Bombay ko gaya mera dost

Hellu All.

Yes, me in a cheery mood again, finally. Arre baba, no, I hadn't been facing the death penalty or life-long imprisonment and have not been subject to the words 'Shekhar ko ba-izzat bari kiya jaata hai'. I was unwell for a couple of days, some sort of viral fever, which made me take complete bedrest for two days. So there you go, you know what an energetic and fast-paced beginning I've had to the new year.

Not to say that I did not enjoy it! :D As with most things, I enjoyed falling ill too. When else does one have few of the best young minds in the country waiting to serve you? 'Yaar, feeling too unwell, can you get me something from the mess for dinner?', I ask. 'Haan, haan, kyun nahi? Tu bol tere ko kya chahiye, rice, daal, sandwiches or just some 'Maggi' (trust hostel-ites to have turned Maggi into a part of staple diet)', my friends responded.

By the second afternoon, I was thoroughly bored of lying in bed. How much could a guy sleep? Sheesh! So, I thought of another way to keep my mind occupied. Logged on to the Net, went to the Project Gutenberg site, downloaded the audio e-book of Sherlock Holmes' "The Valley of Fear" and heard it to my heart's content. Ha ha. You can't keep a booklover out of action for long.

All this, while all around me there's a flurry of activities going on. It is as if the whole campus has been engulfed in the Richter 10 fever. What's that? Oh, nothing. Just our cultural fest that is going to be held on campus on the 12th and 13th of Jan (coming Thursday and Friday).

But I won't be here. I shall be going to Bombay from 12-15th Jan.

"Why, dude, why?", asks a friend. "You're never there for such stuff. We almost have to drag you out of your rabbit hole everytime there's such an event. Why aren't you gonna be here?", he hollers.

"Give me a good reason I should be here."

"It's gonna be happening...dude !!!" he yells in sheer delight, with his eyes almost popping out with glee and his shirt buttons popping out because of God knows what reason. "There's gonna be C (suppose) no. of colleges coming..."

"So?"

"There's gonna be C multiplied by 15 (estimated average) number of participants coming!!"

"So?"

"There's gonna be dancin' and masti n what not!!"

"So?"

"Ok, there's gonna be dancin' and masti with C x 15 x 40% females who'll be coming too naa..Now get the logic?"

"Lekin, mere paas maa aur baba hai.." I reply in my best Shashi Kapoor impression.

(His turn to reply in mono-syllables) "Eh?"

"Err...what I meant was, Mom n Dad are coming to Bombay for a fortnight, and since I haven't met them ever since I joined Nirma (that's around 6 months now), me better go."

So that, ladies and gentlemen, is the report. This 23 year-old baby, who acts like a 5' 7" management student, who'd never stepped out of the luxury of home, never stayed at a hostel, never been outside the cozy nest called Kolkata and has now been away for a loooong time from home, goes back to meet 'em who made him what he is.

Adios. N to those who are here for Richter 10, Best of Luck and have a fabulous time!!