The Best Girlfriend

"You are the bro type! I would be surprised if your wife doesn't bro-zone you!!!"
Words of my favourite sister a couple of days before Raksha Bandhan
Never understood if it was a gift or a curse?
So identical they seem at times - Compliment and insult
(Especially when the point of reference is the Chalu King)

Never an insult for me. Especially 'cuz it came from a sis!
Why do I love them so much?
They give me love support and care and blah, blah, blah....
That's never the reason. But there is a reason

Even after 30 blog posts, only these sisters ask, "When's the next one?"
Or maybe, "I was expecting one yesterday!" (Perverted eyes - Turn away!)
Invariably - they are the first ones to read these... (May God Save Them)
So intense a read, they even ask doubts!

So much pride when I am asked to write the intro for a souvenir
(Even though that sister managed to put my name out of the "print area")
Or when I am called for to present the Legendary "Corporate Kadhaprasangam"
(Even though that never happened)
Or when she sings me the entire "Happy Birthday" song over phone...

Marvellous people, who never agree with me - Ever!
You promised to call, but then atleast you sent an sms
You promised to come with me for a movie,
Atleast you never broke the promise (just postponed it.... for a loooong time)
And your hunt to find me a date - So Adorable

The card she made me (not the e-card... but yeah, that was touching too)
An entire page with Birthday Wishes, each word in a different colour
Seriously, not even in my wildest nightmares will I put so much effort.
When you ask me over and over again, not to go back
When you shed tears as I leave...

Amazing angels - colleagues and classmates
Here - to you - to The Best Girlfriend, I give this gift
The call me Buji, they call me Chalu,
But when you tie a Rakhi - That's when I feel most proud

With lots of love
A promise to protect and care
And to Love forever
Yours only

Ramon Dharma Rajan
Love

One Day - No longer a myth

The best way to start this article would be with reference to "Ingnited Minds" by the great Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. He talks about the nation having a goal, and a 100 years back when we had the strive for independence in every breath of life, that was indeed a golden era. The era that witnessed Mahatma Gandhi, CV Raman, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, BR Ambedkar, JRD Tata, Bhagat Singh and so many more from different walks of life, ambition in their eyes, wisdom in their mind and dedication in their hearts; dedication for the cause they stood for, for the glory and honour of their nation and an unflinching yearn for unmatched perfection that always caught the eye of the world. A 100 years back we had a goal, a goal that was satisfied 67 years back. And now we are aimless.

Little wonder that post independence India has produced so fewer names that match the likes of Tagore or Gandhi. Tendulkar, Bachan, the Khans and the Kapoors have left their mark on world history, but does that 'mark' even compare to the 'spotlight' the Mahatma left us in? Has any writer's voice surpassed the echo of Tagore's music? Dr. Kalam stated the ultimate fact by saying that "what plagued the nation is a lack of ambition" (I am not quoting his words but only reproducing his message). He is right, we are on survival mode now. Get rid of poverty (definition of which is so sadistic), have a literate population (not educated. Just literate!), clean up the bureaucracy and to hell with corruption. Such menial goals! And these are goals of the cream layer of the country. This is what the GREAT Leaders of our nation want. Laymen still stick to a job in US and a happy married life. The Untouchables give shit about dignity!

"We are a billion people! Can't we come up with 11 *** guys to make a team", astonished Russell Peters said in one of his stand ups when talking about how India never made it to the FIFA World Cup. Another article on same page in the internet read, "India, a sleeping giant for Football"! Spot on! Our nation is a sleeping giant. 1.2 Billion idiots who define success as working for school dropouts in a nation that was discovered by someone in search of OUR COUNTRY! A nation that has hypocrisy imbibed in its genes. Yeah, we are against dynasty politics but the position of Prime Ministership is always reserved for the Previous Minister's son. I mean, how many people you know have said, "My ambition is to become the Prime Minister of the Country"?  The Indian middle class has turned into an Engineer (/ Doctor / Chartered Accountant) producing factory!

And this was an article I intended to write 2 years back. 2 years and 8 days to be precise. And after that, I turned 18. Became a citizen, responsible for the faults and flaws of the sub-continent. No more asking questions, no more pointing fingers, no more accusations and complaints. My generation has taken charge now. We run the nation now. Myself being a Chartered Accountant (very soon), is not just a product of the middle class Indian factory, but a solution for the deprived millions! For us corruption is not just Coalgate and 2G, it is also downloading pirated movies, cheating in exams, driving without a licence and all that. We know the difference between education and literacy, we know how to tackle globalisation, how to turn the tide. Communism is not all about banishing technology from our land, but it is the process of empowering the people with technology so that computers in turn generate more employment. Equality is not, "You can't live in luxury, because the rest of the country can't afford it". Now equality is, "You live in luxury? So make sure the rest of the nation does too!"

A new dawn has come, one with a serious task at hand. I am just a voice, speaking for so many others. Generations behind us have spoke of, "One day, when India will become a super-power", thoroughly convinced that "One Day" is a mere figment of imagination! This generation has one thing to say - One Day is no longer a Myth

Love

A Rainy Tale

Rain - Nature's most amazing miracle. One dimensional motion of water, from top to bottom, but it comes around our lives in so many dimensions, almost defining the phase of our life. Think about it: an enemy for toddlers, deny Jack his day of play in the park, with friends and folk under the bright sun in a gay day. A rival for kids - splashing puddles and beating the storm when you forget to take an umbrella (some of us walk naked in the rain even if we have an umbrella!). A friend for teenagers; remember your rocket science maths lessons, the villainous teacher scratching her chalk on the black board - you know how busted you will get for not paying attention. But when equations go over the roof and you in search of solace, you notice water sliding over the slanting roofs of your school and flushing down in front of the classroom; the elegant streamlined flow of water; droplets dangling on the window, as you wait for it to gain mass and drip on your fingers. Rain as a friend who saves you from boring maths classes. And finally - rain, your lover! "Walking in the moonlight, I am thinking of you. Listening to the raindrops I am thinking of you!!!" And then college gets over, you get a job, and this same old rain comes back to ruin your drive to office. The Cycle continues...

Waiting at the bus-stop in the rain - such a sigh of relief when you see your bus coming approaching, "Finally, I can shove my umbrella back in my bag and escape the rain!" Seriously guys, you would have loved to see the expression on my friend's face when he got into the bus and found water leaking on his shirt. RIOT! Tragic traffic to top it off, so a journey that might have taken us 10 minutes on a fine sunny day took us half an hour on this leaky rainy day. As a CA student who skipped college and jumped into work life, I always consider office as college. But looking at the hard time the Goddesses are giving me with their showers from up above, seems I have actually missed a phase of life!

We got off the bus - rain has subsided and we were relived from the leaky ass jammed vehicle. "Do you want me to drop you somewhere?" It was still drizzling and I thought courtesy demanded I offer him a ride in my umbrella. He politely declined and we bid adeu like good friends. "Cya later SUCKER!!!" About turn and march towards my humble home.

Seriously, Chennai is a disaster when it rains. So much of slush and mud and puddles and more slush, all of this amidst the never ending metro rush. And the army of homeless cripples who have found shelter under the bridge and along the pavements - the Govt. is doing nothing to improve infrastructure, forgivable. Leaving these helpless souls to fend for themselves, atrocious! I mean, that is my policy, forget development, forget economy, the least a government has to do is make sure no one stays hungry. The basic right to live is being denied in this nation.

But every time I swear at the Govt, my conscience stings me, "You blame the Govt? What good are you doing for the nation!?" I hate my conscience. Doesn't a man have the right to even blame a stranger. I mean, come on guys, you all know how much relief it gives you, fall in trouble, blame a stranger, end of story -so simple. But O NO! My conscience wouldn't allow me to sin. Not only will it stop me from throwing the blame on the authorities, but it has to point towards the blind cripple laying on the road.... beaten by rain.... ignored by passers by.... "What can I do?" Obviously, when you are given a task, what is the first thing you do? Come up with an excuse the shelve the task (Yes, now you believe that I have an office life don't you?). But O NO! My conscience has to show me a plank of wood lying on the ground, just an arms length away from the beggar. So if I lift it up and have it lean against the wall next to which the beggar lies, I would have given him shelter from the rain. But that means I have to cross the road (you know T.Nagar rush in the evening right!), pick up the plank which is lying on the ground (Pinnacle of hygiene), and God bless me if the plank falls on that man. Well then, *SIGH*, there is no running away from you conscience. I set off on my task.

And success! The wrinkled cripple is saved for the day. I bow down to look at his face, a show of relief would be reward enough for me. As I bend down for a closer look at the "damsel in distress" I had rescued, an SUV drove past, splashing the flood all over the two of us, and before I could turn around to swear at the bloody blundaleomite, I saw the worn out human body crumbling into pieces. Like a castle of sand, the man, piece by piece, flowed away with the water, and as each bit drained out of his body, he started to glow! Hatching from an egg that the body seemed to be, a glow of light popped up in the year. Was it actually silent or was I just too mesmerized by the miracle I was witnessing. The plank fell down and I stood straight, to see this.... thing.... flutter higher up to reach my eye level.

"TINKER BELL", I screamed in my head, and the fairy smiled. Fairy, not pixie; similar to Tinker Bell, but not the same, an Indian version maybe. Actually it looked more similar to the fairy in Tom 'n Jerry, the one who gives Jerry a magic potion that makes him invisible... yeah, that one. A pink frock and a star tipped wand. And a beautiful woman, just as big as Tinker Bell. "Such a nice boy!" It squeaked! I shocked (Too shocked to even notice Grammar). "Here's the least, I can do for you", and the fairy touched my head with the tip of her head and fluttered off towards the pregnant clouds.

"Thank God I found you!" Rain had turned into storm. Horns were blaring around me. My umbrella was held high and under it.... she.... *ME NAME IS POTATO*

I saw her face right next to mine; she brushed her wavy hair, wet and yet beautiful, behind her ear, leaving just two locks of hair dancing in front of her eyes. Her eyes, like peacocks dancing in the rain, like a doe in the grasslands, like a swan in the pond..... Like Sruthi Hasan (Now you get it?). She looked at me and with one upward motion of her eyes, "What happened?"

What happened? To hear your voice, I waited an year! Sitting across the room in the same office, unable to approach you, unable to talk to you. The eternal brain vs heart conflict had denied me the opportunity of being close to you. As my heart had fallen for you on the first day of articleship, but my brain never gave me the strength to come close to you.

And now here you are! Her fingers curled around mine to clutch the umbrella, her body pressed against mine to flee the rain and her eyes on me, it spoke everything. "Thank you", her eyes (accompanied by those stunning full lips) said.

All of a sudden, every curse turned into a blessing. I held her arm to help her through the pits and puddles, the most generous crowd of Chennai squeezed us together, and the rain, it had finally become my lover. I held her by the shoulder and guided her through the crowd. "So, what brings you here?" I finally asked with all my courage, and she gave a detailed, well illustrated, elaborated explanation which totally went over my head. But her voice, listening to that is always melody. And the fact that she is talking to me. ME! Cloud 9 it is baby.

When that lecture got over, I managed to ask her another question. Then another one. And then another one. And she kept speaking, and speaking and speaking. Finally, an awkward silence. The awkward silence. I looked at her face, and maybe its because I was, I saw her blushing. I finally decided to say it. "You look beautiful!" I said it in my mind. Practised again. Carefully modulated the pitch and the tone and was ready to fire. I opened my mouth and BMW stopped right beside us. A Fair and Lovely Gents model (he looked like one!) stepped out of the vehicle and this woman, rushed through the rain to give him a tight hug. He pressed her against himself and opened the door for her. And they both drove off.

Right next me a beggar lay on the road, bathing in the rain, unable to move. I swore at him until my lungs gave out and marched away.

Love

A New Beginning

Night 10:20, just had dinner at a Burgerman stall and walked back home. Thanks to a very decent SUV driver who was courteous enough to splash a puddle on me, I had to wash my feet before opening the laptop, and thus, now the time is 10:39; 81 minutes to midnight. And at midnight, the earth would have completed one more rotation, one more day would have passed. And exactly one month would have elapsed... June 12th, 2013 - The first batch of GMCS 1 at Thiruvananthapuram got over. This is the 4th post in my story, and in the very first post I had mentioned that these 15 days were the climax of a story. I was wrong. These fifteen days were the beginning of a magnificent saga. GMCS 1 was the beginning of a generation that will change the world, an era that make its mark on history, a story that will be retold by every generation to come. What happened at GMCS? A New Beginning.

The very last competition at our course, a Quiz contest. We win it and we would be on top of the table, tied along with 3 other teams. And until the last round, "where the sun kisses the sea" was leading. Until the last round, where the Tour Guide ruined our dreams by screaming out answers from the crowd, and we had to settle for second place by a margin of 5 points. Just 5! And the next day, there was a tie breaker between 3 teams - the high flyers, the proverb guys and the mountain guys; and although Mr. GMCS got confused about his sex, the mountaineers ended up on top. We all cheered, although The Editor might have been the only one who cheered with full spirit, there was no disappointment . For it was battle well fought. We gave it everything for each competition. Not a single game was played half-heartedly and until the last day the fight was on. 8 giants had collided against each other, and that created the real blast at GMCS. And on the last day I learnt 2 important lessons:-
1. Put up your best fight- and nobody cares where you end up. Can't explain this one. The sweetness of failure, that is something you have to feel... and enjoy.

2. Cheer for the victory of others, just as you care for your own. Now this one might sound a little Biblical (Love thy neighbour as thyself), and I could never heed this advice unless I had seen it with my very own eyes. The Zeal with which The Editor screamed her puny lungs out for every other team out there, cheered for them with all her heart, no terms and conditions applicable - that was the greatest sight I had seen, the best advice I got! 

You are right, there was a lot of action in there. The rivalry, the team spirit, getting geared up every morning and switching into Action Mode. That was fun to watch. And it is an amazing story to tell. But it doesn't have the magic. It doesn't have the pixie dust that will keep the story alive - I mean, most of my GMCS classmates who read this blog won't even remember all the competitions, and it's just been one month down the line. The magic of the story, the subtle flick of the wand - that happened when 48 of us stood up for the great man who walked left the podium. The wizardry happened when a great soul opened his gift box and said, "Thanks!" The potion was complete when we danced like never before at 6pm.

The culturals were over, the award ceremony was done with, certificates were distributed and the dignitaries had left the dias. 48 of us were left with each other. Treasure's eyes turned red, she started crying. There was a lot of hugging and shaking of hands. We exchanged phone numbers, promised to keep in touch and hesitantly, hoping that time would freeze forever, not wanting to leave, ever; we walked towards the door. Whether by accident, or on purpose, one of us turned on the music - OPPA GANGNAM STYLE!

This is not an abrupt end. I feel this is the most fascinating beginning! True, I struggle for words as I speak with a heavy heart, filled with memories of our great times. But that is not the reason I stop. I stop with hopes and dreams, of the great days that are to follow. For this is not a story about memories and nostalgia, it is about the bright new morning that lay ahead. Filled with action... and lots and lots and lots of...

Love

Waiting for Love

The day I fell in love with her... that was the day we were informed that the previous GMCS batch went for a tour during the course. So why not us? And since then, every time our dearest Chairman or any institute staff passes by, my classmates go, "Saaar... TOOOOOOR!?!?!?!?"

Collecting money from all the students, reconciling the physical cash balance, making payments to the concerned parties and reconciling the 100 rupees difference (which almost took my life. Not the money, but the disappointment in handling things. However, we got the money back), that was a fun thing to do. But the most beautiful part came, when we used the balance cash to buy our mentors a gift. The smile on their faces when they opened the box - Priceless! That was the least we could do guys, the smallest token of our infinite love for you.

Coming back to the heart of the story, Our GMCS Tour - Special thanks to our dearest tour guide who... I guess arranged everything! And special mention to my favourite Miss GMCS who took the initiative and went forward with it, everyday. Without you, this wouldn't have been possible sis! No, but that isn't the heart of this story; the heart of this story is.... not yet, we will have to wait for it... a little more.

We saw the epitome of excitement as 45 of us assembled at the institute to take head-count. The energy was physical, the pulse was reverberating in the crowd, and even as I was busy arranging the cash (and stealing glimpses at her) I was overwhelmed by the joy around me. Special appearances by our dear Manager and the Great Bald Wizard, took things to a whole new level (although we dearly missed our Long Hair Wizard). And as we got into the bus, everything spilled out.... correction, exploded like a volcano..... correction again, a simile is just unfair, because that batch of 50 literally had the power of a volcano. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Off the bus and on the boat towards a majestic island resort, and the beauty in which I was at that moment - Yes, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. This is the right time tell you about the heart of this story, my wait for love. A couple of days back during our class on motivation, when some nitwit numbskull bloody blundaleomite commented that I had no feelings for women, my eyes darted towards her in a flash, and she did catch my eyes. I was quick to turn away, because her eyes... I could get lost. When I made my presentation about the love story of a nerd, so many where quick to hypothesize my school time love life, nobody cared to look at the angel (a little too cheesy? alright...), the girl, sitting right across. The most beautiful woman, blah blah blah.... she is none of that. She is pretty in her own way, sweet voice; but something mysterious stole my heart. Else, friendship wouldn't get so complicated. Else, I wouldn't miss her so much, even today!

Well, no soapy romantic story is going to steal the fun out of our L-E-G-E-N-D-A-R-Y tour! What did it all start with? The girls started off with the kids park, guys (except Sania) missed out on that one. I still remember walking into the resort, the floating rooms, the park, the volley ball court, each scenery trying to outdo the previous one, and yes, with a lot of success. And then came the reception, quite majestic, no doubt. And just when we thought the glamour was getting over, we walked across the pool to the restaurant, where the most courteous waiters served us juice, and the most mannerless children gulped it down, glass after glass. Bats, balls (of all sizes) and badminton rackets were provided and we were quick to split up, girls picked up the badminton rackets and guys went for the cricket bats. And the games began! Played until the last drop of energy drained out for our body, clicked until the last bit of charge was oozed out of the camera and laughed as if we never knew sorrow. When food was served and the waiters and waitresses were smart enough to move out of the way, because the mob that attacked knew no mercy.

Water splashed against the shore; I guess there were around 20 of us who wet our legs in the beach. The great Kalakaran flaunted his expertise with the camera and Sania it seems got some classic shots clicked. But I was engrossed in the way my friend (yeah, we can call her that for the time being) waited for the waves to touch her toes. Now I don't know why a lot of people get irritated, but the wait, that is something special. Waiting for her to come online, waiting for her to pick up the phone, waiting for her to answer your text... sounds like gibberish to you? Alright then, waiting for your favourite computer game to load, waiting for the lights to go off and the movie to start, waiting for your superstar's movie to release, waiting for the chat making guy to prepare your dahi puri, waiting for exams to get over... Waiting - get soaked in that emotion at every opportunity you get, it's worth it!

Topped it off with a game of volleyball and a siesta in one of the half a dozen hammocks tied around. Had a marathon Chalu Adi Competition on the way back. And in the bus, I once again, six months after the Wayanad Journey, shed my inhibitions to take the dance floor. Bidding farewell to my friends, hoping I will never have to, I too got off the bus. Wanted to say something to her, wanted to say everything to her. But... let's wait. I am enjoying this. Falling in love!

Love

Lessons put to the Test

Never follow a girl - that is the lesson I learnt today. And how I learnt that lesson, that is a story worth telling.

It all started when my roommate and I decided to have lunch. Yes, in your bachelor life that is a major decision to take, a choice you must make as many a times the amount of energy spent in going out in the hot sun, walking all the way to the place wherever you get hygenic food and coming back consumes more calories than what you get from the lunch you eat. However, having regard to my dearest Mom's insistence, and keeping in mind the scoldings of my other relatives (I am talking about you Akkaji, from Anna Nagar, Chennai) I decided to go to Hotel Kumarakom, Nungambakkam. And I was right on time, for the training I received at GMCS is unforgettable. Never, never ever again in my life and the next seven lives that I will live, will I want to propose a guy.

You don't know that story? Well, it was also a magic done by our dear trainers at GMCS, walk into the class late and you will greeted with an applause. And as the days passed, they casted a more powerful spell - any person who walked into the class after Miss Punctuality - the most punctual girl of our class (Peak of Sarcasm intended), had to go up front and accept any Punishment that the class gives you. Mr. Muscleman had to milk a cow. And when he was late again, he had to propose to me. And yeah, I was late too, so I had to propose to him too. Chicken girl had to describe her dream boy (apparently she wants a chef whose name starts with 'J' and earns... how much was it, 2 Lakhs per month? Good Luck with that. And yeah, interested candidates can apply) and Mr Appukuttan had to perform an item song along with Titanic Boy (Refer the photo on Facebook taken at Poovar Resort. Yeah, the short one) and with our great Tour guy. Well, that was a really Gay performance, hats off guys. And on another occasion Mr. Appukuttan had to describe his Dream Girl (that's pretty easy actually. He has set the bar really low). And Miss Beautiful Smile had to sing for any five guys from the class (By the way, LOVE the song you sang to me :D) 

So you may conclude that anyone who attended that class will never ever be late for anything in their lives. Or their next seven lives, that is if you live again. Life after death is a topic of contention and one of our beloved friends gave a well informed presentation on that topic - 7 forms of heaven and 7 forms of hell and all that. The editor might recall having wanted to go to the 7th form of hell as she was expecting her friends over there (Good Luck sis). And there was of course the the really fun presentation by Chalusha on Paranormal activity. Man, did I have fun sneaking on my teammates and scaring the guts out of them while Chalusha was describing some ghosts spotted at Technopark. I have to give it to you sis, you did create the effects.

So, coming back to my story, I reached the restaurant on time, it was not my fault. Well, what happened was, the Manager at the hotel informed us that we would have to wait for around 15 minutes to I decided to go some place else to get a drink in the mean time (those of you who know Chennai might very well know what happens to your body when you are outside for 5 minutes. Serious Dehydration). I repeat, I was not late, the Manager was early! We got a seat right away, but we had gone to get our juice (and to those vile minds who thought drinks meant liquor... :P), so we missed our chance. We had to come back to the restaurant and wait another 10 minutes. And those 10 minutes changed my life. Well, that is just way too melodramatic. It changed my day.

All of you must definitely recall The Buji Love Story! Those of you not familiar with it, it was a powerpoint presentation I did, narrating a story about a nerd falling in love with a nerd. Now I am not saying that I am a nerd, I am not saying I am not a nerd, but just like I said in the story, a smoking hot chick sat right across me, waiting for lunch. Why me? And ofcourse (I have no idea who said I am not interested in girls in our class on motivation. You have no idea how WRONG you were), I sat there staring at the girl (just as I said in the story). And that's when I decided the revise on the lecture notes I had taken on one of the presentations at GMCS. I bet everybody had taken notes on that presentation. The one by Miss Beautiful Smile on What girls look for in guys! And there, at that moment, wearing an orange t-shirt and black shorts, with bulging incisors and an idiotic pair of glasses, I had an epiphany - I suck!

What a tragic thing to say!? I suck? After having heard all those wonderful advices, from my amazing friends, how could my confidence level go down. You remember all the advices we got right. The best has to be from Dracula boy, I mean the way he fought his introverted character was something I could connect a look up to. That story really helped me, not to become an extrovert, but to become an outgoing introvert, someone who speaks confidently and speaks to anyone. And the way he brought down his weight, truly inspirational. On the other hand we have the wonderful advice by the 2 marks girl, who cried her eyes out for the 2 marks she lost in her 12th standard exam. That was classic. WOW! And Appukuttan had an emotional story to share with us. And the one by our Kalakaran was truly heart touching. You have come a long way buddy. Mission Impossible girl though had a tough timing walking up to the stage, but I guess she ended up to be the one who spoke the most! No, that was in her speech about A.R.Rahman that she went on speaking, with the crowd and to the crowd. Not to forget ofcourse, the advice that Mr. Pucham shared with us. Never will I make fun of a guy who just had a break-up.

And recalling all those things my friends shared with me, I decided to ahead and stare at the girl. And me, being a little less professional at staring at girls, was caught. I saw her looking back at me and the expression on her face was a little less than friendly. Reminds you of the one of those situations where you wish nobody saw you.

One of those situations was our group performance. An awesome competition, where every team had to come forward, pick a lot and based on the topic given, you had to perform then and there. Our topic was "Your choice" and although it was deemed to be the easiest topic, it turned out to be the hardest as we had no idea as to what to do. And we ended doing the things we were worst at, as in, I danced! Well, you get a picture of how bad things went. However some of the other teams brought fire to the stage.

The team lead by Chicken girl for instance gave us a treat to watch. Renjini Haridas, Sheela and Jayan were simply cracking, and Suresh Gopi was out of the world. Proverb team also gave us a beautiful circus, a tough topic executed in style. Although the way Appukuttan ran with Carnatic Song guy was again, Gay. Music with Body Muscles, brilliantly executed! And the Cat Walk was truly sexy!

And that is teamwork, coming up with a performance right away, no matter what the circumstance. Long hair Sir rightly said it, its about how your team gells in. That creates magic, and it did in my story too, where my roommate did his best to help me get the girl. His advice was gold. "The first step", he told me, "is to be patient".

"So I fall sick?", a chaluvan would ask, but I didn't, for I knew that patience is the best virtue. The game on Fishing, 'Moving the ball through the path with a hockey stick' and Bowling taught me that. You had be patient and tactful. Patient as in, not to get frustrated when things don't go your way. That happened with the game of moving the ball with the hockey stick. Impatience meant defeat. Chalusha did a smooth job over there and so did our dear Miss GMCS. Also how Miss GMCS threw the ball during bowling was commendable as she was the only one in her team who cared to throw slowly. And remember the way the Tour Guide guy dived in through the tables to get the ball during bowling - Magnificent. Also, did you guys notice how our singer boy (aka AC boy) was carefully looking at how the other teams were fishing and tactfully planned their game. Fishing was probably the epitome of patience. You had to wait, either till the fish caught the hook, or till you got the right strategy.

We decided on our strategy to woo the girl. "Wait patiently, and when the opportune moment comes, you talk to her. Talk to her, without a pause, without a jerk and without any grammar mistakes most importantly. Can you do that?"

Yes I can. I have done that for JAM. But even more fun was GD and Story telling. Our story telling team wen to the toilet like 20 times and woke up from the dream 8 times. We created Inception part 8. The other blogger did a creative job with the switch in the head and invisibility. Singer boy was somehow interested in spying on his Naked Boyfriend! Group discussion too had flair. Everybody learnt and improved when they were done with their round, certain of that I am.

I stood up to go and talk to her, just when the waiter informed me that I had to leave the restaurant as there was a long queue waiting for a seat. And I was happy to chicken out, as in, I ran out of there, out of fear. "Dude, go talk to her", he adviced me again. "What is she slaps me across the face?" I asked. "Then we run like crazy!

Running I can do. I ran with my friend carrying a girl on a chair. So if my crush doesn't talk to me, I can very well grab her chair and run away. But that ofcourse would be a pain on my back for a week. I very well remember how the Kalakaran and I ran, carrying the editor, how the editor picked up the wrong sheet of paper and we had to run twice as much! That competition also created history, where in one of the teams, a girl picked a guy and ran. Hats off Miss GMCS. Hang on tight Sania. Keep up to your Captain Disaster Management guy. Woah, that was a rush!

Having given up on the girl, we decided to forget her and walk to the nearest mall. Now either I am extremely hot, or God is playing some cruel joke with me, but the beautiful girl I was staring at walked right into the mall. And we decided to follow her aka stalk her. Just like how we ran in the balloon running contest. The distance had to be right. The runners are too close and the balloon bursts, as in, bursts on your face in this context. The distance increases and the balloon drops. Chalusha did that like a piece of cake! And not to mention, focus. You had to keep your eyes only on the target. Nothing should distract you. That was one contest we could have won, had Miss GMCS not challenged me. But no complaints, I was, and still am proud of accepting that challenge - walking blind eyes through the maze. Appukuttan, I have no idea how you did what you did. Kudos man!

And finally we come to the amazing climax of my story. We stalk her all through the mall, And I will be surprised if she didn't notice. And when the girl walks out, we again follow her. We follow her all the way to the junction where she catches an Auto Rickshaw and dashes away on one side, while on the other, our bus -29B, the one that passes by only once in a couple of hours, just went along. Missing the bus meant waiting for another 2 hours, so we chased it (me half heartedly, I wanted to chase the Auto), and me missed the bus. And finally we ended up walking from Nungambakkam to T.Nagar! Thus, I say this once again, never follow a girl!

Love

Sheeaaeeyyyy!!!

I know my sister is going to kill me for this title, but I guess its pretty good. Don't know why, but I really love that sound - Sheeaayy!! So musical, so rhythmic - thank you, whoever taught me this song. Sheayy!

Now if you are busy, or you don't have the patience, or you are not in the mood, please do not scroll down. Because I am going to write about something beautiful... No, I am going to write about the most beautiful thing. The happiest thing, the most magical thing, and I am going to slog like a "Lazy Reader's" worst nightmare. And those of you who have dared to scroll further down, don't hurry. Read is word by word, read it aloud and talk to yourself. And read it again. How many of you love Paneer? Don't you know, when you go to some exotic hotel and order a Paneer dish, you lick up all the gravy with the main dish, but you save Paneer for last. And nobody just gulps down those soft, juicy pieces of cottage cheese. You bite it in half to marvel at the pure white centre. You play it in your fingers, you cuddle it in your mouth, you feel softness in your hand and slowly put it in your mouth again, and like the girl who eats cadbury silk smeared all over her mouth, you close your eyes and for one moment, you wander off to a white juicy Paneer World. Getting lost in what you do, it gives a wand's touch to it. Are you ready now? Shall I begin my story?

"What is the rate of depreciation for Windmill as per Schedule XIV?"
"15.33 sir..."
It was 10.34, and that pretty much made my day. I am not exaggerating over here, my Principal made my cry for that one. And this had come to be a routine affair for around two months (Not the crying, but pretty much everything else). Two Devastatingly tragic months of Final Audit! Deadly Final Audits. But like every story, this one too had a happy ending. And that happy ending, that epic climax lasted for 15 days.

Got back to Trivandrum 3 days in advance, and I was looking forward to 3 weeks of good food and great slumber. "Sit in the last bench, preferably behind some really tall guys", this was the advice I received before attending my classes, And I was afraid it was going to be true. I mean, teamwork, public speaking, presentations, leadership, communication, motivation... It would take nothing less than a SUPERHERO to keep you awake in those classes (wonder what you will call people who kept us running around the hall carrying people sitting on chairs in a "lecture" on "teamwork")
So, holding by breathe, hoping for the best and expecting the worst I got into the classroom, the third storey of the building which is my home outside home, shortly accompanied by the dance master simple dressed Appukuttan (who was also my only friend in the class back then). After a brief chit chat and hi-hi's our faculties walked into the room and started with the formalities, welcome speech, blah-blah-blah, and finally the dignitaries handed over the mike to the teacher for the day, who - Okay, okay, I understand, you are deperate for the Hero's introduction scene huh? Well, I'll just complete this and - no? You want the heroes now? Right away? Well, you are right, I myself can't hold the temptation. So, Fast forward, fast forward - Attitude, Higher conscious level, more attitude and more sleep (it was a session on attitude) - Fast Forward, fast forward - STOP!
                                                       THE EAGLE HAS LANDED!
Two gentlemen walked into the room. The first - handsome man, well built, balding head and dressed in formals (I guess he was wearing a tie) - a typical corporate guy, and an obvious MBA, walked towards the front of the room to address the class. And the other, I didn't even notice his face that day, only that camera that he was using caught my eye. Long hair (Bet he grew it to make the other guy jealous), unshaven beard, thinner than the other dude and almost the same height. And yeah, he too was formal (I guess, I don't remember how he looked the first day, but it is almost impossible to picture him in casuals).
"Deyy, these MBA guys will ruin it. They don't like Chartered Accountants and use opportunities like to screw them", this was the first thing I was told about those two gentlemen. Was it Appukuttan or Mr. Puchham who said it. Or maybe Disaster Mgt dude, or Chettikulangara guy, or the other blogger. One of them, they were the ones sitting around me that day.
"Okay, I am..." the bald guy introduced himself and his friend and this was what happened in the classroom.
"What's that? Sinju and Tuntu?"
"Aa, Sanji and Jenthu, angane enganda?"
"Samsung and Tintu, athu mathi!"
And then they pulled out their wands, and cast their first spell - "Self Introduction". Oh you think there is nothing magical, you don't need a wand, huh? Making 50 of us volunteer to go up, yes, 90% of us went forward voluntarily and dance in front of a crowd. Many of them even hearing of "Dance" for the first time in their life. It starts...
(Special mention to Appukuttan for his classic dance and also to the girl who asked the boys to dance with her. Kudos Yaar!)

That evening was... mediocre. And the next morning was also... mediocre. We were taught about communication and... something else also. And the next day afternoon, we had our favourite CA Chechi with her dose of games and fun. I don't know from where she got those ideas, but she did a bravo job in entertaining us! Not to mention the poor girl who sat in "a Chinese Shoe in New York City" Chinese Shoe! Wow, that was something else (It was a game were the person sitting in the last row was shown a sentence and that person had to whisper the sentence in the next person's ear and so on till it reached the guy in the first row. The actual sentence was something about a girl with a shiny blah blah blah in New York). And then we had a game were we had tofind out with non-verbal communication what card the other person was holding (every person was given a card at first) and arrange ourselves as Clubs, Spade, Hearts and Diamonds. And then a discussion about whom to donate a kidney, we had to choose out of 15 great personalities any 4 recepients of kidney, just in case all 15 of them had kidney failure together and there were only 4 kidney available. And yes, P.T. Usha anyday deserves a kidney, more than Viswanath Anand. And the best of all, perform a skit. Kudos to the performance by the great Sania! What a way to get a termination. And ofcourse the Chicken girl and Miss GMCS for their performance. That was stylish (and more importantly, they were on my team that day ;) )

Did I forget to tell you guys how the bald man and how the long hair guy absconded after giving so many promises. Divided into teams, competition, Golden Ticket, Mr. GMCS, Malappuram Kathi, Bofors Thokk... They promised us all this and kept us wait for 1 full day! Yeah, they did tell us that we would have to wait, but still, not fair. We want that one day also! WE WANT ONE MORE DAY!!!
Anyways, they returned on Wednesday (I was not kidding - I am getting that one day back by all means!). And we went to Hogwarts. Got separated into teams and I was clubbed with a group of complete strangers. Well, ofcourse I knew Mission Impossible girl, she was with me for CPT classes. And yeah, the great editor of our prestigious magazine (If you haven't heard of the magazine, I am not surprised :P), I knew her too. And the idea person (I will tell you how she got that name later), she was with me for orientation classes. And even before we got to know each other, we had out first task in hand - Prepare a logo for your team.

Enter Kalakaran and Idea Person. Kalakaran, because he can create art out of anything. Literally anything from ice-cream sticks to "GMCS" written on sand! And Idea person, because while five of us were fumbling for ideas and the most ridiculous names popped into our heads, this girl came up with an array of beautiful names. We only had to choose what we choose best. And we did!
Then came the introducing part. It was quite stunning how some turned a proverb into a name. And they did struggle to create a logo out of it! And of course, the cliches, more than one team had to rise out of the ashes. Warriors of colosseum caught our hearts with their simplicity, while two pretty lamps and the Hindi script was really elegant. My favourite though were the mountaineers, and they did reach the top!
And then came the team launch, my debut at compering. And we had a good kickstart for our team with a beautiful classical dance - kudos chechi, you always take my heart away with those steps! A simple skit and a cute dance, we wrapped things up. There were group songs, group dances and everything else, but bottom line, every single team outdid themselves. Nobody voted for the best, but I really liked the team that pulled the joke on Samsung and Tintu! 

So, that's GMCS for you. 50 kids, 15 days and 2 legends with LOADS OF FUN. Lots of Excitement, Lots of learning, Lots of Confidence, Lots of nostalgia and an eternity of Love. That was GMCS. It was the Best advice I got, it was the most beautiful place I have been to, It was about the Indians of the Century. I don't think I will ever stop writing about GMCS, not anytime soon, that's for sure. There is a LOT more coming, so stay tuned!

Love