For the College Pals

"A new place always comes with one certainty, that it'll get you new friends." Truly speaking I wasn't a firm believer in the aforementioned, reason being simple, I hardly befriend people. One of those kinds who waits for others to befriend him. ;-) [ even though it isn't an appreciable stand to make in public].
Manipal, Karnataka, in the abode of nature, far from the world [ at least to me] was the first place I ever came to live, to study, to spent four vital years of my life. When I look back, this place has given me much, actually a lot more than expected, than hoped. Gave me an engineering degree [ couldn't 've got one anywhere else ;-)], gave me memoirs to cherish and above all, gave me pillars, strong pillars of life, new friends [ not that I've forgotten old ones, "I remember u mates"], friends for a lifetime, friends to cry along, friends who touched my heart, friends who shared and cared. And when it came to an end, I just couldn't make it sink within. The remembrance strolls down the memory lane like a naughty, musical, mystical mane.

Saket: - The boy with a receding hairline, with the little humor he had, he did just fine to make us smile, to make us laugh on each of his expressions, with each of his talks. 
Not that he wasn't talented, his talent would make many a straights feel haunted and wanted. ;)

Bantu: - Dumbbells were his life, seems he wanted a gym in place of his wife. With a body in the making and searching a girl for the taking, he spent his years, with smile and without fear or tear..... ;)

Deva: - The strong armed boy, with hands always on his toy ;) Sometimes frivolous, sometimes serious.. sometimes confident, mostly curious.

Sarkar: - Politician we thought, though he was not. Short and strong, bearded moron. Wandered aimless, clueless to what happened around, singing his songs with a melodious sound. ( He was good, 3rd best after Neel and Me) ;)

Geja: - Poker on the face, poker in the mind, none like him at the game, only him to his kind. Studied like a spree when the ass was on fire, his assignments were done by guys he would hire.

Bora: - Name is not suggestive as the sack himself might appear, cotton bales puffed inside a small sized shirt as if he were a polar bear. Fan of Man U as crazy as any one might be, with the only difference of him taking a bath on a Man U match, the other team would definitely have a sense of glee. :)

Neel: - The guy who looked after the house (We solemnly agreed we'd take care of his :-) ), the maid and the cook; maintained all the records and accounts in his red book. All would unanimously agree, we will never find a manager like HE was.

Raunak: - Slept and woke with the books, studied his notes at every corner and nook. Had a permanent seat even in the public library, if occupied, the occupant would bear the wrath of his fury.

Susman: - Tall and lanky walking in a style unknown to all, his fairness and curls could give a foreign hippie run for his money and balls. Driving was his craze, many claim they have seen him falling in his own maze :)

Kaushal: - Keep me away from girls, their facts, factions, even their furls and pearls ;) The showoff was his digger, which only Don would trigger ;)

Aniket: - They termed him *ay, although the perception now and then would sway. With all the speculation around, he could well be a Michael Jackson, sweet and sound.. slept like the one with all peace in the mind.

Navneet: - Action anna would feel shy seeing his calmness, only a crunch game of cricket would make him feel the stress. Had the power of Bo-Rai-Cho, could frighten the strongest with his this row ;)

Lamba: - Tall and strong boy, was possessive about nothing but his toy. Would hold it tight when in dreams, touch it and he'll scream. ;) Limits he never defined, only one of his kind.

Romesh: - Seemed like a primitive engine when in full swing, most of the times the guy flew even without wings ;) Nice with friends, bad with rogues, frivolous in nature, still to many, a vogue ;)

Baba: - Old man as he was termed to be, with the laughter of a kid, would laugh like a mad even in a class mid. Bearded as tropical rain forest, no hair dresser dared to touch, he loved his body hairs so soo much ;)

Don: - Just for the name he was Don, for many a moron. Nice at heart, had nice etiquette, never heard him fart (not that he didn't). Story teller, better than Shantaram.. with the takiyakalam of "bagal mein churi muh pe ram" ;)

Sebtain: - Fake NRI if I may call him, though was a Bihari and more Indian at heart. Loved his bike to an extent, was on it even when he had in himself the bamboo of the police's tent :)

These were boys, back from college who'd do anything and everything for each others sake (Neel, we are still on with the help we will extend to you :) ).
These were boys who had studied and practiced more of friendship than an engineering curriculum (No wonder none of us remembers what they taught us in class).

But it was easier when friends were down the hallway, I bet everyone wished they always were. If studying was a job with even a meager salary, I bet it'd have been a dream job. But alas, it wasn't and alas we did part.

These were friends you earned, these were friends who'd stand by you even if you hadn't had a word for long. They shared, from talks to food, even to the last morsel. They cared, in backs, in fever and even in the detention cells. They laughed, they drank, even played the wildest pranks. And yet it seems just college friends.

Of course, we maintain friends even after college. Of course, these bonds, forged in time and testing times if I may say will carry through to meaningful, albeit the long distance, albeit the misunderstandings. The idea of not being in touch just seems utterly ridiculous.

We were always in touch, we always are, in the thinnest of smokes that blows out of a cigarette, in the slimmest of pegs that we gulp down listening to a quartet. Just talking doesn't make us in touch, nothing else does the way we feel in the aforementioned.

So go on friends, go on chasing what we never thought of, what we were destined to, with a belief that you'll find us all wherever you want. 

Always and ever after!

Conviction is all you need !

There are times we fail, there are times we emerge victorious, but there aren't many who introspect as to why we fail or why win. For obvious reasons, in this fast moving and ever changing world, which it has come to be, we fail on the thinking part, and if we do think about the aforementioned, we miss out on one big think- CONVICTION. From Lord Rama to Lord Krishna, from Swami Vivekananda to the current missile man of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, all have reverberated the same thing and yet it fails to register on us. I say us here just to include my small fraternity to friends, peers, colleagues and family members, and all who can connect to this.

I always got to hear that a listener is a great man, that all it takes to be knowledgeable is to be a good listener, a good absorbent, to accept knowledge, no matter where and when and how it comes by. 

Sharing here, a beautiful story, contributed by a friend, at a normal eat away, in the wee hours where everything else was ordinary, but the words he spoke resonate even now as I hit the characters of the keyboard to present it. Paramahansa Yogananada (hereafter, referred to as He), an Indian yogi and guru who introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his book, Autobiography of a Yogi. A devout of the Almighty, from the very blossoming times of his, this Indian championed the cause and showed the world the path and reason of one's life. But lets not go into that, because I am afraid, I can't make full justice to his ideals given to the world. Therefore, I stick to the one which probably none thought, and yet it is so ripe that it should at least find a mention even through this effort of mine.


He was always treading a path to reach the Superhuman and of course he did. His desire was too deep to go unnoticed, when one fine day his elder brother, seemingly bored and much unto frustrated by his philosophies, extended him help to chase his dream of visiting Mathura - the land of Krishna. Upon condition that he should return back before the stipulated time offered and upon his own earning, without begging, mocking at him that His God may help him earn a return ticket. The offer was instantly agreed upon by the Swami and his close friend. Tickets were bought for both.

Before leaving, the friend, a pragmatic by nature, suggested that they should be given some money towards undesired circumstances, which may be used if anything untoward was to happen. Not a bad idea, in an uncertain world, was it?

To this the Swami replied, "Then it can't be done. The deal will never meet its end. If there is even a fraction doubt towards an endeavor, it can't be achieved. If there is any doubt in the conviction, its a sure failure."

What we aim at, what we aspire, can only be achieved if there is conviction to achieve it. David belted Goliath, small troops won big wars, the underdogs emerge winners every now and then. There is one thing in common - CONVICTION.

So next time, in whatever we do, however small, insignificant or huge, lets do it with full conviction and see it meet the end.