Those were the ... Days!!! ~ “Rustic fond memories”

“All roads lead to …”

Thank God, it’s Friday! And towards the evening the friends would call up asking Kari Planno? i.e. What’s up? What’s the plan (for the weekend)? A fun way to shake off all the blues. It is also a wake up call for our small friends circle comprising of six to seven motley crews that frequently huddles for binging, courtesy Yong-Hanuba, Old Monk and pork, and fashion-mongering over Beyonce’s well manufactured arse, or buzz(ing) to the current new singing sensation (*read as sexy gals) Moulli Dave or Pooja or Charu or Deepali, or there were times when we just sat down and enjoyed the view; spotting birds, under the influence of the king of good times, Kingfisher…which came in various sizes and shapes that we strive to outline the stature, and figure out the form and define the mystery... those sensation ... jo Anku ke ghar ke saamne thi. Unlike Salim Ali, who had named and defined almost all the birds of his type, I didn’t have a damn clue to their names but honestly I am of the opinion that nature is to be appreciated and beauty lies in the vital statistics of the birds you are watching. Well this was just a slice of the cake.

Most of the time I never got a straight reply to Kari Planno and usually end up with a reply from the other end saying that he will configure and convene the rest for a simply friendly 'Kari Planno party' sometimes signed out with one or two Signature. I usually used to end up spending my weekends @ Brookefield (because I got to meet Winston Churchill) or @ Vivek Nagar (since one of the crew went home not been able to bear the grunt of the ruthless timing of the boredom and the other one got moved to Banasvadi as he was mingling and socializing a lot with the surroundings, Love thy neighbour). These days I/we usually nestled @ Banasvadi or Tavankare or Koramangala covering our spirited networked hobbies and Dus Phabi with the 10s of diamonds and aces and clubs and hearts under the careful pensive eyes of Yong-Hanuba while the time sips away enjoying the king of good times, Kingfisher.

No longer the mundane routine of eye-bewitching hobbies holds interest when the alcohol infected blood and the acquired taste of the power factory adrenaline rushes to ones ugly brain (read as mouth) when one among the motley crew start calling Nandi. It is not the penchant towards the bull or milk factory or a gals' name to hook onto but a waathi, a travel or leisure experience to be savoured. It is a must-do thing at night or midnight. It might intimidate newcomers but I guarantee that Yong-Hanuba will take care of the rest. But who is to blame! Bangalore doesn’t throw up too many options for such situations and even Mysore or Pondicherry is always at the receiving end (Ask Shyam, if you DO NOT believe me). As Nandi is called by the alcohol infected mouth and as the rustic bliss powered adrenaline maneuvers the Gaadi (vehicles) towards the brightly lighted and ironically empty lanes of Bangalore, the road to Mysore or Pondicherry subsides and all roads lead to Nandi. In one such occasion of Kari Planno party, we decided to take a Nandi break and rushes off to Mysore (who else will receive)with a unique blend of fun and mania it occurred that the phantom of Nandi took over the consciousness of the infected ones and forced us to take a U-turn from the Bangalore University campus towards Nandi. In between there had been many sojourn under the influence of hide and seek effect of dozy and tire eyes to put a definite brake to the Gaadi but the ghost of Nandi succeeds and finally landed at one of the highest point of the city as we drive and walk into the clouds. The sight of breaking the dawn or breathing more pure air or stealing some romantic moments (as we peek into the bushes and corners) has not been the issue (not for the first timers; this motley crew has had experience before). As the peak is conquered and as the clouds roam freely and the rustling of leaves breaks the silence of the midnight, the Yong-Hanuba surrenders to the starriest night for a memento of the companions of the ugly mouthed motley team for the next Kari Planno party, leaving with a pinch of memories and traces of nostalgia.

The Sun also rises...

Things hadn't changed over the past weekends but Time has changed and the motley crew too. The days had passed by and as we all sit and look back, we just laugh over it without blinking ... those were the days...

These days.... for Mano(RAN Mano RAN) ... all roads lead to JayaNagar, Lallu(IT) is discovering new places (roads and eating joints) in bangalore; thanks to HIS new "HER", Don(NY) is always busy being the BIG daddy of the BIG Bazaar, and for Anku (check his orkut profile)... the mobile is still ringing; Rom with his age-old romantic lineage is inspiring e'one and we all miss his CAR (Roam-ing and steering away leaving behind memories behind the wheels) And as pour moi, with all the feelings of nostalgia, I ease my memoirs and close my eyes to shed a little dream and with pleasure I have uploaded this video during my passtime. The time is slipping away through our fingers leaving traces of footprints in the sands of time.

We all know that the phantom menace of Nandi is still calling out... Can you hear the whisper?