“Your hormones were just playing a prank on you!!!”
I kept telling myself for the next few days. Whenever I bumped into Kavitha my eyes suddenly got interested in the barren walls and mango trees usually in the exact opposite direction and my heart kept betraying me, working extra hard to pump every last drop of blood to my face. The “HULK” turned out to be in my own department and turned out to be more of a “HAGRID” in person. Just after the long nap we enjoyed on our first day during the speech, he sought me out in class and introduced himself,
“Hey man!! Am Gaurav Sharma, mere dosth mujae Gaurav bulathaen! Aur thum?”
And after the usual few minutes of embarrassing silence due to lack of topic we got on quite well. I took in his appearance clearly only then, he was much more gigantic when up close, about 6’2” tall and had a fair complexion. But he had a face of a boy, clean and smooth as the moon with no hint of manhood!! And soon we were to be found sharing the same bench. Though he was from Delhi he knew reasonable Tamil. It was because, I later came to know, he had done his schooling for the last few years in Chennai.
It wasn’t till a month later that Gaurav asked me to join his friends for lunch at the canteen. And the simple fact that I was to have lunch with the girl who had disturbed my hormonal balance so easily, made my insides squirm, as if I had gulped down a few snakes!! I toyed with the idea of denying the offer, but something within me made me never to utter a word against it.
As the clock clicked towards the twelfth hour I felt myself unusually nervous. I kept checking my watch every few minutes and Gaurav was cool sitting next to me smirking at my childish nervousness. When the clock struck twelve, as usual, we were treated to another quarter hour of the droning subject, our professor enjoying every groan and sigh from the students. And we made our way to the canteen fifteen minutes after the other department students had.
When we entered the canteen Gaurav excused himself to get his plate of north Indian dishes with the ghee rich parathas and tandoori chicken. Brought up amidst staunch Brahmins, and used to people who cringe their noses even at the mention of non- vegetarian foods, I have developed a natural aversion towards it. Though I secretly enjoy the smell of heavy spices and hot gravy that always accompanied these dishes! I went and punished myself with the dishes which were supposed to be called the vegetarian food with half baked potatoes and watery solution named rasam!
“ Hi! enna nyabagam irukka?! Hope you do remember?”
Kavitha’s jovial sarcastic voice startled me from behind. I dropped the cup of sambar I was collecting and cursing myself for letting me be startled that way, I turned around giving my radiant I-made-myself-embarrassed-yet-again smile, and gave a stupid repartee. Gosh! Why can’t I be cool around this girl I cursed myself yet again for the millionth time!! And we made our way to the table.
I saw Gaurav sitting there talking to a lean girl in rapid Hindi. They were talking seriously, munching on their chicken, and stopped suddenly as soon as they saw me and Kavitha walking towards them. They could go on talking for days with me sitting next to them and I still won’t get even an inkling of what they were talking, for my knowledge in Hindi was as bad as that of the English knowledge of our college professors!!
When I took my seat opposite to Gaurav and started on my lunch after a formal intro with the Hindi girl who was introduced as Aruna Jaitley (shortly Aruna). She had the figure of a girl who could make any guy’s head spin. I was astounded why she would choose engineering when she could have easily tried her hand at modeling!! She was tall, had an angular face with protruding cheekbones and dimples when she smiled, which was quite cute. I surprised myself by having an embarrassment free conversation by consciously keeping it away from the girl sitting next to me.
My god!! I thought, I am too old for this butterflies-in-stomach kind of crushes!!
After a few minutes I heard Aruna say,
“Are yar! I never thought I would meet a down to earth Brahmin other than Kavi!! You don’t mind sitting next to non-veg eaters huh?!?”
Being a bad receiver of compliments for as long as I can remember, never being able to decide on an apt reply for it, I just smiled away the compliment that I had received often. I actually am enjoying the smell I told within myself.
Everything was quite fine until I heard a voice behind me say in a perfect American accent
“Who s this crap in ma seat? Been replaced already huh?!?!”
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
MY FIRST STORY- CHAPTER 1
“Hey! Sanjay how are you man!?”
I turned instinctively, when I heard it, without realizing none of my friends have opted the same college as I did. And sure enough when I saw, I could see someone else had already responded to the call and the two guys walked away talking merrily. I wish I had at least one of my friends back from my school days. I wouldn’t mind even if it had been my arch rival!! It would have meant one less unfamiliar face.
Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Sanjay (and people call me so, no nicknames! Sorry! Though I always wished I had one!). I am the chosen one! For this god forsaken author has chosen me as the narrator! But for that you would rarely spare me a second glance. A typical Tamil guy, 5’11” tall, lean and dark (as are most of the Tamils!). I was just then entering the campus of my college, and it seemed I had reached the end of it! Well, there are hundreds of colleges in Chennai fitting this exact description so better not trouble your mind trying to place the college!!
I continued walking towards the auditorium repenting how I should have done better in my 12th board exams and escaped this excuse of a college. I reached the room which was supposed to be an auditorium, and sat in a corner as we were asked to. Slowly people started filing into the hall and as always, as the number of people increased the murmur slowly turned into fish market environment with loud welcomes and laughters. I was amazed how so many people were acquainted on the very first day of college!! I felt it would be ages before I made friends owing to my shyness factor!!
“Excuse me? Inga yaaravadhu vara porangala?” a voice asked from behind me shaking me from my thoughts. I turned, a beautiful girl with waist length black hair was standing waiting for my reply. She again asked me if anyone was to occupy the chair next to me. I stammered and gave a reply. I must have said no because she sat next to me.
“Hi am Kavitha, Computer Science department and you are?”
I heard myself answering from a long distance telling her that I was Sanjay from Mechanical department. She started talking away in rapid Tamil, but I was too enthralled in her beauty to notice what she was talking to me. She could have even called me a few bad names and I would still not have noticed!! I was gazing at how her hair was silkily flowing in the slight breeze, and her fair face and beautiful eyes giving expression to her every word.
“En friends ingadhan vareannu sonnanga …. But they haven’t come yet…”
I heard her continue. But my ears were busy enjoying old melodies!! She had an air of a very charming person and a friendly nature.I felt like I was the hero of a typical tamil movie meeting the love of my life for the first time ( how many times have I made fun of those silly movies before!!!). Suddenly from behind me I heard
“Hey! Kavi come over there. Everyone is waiting for you yar!”
I was jolted back to my senses when saw the speaker. What a sight!! He was no taller than me, may be a couple inches more but had the body of an average heavy weight!! Powerful biceps were showing out his tight shirt, fulfilling its owner’s wish. A few girls were already whispering behind their hands and giggling, undoubtedly talking about the new hunk of the college!! And Kavitha stood up and said
“Coming Gaurav”
and gave the usual formal goodbye with the ‘see you around’s and ‘take care’s etc and started walking away with the “hulk”, towards her friends leaving me in a trance!!
I turned instinctively, when I heard it, without realizing none of my friends have opted the same college as I did. And sure enough when I saw, I could see someone else had already responded to the call and the two guys walked away talking merrily. I wish I had at least one of my friends back from my school days. I wouldn’t mind even if it had been my arch rival!! It would have meant one less unfamiliar face.
Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Sanjay (and people call me so, no nicknames! Sorry! Though I always wished I had one!). I am the chosen one! For this god forsaken author has chosen me as the narrator! But for that you would rarely spare me a second glance. A typical Tamil guy, 5’11” tall, lean and dark (as are most of the Tamils!). I was just then entering the campus of my college, and it seemed I had reached the end of it! Well, there are hundreds of colleges in Chennai fitting this exact description so better not trouble your mind trying to place the college!!
I continued walking towards the auditorium repenting how I should have done better in my 12th board exams and escaped this excuse of a college. I reached the room which was supposed to be an auditorium, and sat in a corner as we were asked to. Slowly people started filing into the hall and as always, as the number of people increased the murmur slowly turned into fish market environment with loud welcomes and laughters. I was amazed how so many people were acquainted on the very first day of college!! I felt it would be ages before I made friends owing to my shyness factor!!
“Excuse me? Inga yaaravadhu vara porangala?” a voice asked from behind me shaking me from my thoughts. I turned, a beautiful girl with waist length black hair was standing waiting for my reply. She again asked me if anyone was to occupy the chair next to me. I stammered and gave a reply. I must have said no because she sat next to me.
“Hi am Kavitha, Computer Science department and you are?”
I heard myself answering from a long distance telling her that I was Sanjay from Mechanical department. She started talking away in rapid Tamil, but I was too enthralled in her beauty to notice what she was talking to me. She could have even called me a few bad names and I would still not have noticed!! I was gazing at how her hair was silkily flowing in the slight breeze, and her fair face and beautiful eyes giving expression to her every word.
“En friends ingadhan vareannu sonnanga …. But they haven’t come yet…”
I heard her continue. But my ears were busy enjoying old melodies!! She had an air of a very charming person and a friendly nature.I felt like I was the hero of a typical tamil movie meeting the love of my life for the first time ( how many times have I made fun of those silly movies before!!!). Suddenly from behind me I heard
“Hey! Kavi come over there. Everyone is waiting for you yar!”
I was jolted back to my senses when saw the speaker. What a sight!! He was no taller than me, may be a couple inches more but had the body of an average heavy weight!! Powerful biceps were showing out his tight shirt, fulfilling its owner’s wish. A few girls were already whispering behind their hands and giggling, undoubtedly talking about the new hunk of the college!! And Kavitha stood up and said
“Coming Gaurav”
and gave the usual formal goodbye with the ‘see you around’s and ‘take care’s etc and started walking away with the “hulk”, towards her friends leaving me in a trance!!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
MY FIRST STORY- THE INTRODUCTION!!
The crescent moon was intermittently shining high up in the sky and the owls were my only companions while I made my way through the dirt road that was almost non-existent under the pale moon light. The dead of the night had an eerie engulfing sensation all around me. I was in a state of reverie thinking about how I have landed here walking towards an unknown place, where my friends wait for me, hopefully.
I again tried to switch on my cell phone, but in vain. It died about an hour ago. Hoping that the place would be decent enough to have a few sockets, I remembered Josh’s words, “just a few kilometers away from the bustling road”. But in the middle of the night and in an unknown place, as everyone feels, I felt I had walked about ten miles or even more!! It was amazing to think I was just about a 100 km from my home town, Chennai. Musing over the thought how thindivanam had always been reasonably cheerful in day light I picked my way through the road with fields of paddy on my right and a small stream on my left, which fed the fields. It was then I realized that this place was neither here nor there for it was in the outskirts of thindivanam, a small village, I couldn’t even remember well and had to deal with the cranky conductor when I stammered on the name and gave some other. I felt beaten after the wearisome travel and the heavy baggage I was carrying. The board was much heavier than I had thought.
There at a distance I saw the lights from a bungalow, which didn’t fit the description I had in mind at all, but I knew it was the right one for I saw Josh and Aruna waving to me from the terrace. I continued walking towards it thinking about how it all started ….
I again tried to switch on my cell phone, but in vain. It died about an hour ago. Hoping that the place would be decent enough to have a few sockets, I remembered Josh’s words, “just a few kilometers away from the bustling road”. But in the middle of the night and in an unknown place, as everyone feels, I felt I had walked about ten miles or even more!! It was amazing to think I was just about a 100 km from my home town, Chennai. Musing over the thought how thindivanam had always been reasonably cheerful in day light I picked my way through the road with fields of paddy on my right and a small stream on my left, which fed the fields. It was then I realized that this place was neither here nor there for it was in the outskirts of thindivanam, a small village, I couldn’t even remember well and had to deal with the cranky conductor when I stammered on the name and gave some other. I felt beaten after the wearisome travel and the heavy baggage I was carrying. The board was much heavier than I had thought.
There at a distance I saw the lights from a bungalow, which didn’t fit the description I had in mind at all, but I knew it was the right one for I saw Josh and Aruna waving to me from the terrace. I continued walking towards it thinking about how it all started ….
Monday, July 5, 2010
get started
"what in the world am i doing?" we ask that to ourselves when we first try out something new... when you come to think of it the moment we are born each one of us start to try everything new.. new to breath outside our mom's womb... new to look at the world... everything from then on is new...
why.. even when we get something new for ourselves or our loved ones we are so excited... but why as time goes on we feel hesitant to try our hands at new things?!?! why?? its because we are afraid we may make a fool of ourselves.. but why this partiality about getting and doing new things... a company has to try new designs, a chef has to try new variations to dishes.... we enjoy when they serve us by trying new... so should we... isn't it??!
think!! how many passions each one of us have..?? and how many do we pursue??!! probably none!!
why deprive ourselves of the million opportunities that the world has in store for us for every second we live?!?! for every decision we make?!?!? give yourself a chance!!! give that innocent child who died within you long ago fearing the society!!! come out and feel the fresh air!!
think about it... well i thought about it and the result is this blog!! dunno if i ll strike gold with it... but ll keep trying...
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