Chung Waaaaaaahhh

Sounds very scary, doesnt it ? Chung Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh...
More like SRK shouting 'Bhaagoooo.....' in Om Shanti Om.

Quite a nice analogy - for the fellow diners :-D

So, after stuffing the tummies sufficiently at Gasper Residence (we once named it Vuvuzela, but he seemed uninterested. We should have got, rather, inspired to fix that name, after his response), we headed off to our treat venue - Chung Wah at Koramangala. It was long since we tasted some Chinese stuff, and this seemed to be a good option at hand considering proximity and budget. Budget shouldnt have been a major factor of concern for somebody who almost acquired permanent citizenship in the US with his extended 5-yr stay there. But we dint want to make others (hoteliers) rich , while we ourselves remain poor :-D

The traitor..er... treater, Dipu, was all the way trying to make a point clear by asking "So, whose treat is it?". We chose to ignore this, as we (and he) knew , his turn would come :-P

A comfortable travel in wagonR was in the offering, but Sowji preferred to beat the night cold (perhaps, to take a break from the non-stop "push" from Dipu). We reached the place well in time. But wagonR didnt. They took a 'short-cut' to reach the place, thanks to Rat for the route suggestion, and landed 10 mins late :-s

Even before the wagonR reaching, Sand arrived. With KK and the wagonR arriving, all had come but for Geo. (Geo has had real 'good' experience last time for his treat, reserving two tables - hugging one, laying foot on the other - at a busy eat-out in Koramangala. Eventually, he was thrown-out by the restaurant guys. We turned up at the venue after an hour :D ). By the time, Geo arrived, we had managed to empty 4 platefuls of starters, and 3 tablefuls of eaters. KK was a major contributor for the latter development.

Soon we saw that the bearers were guiding prospective eaters who dived into the restaurant to the upper floor. A daring family of 4 that managed to seat at the table adjacent to ours soon went into pensive mood. The big-hearted (bit-tummied) head of the family was staring at our table all the time. But then, we chose to ignore them altogether. Why would we want to get into trouble. We continued to be at our noisy best...

The food was good.. Some dishes couldnt be emptied, perhaps due to the fact that most of us werent hungry. In the end, the waiter came with the bill along with a broad smile .Did I hear him murmuring "Finally the termites are leaving". Dipu did the honours and we were out.

Tail:
1. The 'noise-less' discussions extended even after we came out of the restaurant. The discussion was primarily between Geo, Dipu and Sow on having some 'dessert' after the treat :-P
2. KK left soon (we dint hear much of noise, hence this conclusion)
3. All all guy-get-together, we had some real good time, with uncensored recollection of old times :)

Tea Kudikkaan Povaam

'Tea kudikkaan povaam' is one of the few malayalam sentences that a kannadiga friend of mine can utter with ease. He is now in a different location but the tone and the pace at which he says this is unique and stays at the back of the mind.

Now to the point... It took me 8 months and several bashings from Soo to come back to this place. First up, approved some comments amidst tons of spam entries. (tons =18 :-D ) This happened yesterday.

Today I have an extra hour of free time (that takes the total available office free time to 8.5 hrs - 1 hour for lunch, you see...). So took this brilliant opportunity to scribble a few lines about our recent 'surprise' home visit to Gasper's house for tea :)

We dont go just like that to any house for tea, you see.. .We "BARGE" in :-D
Luckily for Gasper and Joel , mummy was home, and things were easier for them.
Otherwise seeing a bus-ful (okay, 4 of us) any by-birth generous host would have found respite on floor.

Our 'surprise' visit, actually ended up to be a surprise for us. The delicacies that were dished out onto the table were hot and freshly prepared. Chakka-puttu (scientific name Jackfruit-steamCake) was one of a kind, and a first for me. Then there was the jackfruit itself (which somehow managed to escape the wrath of Gasper). A few other plates of home-grown fruits and we were full. Nobody dared go extra-full, coz in an hour's time, we had Dipu's Chung-Wah treat (details of that in a later(???) blog) to go to.

With mummy around, it was Gasper's turn to keep shut. We recollected some of the super jokes that were cracked by mummy during our visit to the Kalathippady House. Phew what a treat that was. We also had good times reminiscing the table-emptying exercise that we carried out at Mridul's residence, having visited the place soon after a wedding feast (Bin's bro's).

Sowji did a rather close-to-formal wedding invitation to mummy. But mummy outrightly rejected the invitation discarding it a informal. Sowji was bowled out :-P.

All of Dipu's attempts to show off went down the drain when he heard the comment 'even otherwise, Kottayam natives are all selfish and rude minded' :-D

Bin was busy finishing the jackfruit.

Jim was half asleep, but managed to munch in his share of goodies.

Gasper, as expected, remained silent for most of the time - perhaps cursing himself to have invited the noisy fella's home.

Tail:
1. While zipping tea, Rat sent an sms to Geo "dipu's treat at Chungwah. Time 7.30PM". Came his reply "okay see you there at sharp 8.30PM" :-))))

Pazhassi Raja - A Constructive Review

Let me get straight into the verdict.

With due respect to the crew and kudos to the idea and implementation, it was nothing but throughly mis-cast actors and lacklustre fight scenes that disappointingly bring down the expectations of the viewer. Barring Sarath Kumar, Padmapriya and Manoj K Jayan, rest of the character portrayals were disappointing. Not that I'm an A+ in History. But when you embrace the idea of filming a movie based on freedom struggle, you OUGHT to pay special attention to the acrobatics. The fights were nothing but mockery.

The movie is still fresh in my mind. I recollect only 2 occasions of applauses while inside the cinema. One was when the following lines were printed on the screen:

Special Thanks

Mohanlal

And the 2nd was a spirited act by Sarath Kumar when he went to the British Collector with a message from Pazhassi.

So where did the director get it all wrong ?

1. Casting, as I told, is one thing. Mammooty is a great actor. And when you cast him for a role that demands acrobatic maneouvres you should have your support crew ready - this involves camera-tricks and "realistic" graphics support. Both were missing.

2. Jagathy has seldom appeared in character roles. Rather, the crowd never can digest him in such roles. Coz they expect comedy and nothing else from him. Am attempt to get comedy out of him for a relatively serious role as in this movie was nothing but stupid.

3. The make-up works are worth not mentioning. Dont they get a lil more realistic looking moustache pieces ?

4. Fight scene - too much of attention at some places (why do they need to fly vertically up - the Matrix style?) and too less at some other (when Pazhassi locks sword with his most talented Army Chief, with the entire regiment looking on, there need to be some sparks)

5. The movie looked stretched too much. A song or two more?

So what are the take-aways ?

The story-telling part was good (this should be more of a negative f/b than a compliment)

I cant think of anything else.

The movie disappointed me.

Tail:

1. Geo seemed to have got it all wrong. He invited frowns from everyone around when he missed the syllables a little bit to say "Kerala Varma Parasuraman" :P

2. Thanks to a late start from home, and a heavily clogged highway, we (me and she) missed Geo's bday treat at McD :(

3. The movie started 10mins late, at 8.45. And it was 12.18 when we stepped out. Loooong !!

4. Of all the names, Sarath Kumar's character had the best one - Kunkan :)

5. All said and done, the film is reportedly raking in a lot of moolah all over Kerala..

Birthday Treat

It was the best time to treat..
Not many group members in India..
Just 6 of us. And on top of that Alex is not well :-)

So we went for a hi-fi lunch treat.
At Sue's Food Palace.

A planned attack at 1.30 dint take off.
Instead, it was almost 3PM when we started soup.

A buffet is the best bet for us.
We made max out of it.

Also met Sue. She was friendly enuff to pose with us for a pic.

The food was pretty heavy. The pudding was yummy.
In the end, Sand was heard murmuring - wil hav to walk an hour extra tomorrow morning
:-D

Pics will tel rest of the story !

Celebration time!

Here are the defining moments..
Captured in black and white !

At 10:55:03 AM



At 10:56:09 AM

Let there be a grand mela!
Today's lunch is my treat..
Please assemble at The Taj by 12.30AM
:D

Treat, Treat and More Treats !

In a span of just over a week, yesterday's was the 3rd treat! And it was just y'day that mom told me "Cut down on your chicken menu. You are growing too much these days (sideways, of course)". And I nodded a stupid "Yes" with an equally stupid display of the front top row of dental show-pieces. Planning was quick. To avoid all confusion, I took the initiative and sent out a mail to all the attendees, mentioning the time and venue. Now the point to be noted, is that, I'm not treating :D That privilege goes to Kiron. Here is why he's treating. He just got his US students visa stamped onto the first page of his passport. Boy, he is one happy kid! (His roomies, friends, neighbours were seen jumping up n down with joy - there were some odd sad souls, in and around BTM, but thats a different story, altogether)

Here's the blue print of the plan:
Venue : SSS, Forum
Time : 7.30PM
Agenda : Dinner (veg/non-veg as per wish. NO DRINKS). No movie as well.
Attendees : Every one in the mailing list (plus kiron's cousin (payyanaa) and probably Joe and roomie's)

Now, the word 'plan' has become synonymous to the word 'option'. No different this time. 'Plan' remained a blue print. The culprit ? Follow the conversation below over phone.
Trring Trring.. Trring Trring
Rec: Hello, Sahib Sindh Sultan
Rat : Oh.. Sorry, wrong number

Later, Rat's bulb glows.. oh shh..t , thats not some emperor, that was the name of the hotel, i wanted to call.

Trring Trring.. Trring Trring
Rec: Hello, Sahib Sindh Sultan
Rat : Is it SSS ?
Rec: Yes
Rat: We are a group of 12. Can we have a table at 7.45PM ?
Rec: No sir, the earliest available table is at 10.30PM
Rat: athil neeyum ninte kettiyonum keri thiruvaathira kalicho
Rec: Sorry??!
Rat: Oh, I said, its too late for us. Thanks. Bye

I was still at home, while making this call..
Kk and gang reached Forum, by 7.45
Much b4 that Alex had reached. I had promised, I'll call him up by 7.30 to find him in forum. His mobile, as usual, is running on ZERO currency :D

Finally, when i reached forum, got one BIG dose from KK and friends - in words and in action. Now the next step was to get it again, from Alex. Called him up. Here came the words. Spotted him. Luckily, no action. Just words, and contraction of the facial muscles from him :D

Kiron called up and said, they are on the way, and will reach in 15 minutes. He too got a dose from KK.

Now since SSS is full, the venue was quickly shifted to Coconut Grove, near Jyothi Nivas College. Alex's face now turned all-red. a prick of a needle, and forum would turn red. He said, I'm not coming. I have an appointment at 10PM. (Prayer meeting, what else)

To console him, we took him to Transit, and finished off some delicacies at a few counters. I paid, expecting a refund from Kiron. Too high expectations :((
Packed Alex and sent him off.
And rest of us left for your destination.

Finally in Coconut Grove by 8.45PM.
10 ppl - KK, Nalesh, Sand, Joe, Rat, Gasper, Jose, cousin, Bijoy, Kiron
A long table..
First 5 on one side, the next 5 on the other.
KK and Kiron sat facing each other.

Kiron, half the time, had his jaws dropped, not able to decipher where all the dishes vanished to. KK, on the other side, was restless and always occupied. There was a space crunch on that side of the table. In the mean time, Bijoy's plate disappeared too.. No idea, who ate that...

Having ordered and tasted all kinds of 2-legged, 4-legged, and no-legged species available in the menu, we took a look at the clock. Its already 2 hours since we stepped into this building. Other tables saw ppl coming and going, but we were still glued to the seats.

Not wanting any further delay, Kiron 'ordered' for the bill. Sand had serious doubts whether the printer inventories (read paper and ink) would be sufficient to print out such a huge bill.. Heard the printer making sound for more than 45 seconds.. Finally, what resembled a roll of toilet paper was brought in a basket in front of Kiron.
He was later carried home in Sand's car.

Tail:
1. Sho and Jins cudn't turn up. Coz it was raining in that part of the world. A phone conversation:
Jins: Da, I wont be able to come. Its raining.
Rat: Oh.. thats bad
Jins: Yes, I feel desperate.. to miss a treat in SSS
Rat: Dont be soo down.. Dont worry, treat is not in SSS. No tables available
Jins: Oh, is it ?!! Then no worries :D
2. Alex, towards the end of the Transit eatings: My anger is subsided, now i'm cool
:-S
3. Bill amount can be known by sending personal mail to Kiron :-)

A Birthday Gift

Think of a birthday gift...
Okay, its for a girl.. of your age..
Now think..

Teddy bear ? Archies card ? Leather wallet ?
Ho gaya ?
Okay, here is what i gave as b'day gift to S.
A movie !
Doesnt sound any special ?
Now consider that she hasnt been to a movie since
landing in Bangalore. In fact, if you put it in terms of
number of years, it will run into 8 LONG years !
So its special..

Saturday, July16, 2k6:
Alex was also with us. (After all, S is his cousin, before
she is my friend) :-)
He wasnt keen on watching a Hindi Movie.. But he was ok
with Krrish and Fanaa. But both S and I had watched these
movies. So we zeroed into Phir Hera Pheri.
Its an okay kinda movie.. At times you feel, the lead actors
(especially Paresh Rawal) is doing it a lil bit tooo much!
Overacting has always been Akshay Kumar's trademark.
And acting has never found an entry into Suniel Shetty's
dictionary. Add to this some lacklustre dubbing, and you will
feel like kicking the director Neeraj Vora (who does a cameo
in the movie, sitting in a bus beside Akshay Kumar and talking
over his mobile)
But on top of all this mis-fits, there are some tickling comedy
sequels. The climax is typical of a Priyadarshan film.
Note that Neeraj Vora has assisted Priyan in some of his prev
movies as writer. Hence such an inheritance is not unexpected.
You can find utter chaos, with ppl running after each other, for
one reason or the other. But the 'circus' climax is good.

The film seemed to have ended rather abruptly - with the viewers
left guessing, whether the heroes lived happily thereafter or not.
Or is it an attempt to put the foundation stone for yet another sequel?

Whatever...
Well, the Friday night movie was followed by a Saturday noon treat
by S at Hotel Imperial. Again, the three of us. Had never stuffed so much
of items into my lil tummy of late :-S

Post lunch, had a meeting with the MD of Ittina Properties..
Quite a crowd of owners had gathered. Had a heated discussion.
(Not much on this... coz firstly, its out of context, and 2ndly, its
confidential)
=> what the hell
:D

Over Over

Sand n Sho's Treat

The plan was to meet at Autobahn at 11.30AM
We, being a bunch of punctual and on-time techies
finally met at the treat venue at 1.45PM.

Well, 'we' can very well be replaced by 'i' :-S
I couldnt make it in time. And Alex, Jins, Sho
were dependent on me to reach the venue..
(Not that I would carry them in my ferrari.. They
donno the route)
:-)

So finally when we reached at Tharavaadu, the newly
opened Authentic Kerala Food HOtel near Hosur Road
in Bommanahalli, Geo was all fired up, and uttering
Sanskrit Slogans at me, non-stop.
Having battled that out, found the next interesting
'feature' seated quietly on the corner seat of the
table - Gasper!
When Geo mailed the previous day "Tsunami to hit
Bangalore. Travelling northbound, from Mysore to
Bangalore", I never thought it would be this BIG.
Tsunami was better !


While exchanging Hi, Hello; Kiron pointed out another
fact. They had booked two tables on either sides, so
that we could "peacefully" have the lunch together.
But since our arrival got delated by a few minutes
(about 65 minutes), they had to let the table go..
Got a dosage for that also..

Sand asked "Did you get a message that i sent?"
I checked the inbox..
Sand's msg "Its another OPT. Not much of items here"

Thanks to Bird flu, the treats off-late have rather
been dull (only at the food-front). From the decibel
point of view, the treats seem to score more points
day after day :-)

We (Sho,Alex,Rat,Jins) got a table in the same row,
though not adjacent - there was another table in between.
(But that got vacated VERY soon. No points for guessing
the right reason) :D


Ordering dishes was never so easy..
One item each of every special dish.
And who cares to look at the RHS of the menu?
Sho, in a shaken voice kept on telling "Order whatever
you want". Well, the birthday boy has no other option
;-)

The hotel witnessed a pin-drop silence when the food
came to our table. Yup, till then, it was a total mess.
All (unwanted) attention was drawn to our tables..
Our table was particularly loud, with Alex cracking
numbers one after the other.
He said, during one treat when he had Crab Roast, his
lips bulged out, and his face ended up like that of a
horse.
And another news from Alex is that he is planning to buy
a new phone (That would be his 5th mobile phone in a span
of 1.5 odd years). Well, this news might have brought some
smile to thieves' faces :D

Even while food was being consumed, noise level did not
go down by a great margin. We were doing more of talking
than eating. (At the end of the performance, when we got
up to leave, the waiter escorted us to the door.. He said
"How was the food? Hope you enjoyed it.. Or.. Did you get
any time to care for the food at all?)
That statement briefs in one line, our impact and "influence"
on the ppl at the hotel.

Bill payment time.
Sho "Will u accept card?"
W8r "No sir"
Sho "Food coupons?"
W8r "Not yet sir.."

Rat (to W8r) "Please escort him to the kitchen. We shall leave
him here on loan basis"

But luckily, there was just the right number of note of 100
denomination to pay the bill. And Sho was spare of the kitchen
duty.


Post lunch, we left for Autobahn.
The agenda was clear "Urakkam"

As Geo puts it "Weekends are for urakkam"
Three beds and 8 ppl. Not at all a problem.

Let me make it a point that the noise level is still all-time
high. Thats when alex noted the vibrating sound of a mobile.
He notified the immediate neighbour, and went on to do his
task (sleep). After a rigourous search, nothing was found..
Then Alex Jumped up, reached for his bag.. Aila! there it is!
It was his (JY) phone that ws making noise..

Soon, Alex and Sho left.. Alex had some JY work.
Geo got a phone call. He quickly sprang out of his bed,
bathed(!!!), put on perfume, dressed up neat and left.
--A busy workaholic bachelor, who "sleeps" on weekends--

Sand was also seen leaving on his bike.
Jins and I too left by 6.30, leaving Kiron and Gasper at home.


Note : It was a combined treat. Sho's bday, Sand's new job
Note2: Gasper had come all the way from Mysore, just to attend
the treat
3: KK was not well. Was "sleeping" at home.
4: Dennis had work at office and couldnt turn up
5: Sand had brought cam, but the smart man did not charge the cell
6: Sand left for home at 9PM. Be back in a week
7: Autobahn is where Geo,Kir,Sand stay :-)

Treat Date : March 11, 2006
Venue : Tharavaadu
Atttendees : Sand,Sho,Gas,Kir,Geo,Rat,Alex,Jins

KK's Gift : The inspiration

Much has been told about KK's bday treat..
But what was the inspiration behind that 'dream' gift that we gave him ?

Read on and find out . .
(Its English + Malayalam + Kannada + Telugu + Punjabi)
(Reader's discreation.. i mean.. discretion is ad-wised)

KK (1/5/2006 2:43:52 PM): there?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:43:56 PM): s
KK (1/5/2006 2:44:05 PM): ok.. ariyaan vendi chodichatha
KK (1/5/2006 2:44:07 PM): :D
Rat (1/5/2006 2:44:12 PM): gud
Rat (1/5/2006 2:44:16 PM): jins bought one mem stick
Rat (1/5/2006 2:44:18 PM): 4GB
KK (1/5/2006 2:44:23 PM): :O
Rat (1/5/2006 2:44:25 PM): for 400 bucks
Rat (1/5/2006 2:44:27 PM): :O
KK (1/5/2006 2:44:30 PM): hmm...
Rat (1/5/2006 2:44:30 PM): yup
Rat (1/5/2006 2:44:35 PM): 400 indian rupees !
KK (1/5/2006 2:44:39 PM): :-S
KK (1/5/2006 2:44:44 PM): 2nd hand aano?
KK (1/5/2006 2:44:51 PM): work cheyyumo?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:45:05 PM): original..
Rat (1/5/2006 2:45:08 PM): made in china
KK (1/5/2006 2:45:14 PM): evidunnu?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:45:14 PM): work cheyyumaayirikkum...
Rat (1/5/2006 2:45:23 PM): ini engaanum work cheythaalo ?!
KK (1/5/2006 2:45:28 PM): ey pedikkenda
KK (1/5/2006 2:45:33 PM): work cheyyathirikkathirikkilla
Rat (1/5/2006 2:45:41 PM): :D
KK (1/5/2006 2:45:46 PM): athu potte
Rat (1/5/2006 2:45:52 PM): nga po
KK (1/5/2006 2:45:53 PM): byeekyend yentha plan?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:46:00 PM): morning SP road..
Rat (1/5/2006 2:46:05 PM): after noon KK's house
KK (1/5/2006 2:46:05 PM): athenthina
KK (1/5/2006 2:46:06 PM): ?
KK (1/5/2006 2:46:15 PM): ethu KK?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:46:20 PM): oruthan undu..
Rat (1/5/2006 2:46:22 PM): oru charakku..
Rat (1/5/2006 2:46:28 PM): btm ila thaamasam..
KK (1/5/2006 2:46:32 PM): :">
Rat (1/5/2006 2:46:35 PM): njaan saturday thuppi kaanikkaam
Rat (1/5/2006 2:46:36 PM): :)
KK (1/5/2006 2:46:48 PM): :-S
KK (1/5/2006 2:47:17 PM): ee paripadi thaangal saturday aano sunday aano carry out cheyynnathu?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:47:30 PM): thats confidential..
Rat (1/5/2006 2:47:32 PM): classified...
Rat (1/5/2006 2:47:34 PM): secret !
KK (1/5/2006 2:47:39 PM): ennalum para
KK (1/5/2006 2:47:42 PM): ennodu para
KK (1/5/2006 2:47:45 PM): ente charakkalle
KK (1/5/2006 2:47:48 PM): alla chakkarayalle
Rat (1/5/2006 2:48:03 PM): :D
Rat (1/5/2006 2:48:06 PM): saturday..
Rat (1/5/2006 2:48:08 PM): 3.30 PM
KK (1/5/2006 2:48:24 PM): hmm... thank u for the information
KK (1/5/2006 2:48:31 PM): njan mungathirikkilla
Rat (1/5/2006 2:48:59 PM): ini engaanum nee mungiyillenkilo ?
KK (1/5/2006 2:49:11 PM): mungi illengil pongumbo ariyaalo
KK (1/5/2006 2:49:27 PM): da sp roadil ponundenkil enikkoru item vaangichondu varaamo?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:50:21 PM): yenthonnaa ?
KK (1/5/2006 2:50:29 PM): thakkakilo mukkali
Rat (1/5/2006 2:51:32 PM): ethra roopa aavum ?
KK (1/5/2006 2:51:42 PM): athariyilla.. nee onnu anweshikku
Rat (1/5/2006 2:52:04 PM): vokay..
KK (1/5/2006 2:52:21 PM): vila kuravaanengil oru 6 ennam medicho
Rat (1/5/2006 2:52:59 PM): 6 ennam ?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:53:00 PM): ok
KK (1/5/2006 2:53:30 PM): ho ninte oru sneham
Rat (1/5/2006 2:54:29 PM): :)
Rat (1/5/2006 2:54:32 PM): annum innum..
Rat (1/5/2006 2:54:36 PM): oru panathookkam munnil
KK (1/5/2006 2:55:56 PM): nee jinsine bike odikkan padippikkan pokuvanennu kett sheriyaano?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:56:15 PM): nga
Rat (1/5/2006 2:56:17 PM): sheriyaa
KK (1/5/2006 2:56:30 PM): nannayi... ninte pulsaril thanne alle?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:56:32 PM): nee engane arinju ?
Rat (1/5/2006 2:56:39 PM): pulsar il alla..
KK (1/5/2006 2:56:45 PM): times of indiayil undaarunnu
Rat (1/5/2006 2:56:49 PM): Kingfisher airlines inte oru vandi oppichu..
Rat (1/5/2006 2:56:52 PM): athelaa padanam
KK (1/5/2006 2:57:28 PM): athu nannyi
KK (1/5/2006 2:57:28 PM): athaakumbol ninakku padikkukem cheyyam
Rat (1/5/2006 2:57:40 PM): halla pinne !

My First Day in Bar

For Hostellites, an invitation to a Day-skee's house to spend a day is
a dream-come-true.
And it cant be any better, than an invitation for a Sadya on the day of Vishu.

Ajith was more than happy to invite his best friends - Dipu and me - to his
home for a get-together.
Arun PS was also invited.

Hostel ile saha anthevaasikale ellaam kothippichu nirthi njaanum
Dipuvum purappettu
Dipu was developing into an expert rider those days.
And he consciously, used not to let go of any opportunity to sit closer to the
handle on a bike, on which he was travelling..

Problem no. 1
We decided to go to Ajith's house on bike. But on whose bike ?
Neither me, nor he, has a bike.
So the privelege goes to KK (who else)
And we both happily started from the hostel, on KK's max100.

Aaah.. that sound of max100 was music to many ears.
it had been the Taxi of Bethany.
no other bike in the history of Bethany would have had its odometer ticking
like this, while on duty for Bethany !
Thanks to KK, many guyz in Bethany (like Ullas) took up mess responsiblities -
hiring not just KK's bike , but also KK , for mess service..

Dipu is a very choosy guy.
He doesnt like going to too many guys, asking for bike.
KK was his favorite. Then comes Asim.
Asim was a +1 student when he joined the Bethany bandwagon.
And he doesnt mind lending his splendor to "Deepu Chettan"

But Dipu was all the more comfy with KK's bike.
The reason - it is a 2-stroke machine.
And that a 2-stroke bike jerks less than a 4-stroke bike is known to many.

I'm not a Mech Expert.
So lets go on with the story...

It was a smooth ride to Ajith's house.
His house is near the quite walls of the Pangode Military Camp..
A nicely maitained camp, with so many greenery..
And nice roads, lots of fresh air..

With me in the navigator role, Dipu has never lost his way.
Even KK would agree to this :D
(Thats a different story)

Reach Ajith's home..
Parked the bike.
Went in to see the smiling faces of Ajith and his family.
His dad is in CBI. Delhi office.
His brother is no new to us. He is our junior in college.
And he has a sis. I guess, she was still in schools then..
And aloving mom.

Ajith took us to his room.
A lot of fancy items in there..
The DSP processor which he deviced was lying there... connected to his PC.
He explained its working to two "very interested" friend of his.
Fate, what else..
Sadya unnaan kurachu thallum kelkanam....

After quite a bit of wandering here 'n there, the much awaited call came.
Ajith's amma "Ennaa choru kazhichoodey"

Chaadi veenu..
Meshappurathu niraye vibhavangall..
Pala tharam !
Yummy dishes...
Kondu vechathum theernnathum maathram ormayundu.

Avasaanam oru embakkavum vittu eneetu.
Kurachu neram avidem ividem okke thirinju kalichu.

Went for a walk.
Along the military roads..
Saw an officer on guard.
Ajith explained that he stands there, morning to evening, doing nothing but
'taking guard'
Such discipline ! Hm... it takes a lot to be a military officer..

When it started drizzling a bit, took a U turn and got back home..

In a few minutes, Dipu and I thought, "ithrem budhimuttichathu mathi.
pack cheyyaam"

So there we were.
Back on bike.
The family saw us off.

Ajith's house is a bit up hill.
Riding down hill is fun..
The first few turns went smooth.
This was the discussion.

R: "Aahh.. What a wonderful way to start a new year"
D: "Ngae ? New year o ? Ninakku velivu nashtappetto ?"
R: "hahaha .. nalla thamaasha"
D: "thamaasha ethu kaaryamethu ennu manasilaakkaan polum pattillennaayo ?"
R: "Da , innu new year aa"
D: "ethu planet ilaa ? "
R: "Bloody fool, innu malayaalam puthuvalsaramaa"
D: "oh.. gbb.. glubb.. jab.. aa.. athey athey. athu thanneyalley
njaanum paranjathu"
R: :-S ippo angene aayo ?!

D: sheriyaa.. new year day ingane enkil ini angottu enthaayirikkum ?
(note that dialogue)
R: very true.. ee varsham muzhuvan nalla treat aayirikkum.. nalla
vibhava-samrudhamaaya oru varsham njaan munnil kaanunnu
(note this dialogue also)

R: Da.. nee oru kaaryam note cheytho ?
D: Enthaadaa ?
R: Ee kk-de bike undallo.. sundaramaaya performance aa..
D: athey athey.. valare correct.
R: Ippo thanney kando.. yaathoru sound um illa.
D: Athenthaa ennariyaamo ? Engine ippo off aa..
R: Athenthinaa nee off cheythey ? Petrol laabikkaanaano pikkushaa ?!
D: Petrol laabikkaanum onnumalla.. vandi angu off aayi ppoyi..

R: Ninne okke evidunnaa vandi odikkaan padippichathu ? Njaan odikkano ?
D: Da, puthuvalsarathile baakki divasangalum koode onnu kandaal kollaam ennundu
R: ngaa.. ennaa nee thanney odicho..

R: oru kaaryam chey. vandi nirthu
(bike was still on its down hill path)

We stopped by the road, gave it a few powerful kicks and there u r. It started.
2 more turns, and the bike again stopped.
some more kicks and it started..
This continued a couple of times.

Finally, the engineering brilliance started working
Dipu was the first to put forward his finding

D: Da, entho kozhappamundu
R: Sheriyaa.. entho kozhappamundu
D: Enthu cheyyum ?
R: Hm... irakkamalley.. thalli vidaam.. aadyam kaanunna mechanic ine kaanikkam

Now, I dint have Google Earth installed in my watch to correctly
suggest that there
is a bike mechanic nearby. But it was my day (note this statement)
There indeed was a bike mechanic at the next turn.

Praise the lord.
The mechanic, screwed out the spark plug, cleaned it, put it back.
First kick , and there you are. The bike was raring to go..

With no further major mechanical glitches, we managed to reach PMG.
Again problems...
Same old problem,.. bike wont start..

But then we knew there is a TVS showroom near by..
Managed to get the bike to the showroom.

Now this is what you would call "Times of India"
Showroom closed !
(may be due to the festive nature of the day, was it a sunday too ??!!)

Came to know that there is a mechanic near by.
Time was flying like anything..
5 in the evening and we are still on the roads..

Guided ourselves (and the bike) to that mechanic's house.
His wife greeted us..
"Aalu sthalathilla.. alpam kazhinju varum"

Oh sheri.. a long wait.
And yes indeed he turned up.

He checked the bike.
Boy, he IS a real mechanic.
he did that great thing..
Checked for fuel.. Not a drop inside !!!

Dipuvum njaanum mukhathodu mukham nokki ninnu poyi !

Now, its not the right time for a blame game..
What next is the golden question.

The nearest petrol pump is 3km from the place where we are.
What to do ?
The mechanic doesnt have any stock with him..

Do you believe in God ?
If not, you would have started believing if u were in our shoes that day
(Daa dipu, annu nammal shoe ittirunno ? AAaahh... )

A God sent 'Angel' came on his Yamaha.
A friend of the mechanic, and his neighbour, he came to know the
trouble we are in.

After narrating some of his past experiences of no-fuel condition, he opened up
his tool box. There u r - a small bottle , u cant call it a bottle..
its the kinda
container in which u get those homeo tablets.. yes such a small thing.
But contained what we needed - Fuel !!

The Angel - You can take this.
D: Thanks chettaa. ithinte paisa njangal thannolam
A: paisayo ? snehamaanu valuthu. paisa onnum venda..
R: Chettan angane parayaruthu.. (i thot he is gonna that fuel for free)
A: Ningal aa bottle athu pole fill cheythu thannaa mathi
D: Hmm.. oru kaaaryam cheyyaam namukkithum adichu poyi petrol adichittu varaam.
Ennittu kurachu ee bottle il aakki kondu varuvem cheyyaam.
A: Athengane sheriyaavum ? ningal athu vazhi angu poykalanjaalo.. ?!

R: Dipu, nee poyi adichittu kuppeelaakki kondu baa.. njaan ivide nilkaam
(Wow ! what a bold decision. yes indeed, a bold decision.. read on to
find why..)


OK.
All set and decided and finalised.
Dipu goes on bike in search of petrol.
I stand there in front of the mechanic's house.
In company of the Angel.
15 mins
20 mins
25 mins (let me increase the step, else this page will be wasted..)
35 mins
50 mins

Where is this guy named Dipu

I started worrying for him.. Ini ivan valla lorreede adiyilum petto ?
Licence undennullathu sathyam. But then, Algol inu vare licence ulla kaalamaa !

1 hr !

No sign of Dipu.
Meanwhile, the Angel started getting irritated and restless.
He went on his bike to some place and came back..
Still no sign of Dipu.
He came near me.. smell of liquor - intense smell

A: Evidedo ninte koottukaaran?
R: kaanunnillallo..
A: ngaa.. kaanunnillallo.. enthonna avante peru?
R: Dipu
A: ninakkethra varshamaayittariyaam ?
R: 2 varshamaayittariyaam
A: Sherikkariyaamo avane ?
R: ngaa.. ente room mate aa.. nallonam ariyaam

A: hmm.. evidathu kaaranaa avan ?
R: Kottayam..
A: hmm.. kottayam kaare onnum vishwasikkaan pattilla..
Enthaa avan ithrem thaamasikkunney
(by this time, the tone has changed. it was getting dark. visibility
getting lower.
and the mechanic's house locked from inside. just me and that man on the road.
a pocket road. no one in the vicinity. mosquitoes flying around and biting.
no street lights nearby)

R: avanu bike odikkaan athra nannaayittonnum ariyilla. ini engaanum ?
A: engaanum ??
R: evideyenkilum idichu kaanumo ?
A: nee keru . namukkonnu poyi nokkam.. ithangane vittaal pattilallo.

I have no other option but to get on the bike.




I recollect screaming my heart out on the Tora Tora in VGP, Chennai.
And on the worm rides.. Very scary..

I thought those were the scariest things on wheels.
i was wrongs.
This guy and his bike are even more scary.

A drunkard is one who is drunk.
(aah.. thanks for that valuable info)
And he is one who bothers not , of the traffic.
(now that is scary)
Given the power , a yamaha bike can deliver , u can imagine the situation.

he cruised along at stunning terrific speeds.
From pocket roads, he got onto heavy traffic main roads, at full throttle.
At one instance, I thought about jumping off the speeding bike.
But didnt do that..

We went straight to a bar!
Enuff to scare the hell out of me.
I dont drink. Is he gonna force me ?
Luckily he did not.
He parked the bike and grabbed me by my shoulder and got in.
I remember he tendering a 20 rupee note for a drink.

Aargh.. it was full of smoke and a filthy smell inside..
I wanted to get out..
I thought I will cry loud so that other ppl will help me.
But dint do that.. My sound wont come out at all.

Finally he got out.
Back on bike. me on back..
I'd lost all hope.
I was almost sure that this will land both of us into a hospital.
Such was his rash riding..

We went to the nearest petrol pump. No dipu.
I started breaking down, from inside..
And signs started showing up on my face..

He started cursing Dipu in bad words..
His anger was clearly visible in his riding.

At times he would say
"nee avante koode nadakkanda.. avan chathiyanaa.. Kottayam kaaranalley.."

Finally we reach back to the mechanic's house.

To my greatest relief, Dipu was there standing by KK's bike.
The man saw Dipu in the dwindling light.

Before Dipu starts of with any excuse, I wanted to warn him, lest this
guy does some unforeseen actions..
The very structure of my face gave Dipu a first hand info of the situation.
He would have made out that there indeed is something wrong.
And I tried to convey this thru my hand expressions too...
(well, that was not needed, my face told it all)


A: Enthaadaa ninte vichaaram ?
D: Ayyo chettaa.. athu pinney..
A: Vendaa.. nee onnum parayanda.. Edaa ninne kandappozhey enikku thonniyathaa..
mukhathaake oru kallalakshanam.. kottayam kaarellaam ingane thanneyaadaa
D: Chetta.. petrol vaangaan poyappo...
A: Vendaa.. ninnodu njaan orikkal paranju .. mindaruthennu..
Ivan paavamaa.. Eda.. nee avante koode nadakkanda.. kandilley, ninne ingane
ivide ittechu poyathu.. Nee ini ivante koode nadakkaruthu . Nadakkuvo ?
R: Illa.. nadakkilla.

The drunken dark man went on abusing and cursing Dipu.
Thank God, he did not man handle any of us..

Dipu had his bottle filled up at the pump.
He handed it over to the man.
He took it , reluctantly.. but with more dialogues.

A: Edaa.. ninte ee oru kunju paatta petrol inu vendi onnumalledaa njaan vannathu
manushyanmaaraayaal sneham venam.. vishwaasam venam.
paranja vaakkinu vila venam.
enikkenthaa joliyum kooliyum onnumillennu vichaaricho neey ?
ente onnara manikkur veruthey minakkeduthiyille nee..
athinaaru samaadhaanam parayum ?

D: (pocketil kai ittondu) Chettaa.. ithu muzhuvan chettan edutho.
ente kaiyil vere onnumilla.

A: Phaaa.. ninte pichakkaashonnum enikku venda. kondu podaaa ***


After a few more arguments, some how we managed to take ourselves out of that
mess. Dipu on the driving seat. Me on the back.

Dipu gathered that I am in a frenzy. May burst out any time..
He handled the situation nicely..
He kept his kool and speaked in soothing tone.

The bike sped towards the hostel. It was late and nearing 7.30PM
R: nee evide poyathaadaa ? (even the sound was shivering)
D: Da, aa mechanic entho oru tube vaangaan paranjathu orkkunnilley ?
athu vaangaan
poyathaa..
R: Manushan ivide jeevan povaathe nokkumbazha avante ammoommede tube.

Intelligent Dipu kept quiet there after.
I narrated the entire story on the way back to hostel..
He got a grab on the situation. And got an idea on why my face was so much out
of place..

That night, I couldnt have my dinner properly.

And we thought "ee varsham muzhuvan nalla treat aayirikkum"



A very memorable day from my life.
This happened 4 years back, and I could write it down event-by-event even on
this day !