I still have very vivid memories of the day, I landed up in this big bustling metro Delhi. Getting passed the lavish showrooms on outer circle of connaght place stood with its reputation of being a metropolitan. I was total unaware of my place : flat-1, navjeevan vihar, geetanjali enclave, New Delhi. When I was coming, one guy told me to ask about malviya nagar because its nearby my desired location. Later i came to know, Malviya nagar was actually known to all and no one knew about navjeevan vihar. Everyone prefers going round the periphery, but never the axis. Luckily I saw a car with number plate PB 11 (Patiala) and standing beside it was damanpreet. Two well-groomed ashoka trees planted across the fence, balcony painted white touching the leaves of trees, that was the flat assigned to us. We both went inside, turning right from the door was the haunted room (atleast for me). All were reached the same night and were told the maid would be serving the meals next day onwards.
Next day, we met the great RAMU. A guy with sky-touching ego and the attitude he carried was unnerved. Right from the first day, he made us feel as if we are back to school from our independent life-style of college. His tongue rolling punchline," aisa nahi chalega yahan", always had a jittery impact on us. Asking for another chappatti made him furious to such extent as if he would eat me if i mutter a single word. Yet fun was irresistible in asking more and more laughing out loud in front of him. His wife was the most dumb person, always smiling resembling with million dollar smile of Julia Roberts. I just asked her once to make a coffee and maggi, she said she knew nothing about cooking. She made it simpler for us to cook ourselves in evening, ramu gritting his teeth over the usage of sugar and his coffee. He tried threatening us always watching news of aarushi murder case and rest were the channels very close to his heart but far away from mine ( nepali tv, pongali, bla bla bla ).
All day talking non-sense, shunting out weirdest jokes for each other. Listening to that censored show at night with daman, amul and saurav, even a noise of curtain could make it irritating and concluding discussions never died out before next day. Watching MTV roadies for three hours at a stretch, showing the crude side with a charming killer attitude and equally cunning and sheer kamini thinking, it was shambhavi. Weekends were absolutely impeccable to stop, we had no plans for it ever. Living everyday as sunday, yet actual sundays were special. Why the girls in some special buses were actually cute than others especially in 500 and 520? A round trip to connaught place was all that could soothe the minds.
Came another guy, kunal. Natively from delhi which was pretty clear from his wild ways of thinking. His never ending talks (mostly were never-heard) and even more lasting were the impressions, how could he did it, were all we used to wonder. Probably the only guy who had not left even a single thing unexplored, was kunal. His handshake nobody could ever forget, that big clasp around your mild grip, but a very nice guy on the whole. But i had a huge fight with amul over who would taught him integration because none of us actually wanted to taught a guy who could raise his eyebrows over the summation of two and two is four. Still a master of every trade but studies.
My assistant manager at operation services in vasant kunj, i wonder how a guy could be blessed with such an abundance. Watching his decent designer dressings, coming by bus, all day surfing the stock exchange sites on his lenovo laptop, checking his mails and chatting with his gf and earning the wildest package, that was all my mind could ask for in my weirdest distant dreams at that time (and now sometimes i felt my presence in his shoes but still life is never so green as it was from other side).
Talks about the concept of jatt was probably the blind curve in that haunted house. One guy actually a jatt by name, other by his physique, we used to crack the wildest jokes on their face, both looking in bewilderment as if meant for him only, but it was always the other guy. Those small-budget treats were the best times to cherish, where nothing else prevails but just the laughter unless it hurted so much that tears started rolling down cheeks. Then there were spats for milk, deepest confusions over the financial boom in prices, fighting egos over the few drops of milk, dominance of full cream over double tone, those heated well-planned discussions are amongst my brightest memories of my stay.
How come being in Delhi, one can't find a girl to steer eyes just to have a look of her. Named " kali kudi " was simply astonishing. The name made it clear her dark complexion but bootylicious figure. She used to walk in evenings in her only white shorts, even shorter than contemporary shorts and superman claded top. One just couldn't take off his eyes because she deserved the applaud for being unique. Rest we had many such clashes, but unluckily went in vain. My nose has still not grown out of the fragrance of a deodorant which I had from a girl's bag found beneath a bench in park. Many would agree watching that accord without "a" was everytime enchanting.
First six months rolled away in blink of eye and next six months were equally regretting and full of remorse. Getting all those things, for which we had longed for in previous six months, had actually made our lives not so beautiful as once we had expected. I did every that act which ever sprouted in my heart in last so many years and mind you, chasing those dreams were much better than possessing those as my own. Life has still a long way to travel along the trodden paths but still i admit graciously without friends, i might had become oblivious to such simple yet beautiful life.
And one thing i did even more passionately than everything else !!
