GET TOGETHER - I

Mind is a very dangerous thing. You think you remember everything but you don’t. It slowly starts to lapse and the facts become distorted. It goes to a stage where you have to introduce your own story like Mr. Orange does in Pulp Fiction.

Well, keeping that in mind I begin our second ever meet after graduation (funny isn’t it? To borrow the words of Mr. So and So of CTS, if everybody writes “difference” as D-I-F-F-I-R-E-N-C-E, then what is the DIFFEREEEEEEENCE??). Everything DIDN’T go according to the plan but the end result seemed satisfying nonetheless.

AIM OF THE MEET:

There were six people namely (IITians--)George, Uday, Lokesh, (MS in US ‘ians)Abhinav, Alok, Laddoo ( also known as Srujana) ready to step into another EDUCATIONAL career. To make them feel homely again and also to make them understand that old bonds die hard it was decided to give them all a warm farewell and remind them of the beautiful days we had during the meet.
In simple words, to ingrain the message:

DON’T FORGET US – ENGLISH
Nonli dimentichi - Italiano (Italy, The Winning Team aka My Favorite)
不要忘記我們 - 漢語(Chinese)
Ne nous oubliez pas - Français (French)
Vergessen Sie Uns Nicht - Deutscher (German)
Mammalni Marchipokandi – TELUGU
Hame Bhoolna Math – HINDI

Me and Nikmo after witnessing the one of the most exciting and thrilling finale of FIFA 2006 World Cup, decided to have a second get together (don’t bother…there ain’t any logic there!!! I know). But first someone else was needed to put the plan on wheels. ‘Pokiri’ aka Harsha ( just made that nickname for the sake of the blog…for everyone he is Harsha…) enters the stage because I for one (and if you dare to disagree???) believe he is one of the most versatile personalities there is in our class and knows the right places for the right occasions. On talking to him for about ten minutes on phone there were TWO unanswered questions: How many would want to come in the night? Why not Lunch? Would Vegetarian Do?. So back to Nikmo the FOODIE (the lanky guy from VLCC who ironically hasn’t stopped any outing so far). We decide some names on random never actually hitting the target OR getting the positive responses. To achieve the objective we thought first by knowing which date would be convenient to the SEXY SIX hexos. It turns out except for Laddoo ( also called Srujana) everyone consented to the following night.

With a bit of prodding I knew she can make it but she being a girl (actually she thinks she is…) and the probabilities of dinner time going late there always is that hang up. With one more call to “Pokiri” somethings are clarified as to no. of people and the majority’s taste. Then came the most unexpected thing that I could never fathom to happen. Even he turned clueless for the selection of hotel. You see, we need to tell all the guys and gals where the meet would be and when. WHERE and WHEN…essentials. No point in phoning and telling them these TWO would be informed later. WE can do that but it is just waste of money phoning every idiot (excepting me and nikmo…) twice.

Time was ticking by…Back to Nikmo again. Well, guys I have to tell you this. Some things he does deserve a lot more recognition, particularly when it is something like a life-saving decisions. He is too great a person to tell everyone, so here I am taking up the job. IF NOT FOR HIS TIMELY AND MOST THOUGHTFUL DECISION WE WOULD HAD OUR OUTING AT “BAWARCHI”. On behalf of everyone who was present for the outing, and on behalf of all those absent too…thank you, thanks a lot for chosing

!!!SIX LEVEN!!!

More to follow...as is my wont I would like to retell all the happenings of the day so as to make the readers understand how the mood actually was before coming to the event itself. So PART II I would begin with me and Venky (wait...you read after I write...). I leave it to you if you want to read or not.

A Tiffin Centre I would Die For

To all 4/4 E.C.E - B passed out students....the reason why I like this tiffin centre

Raghvendra Tiffins

It sounds so unusual to write about a tiffin centre and it is one of the last things a person talks about. Forget talking writing a review on it is much more disgraceful and humiliating than running around naked in streets. Then why I am writing one and top of it how did it ever go uncensored and got listed in the site. These are all the questions which you might be thinking, if not Don't think, it might sprain your brain!!

You see I have become butt of the jokes in my class and might have well been named Raghavendra just because I love this tiffin centre. First and foremost reason I love it is because it is very very nearer to my home. Hardly a minute’s walk. I don’t fancy myself as a connoisseur but at the same time I am not a glutton. Of late it has become a practice for me to eat at least five times a day. That happens to me during every semester holidays. College-time itinerary is different. My breakfast finishes at 8:00 and at around 10 or 11 my stomach starts rumbling. When there is breakfast still left over I would carry on with that if not you know what I do. For me then time would be very precious….every second I waste I would be dying of hunger.

That is the first foremost reason I love this tiffin centre. It just saved me so many times. Then again just another minute further walk down the lane there is Shanti Tiffins. Why would I stick to Raghavendra in spite of the former offering a seating place to eat?? QUALITY guys and gals QUALITY of the food is what drives me to this small, silent, busy tiffin centre.

It has all the varieties – Poori, Dosa, Idli ( my most hated one…) Vada, etc. I just can’t remember everything on the menu. The aforementioned ones are my favorites there. I do lot of eating outside with friends when coming from a CAT class, or going somewhere on an errand at evenings but I have to yet come across a restaurant or a tiffin centre that beats the quality of poori that is made here. Not even Ohri’s or Taj can give that sumptuous taste.

!!!! Ohri's No Match for Raghvendra Tiffins (Tiffin Segment Please) !!!

Take a token and give it to the person there. Within a minute or so your dish would be served hot with all the requirements chutney, sambar, spoons, ghee etc. The servicing is very fast and you can replenish the accoutrements once they are over. If the main tiffin itself is over you can take the token again and order a new tiffin. You see they are so polite and understanding too about your hunger, they don’t smirk at you or look at you with a weird face seeing you order for second time.

There is no sitting business, there are two big round tables separated by a distance, three fans- two to the ceiling, one attached to the wall, a long horizontal bar on one side and two flat platforms on the other- these two again are equally-spaced, on which you can keep your plate and eat. It is so congested you might say but I can assure you no problems finding a place and eating calmly. And hey there are two large windows flanked opposite to the horizontal bar giving you a outside view of the one of the busiest roads of the region - connecting road between Shivam Road and ShankarMutt . Endless traffic, constant moving of people here and there make you feel as if you are watching crowd at New York Times Square.

!!! Experience The Thrill of being in New York Times Square !!!

With cool breeze all around ( the fans are at top speed 5 for your information…) and absolute superb quality tiffin in front of you makes you forget all the problems you are burdened with and your mind becomes very clear.

Well I have given all the details and now it must be really clear to people why I like this tiffin centre. To all those who have even once visited my house I have let them eat at this place irrespective of the timings ( few exceptions are there…) and the response has been unanimous – Cannot be told in simple words . Well when you pass by the connecting road and not once felt like eating at this marvelous tiffin centre is like just taking a glance at Taj Mahal after going all the way to Agra. At least now wake up and remember the name RAGHAVENDRA TIFFINS.

Name: Raghavendra Tiffins.
Place: New Nallakunta
Timings: 6:00 A.M to 11:00 P.M. ( awesome isn’t it…)
Parking: Two-wheelers (yes), 4-wheelers (yes but not more than two cars fit) AND AND no parking money ( I know I know….calm down. It is hard to believe…)
Phone No. : They don’t like Advance Booking…

Please after reading so much and eating at this marvelous place let me know what you feel…I will always be glad to hear.

A T.T. Table Proposal

At the outset I would like to say that this proposal fell on deaf ears and all our efforts in persuading them went down the drain. But at least I thought sharing with you what the proposal is gives me a personal relief as I had lot of fun writing this in comparison to Cricket that we play in our apartment.

PROPOSAL FOR T.T Table

Table tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world in terms of player numbers, as well as being one of the newest of the major sports which is liked by both young and adult alike. After a hard day’s work at school or college the child gets exhausted by the time he comes home by 5 or 6 in the evening. The child then spends his time relaxing in front of T.V. before getting down to his studies. Occasionally depending on the time available he/she might be going to some vocational classes like singing/ instrumentation etc. to ease his/her mind.

As the days goes by with exams nearing he would have to cut down these visits too. One might have observed in the past few weeks many of the children playing cricket in the parking space available. It is to be informed that all is not well with the way things are going. The problems involved with this game are

• Try as we might it becomes quite an issue to see to it that ball doesn’t go hitting other vehicles in the parking lot.
• With balls being hit very hard, so often it lands up outside the corridor, sometimes hitting the people walking on the road which again creates some problem.
• It is not only the people that is a problem but also damage caused when the balls are hit onto other houses.

In spite of the problems stated above it should be noted that there hasn’t been any major issue so far. But cricket as one very well knows is something that can truly enjoyed only when playing on the ground.

Coming to T.T. nothing becomes an issue here. With ball as small as 4 mm in diameter and weighing 20 gms playing T.T. is safest and most enjoyable game for the children especially in the apartments.
The reason why this becomes so appealing is cited below:

• For one thing it is one of the easiest sports that can be mastered in few weeks for any amateur. Four people at a time can play the game. With an average time of 15 minutes per game in an hour span 8 people can play two games each taking turns every game. Furthermore there are games like Round-Robin game where more than 10 people can play at a time on the board.
• Competitive spirit can be encouraged by conducting small tournaments spanning a month duration in the apartment and giving away prizes for the best player, best smash etc.
• Night or day doesn’t become an issue as it requires a space less than half a room as the table spans 8 * 4 Feet in dimensions. So as the school starts he/she just spending half an hour of his/her time in playing T.T with peace of mind can then concentrate on the studies.
• Another major Highlight of the game is it’s equality for all. Because of it’s ease of playing all the office-goers and homemakers can also have fun time playing it.

It was on discussion with most of the children in the apartment we have come to decide to get a T.T. table done at ASIAN ENTERPRISES, a furniture and manufactures shop at Nampally. With all the requirements taken into account here are the cost details:


Table – 2800 *
Net – 500
Table Tennis Bats (4) – 1000
Transportation and Labour Charges – 700
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Total - 5000
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*- All in Rupees.

With Rs.500/- per flat it becomes a great investment in providing your child the access to the one of the best games in the world and ensuring his/her happiness.

Thanking You for your support

Friends, there is a dual purpose for writing this blog. One to tell you how desperately I wanted all the people in apartment to realise how much 500 bucks would mean to a child's future but also to give details on how one can get a T.T. table with least cost. The actual T.T. table cost is around Rs.9000. (think about it)

Kurnool ki Kahania...

When my mom tells most of the relatives how I end up being the lower mortal among the friends, I used to shrug it off thinking it is one of those pampering things that any mom would say about their kids. But boy was I not wrong as I recall now and blog about my 3rd Class pal: Praveen. This trend had set in long ago i.e. from 3rd class to till date. Excepting intermediate all the times I had people around me who were much better. And this is what puzzles my mom as she can’t comprehend how I haven’t been able to get some qualities from these guys and UP my studies. Even I wonder.

The days in Kurnool are the most memorable in my life. Ironically I don’t remember much of what has happened in classes but off the school, I do. Staying at Narsingarao Pet, it was always warm, traffic free, pollution free and more importantly free of endless apartments and noise that I am witnessing here. The whole area was cut off from the busy part of the town. Five to six parallel lanes made up the place with school as the entry point. It was ten minutes walk from my house to the school. My brother used to escort me during lunch hours, and with T.V switched on he had no problems taking care of me.

My tryst with Cartoons:

I am big crazy fan of cartoons right from childhood. During my breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks or whatever time it was to eat from me the first thing she does is to switch on the t.v. and put some Cartoon cassette Tom and Jerry, or Mickey Donald (my childhood favorite), or Popeye( I had huge collection of those..).


As she recollects I used to utter not a sound of approval or disapproval as she goes on feeding me with the spoon. Once she knows how much is enough, she promptly cleanse my face and continue with her work. Even now she relishes it telling it to everyone she meets how she used to make a doll out of me for feeding. Till 5th class this continued. Don’t get me wrong, I was a spoil child mind you with lots of lots of crazy and irritating things I used to do. But not during the EATING times, because of cartoons.

Well, that’s how life was till 5th. Maybe there was more but I don’t remember. But things stared changing for better. In the evenings all the children gather near one house where we had this 10th class student Srinath as our guide to make us understand what to play. We had somewhere like 10 to 15 people covering almost all the classes from 1st to 8th class. During weekdays it was mostly hide and seek(the toughest of all), gilli-danda, tops or chain game. After few games we all sit around for a while and then disperse for the studies. The actual fun was always in the weekends i.e. the time when Saturday ends to the time Monday begins literally. These were allocated to GAMES like Football and cricket.

Cricket was played extensively. So many rules, so many restrictions but still we managed to play with whatever options we had. We had these games hours together with lots of juggling. After assessing the two to three games we change the teams and when there seems to be good enough battle we had series of 5 or 10 to decide the best one. There wasn’t any betting. Everything taken in right spirit. Movies weren’t quite a craze nor was the t.v. No wonder there is eternal debate about the boon and bane of the Technology.

It was a mixed crowd all the time. Sometimes the fun was with my classmates and sometimes it was with colony people. As the night progresses, we end up in Kishore’s house (my bro’s friend..). there again was an option of playing cards or caroms. Rummy being everyone’ favorite, three to four decks were brought in and we used to catalogue the points to decide the winner and there was minimum of ten games to get that. This was only during the times when there was lot of time before the exam dates approached.

Of all the festivals, Vinayaka Chavati topped the list for the kind of celebrations we had. There was always one twenty-odd feet Statue kept in our lane and there was week long celebrations. The nights we see the entire lane being decked up with lights. Mimicry, dance shows, antakshari, singing competition would take place in the night- the carnival like of atmosphere is something that can be felt and seen only in towns and villages. All we guys used to make many trips round the queue for prasadam(it being free…).Over Three hundred people a day used to throng for the darshan, so it wasn’t easy for pujari’s to spot the second or probably fifth or sixth-timers too.

As I look back I feel sad with the hectic life that we are to put up with, nostalgic as they can never come back, happy because of such a wonderful atmosphere I had and overall immensely satisfied to be able to recollect and share my wonderful experiences.