about myself in some way. I thought, here is a man, struggling with his life, making a small fortune riding his rickshaw, raising 4 school going children, trying to fight the system and rise out of it and despite doing all this, finding himself time to pen down something each day. And I, on the other hand, go to a film school, get most luxuries one could and still crib about ‘Not Finding Time To Write’. And now you know why I wrote again, got a dose of reality from an Unlikely Source.

P.S.: Pardon me people if my writing isn't upto the mark. It's been a while you see. Haha. Would love to get your honest and straight forward comments. Cheers!