After a long dramatic night, with great emotional bonding between the few of us, it was difficult for me to get into the mood of meeting so many new people and talking about movies and stuff. For a moment I thought I shouldn’t go, as I didn’t wanna look gloomy out there :O But then this was the only chance I had to meet everyone, and also this was the purpose of me staying back till that day. So without thinking further, I left my place and reached the Studio.
On entering the place, I found Divs Sir, Arnab ji, Pritam ji, Akhtar ji, Rohit, Harsh, Punnu, Tashu, and few others, all involved in some work or the other. I quietly took a seat next to Punnu and Tashu and spoke a bit. Harsh also joined in. They were just occupied with the registration of people coming in. Soon, Shenith ji came in with a couple of guys, and it was really nice of him to identify me instantly and greet me :) After a while, Sajid ji came upto me and surprisingly he knew me too :) I was beginning to feel a bit more relaxed as I wasn’t a total stranger there. I also spoke to Akhtar ji for the first time. Pritam ji and Arnab ji were also kind enough to ask me about my trip. Slowly more people started coming in, whom I was seeing for the first time. I had noticed Dr. Ashok standing behind, but didn’t get a chance to speak to him.
It was time to begin with the introduction. We took our seats. Divs Sir gave us a short note on how the club had been formed and Arnab ji spoke about Gomolo. The lights then went off, and we got to watch the first performance of Jaya Bhaduri (Suman) and Vidhu Vinod Chopra (Murder At Monkey Hill) for FTI - pretty interesting ones. Just when all were engrossed in the film, Subur and Ambika entered in a rather filmi style :P , causing a slight chaos which thankfully lasted just for a few seconds. Many were surprised to see Ambika there! :)
Next on the agenda was a fight scene from “Shera” featuring Mithun Da. Sajid ji gave an interesting introduction to the film and other related Mithun Da’s films. Once the clip was on, there was laughter all over. The last scene was the most hilarious I felt :D
Finally, the quiz was about to begin. Since teams were selected on chit basis, I think most of our partners were someone we were meeting for the first time. Nishikant was my partner. We both couldn’t talk much and were busy thinking about our team name, something related to Salman, as we both liked him :P But finally, he chose the name Teen Numbari (we were the 3rd team). The preliminary round began. Very few questions were easy, some were confusing, and others quite tough. Thanks to Harsh, I guessed the 2nd one to be Choti Si Baat :D , which had to be right! 20 questions were done with soon. I was confident of not qualifying. Corrections followed up soon, and as expected, my team didn’t qualify :P :(
Suddenly Divs Sir appeared with his mobile in hand, saying that Suresh ji had called from the U.S. to greet everyone! :O That was quite a surprise! Everyone said a loud Hi in chorus. It felt good :)
Soon, as it was lunch time, some quick bites were distributed to us. We were busy munching, while Divs Sir screened the original version of the song Jaanu meri jaan… and also the color version of the song Abhi na jao chod kar… I was elated! :) Mohd. Rafi suddenly brought a broad smile on my face and I looked at Divs Sir with gratitude in my eyes :)
The top 6 teams, who qualified for the quiz, were then asked to be seated in front, one beside the other. Each round was based on a different theme and some great questions were asked, too tough to even guess :( But Pravir ji managed to crack most of them, quite instantly :O The other teams hardly got an opportunity to answer. There were also questions for the audience (those who didn’t qualify), and I guess Faiyaz (hope I’m right) answered most of them :)
There was still another round of quiz left, when I realised it was time to leave for the airport :( I had a flight to catch in a couple of hours. I told Divs Sir and then said a quick goodbye to everyone else. I wanted to say a lot, thanking everyone for all their effort, but I was out of words and also really upset about having to leave. I walked out of the room and looked behind wondering if anyone would come out, as I really wanted to meet everyone personally. To my amazement, I found Divs Sir right behind me :) He could make out I didn’t wanna leave, as my eyes said it all. Soon, Harsh, Rohit, Ambi, Subur and Tashu joined. We took a group photo. I wanted to bid farewell to Punnu too, but he was busy marking the scores inside :O Anyway, time was running out. I finally left with a heavy heart, as I was craving to spend more time with everyone :(
On the way to the airport, I was only thinking of ways to cancel my flight and stay back atleast for another day or two. But I couldn’t think of anything substantial. How I wished it would rain, or the roads get jammed, or my flight gets delayed or cancelled. Alas! All of that remained just a wish in the end! :( I boarded the flight and wept until I arrived in Chennai. This was the first time everything went right in my trip. I was just too happy and excited, at the same time depressed that I may not have such a chance again. I just didn’t wanna get back home for a change! :O :(
As for now, I’m still in Mumbai, though not physically present. I can still feel the noise on the roads, the raindrops, voices calling me, those silent tears, and everything else that made my trip so wonderful.
Thank you Divs Sir for convincing me to attend the meet and for organising it so well :) I know it must have been really hectic, managing so many things at the same time, both personal and professional. Also, thanks to Arnab ji, Pritam ji, Harsh, Devendra ji, Dr.Ashok and others who put in their effort too. It really paid off! :)
P.S. I really wanted to meet Sharib ji and see his performance, but it was plain bad timing of him to reach as soon as I left!! :( Anyway, hope there’s a next time. I also wanted to interact more with others like Shenith ji, Sajid ji, Akhtar ji, whom I found very friendly. Well I hope that happens in the next meet, if at all I can make it there too! Oh yeah, if it’s in Chennai, I’ll definitely be there! :)
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
One Night to Remember!
12th July, 2008 - the one day/night I can never forget! :)
I decided to spend an entire day out in Mumbai with my friends D, R, H, S, P and T. R picked me up and we headed straight to the point where others were waiting for us, which was at the other end of the city. A long ride in the rickshaw seemed to be even longer, as we both remained quiet for some reason. Finally we reached the spot, and greeted everyone. It was great to meet everyone, few after a gap of 6 months, while the rest for the 1st time! We then set off to Nirmal Lifestyle Mall where we planned to watch a film and then just roam around.
On reaching the mall, we quickly booked the tickets for the film "Jaane tu.. Ya Jaane Na..." and then took a few pictures of everyone standing beside film posters. That was fun! Later we entered Crossword to just check out a few books and cds. We still had a few minutes to go before the movie started, so we just entered McDonalds to have a quick bite. Hmmm.... Yummmm.... :P I really miss that back in Chennai! We then headed straight into the hall, right on time for the movie! It was quite nice. This was the 1st time we were all watching a movie together, so it really is special :)
Next we headed to Yeour, a nice calm place with a lake side view, right at the bottom of a hill. A quick passing shower increased the beauty of the place. We were just planning about our Club meet the next day.
Later we got into the car and headed straight to Gymkhana Club, where we decided to have a good long chat and some dinner too. The journey to the club was amazing, with all of us singing our favourite songs in chorus, especially the rain numbers! On reaching the club, we made ourselves comfortable in the room and then got into the REAL mood. We played the TRUTH game. H was attacked first with all personal questions, which he answered pretty honestly, though now he might be feeling that he should have restricted himself a bit :P Finally we all got to answer similar questions, but none seemed more interesting than H's :D
R then put forth a new question to all of us - "Which was the worst moment of your life?" Everyone thought for a few seconds. D began with his account, and believe it or not, it just melted everyone's heart instantly, including the guys who seemed to appear strong from the outside. S then gave a detailed account of his, which touched everyone, especially H, as he felt the same too. Everyone's eyes were leaking! A sight never seen before, I guess by any of us. It was truly magical! The way we all connected with each other and literally cried for each other... it was really something special!
Hesitating to speak out freely, I just kept quiet while tears rolled down my eyes. Most of them knew about some of my worst moments anyway, so I just preferred to keep it off then. Later R talked about his life. A heartbreak may seem to be a common thing for many, but it truly is one of the worst things that can happen to someone. Being truly in love with a person and then getting kicked out, even after you have given up everything for that person, is like going through hell. I couldn't bear to see R's tears as I know how it feels :(
R also explained why he kept away from me for a few months, while I was busy trying to reach back to him. The reason he gave was quite unexpected, and it just struck my heart then, as someone really cared for me so much. I just stepped into the balcony, wanting to weep alone for a few minutes, but then that couldn't happen with so many people around who care for me. It was truly amazing to see that attachment.
P was very quiet all the while, but his face revealed that he had some problems too, which maybe he didn't want to talk about at that moment. T was just too moved by everyone's life and couldn't talk much.
Everyone has problems in life. We always think that "I am facing the biggest problem in life." But that night we realised that everyone has different problems, which cannot be said to be bigger or smaller. It's just the way you fight it out. If you are scared to face it, it only gets worse. But it was great to hear everyone taking up their problem as a challenge and crushing it down.
Finally we wiped our tears, and decided to have dinner, which we kept waiting for more than 2 hours! Even after dinner, we continued talking about our life. Slowly, one by one, we started feeling sleepy. D and H decided to leave back home and work on the meet for the next morning. S, R and I slept there for a while and left early morning back to our places. T and P were peacefully asleep.
I just wanted that night to go on and on... It brought all of us closer than we could ever imagine. I've never before seen a guy crying over another guy's problem. It was difficult to stop everyone's tears, as we were doing the same ourselves! But letting go whatever was within us, was good and much needed.
Friends we may have plenty, but those who can really feel what we're going through and who we really are, are rare to find these days. I'm glad I found some, and I wish to keep them forever! Love you guys... :)
I decided to spend an entire day out in Mumbai with my friends D, R, H, S, P and T. R picked me up and we headed straight to the point where others were waiting for us, which was at the other end of the city. A long ride in the rickshaw seemed to be even longer, as we both remained quiet for some reason. Finally we reached the spot, and greeted everyone. It was great to meet everyone, few after a gap of 6 months, while the rest for the 1st time! We then set off to Nirmal Lifestyle Mall where we planned to watch a film and then just roam around.
On reaching the mall, we quickly booked the tickets for the film "Jaane tu.. Ya Jaane Na..." and then took a few pictures of everyone standing beside film posters. That was fun! Later we entered Crossword to just check out a few books and cds. We still had a few minutes to go before the movie started, so we just entered McDonalds to have a quick bite. Hmmm.... Yummmm.... :P I really miss that back in Chennai! We then headed straight into the hall, right on time for the movie! It was quite nice. This was the 1st time we were all watching a movie together, so it really is special :)
Next we headed to Yeour, a nice calm place with a lake side view, right at the bottom of a hill. A quick passing shower increased the beauty of the place. We were just planning about our Club meet the next day.
Later we got into the car and headed straight to Gymkhana Club, where we decided to have a good long chat and some dinner too. The journey to the club was amazing, with all of us singing our favourite songs in chorus, especially the rain numbers! On reaching the club, we made ourselves comfortable in the room and then got into the REAL mood. We played the TRUTH game. H was attacked first with all personal questions, which he answered pretty honestly, though now he might be feeling that he should have restricted himself a bit :P Finally we all got to answer similar questions, but none seemed more interesting than H's :D
R then put forth a new question to all of us - "Which was the worst moment of your life?" Everyone thought for a few seconds. D began with his account, and believe it or not, it just melted everyone's heart instantly, including the guys who seemed to appear strong from the outside. S then gave a detailed account of his, which touched everyone, especially H, as he felt the same too. Everyone's eyes were leaking! A sight never seen before, I guess by any of us. It was truly magical! The way we all connected with each other and literally cried for each other... it was really something special!
Hesitating to speak out freely, I just kept quiet while tears rolled down my eyes. Most of them knew about some of my worst moments anyway, so I just preferred to keep it off then. Later R talked about his life. A heartbreak may seem to be a common thing for many, but it truly is one of the worst things that can happen to someone. Being truly in love with a person and then getting kicked out, even after you have given up everything for that person, is like going through hell. I couldn't bear to see R's tears as I know how it feels :(
R also explained why he kept away from me for a few months, while I was busy trying to reach back to him. The reason he gave was quite unexpected, and it just struck my heart then, as someone really cared for me so much. I just stepped into the balcony, wanting to weep alone for a few minutes, but then that couldn't happen with so many people around who care for me. It was truly amazing to see that attachment.
P was very quiet all the while, but his face revealed that he had some problems too, which maybe he didn't want to talk about at that moment. T was just too moved by everyone's life and couldn't talk much.
Everyone has problems in life. We always think that "I am facing the biggest problem in life." But that night we realised that everyone has different problems, which cannot be said to be bigger or smaller. It's just the way you fight it out. If you are scared to face it, it only gets worse. But it was great to hear everyone taking up their problem as a challenge and crushing it down.
Finally we wiped our tears, and decided to have dinner, which we kept waiting for more than 2 hours! Even after dinner, we continued talking about our life. Slowly, one by one, we started feeling sleepy. D and H decided to leave back home and work on the meet for the next morning. S, R and I slept there for a while and left early morning back to our places. T and P were peacefully asleep.
I just wanted that night to go on and on... It brought all of us closer than we could ever imagine. I've never before seen a guy crying over another guy's problem. It was difficult to stop everyone's tears, as we were doing the same ourselves! But letting go whatever was within us, was good and much needed.
Friends we may have plenty, but those who can really feel what we're going through and who we really are, are rare to find these days. I'm glad I found some, and I wish to keep them forever! Love you guys... :)
Sunday, July 6, 2008
An Unusual Sunday...
My friends and i had just arrived at the airport after a great trip to some adventurous place. I suddenly out of nowhere hear a song (tune actually), none other than "Saanson ko saanson mein dhalne do zara..."! :O Wondering where that came from, I suddenly opened my eyes and realised I was dreaming and my mobile phone had rung!! It was the phone which was assigned for matrimony purpose. I saw 2 missed calls and looked at the time. It was just 7a.m. Why on earth do people call at such odd hours, that too on a Sunday?!? :x
I lay down trying to get back to sleep, but I heard the tune again. I ignored it twice. It rang again, and this time I answered the call. The guy over the phone must have found me so sleepy that he disconnected just after I said a hello! Thanking my stars, I again lay down. I guess it was too early to thank them :O The phone rang again and the guy speaks in Tamil. I was like &*^$%&%$R :x and hung up! But he called back again. This time I let him speak a few words and then asked him "Do you know English?" He said no and continued in Tamil. I then said "I dont know Tamil" even though I knew, and hung up again. Thankfully he didnt call back again. Idiot! :x Cant he see that we've asked for a Punjabi groom :P Even if not Punjabi, he should atleast know English!
I barely kept that one down, another call came in. This time someone from Kerala, Punjabi though, called in and I asked him to email his details. Another 2 minutes and I get to attend another call, someone from Chennai. So basically receiving one call after the other is what I was doing till about 12:30 p.m. I decided to go out for lunch to get away from all this. I left home by 2 p.m. and I did carry the mobile along too. Calls kept coming in, but I didnt receive any as there was too much noise around. Finally after a long chat with my friends, I reached home at 6 p.m. I then took the mobile and went for a walk, calling back all those numbers I missed. Finally by 7 p.m. calls had ceased to come and I felt a bit relieved. Phew! :P
Let me describe a few of them here.
A lady had called from Dehradun looking for a match for her son. She said they are settled in Dubai and are looking for a Punjabi girl from the West or the South as these girls seem to be more decent, trustworthy and educated :P I was like... Wow! She then asked me if I'm interested in settling in Dubai, to which I said I would have to discuss with my father about it. She kept talking non-stop about her family and about how problems arise and we should not get boggled down by all that. Yeah right! :P She finally paused, and I said I will ask my father to call you back, Thank You! :P
A guy had called up from Bhubhaneshwar, Orissa (the place I simply hate the most). He asked me a bit about myself and then asked if I'm on Orkut! I said a NO! I sounded completely disinterested, but he still said he would e-mail me his details. As if I care! Duh!!!
I spoke to a girl from Himachal Pradesh who was looking for a groom. I was looking for my brother as well. I got out a few details from her. She sounded pretty sweet. She spoke very gently, thinking i was an elderly person. After a while, I told her I'm the guy's younger sister and she was all cool then. Man! Age does matter! :P I anyway told her I'll talk to my brother about her and get back then.
P.S. All calls were in response to an advertisement given by dad in the newspaper. I had never thought I would attend non-stop calls in a day, about 50-60 atleast. Speaking to so many strangers at one go, was one thing I never imagined doing! :O But I guess, time teaches you everything. I suddenly could speak like a shy bride, or an easy-going sister-in-law :D The word I used the most was "Haanji!" I guess that would become a part of my day-to-day language soon :P
This day has truly been one of the most interesting days of my life! :)
One problem I'm facing now is that I can still hear "Saanson ko saanson mein dhalne do zara..." ring in my ears, even though the phone is off since hours! I hope I have a good sleep and wake up completely normal tomorrow. :)
I lay down trying to get back to sleep, but I heard the tune again. I ignored it twice. It rang again, and this time I answered the call. The guy over the phone must have found me so sleepy that he disconnected just after I said a hello! Thanking my stars, I again lay down. I guess it was too early to thank them :O The phone rang again and the guy speaks in Tamil. I was like &*^$%&%$R :x and hung up! But he called back again. This time I let him speak a few words and then asked him "Do you know English?" He said no and continued in Tamil. I then said "I dont know Tamil" even though I knew, and hung up again. Thankfully he didnt call back again. Idiot! :x Cant he see that we've asked for a Punjabi groom :P Even if not Punjabi, he should atleast know English!
I barely kept that one down, another call came in. This time someone from Kerala, Punjabi though, called in and I asked him to email his details. Another 2 minutes and I get to attend another call, someone from Chennai. So basically receiving one call after the other is what I was doing till about 12:30 p.m. I decided to go out for lunch to get away from all this. I left home by 2 p.m. and I did carry the mobile along too. Calls kept coming in, but I didnt receive any as there was too much noise around. Finally after a long chat with my friends, I reached home at 6 p.m. I then took the mobile and went for a walk, calling back all those numbers I missed. Finally by 7 p.m. calls had ceased to come and I felt a bit relieved. Phew! :P
Let me describe a few of them here.
A lady had called from Dehradun looking for a match for her son. She said they are settled in Dubai and are looking for a Punjabi girl from the West or the South as these girls seem to be more decent, trustworthy and educated :P I was like... Wow! She then asked me if I'm interested in settling in Dubai, to which I said I would have to discuss with my father about it. She kept talking non-stop about her family and about how problems arise and we should not get boggled down by all that. Yeah right! :P She finally paused, and I said I will ask my father to call you back, Thank You! :P
A guy had called up from Bhubhaneshwar, Orissa (the place I simply hate the most). He asked me a bit about myself and then asked if I'm on Orkut! I said a NO! I sounded completely disinterested, but he still said he would e-mail me his details. As if I care! Duh!!!
I spoke to a girl from Himachal Pradesh who was looking for a groom. I was looking for my brother as well. I got out a few details from her. She sounded pretty sweet. She spoke very gently, thinking i was an elderly person. After a while, I told her I'm the guy's younger sister and she was all cool then. Man! Age does matter! :P I anyway told her I'll talk to my brother about her and get back then.
P.S. All calls were in response to an advertisement given by dad in the newspaper. I had never thought I would attend non-stop calls in a day, about 50-60 atleast. Speaking to so many strangers at one go, was one thing I never imagined doing! :O But I guess, time teaches you everything. I suddenly could speak like a shy bride, or an easy-going sister-in-law :D The word I used the most was "Haanji!" I guess that would become a part of my day-to-day language soon :P
This day has truly been one of the most interesting days of my life! :)
One problem I'm facing now is that I can still hear "Saanson ko saanson mein dhalne do zara..." ring in my ears, even though the phone is off since hours! I hope I have a good sleep and wake up completely normal tomorrow. :)
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