Happy Tree

I love the typical homely smell that welcomes me when I come home after a stay out of town. I love using my old mint facewash that leaves a cool sensation on my face after I use it. I love it when mom lays out clothes on my bed and they smell of fresh fragranced detergent. I love to see the potted plants happy and green blossoming with pink and purple flowers in my verandah upstairs. I love giving warm cuddly hugs to mom and dad. I love to see my grandparents smiling and firing a thousand questions at me (at the same time). I love how huge my PC screen looks suddenly. I love my Activa, which I can use whenever I want to and ride it wherever I want to. I even love that ridiculous ‘hip hop’ poster in my bro’s room. I love that one, pestering, relentless mouse that seems to have a strange relationship with my house and has vowed to keep returning again and again no matter how many times he’s thrown out. I love the smell of soft, homemade rotis, inflated, and right off the pan. I love being jumped on and licked endlessly by Shirley (and also, almost getting my saliva-laden clothes torn off and arms scratched and bruised in the process)

I love my room, my terrace, my colony, the gulmohar trees and even the after-rain-broken-at-places-roads. I’m happy. Even though it’s painful to think of the coming few months. College. Assignments. Tests. Exams. THIRD year of Graduation. It wasn’t easy to bid goodbye to Baroda. That place has been so wonderful to me. I think it will continue to be one of my most favourite places for a long, long time. No, scratch that. It will be one of my most favourite places forever. Such fun, such freedom, such amazing moments, such pure, unadulterated, sheer joy bubbling and bursting at the seams. I want to capture them all, freeze them in time, and replay them over and over and over again. I still can’t stop recollecting all those crazy wonderful things I did there. I call it climbing my happy tree!

Life has held my hand in the most tender way possible, and its leading me on. And I’m too glad to follow. I know I’m back home and I won’t be allowed to do whatever I want to do, but I’m happy. I’m back to the place where the electricity will keep spacing in and out, but I’m happy. I know the dreamy, amazing fairytale phase is over, and I’m back to my hot, dusty, little town; but sitting here with Shirley’s warm fur resting on my knees, looking at the light drizzle outside and feeling the familiar white cold floor below me, I truly am, in just one simple, plain, but tremendously significant word: Happy! :D

P.S. On a completely different note, do you like anime? I think it's beautiful! :)

The little things

It’s about cherishing the little things in life. It’s about early mornings. It’s about having a meaningful, heart to heart conversation with a friend and witnessing the silent night break into a glorious day. Have you witnessed the early mornings? Of course you have, but have you really soaked it in? Like, felt it? Realized how gorgeous it really is? Experiencing early mornings are a rare phenomenon for night people like me, but sometimes when I stay awake at night, I deliberately wait for the morning. It’s 6 AM and I didn’t sleep at all. I stayed awake and talked all night to a friend sitting on the terrace. And thank god for that, I’m experiencing this heavenly morning.

I just love how just before the first rays touch the tallest building, the birds begin to chirp. And how the breeze is chilly and how the temperature is just perfect. And how the morning air contains the clean, pure morning-y smell. And how you can see the moon in the sky even though it’s turning bright. Look over your railing. No noise, no human figures, no commotion, no sound of the vehicles or the traffic, or the TV playing or machines in motion. Everything is so peaceful and calm and content.

Going for a cup of tea with my friend on the scooty made me realize how beautiful the roads look. Bereft of all the traffic and the people and the sun and heat and dust, they just look alive. It’s funny how when everybody is sleeping, the world seems to come to life. You notice things that you don’t notice in the daytime. You notice the trees, the sky, and the roads. You enjoy the cool breeze blowing your hair into the wind. You can spread your arms and grin looking up at the sky because there is no one looking at you. You can thank life for giving you that moment. You can feel fortunate to be alive.

It’s quite bright now, and I can hear peacocks squawking in the distance. It feels like the world had slept over its problems and now it’s awakening with new hope. At moments like these, I feel I can deal with the problems in my life. Like the world is too beautiful to fret over them. Like you’re happy you are where you are and what you are.

Sigh, it’s one of the most beautiful moments of my life  :’)

Handmade Hope: A Waking Dream

How many times have you seen kids at traffic signals wiping your windshields, at railway stations selling insignificant things, at little chai shops wiping the tables, outside restaurants and shops looking beyond those glass doors with a lustful yet hopeless expression in their eyes? How many times have you wished you didn’t have to witness that? That even they had the means to earn and have lives worth living? And how many times have we actually taken time off our busy lives and made any effort whatsoever to help them?

Exactly. That is why, when you come across a bunch of people who actually, selflessly, continually work for the upliftment of the economically underprivileged by employment generation, you cannot help but get awed and inspired. Handmade Hope is a platform provided to destitute children, youth, women from slums and HIV positives, who create self-initiated products and sell them to the public in order to earn themselves a respectable living. How this works is very simple: an artist creates a product; trains the others and teaches them how to make it. The others all work together as a team in order to make more of the products and thus, “every artisan associated with the product puts in a part of himself in creating it.” The volunteers think of designs and ideas and they are brought to life and form with the efforts of the people working on them.

(Handmade Hope products)

When I visited Handmade Hope, Vadodara, I was greeted with a warm smile and twinkling eyes by Mukesh, a twenty year old chap who earns his living by making products and selling them. He is the sole income generator and supports a family of six. He displayed all his products in front of me eagerly with the dimpled smile intact on his face. This whole idea was conceived in the mind of an enthusiastic, warm, zealous individual who also happens to be the Vice President of an NGO called YUVA Unstoppable: Rushabh Gandhi. He supplies all the raw materials to Mukesh, who in turn converts them into amazing, artistic products. They make all sorts of things including paper bags, notebooks, wall frames, bookmarks, greeting cards, envelopes, cloth bags and more. Not only are they unique and attractive, but they are made of recycled or waste material. You can read the story of how it all started here. Rushabh does not only manage Handmade Hope in Vadodara, but also plays a pivotal role in handling the YUVA operations.

(Mukesh)

YUVA is run by 60,000 young people over thirty cities in India. They are against child labour and environmental pollution. Their motto is “Young people are not useless, but used less.”  What a great way to provide opportunities to children so that they can use their talents in doing things worth doing. What a great way to foster a spirit of unity, kindness and compassion in the hearts and minds of the youth of our country. It seriously makes you stop in your hectic lifestyles and think. What are you doing for your country, or your city, or your society? But what is more important is not what you’re doing, but what you can do for them. Gives us all something to think about, doesn’t it?  It’s time to rekindle the flame of hope in the lives of the ones who are less fortunate than us. It’s time to make a wish, take a chance and make a change. It’s time to reach out. It’s time. 

Dissolution of the last link

And I sit back in silence, as the last thread breaks.

The world that was once my own, I no longer exist in it.

Teleported onto another planet, the memoirs will never cease to leave me.

A gaping hole in my chest, waiting in desperation to heal itself,

I have lost a part of me, once and forever.

And yet I smile because I know it’s finally, finally over.

Hush, it's okay now.

Drifting

That's right, laugh it over,

I sit here, and you’re miles away.

And I’m drifting.

Drifting away to a world unseen,

A place meant only for me.

A place unborn, a place untouched, even by me.

That’s right, talk it over,

You might wanna know, you might wanna see.

You’re right here talking to me,

And I’m drifting.

Drifting to a place that lies,

Beyond what you can ever reach.

A place that can only be felt, by me.

The Voyage

The sailor stood on the deck, frowning; looking over the sea,

He had faced quite a few storms; yet further more he wanted to see.

The air had begun to feel different; the water darker than before,

The wind in his hair, deep in thought; wondering when he’d reach the shore.



He wanted to stop and rest awhile; the motion made him sick,

But all he saw was dark blue water; and his clock maintained its tick.

He looked through his binoculars, thirsting for some land,

It'd been eons since he saw the earth; the roads or the sand.



At last he finally saw an island, flecked in the middle of the sea,

Small and quaint it somewhat seemed; yet it filled his heart with glee.

Surprised and glad he approached the shore; curious to know what lay ahead,

Reluctant at first, then nervous but excited; then all his fears he shed.



He laid his first step on the land; and felt the firm ground below,

Smiling he looked all around, the panorama was pleasant and mellow.

The trees swayed and the birds sang; and the air was fresh and pure,

His heart swelled up with joy as he saw beautiful flowers galore.



He thought of returning, but he did not have the heart,

He already had a bond with the island; he did not wish to go apart.

Further ahead he moved, and he saw angels moving about,

Rubbing his eyes; stupefied and awed, his mind filled with doubt.



The rainbows were shimmering, stars dotted the sky,

The water was sparkling, the moon bigger than ever up high.

He lay on the glittering sand, soaking up the beauty around.

He was amazed at the magic; he couldn’t make a sound.



The island seemed his own; it welcomed him with open arms,

He felt at home and at ease; he had fallen for its charms.

He felt so blissful; he thought he would weep,

And the angels surrounded him and lulled him to sleep.



The morning was fresh and calm; and he knew it deep inside,

It might have been destiny or sheer luck but no more could he hide.

He did not pay heed to his fears or qualms; he knew what he had to do,

“This is where I’m meant to be”, he spoke his heart out true.



Forever is a long time, but to him it seemed too short,

His journey wasn’t over, but he had no plans of reaching the port.

Strong and determined, the sailor faced the island, smiling; full of joy.

Then he breathed in deeply; looked up, lifted his arms and began to fly.

High on life!

(And the sultry day transformed into a beautiful, breezy one. Ahh, Paradise!)

Today is a good, good day. I’m perched on a couch in my sister’s flat in Baroda, which is my current abode for the whole month of June. Why? I came here for my Summer Internship; reached on the 22^nd of May and I’m here till the 30^th of June. The time spent here so far has been better than what I could have imagined. I get to stay comfortably, eat enviable stuff everyday and spend time with my MOST favourite people in the entire world! I have been up to such madness that I just don’t know where to start from! Some bizarre activities include:

1. Running around and dancing like a demented baboon on the terrace in the rain

2. Singing old, prehistoric hindi songs (including “saat samundar paar” and “jaati hoon main”) with my sis on top of our lungs

3. Making whacky, idiotic faces at public places and clicking pictures

4. Screaming “Penis!” in the middle of a busy road (Seen ‘500 Days of Summer’?)

5. Going for scooty rides at 1 AM at night at an insane speed and screaming at a guy wearing a gaudy shiny shirt “bhaiya, shirt toh badi achchi hai!”

6. Lying around like a wounded seal all day hogging on cheesy pizzas and juice

7. Having Bavarian chocolate ice cream in malls and making orgasmic faces and sounds

8. Travelling in a train, ticketless (while being kind of hung over)

9. Gracefully (or so I thought) dancing in front of the Palace of King Sayaji Rao

10. Cracking 'that's-what-she-said's at the oddest of situations

11. Sitting on the Columbus and feeling our tooshies go up in the air and screaming our throats sore

And trust me; these are just some of the things I’ve mentioned, from the top of my head. Some things, nay, MOST of the things I can’t even mention here! :P The people I’m hanging around with; it’s just impossible to be normal with them all the time.

Okay, on the serious side of life, I’m training under a delightfully enthusiastic, fun-loving and an intelligent female, Sowmya. She and her friends started up their own business here. It’s called Discount District. Personally, I feel it’s a brilliant idea and hats off at their efforts and achievements so far! I've started working and I love it! I really hope I’m able to give my best contribution and live up to her expectations. I will elaborate on this later.

Also, I’ve decided on another thing, I will blog not when I have a 'topic' in my mind, or when I think it’s an appropriate time. I will blog when I feel like writing. I will simply start writing, just like that. I will not abstain myself from writing something I really want to write about, just because I feel my post wouldn't be entertaining enough. It can be filled with my gibberish, my nonsense and my inane thoughts. Because it's MY blog. Which is exactly what I did for this post =) I did not think about what I’ll write, I just started tap-tapping on my beloved little netbook which I oh-so-totally adore!

And know what, I’m feeling gooooood! A contributing factor could be that I’m listening to The Beatles. And you know how different types of music have different moods?

“Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play,

 Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day.

 The sun is up, the sky is blue, it’s beautiful and so are you,

 Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?
 Dear Prudence open up your eyes
 Dear Prudence see the sunny skies
 The wind is low the birds will sing
 That you are part of everything
 Dear Prudence won't you open up your eyes?”

Beautiful song!

But no, music is not the sole reason; I'm in love. Not just knee-deep in it, but completely immersed, like from head to toe. *Blush* This month is going to be legendary, especially the last weekend! ;) I’m feeling very optimistic and positive about life. There is a cool breeze blowing in through the window and I can feel that even nature agrees with me. I'm smiling for no particular reason; life is back on track and everything is just falling in place. Touchwood! These are some of the best days of my life and I’m going to make the most of them.
 Life, bring it on!! :D

P.S. I love my sister.

One happy revolution it's been :)

It was extremely hot today and I was trying to pack my bags (I’m leaving town for a month in a couple of days). The doorbell rang, and my brother yelled and asked me to come out. I was already hot and bothered and I felt even more irritated when he asked me to come all the way out. “What?!” I asked him (with the most annoyed expression on my face) as I came out and he gestured towards the door. A man stood with a package wrapped in bright red paper. He smiled as he himself started to unwrap it. I just stood in shell shocked surprise as I saw what it was. Ten gleaming, fresh, beautiful pink and red gerberas in a round glass vase. “Wow” was my first reaction. I was grinning like an imbecile. “OH my God, WOW!” was my second. I took them from him and held them close to me. “OH MY GOD. Shit, this is so awesome!” was my third reaction. My hands were shaking as I signed on the man’s paper.

After he was gone, I went crazy ballistic! I started jumping holding it in my hands, squealing “ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!” while my brother stared at me with the expression which says “ugh, just WHY are girls like that?” I was afraid I might just drop the vase and it might break, so I placed it carefully on the table and admired the flowers from every angle for a long time. Ahh, they were SO beautiful. And SO pretty. They beamed at me, in the bright yellow sunlight. I am somehow not a big fan of roses, especially red ones. I mean, of course they are pretty, but they seem to be a bit arrogant. Ever notice how they’re all closed up? Like how some very good looking people look through half-closed eyes? Anyway, I absolutely ADORE gerberas! They’re the happiest-looking flowers I’ve ever seen! So open, so big, with their petals all open and bright and fresh! They seemed to be smiling at me. I couldn’t help jumping some more.

It was more than just a surprise. It was MUCH more than that. It’s amazing how one simple act can transform your mood and transform you. It’s not every day that you feel what I felt today. It’s not every day that your heart swells up and you feel like you will explode because you can’t take that much of happiness altogether. I haven’t been able to stop myself from smiling. I am gone, I am so gone. I’ve been off my rocker all day and I’ve to study for an exam. Sigh, I don’t care about anything anymore. I've been hugging the flowers, kissing them, and touching the petals. I’ve gone bonkers!

Thank you ever so much. My heart wants to come out of its rib cage and sing a song for you. Karaoke. You’re amazing and a half plus one! A million colon-phies! “Love you like a monkey on fire”!

P.S. Every second spent with you has been amazing. And I want the next 31,556,926 seconds of our lives to be THIS awesome as well! :D

A place I called home

Lately I’ve been having long, intricate, adventurous dreams every single night. The ones that make you feel like you haven’t really slept properly because your mind hasn’t exactly been to rest. I don’t mind dreaming, (in fact, I love it); what I do mind is when the dream vanishes as soon as I wake up. By vanishes I mean, that when I open my eyes, it just slips out of my hand. Poof! Even if I squeeze my eyes shut and try to recall it, it just won’t come back to me. And that REALLY bugs me. It’s like I’ve just seen an entire two hour movie and I’ve forgotten as soon as it finished. And sometimes I just know that the dream was good.

The same thing happened with me today and I just sat and hmpfed. I got up lazily, stretched and yawned. It came back to me when I was brushing my teeth. It just swooshed right back at me! I remembered my dream after all! I stood still for a moment as I remembered how beautiful it had been!

I was back in school again. I was there with my college friends, but the funny thing was: I was a kid. I couldn’t see myself, but because it was my dream, I knew it. It was the same field again, the same premises, the same old swings; the merry-go-round. How many times had I dared to swing myself upside-down on that monkey ladder, just to prove how brave I was to my friends even though I personally used to hate doing that? The grand old swing which we used to call ‘phisal-patti’ as toddlers. How many times had I been pushed down it by that big bully back in LKG? The church, the beautiful buildings, the Claudine Block, the gorgeous statues of Jesus and Mary and the lush green trees all around. My school it was. My second home for fourteen long years. I hated it, I loved it. I dreaded it, I was eager to go to it.

Everyday was a new adventure. My class was the perfect smorgasbord of kids who were lovable, naughty, absurd, irritating and plain crazy. My school made me what I am today. The small problems I faced there, taught me how to deal with the bigger issues in life. The little lessons learnt in those Value Education classes, did prove to add to my character. The amazing English teachers that I had are the ones who inspired me to write in the first place.

(The garden in front of the Claudine Block)

(The old building and the old Basketball court)

“Wow, our school looks so beautiful and peaceful in the evening right? Without all the hustle bustle and the noise?” I said to my friends sitting with me in the dream, who did not respond. I smiled as I lay there on the ground. Right under the neem tree where we used to sit together when we’d get tired of playing ‘Red Letter A’ and ‘Crocodile Crocodile’. There was a cool breeze blowing, and the sky was orange and purple and cloudy. There were birds flying over the graveyard. It was all so fresh and so clear.


I thought of the teachers, singing Christmas carols in the warm winter sun, sprawled across on the corridors against each other during free classes, the free spirited, sweet innocent two-ponied girls trotting about and later, the surging adolescent female hormones and the cat fights, free ice cream and secret santa, the feast of Dina Belanger and St. Claudine Thevenet. It was a completely different world altogether. So distant from what it is now. Nostalgia shrouded me like never before. I closed my eyes and sighed.

I feel like I haven’t valued my school as much as I should have. I need to visit my school again. I need to see our names within little hearts, engraved behind the field, on the wall of an old water tank. And I need to meet those four stupid friends of mine, whom I haven’t met properly in ages. They’d know I’m talking about them if they’re reading this.

I know I should have said this earlier but, Arrivederci St. Patrick’s Junior College. I miss you. 

(Last day of school)

Joypur Ahoy!

(Our team at the first Local Committee Meeting)

If I leave out the episodes that took place right before I left for my Jaipur trip, and the episodes that soon followed it, I would like to say that it was one of my craziest and most entertaining trips so far! Things became a little interesting since I joined AIESEC—the world’s largest global youth organization. It is already running in 22 cities all over India (and in 110 countries worldwide) and I was more than glad it came to Agra as well. One of the good things about AIESEC turned out to be the excitable, energetic people I met from all over my own city who I had no idea about. During our first training session, when I first interacted with everybody, I realized that I had underestimated the people in my town. All of them were bright, friendly, enthusiastic young people and it was a pleasure meeting them all. But more on this later; this post is about the trip.

Last month, the AIESEC Jaipur team conducted their Annual social event ‘Utsav’ on the 30^th of April and they invited all of us as well. It’s an event where around hundreds of underprivileged children get to showcase their abilities through cultural performances and they get to spend an entire activities-enriched, fun-filled day.  After a LOT of mind-numbing ‘will-you-go?’ and ‘should-I-go?’ sessions, finally it was decided that I was going. It turned out that I was the only girl amongst a bunch of guys who agreed to go. It did seem odd, trust me, when I woke up in the morning and thought to myself “Okay, so I’m going with four other guys in a taxi and I don’t even know them properly.” But then I told myself, “Look, it sounds bizarre, but it also sounds fun. You wanted to be impulsive and crazy, here is your chance. Just go for it!” And I did.

It wasn’t like they were complete strangers anyway. The car ride turned out to be amazing. The road was ever so smooth and the scenery was so picturesque, specked with the Aravalli hills. I sat in the front while these four bubbly, boisterous boys sat behind me; ever babbling, ever bickering.  There was Sid Singh, aka Dexter- a dreamy, lazy, slow guy; but also, extremely interesting and has good taste in movies and books (oh, and he has a blog as well!) Tariq Khan, this guy is funny, quirky and speaks really fast (and a good singer) and passes the funniest of random statements that make me laugh till tears spill out of my eyes. Aman ‘Cut-y’all’, a dimpled, sweet guy who is like so totally sincere about his studies! :P He is awfully teasable and the only non-kid-guy in our group, I felt.  Finally, there was Udit Jain. Cute, funny and very gullible. Oh, and very helpful. From the word ‘Go’ we were chattering away like monkeys who were suddenly given the freedom to speak after weeks of being voiceless. What I really felt good about was the fact that all these people had very good taste in art. We had a blast talking about movies, and music and singing along listening to Coldplay and the likes. We were talking nonstop from the start to the end until the driver had to yell at us to keep it down! On the way, we stopped at a dhaba where Udit and Tariq ran into naked ladies having a bath! Crazy!

We entered Jaipur and were greeted by its perfect blend of monuments and malls. That is what I like about it. It’s historical and modern at the same time. After meeting the rest of our members (Suyash, Rakshit, Amar, Uday, Navdeep, Apurv) at our Committee Coordinator Mansweeny's place, we were off to the venue. For the record, Suyash is one of best people to have been recruited for AIESEC. His energy, fervour is just amazing. Uday and Rakshit are these fun-loving, ‘don’t-give-a-damn’ type of people; while Navdeep and Amar are a little mellow, but always ready for anything. I was blown over when I saw the scene. Hundreds of little kids were swarming all over the place! They were running, squealing, laughing, chattering and some of them dancing exuberantly on the stage while the volunteers were interacting with them, serving food to them and had become little kids themselves. There were about a thousand kids, who came from schools and some NGOs. The venue seemed perfect, there was a stage, a lot of big steps which provided a huge space for the kids to sit and play around and there was a big field as well. We just stood around jobless for a while and met some of the Jaipur AIESEC people we knew and then we were ushered to do some volunteer work. We made the kids stand in two lines while they went and got the food served to them on plates. But the whole line-making scene got a little messy, so we took the plates and served it to them where they were sitting. It felt good, when they smiled in the cutest way ever and received the food.

(Left to right: Amar, Suyash, Tariq, Navdeep, Sid, Mansweeny, Uday, Moi, Udit, Aman, Rakshit)

(Forming lines)

(They'd got the moves)

(Serving food)

There was a drawing competition for the kids. They were provided with sheets, pencils, colours and were asked to draw absolutely anything. They were happy, eager little kids and they all chose a spot where they sat down comfortably; wore their thinking caps and began to draw. I was seriously amazed at AIESEC Jaipiur members’ spirit. Even though it was a scorching hot day, they were full of enthusiasm; they were talking to the kids, motivating them and just having fun. Suddenly I was perked up as well. I went around and saw the drawings the kids were making, talked to them, asked them their names and about their school and their lives and complimented their drawings. Some of the kids actually used their imagination and drew beautifully. My favourite ‘draw anything’ drawing used to be angular mountains at the top, the sun peeping out smiling, a house with chimney and smoke, a river with ducks swimming in it, a tree with mangoes falling off it, and a few V-shaped birds in the sky. Very original, right?

The kids were just adorable, they flashed their teeth as I walked around, showing off their drawings proudly. This one kid in particular I simply loved. His name was Deepak and he made a lot of colourful circles on the paper. I sat down beside him and asked him “ye aapne kya banaya hai?” Pat came his reply, “rang birangey laddoo ki barsaat” and just smiled in the silliest way possible. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing and hugging him. After every ten minutes he would come running up to me and give me updates “didi mere dost ne meri drawing ki cheating ki, par prize to mujhe hi milna chahiye!” He was just so cute and energetic, his eyes were big and bright and full of life.

(Tariq \m/)

(The face of innocence)

(Apurv with the kids)

(Sid's super'vision')

(Tee hee!)

There were sprinklers on the field and the kids were playing around them, getting wet, laughing and dancing. I just looked at them. They were just so cheerful. So innocent. So blissful. There were some deaf and dumb kids who gave a dance performance. It was absolutely brilliant. The little kids were reciting poems on the mic. They were the cutest, most delightful things I’ve ever heard. I was amazed at the energy reverberating throughout. The kids with the best drawings were given prizes. Before we left, Deepak came running to me and yelled a jolly, high-pitched “BYE” and ran off. The whole thing was nothing like I’ve ever experienced. The idea was to give those kids a day where they can have fun, be free, and show their abilities.

On our way back, we stopped at a lounge called Orca where I tried kiwi-flavoured Hookah for the first time! I didn’t get how to do it at first, but later I could make them, big smokey puffs =) We all sat, talked about the day and had a good time. We went home and in the evening we went to have dinner and we went bowling. We were invited to this terrace party and the set up was beautiful. Cozy, illuminated, amazing; and can you believe they were playing Radiohead? ‘High and dry’. I was in love with the place. We just leaned over the railing, felt the breeze blowing on our faces and looked down at the city lights. The traffic, the people, everything seemed to be in such a hurry from up there. On our way back, there were fourteen of us who squeezed into a single auto! It was unimaginable. Four of them were hanging on their arses at the back, and one of them was actually lying over us. It was hilarious and we laughed all the way.

(At Orca)

Back home, we changed, relaxed and just talked. I did not know that the fun wasn’t over yet. We went to the terrace where they played heavy trance music and we played games and danced. (It would not be proper if I divulge into all the details though) Erm, yeah, so all in all, it was ridiculously bizarre and I don’t think I’m ever going to forget it.

The next day we got up at 8, but missed the AC bus and had to buy non AC bus tickets. We were hungry, but nothing was open so early in the morning and we were sitting like beggars in front of KFC.  That was also a fun experience though. Tariq almost fell in a manhole! When the beggar kids came to us to ask for money, Tariq said “agar hamara paas paise hote toh hum aise baithe hote kya?!” The kids seemed quite convinced and none of them came to us again! :P

The bus trip was epic. It was extremely hot and we were surviving on Lays and Nimbooz. We chattered about the previous day, but as it started getting hotter, Sid and Tariq’s energy levels started to come down. Mid-way we stopped at a rest room kind of place and we had ice cream. Sid bought a bottle of Coke and hardly had a few sips when it turned hot. He was so frustrated at that, that he threw the bottle out the window. Udit and I started laughing when Tariq (this guy cracks me up) said “yaar tum log itni garmi mein hans kaise sakte ho?” with the most dejected, ‘I-m-going-to-drop-dead-anytime’ kind of expression on his face. I burst out laughing and laughed till my stomach felt like it will explode with the pain. I had tears in my eyes as I laughed like a maniac while all the other people in the bus looked at me like they were ready to throw me out the window. Thankfully, I slept for a while and we reached Agra. By the way, no matter how much you hate your city, it always feels good when you’re greeted by those familiar roads and places again.

We were welcomed by fresh cold coffee made by Udit’s mom at his place. After two hours of drinking boiling hot water, it was heaven. Back home, I told my mom about the trip. “Good that you had a good time”, she smiled. I DID have a good time. Leaving out a few things, I’m sure I’m going to look back upon that trip years later, and smile thinking of how crazy and young and stupid we used to be :)

P.S. A special thanks to Dexter, for his awesome camera and the awesome clicks! :)