The lost hour!!

So last night while I was well not sleeping and listening to some blissful Mark Knopfler, something happened and I lost an hour... Many call it Daylight Saving, I just think its evil.. A prank played by the insomniacs to make the sound sleepers suffer.. Just like that in a moment of bliss I lost an hour and the enormity of that event stuck me... Its a freaking HOUR we are talking about..

This not-so-happy realization made me take a trip down the memory lane.. Not sure if it was the music, the snow fall or may be something I was having, the philosopher, the introspect-er and the trying-hopelessly-to-cling-on-to-the-past-er took over.. Remembering all the hours which may not have been possible in this lost one but the ones most close to the heart.. Some happy, some not so much, some euphoric, few insane..

1. The 60 min of Sunday mornings when my brother and I were 10 and 8... And Jungle Book..
2. The 1 hour sports period every week during school.. When sports meant shouting at the top of our voices and running berserk all over the place..
3. The hours appointment with the dentist every 15 days.. I believed at that time the ghost looked exactly like the fat lady in the white coat who knew only one word ‘Spit’!! The ice cream grand-mom used to get once we were out of the satanic places. I miss you, Aaji and I no more think of you as the devil, lovely Dentist lady!!
4. The hour in the school bus each day.. The most fun part of the schooling experience.. The hour of singing, antakshari, fighting, gossips, cheating on the conductor at times when traveling by government buses, arguing with strangers over acceptable limit of noise that can be created in public transport.. Geez, feels like yesterday..!!
5. Moving to junior college, the exactly 1 hr lunch break everyday... The hour of new excitements, old stories and new spices, the hour of teenage independence...
6. The one hour extension on Sundays to “In-time” in the hostel. This hour turned into hours as we progressed through college days though.
7. The longest hour when I was trying to reach college for 3rd year result. It was a ritual and superstition to collect the result with the bunch of together. We feared if we all were not together something nasty might happen. I was getting back from Mumbai and trying to make it on time only to learn that there was an Auto-strile. Darn!! I walked, ran, crawled in midst of 100s of worried calls and texts till I made it just in time.
8. Every 60 min of Puoshttam and Fiodiya Theater play.. In the light room or on the stage the euphoria was always at the peak..
9. The excruciatingly unbearable hour of Somaiya classes on Engineering Mechanics. The professor had an effect on the eyelids that it was impossible to keep ‘em open but he hated them closed and in between the students spent an hour of agony and closeness to god to just praying for the hour without getting caught..
10. The most adventurous hour White Water Rafting in Kundalika river with the bestest set of friends...
11. The 10th season finale of FRIENDS.. Watching it with friends and wishing that it never ended...
12. The hour narrated in my last post..
13. The only 60 minutes spent by the beach before midnight on 31st Dec night after a 29 hour journey using all possible means of road transport... The 60 precious moments of splashing waves, tipsy eyes and hardly burning bonfire was the beginning of the most crazy friendship bonds that will last a lifetime...

This list made me think of many other moments which essentially are not remembered with an hour’s measure... All those.. some other time...

For now, in the memory of the hour.. that could have been...

Nostalgia… Theater days!!!

Aaaawaj konacha….. Arararara ghumtaye kon……

These slogans still never fail to make my hair stand at the end….
Even two years after being away from the action….
As I’m sitting in my hotel room on a sleepy Sunday afternoon, an e-mail pops up declaring my college makes it to the final round of Purushottam… And miles apart, in the US, I’m so excited that I can’t sit at one place…. I just wanna go back and congrulate the team, hug them, shout slogans with them….. Alas, all I can do is write a post…..

[For those who are unknown to the this world of Theater in Pune some information…
Firodiya Karandak and Purushottam Karandak are inter college Drama competitions. But it doesn’t stop there, for passionate ppl, its their life.. its an addiction.. Firodiya and Purushottam are synonyms for zeal, enthusiasm, passion and moreover a complete learning experience…]

It all began in Junior College when I used to read stories about theater, the impact it makes and how it totally changes rather enhances ones personality. I couldn’t wait to start college and become a part of a drama group. Thanks (duh…) to the slow admission procedure, by the time I got in the college, the auditions were done… And there went my one yr of excitement…. Nonetheless I joined the cheering group and did my tad bit for the team… That was my ONLY time on the other side of the curtain while in college.. 

Came second yr and I was all set to get in the team… There wasn’t a place to act but I was game for anything and acting is not really my cuppa tea… It was much more than I had painted a picture of… Endless hours of practice, exhaustive discussions, an attempt to explore every hidden emotion…I was backstage but still a part of all these activities…. Various theater exercises made me ponder over so many nuances of my own being and life. Interpretations of a touch to silence, tried to understand all. We focused on minutest details from costume, music, set to the feel. I was learning so much in so less time, it was over whelming at times. But this was better than anything I had ever done before. We made it to the finals… Euphoria…. Won the BEST EXPERIMENTAL PLAY in the finals…. Jalooosh!!!! Happiness had no bounds…

Next yr we were burdened with higher expectations and bigger responsibilities… And guess what, we withstood all of that :D :D The Ekankika (play) was a HUGE hit.. We were heroes in the campus and even outside… My heart still swells with pride when I hear ppl talking about the play… I had my first rendezvous with the feeling of “accomplishment”…

NOW, I was the captain of the Ship… Sitting in the Director’s chair was NO easy job. Auditions , team formation, timings, motivation, everything had to be taken care of. Always, had to make sure I reach before time, had a dialogue with each team member, kept the spirits high and the aim clear. It was my idea to take more fresher in the team so that the saga of theater will continue. It was a tough task, knowing it will need a lotta patience and energy. But to build something big, the foundation has to be strong, and I always kept telling myself, this is the foundation. I tried to share all I had learned, hopefully I did. Maybe, they learned more from my mistakes :) We tried everything within our limits but couldn’t make it to the finals. After tasting victory for two consecutive years, defeat was indigestible, but guess theater had one last lesson to teach me, to accept defeat and still not be a loser. :) I was crestfallen but still had to give hope to the team, that was ironical but true. Why didn’t we win, what went wrong, why did this happen during my time only, why, why why…

I keep getting answers to these questions in bits in various incidents that happen. More than the victories, the defeat had left a bigger impact, had taught much more. And today, when finally my juniors made it, I have some more answers… All the efforts didn’t go in vain after all, in fact now I know, they never do.

Cheers to theater and its rich experiences…

Moving on, Changes, Homeless and crap like that!!!

For those of you who have me on your Gtalk lists must be wondering what this HOMELESS jazz is!!! The only purpose of this post is to clear my mind a little and enlighten those who have been wondering...

Moving on or shifting has never been new to me... I have changed houses (call it homes) every 3 years, even more at times (thanks to my Dad's transferable job). There was a different thrill and adventure to it, of meeting new ppl, staying in a new house, new school, new friends... But each time it was equally disturbing and very difficult for me to say the least. It was combined with a concoction of very complex emotions....... of leaving: old friends, my fav corner of the house, my shelf where I kept my books, the table and the wall where I stuck those lil post-its of things to remember, the swing nearby where me n my bro used to fight to sit every evening, the boulevard where we used to go for long walks after dinners, the gallery where mom used to keep waiting for me n bro when it was time for us to get back from school/college, the bed next to the window where I used to lie down staring at the sky for hours, the warmth created at that place with each passing day, the doodhwala who smiled effortlessly each morning, the kaamwali who told stories of hope from slums, the neighbor's dog who would jump with joy each time he saw me, the unknown old lady in the small hut across the road who became part of the routine....

All these memories were wiped and recreated off course. But knowing it didn't reduce the pain a tad bit... And this time it takes its toll.... Ppl give me "Nothin is permanent but change" kinda shit and that time I wanna shout "I know it bloody, but it sucks". I never actually shout that way though, short of those privileges. Got all settled at one place, happy and content. But Mr. Prankster (The Almighty) was toying around with the idea of throwing around another challenge. I'm sure he never throws any thin at me that I can't handle, I just wish he didn't trust me so much. :P

Lotta premise there, now the actual jazz… After leaving hostel, I shifted to this very awesome place in a good location on the 5th floor. Completely furnished and sparkling clean. We got a new TV, Fridge and all that was needed at that place. It became the center of activity, a HEADQUARTER for all my friends' activity. Every small get-together, fierce discussions, general TP, hang out, movie center, night out spot… This place was everything. It was HOME. In a very small duration of time, a different level of attachment was created. And just when everything seemed Perfect, Mr. Prankster jumped into action. It was 1st April and my owner calls. "I would like to have my house back"…. BEEP BEEP…. I was shouting inside… On the outside "Uncle, I understand your position, but…. Bla bla blu blu.."…. Old guy unperturbed and fully determined to KICK us out was unmoved with my emotional rant. So, here I'm, leaving the place which I totally and completely loved and adored. But, what can be done… Moving on is must…..

Moving on, I just hope its as exiting as it has been so far. And as my earlier post says, the journey is more fun than the destination. And these kinda pit stops make the journey more interesting and memorable. Cheers to the new place (which I'm yet to find) and the new obstacles.... Till then... Peace....