Treat Time 23 + 2

“Sir, No more sea food, would you like to order something else......” Waiter told in a tired voice. Waiter looked like a guy who was working for the last 48 hours without rest.

22 heads lifted up their sight from their plates to the waiter. But one head was still and a voice came from that head “how about chicken 65 boneless”

Waiter came back after checking and told “sir, available, but.......... That will be the last of the Non - veg available for today.......”

“Machi, Then our target changes now to vegetarian” Mathan told as all 22 looked at the 2 people standing just few metres away from the table.

One of those two spoke “Machan, Why can’t we order desserts........”

Mathan said “We will for sure, but not now........”

Ananth lifted his eye towards those two and asked “Don, Whether Parcel allowed.....is it included in the treat”

Everyone started laughing and the sound was like 10000 walla cracker Bursting out.

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Let me introduce them to you and continue. The two people who were giving treat that day were Our PR (Placement Representative) and Don (That is how we call him). The guy who ordered chicken 65 boneless was the Mr.Cool of our batch; Mathan and ananth are known for their one liners just like the veteran comedian Goundamani........ Others are one of those common people whom you can see in your day to day life.

The treat is for getting placement and the number attended the treat were 23 + 2.

After another half an hour of vegetarian orders, they have decided to order ice cream for desserts.

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“butterscotch” “Faluda” “strawberry” Many voices were shouting and finally Ananth came into picture after washing his hands. “We are professionals. We have to behave in a decent way.I will place the order.” saying this to everyone he turned to the waiter and told “bring 10 ice cream in all flavours you have”

Again the cracker was on light as everyone laughed. The so called don and our PR were near the reception of the hotel getting ready to pay the bill, but the placement of orders never ended. Even when they were about to pay the bill “Machan, Two Mountain dew ….... include that as well” someone said from behind him and ran away.

After sometime Mr.cool came near the reception and told “Machi, make the count of mountain dew from 2 to 23. It will be better. you don’t want one - rite. It is not good for health, you may catch up cold”

Few minutes later all of them were outside the hotel.

“Whassup guys, someone told that there will be a treat here. When is it gonna start?” Mathan asked and everyone gave a gentle smile at each other.

They were discussing something between themselves standing in groups smiling. What they were discussing was not important, but they were smiling all the while which was more important.

A girl in early 20s who looked like an angel from the stars passed near them in a scooty pep. All 23 + 2 heads moved along with the scooty pep till it turned at the end of the road. Then everyone looked at each other and gave a gentle smile.

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Shanmu made a comment that time to bring everyone back to this world which i will never forget in my life time.

“Machanssss........ In this age, if you see a girl............hmm............Beautiful girl and don’t feel anything inside you, then you are having a serious problem. Consult the doctors to get it corrected”

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Smiles again listening to that. 20 minutes later the entrance of the hotel was empty but still our heart is filled with all these memories and it will be forever.

======== P.S. ========

///////////////// Shanmu, Mathan, Don, PR, Ananth and Mr.cool ---> I know you all will not mistake me for using your names. If you feel something is offending......... :) kochikitiya machan, kochikitiya machan …........... kochuko, kochuko [Poladhavan Dhanush style]///////////////////

"Idiot, You saved me"

“Rohit, I am not happy these days. I feel ‘Life is empty’ ” Madhavan was looking at the sky when he made the last statement.

“hmm...............Why?” Rohit asked. Rohit is regarded as the best listener by all his friends. He allows you to talk whatever you want to talk and asks a simple question when you pause. That question will most probably direct you to continue talking on the same matter until your heart feels light.

They were sitting on a rock which looked elder than the independent India and the place looked like a dense forest with only tall trees around them. They could even hear the breathing of the other person. There was a tube-light blinking just above rohit and the only person other than those two was the security guard who was in deep sleep. The entire coimbatore would be in deep sleep. The time was 02:30 and the place was GCT hostels.

“Let’s go. I want to sleep” Madhavan told still looking at the sky.

“Your wish” Rohit tried to sound casual and made signs of starting.

“Hold on rohit.” Madhavan was sounding soft this time. He shifted his look from the sky to Rohit. “I feel like talking”

“Go ahead.”Rohit said relaxing himself in the rock again.

“What do you think about God?” Madhavan looked straight into the eyes of rohit.

If one of us were out there listening, we would have shouted “What the hell you want to know about God by 3 o’clock in the morning when he himself might be in a deep sleep” But it is rohit and he knew about madhavan. So he told “Maddy(That is how he calls madhavan), What do you think?”

Maddy shifted his sight back again to the sky. He didn’t talk for the next 5 minutes and rohit was waiting for him to talk. “He must be a cruel guy. Before this, do you believe in God” Maddy showed his curiosity in knowing rohit’s views.

Rohit got up and went inside the building which was located just opposite the rock. He came back after a minute saying “Wanted to drink some water. You asked about my belief in God rite. See Maddy, There is an atheist in every theist and similarly there is a theist in every atheist.”

“If you are categorizing them that way, then into which category you fall” Maddy asked sharply

Rohit gave a weird smile and told “I am an atheist but I also have a theist inside me.”

“I want to be one of those but I cannot.” Maddy told with a voice which carried a lot of emotion.

“What is the problem, comrade......” Rohit asked for the first time losing his patience. Maddy got up from where he was sitting and moved slowly towards a tree. He looked at the tree and started to talk.

“Rohit, There is no real problem. I am suddenly feeling ‘Life is empty’. My family expects nothing from me. My friends expect nothing from me and even my sweet heart expect nothing from me. They all love me for sure but none of them cares about my future da. They are not even asking what I am going to do after my college life.” Maddy suddenly turned back to see rohit’s reaction.

Rohit showed no change in his face. He was listening. “I am worried about what next in life” Maddy looked into rohit and made signs like he is done with explainning his problem.

Rohit gotup from where he was sitting and came near to maddy. He put his hands over the shoulders of maddy and told “You are on the right path of your life. Now you are concerned about your future and you have a good family, good friends and a great sweat heart” Rohit adjusted his spectacles and continued “The reason I am saying this is they all love you for what you are today and they have left your future in your hands” Rohit stopped and looked sharp at him saying “believing you”.

Maddy smiled and told “rohit. You are a matured person and I am happy I have a friend like you”

Rohit asked “What about a movie tomorrow?”

“I am always there for it” Maddy waved his hand in the air.

“Let’s go.” Rohit told as both started moving towards the building. Maddy was moving faster but was suddenly struck by the big noise behind him and the scream of rohit. Turning back and looking he froze. Even the security guard gotup from sleep and many lights came live in the building in many rooms. Maddy removed the log which has fallen from the tree on rohit and put rohit on his lap.

The security guard came running with the first aid kit. Many students from the building came running to the spot. Rohit was moaning in pain when maddy moved away from rohit looking at the sky.

“Oh My God” Maddy said loud and started to pray while others were trying to do something to keep rohit ok. Suddenly Rohit called “Maddy.....” Maddy came running. “Maddy, Dont wake up God, He might be sleeping. Please help me get out of this pain” Rohit said smiling.

Maddy laughed within him. Then he lifted rohit and put on his shoulders. With the help of few other students they reached the 24 hrs hospital in the city “KONGUNADU” by auto.

After 2 days, Maddy and rohit were alone in the hospital room. Rohit was just getting out from the effect of the sleeping drugs given to him as pain killers.

Maddy saw rohit smiling at him. He told “God saved you.” with tears in his eyes.

Rohit strongly told “Idiot, You saved me.”

5 Idiots

There was a dark room locked from inside and only light inside the room was the light from the monitor of the system. Five people were inside the room. One was talking and others listening. Except his voice there was no sound.

“So, This is our Plan. I will show the map later. We go with 3 - 2 strategy” Shiva was explaining.

“Map. Want to see it now” Stephen was stressing.

“Ok. Just a second” Shiva’s hands were comfortably moving on the keyboard.

“So, It will be Raju and me through this way and others have to take the other door” Shiva was pointing it in the map.

“Only Two of you through that way. It is dangerous” Vinay told rolling his eyes like something.

“No other go. They will expect more people from this way and have more people here. We have to surprise them” Shiva told.

All this time Raju was typing something in his mobile but suddenly acted as though he was listening. He was a guy of that kind. He talks less, listens even more lesser but performs great. Srinath was listening and made gestures like a new wife will make to her husband.

“Is that all ok” Shiva told.

“Done” all four told in a single voice.

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How the entire conversation looked to you. Didn’t It looked like a Plan to break through a bank or a plan of mafia attack. But it is not. It is something everyone will not know about. go reading further you will get it.

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“All this plans will not work. Last time when i died no one was with me.” Stephen told.

“Machan, I was with you. Just before you died I was attacked by someone from behind and I have to hide” Vinay told

“Lets plan and see whether it works. No matter even if only one survives  - winning is important” Shiva told

“I take sniper this time” srinath told.

“Done. Me as well.” Shiva said looking at others just like asking them what are they gonna take.

“Maverick - all of us” Stephen told just pointing at others.

“Be careful. Friendly fire is on. Raju be careful” Srinath told as all started laughing

“That was unusual. Forget it. It will never happen again” Raju told as vinay had a call and Stephen opened VTV movie in his system.

So the Team dispersed.

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Many of them would have got what it is all about. But for those who still don’t get it go ahead......

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‘SAME TIME SAME PLACE - THE NEXT DAY’

“I know this will happen. They are professionals. Probably their only job is playing CS” Vinay told

“The case is same with us.” Shiva told

“Its ok da. Quarter finals to semifinals. Whether it this is not an improvement” Srinath said like a child.

“Dai, Only 16 teams participated da. Next round after the first is Quarter finals” Stephen told.

“Its ok. It is better to maintain the image saying Semifinal exit” Shiva told

“What next” Raju asked looking at shiva.

“Just now checked in website. There is a match in KCT tomorrow” Shiva told.

Everyone laughed and the room went dark again. The plan starts again and execution will come good one day was their dream. It was not about winning. It was not about Planning. It was about Pleasure of Playing. It was a Memory that you can take from your college and keep it for years. Think of the pleasure you get when you think of all this when you are 60+ years old............................................

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL............ with friends.

NH 47

Every single part of my body was aching. I was able to see the vehicles in my rear view mirror lying near me half broken. Blood was dropping from my head in front of me. My bike was lying a few metres away from me and the girl was just lying very close to me. Her white dress now looks like a combination of red and white. Her face was completely in red with blood. I have to do something.

Suddenly to my shock I felt I am not able to move any part of my body. It took sometime to understand what had happen. My mind rolled back to the hopes college signal in rapid speed. I was in the signal adjusting the mirror in the bike.

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“Excuse me......”I heard a voice which was sweeter than that of shreya goshal’s.

“Ya” I told looking at her sharp.

“I am already late for the exam and the bus had had a break down. Could you please drop me at the PSG CAS”

“PSG what”

“PSG College of Arts and Science....... Can you........Please” Her voice had innocence.

“Why can’t you wait for the next bus or take an auto.”

Suddenly her voice became cold and hard “I asked for a lift. Tell yes or no.”

“Yes” I told trying to keep my voice cold as well. We started from there and in few minutes my bike hit 60s as that was the maximum possible with a victor GL.

“Whats your name” I asked

“Me........ ”She was about to tell something may be her name but she screamed like something and I too wanted to scream but the shock held me cold. One of the HMV was overtaking the other suddenly without any clue and I had very few distance to move in the left as a fiesta was getting closer to me. In few seconds, I was flying in air seeing my bike and the girl flying with me as well.

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‘What next?’ I had a thought. The girl is lying motionless. No idea whether she is alive or not. I am almost in a coma stage with consciousness. No vehicle looks like stopping. Finally one ambassador came to halt near us. Two man in their late 40’s came out. They spoke something between them but didn’t understand. Might be some north indian language.  

Suddenly I felt like climbing a flyover. Those two men carried both of us in their shoulders. The man who carried me put me in the back seat of the car and the other man put her over me to be even more specific they put her in the remaining space. Even in that situation i felt a bit uncomfortable and not sure whether she was in the same condition as mine feeling uncomfortable. But they are doing the right thing. In this situation we are humans fighting for a survival.

She had her eyes opened but not moving the eyeballs like me. Probably that was the only one i was able to do that time. I felt like a bit tired and wanted to have a small sleep. But something within me told

“Don’t give up. This is not your regular sleep. Now if you close your eyes for sleep you will never open it again. Think of something which will make you feel happy. Think of Mom. Think of GCT(My college), Think of friends, Think of late night games, Think of the pleasure of success and agony of failure, ….............................Think of dad - ‘you have to be there for your mom forever’ - that was the only thing dad wanted from you”

Suddenly I started thinking about this girl in front of me. I don’t even know her name but I am feeling very sad for her. If she had got lift from any other vehicle or if her bus had been OK or if she had started early from her house............. sad........... None of the ifs had worked for her. I wanted one of that man to look at my phone or wallet and call to my mom but none of them did that.

I felt like the car is coming to a halt. Again the flyover feeling and both were in different stretchers moving towards the ICU maybe. I was happy that still I was holding on but what about her. While we were on the move someone checked my pulse and heard saying

“Thank God. He is still alive.”

But Other voice from near told “She is dead. In fact she might have died before half an hour as she is very cold”

I was still motionless. But the eyes which were working for the past few minutes busily was wet now. Tears were at the end of my eyebrows. I was taken into a room as I was looking at her and still felt like she was alive.

People call this what?

24-06-11 21:30 I was in shanthi nagar bus stand and My bus to Chennai was by 21:15. Had a lot of time. When you have a lot of time and a good place to sit & watch the crowd, it is a real pleasure in Bangalore.  Cool breeze, Hi-fi city, Modern girls who try hard to make themselves look even more modern and finally the busy buses…… you will not know how the time passes by.

“G3 koan-sa stop mei aa raha hein?”a stranger near me in his early 40’s asked me. He is for sure a north Indian.

“Malum nayein ji….”I said as that is the only thing probably I know in hindi.

My bus arrived by 21:00 and when I was about to get into the bus I saw already someone sitting inside the bus. Guess what friends…… She was like the kareena kapoor in ‘Jab we met’ but with a saree. I went inside the bus acting like I am not noticing her and took my ticket outside to check out the seat number. It was 13. She was sitting in 14(damn lucky I felt. Don’t know why….. Common man :) ).

“Excuse me “I said as she lifted her eyes slowly towards me. Wow! What a beautiful eyes, Everything is perfect about it. “Can you pls make way for me. My seat number is 13……hmm…. Window seat mam”

Eyes still looking at me cool but her voice murmuring something.

“Hello mam……. Are you listening to me.”

“hmm… what the hell they think. How can they give me ticket saying……..mm….. nothing” she was talking but not moving to give me space.

“k…..let me hear to all this after I sit. Pls can you move…….”

“can’t you sit somewhere else till I talk with the conductor.”

“I am not gonna eat you madam……. Can you pls move” I told smiling. I don’t know why I told that. I have never spoken to any women like this before.

She looked at me like she would shoot me if she had a gun in her hand and to my surprise she moved. There is general saying “You cannot understand women”. But I felt I have understood this women.

I sat in my seat and felt like India has won the world cup once again.

“I am chinna…..hmm...to be apt chinna Veerappan and how can I call you”

“Call me Mam or madam as you have been doing it for the last few minutes” she said giving me a dirty look.

I felt bad but liked it somewhere from the interior of my heart. “Ok Mam” I told and put my headphones on without playing any songs. I have a closer look now and I felt she is one of the good looking girls I have seen in Bangalore and she looked like she is in early 20s. Long hair, smell of charlie scent, Sharp eyes and one thing I was not able to guess is whether she is a tamil girl or not. Decided to try a trick. Dangerous but the guts came to me from somewhere that day.

I started talking over the headphone without even making the call “Solra machan. I am on my way to singaara chennai. one more thing........ Busla yaen pakathula sema …..”

‘Enamo yaetho, yaenam thiraluthu munae........’ Her phone started ringing. I stopped where I was and It took few minutes to come out of the shock. So, the probability of she being tamil is now 100%.

Then when the bus was about to start, the conductor came into check the empty seats. “Hello sir. Evangaluku yaetho prachanayaam” I said to the conductor.

“Oru prachanayum ila sir.” she told to the conductor and just murmured something looking at me. I was able to catch what she was murmuring “No one can eat me..”.

After the bus started I kept quiet and she also was quiet. As my music was not playing I was able to hear few “Take care” calls and “bye! I love you baby” calls around me.

Bus slowly reached Hosur and My cell phone shifted roaming from sim1 to sim2.

Suddenly bus came to a halt near the hosur bus stand. Few of them entered the bus. One man who looked exactly like the salman khan of the south came directly looking at us and stopped near us saying “Hi baby”............ After that he spoke something but nothing I cared to listen.

Few seconds later he turned to me and told “Sir can you have a change of seat. It is 16, a window seat as well. I think you can understand.”

“Ya”I told as I moved towards the opposite side of the bus and placed myself comfortable. I gave a final look of the night at them and pressed my push back. Suddenly I saw a girl behind the seat where I was sitting. She was in her teen with a white salwar kameez. she was not beautiful as the other girl but definitely she was good looking. Then I started to sleep but whenever the bus stopped for some reason I thought of both the girls. I thought of the former one less and the latter more.

People call this what? If the salman khan of the south had not entered I would have thought only about that girl but now...........