Mine.

There is always a little sweet spot in our heart for some people. The special ones from the myriad collage that makes up our lives. Old friends, friends you met only once, people who were such an integral part of your lives that you forgot all about their value, the shared mischievousness, the family bonds. Also, relationships that were not meant to be or will never be. As the years go by, sometimes even after things go bad, don't work out or maybe don't even really begin, they leave behind little pieces of memories that make you smile. Bitter-sweet as the smile may be, this is my journey through the smiles and (in this case), the men who made them!

A long, long time ago there was this girl who had the devil as her personal adviser. She was always the little perfect child in the presence of elders, but when in the company of her peers, the devil was let loose. Great many children were beaten up in the battles for food, game-time supremacy, kites, toys and attention. And then, a prince walked into the warzone, ready to face her. They clashed and fought, but realized that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. So together, they ran headlong into mischief, co-conspirators against the boring world of the parents. Together they became teenagers, and discovered the first bloom of romance. Alas, the evil world of studies and Board exams interfered. The first bloom remained exactly that, and life went on.

Her travels took this girl to a new city where she was thrown in the midst of these strange big city kids. Too much free time and a love for bike rides got her together with this another guy. So different from her prince, this one was a crazy, unrepentant wild-child. So much potential for so much fun, and the devil told the girl, go live. She did. Even today, it brings an evil, evil smile to her face!

Oh, and then there was the competitor. The guy who wanted to challenge the girl in everything. They got into fistfights at fifteen, and stories abounded in the small town they call home. The girl took the ultimate revenge. She went ahead and charmed his parents. Practice helps!

First day in college. Girl sees a guy with an odd vibe, just lurking around, being unsocial. Somehow, over innumerable cups of chai, classic milds, pegs of varying alcohols and other adventures, they went from being awkward friends to this another plane of friendship. The one where the fact that you didn't really speak for a year and a half does not really matter. You can catch up over 3 days and 3 bottles. Bliss. Thank you, God.

Still in college, the girl meets another guy. This one was highly amused by the girl's attitude - her tendency to be the laziest in a pack of lazy, willingness to fight and propensity for using very colorful language. The exact opposite of what he thought a perfect girlfriend/wife should be. Then he discovered that she was willing to get yummy sweets from her hometown, just for him. Instant magic recipe for an everlasting friendship. Bike rides. Floods. Rainy days. Food. Chai. Alcohol. More bike rides. Gossip. Pretend study sessions. Xerox frenzies. Screaming matches (the girl won). Concern. Affection. A lot of laughter.

A chance online meeting. An instant connection and a decision was made. The girl met this complete stranger, one late evening, in the middle of her exams. Passed those, couldn't pass up on him. Shared a common love for coffee, food, cinema, and exploring their city. Could not tolerate each other's music choices. The girl made him smile, and his smile made her feel like a princess. But if you think they were a boring sweet couple, think again. There was this sparky current between the two, and well, life was very interesting. Though time and tide found its way in between them, an email is all it takes to remember the time the girl scared the daylights out of him. All it took was a bumpy ride on the roads of Goa, with the girl driving the two-wheeler. 

The girl has more stories and more people to write about. She will too, soon.

Those days..........

Writer's block ??

Not so soon.... Shall be pushed away by the force of my awesome willpower .... ARRRGGHHH!

There goes!! :D

I seem to be living in, and being surrounded by a constant world of nostalgia these days. Which isn't too bad, but makes me wonder: what will I miss about KGI? The yellow walled corridor or the green walled one? Nope. The "library"? Probably not. Seeing movies in the lecture hall? Maybe. Free coffee/tea and losing zillions of ping-pong matches? Yeah, that sounds about right! Oh, also the freedom of having beer and wine in an academic institution! Who would have thought that possible back home? :P

But however I may brush it off, DY had its moments. Crazy, frustrating, traveling 4 hours a day (1/6 of my itsy-bitsy day), clawing at vicious women to climb in from Kurla and getting nailed, clawed, hair-pulled and once memorably, bitten, moments! Running to catch the Andheri direct. Going out to our dearest Centre One, the newest Belapur CCD, a lazy afternoon at Ashwith/Nimantran with a beer, seeing movies at Meghraj (with the unparalleled cramped toilet feel), and feeling so proud when the new malls cropped up!

Walking into class early at 8:15, late at 8:25, or just plain bunking it all! The days when plagiarism was just a long word in the unused dictionary. Playing X and O's and Join the Dots in the maha-boring lectures. Time-pass in the garden. Tapri-wale bhaiyaji ki chai(s) and "ek cheese toast butter, do veg cheese toast, ek mausambi-shakkar nai-bafar kam, ek banana, ek collllld coffee aur ek classic milds". Canteen anna ki special chai/coffee, aur khaas garam vada pav "ekdum fresh"! Omelette-bread and another cold coffee at Sidewalk Cafe, "bhaiya thoda jaldi"!

Oh, and Species, the abso-fucking-lutely unforgettable Species. The random galli spray from Taklu Deanie. The nights at the main campus, eating the most disreputable Chinese food ever. Making sure the staff doesn't see anything they aren't supposed to (aka, everything). Getting totally sloshed/shit-faced/high/horny (who remembers!) in the basement on the last day, and the fantabulous hangover the next. Pure bliss.

Those, my dear friends, were the days of DY past! *sigh*