To Sir, With Love (On His Birthday)

It is Sumit’s birthday today. He is the Centre Manager of IMS Siliguri and also teaches Maths & DI. We gave him an awesome surprise party. I am extremely rapturous that it all happened as we had planned save few minute glitches here and there. But the celebration was a huge success – a Birthday Bash indeed and I am overjoyed. The aim was to completely take him by surprise and we managed to do that in grand style. The look on his face when he entered IMS was priceless. He just had no clue :)

Sumit when he entered. He was clueless and had no idea
A SUCCESSFUL SURPRISE :)

The event was conceptualized, planned and executed in just three days. The idea of a surprise party struck me on Saturday night. Despite knowing him for more than two years, I had not once wished him on his birthday. He is generally reserved when it comes to such stuff. So when I realized that it was his birthday on 4th, I decided to do something this time.

I discussed the idea with the students of my MBA batch on Sunday. As expected, all were excited. We tried talking about it in the class in hushed tones, but since he was sitting right outside, chances were high that we would be overheard. I suggested we talk about it somewhere out hence after the class we resumed our discussion outside IMS. However, if Sumit would come out and spot us all together, he would sense something was up. We had to make a move from there too. The best option seemed to be CCD. There we went and there started the real planning! What started as a small discussion took the shape of a proper event planning and management involving about score students.

Meeting at CCD each time would not be possible. It would be a costly affair too, I realized ;) So I decided to have the meetings at my place. It would be convenient for all. And we had elaborate meetings at my place for three days in a row. The students were so enthusiastic – it was so wonderful to see everyone so upbeat and charged up. There was a lot of detailing in everything possible.

I wanted to do something different, something big, involving the present batches and the ex-students. I tried and thought of all those small things that could go a long way in making him feel special. I wanted to connect with those ex-students who were close to him. I did not know them all, but created a secret Facebook group to reach out to them. I eventually managed to get in touch with a couple of them and they sent their best wishes which were shared through a presentation.

The card, I knew had to be something creative and hand-made. It would have been very easy to purchase a card and give it to him. But nothing beats a hand-made card. A personalized touch makes a big difference. So we finalized the idea of a custom-made card with the signatures of all the students. The card responsibility was given to Shinam and Ishita and they did a wonderful job of it. Just the selection of the hand-made paper had taken time. There was a good discussion on the colour. Shinam wanted pink and the boys were of the view that pink is a girly colour and thus he would not like it. But Shinam had set her mind on it. I let her go ahead as eventually she was the one who would be making it. And I was not wrong. What a lovely card it turned out to be! When we presented it to him, he said it was one of the best gifts he had ever received :) A readymade card would never have that effect.

Shinam & Ishita presenting the card to the "Birthday Boy" :)

Similarly venue and food also made for a great deal of discussion. I wanted the venue to be IMS itself as that was the place that connected the students to him. Plus IMS would have a homely feeling, a place which everyone knew and would thus be comfortable in. Our food menu changed so many times, it’s not funny. We deliberated on so many things, pizza from Dominos to start with. Here also we explored the option of Pizza Mania as well as large size pizzas on a sharing basis. But Dominos would never be in our budget so the idea was dropped. Next we thought of something in Chinese. But these did not seem to click. The last option was snacks and Mitra and Chinmoy Da also suggested we order snacks packet from somewhere. That would be within our budget and hassle free too – no tension to serve, no plates required. So we went ahead with it! I think the only thing where we had no problem was the cake. I had made up my mind that we would not compromise on the cake. We would order it from Victoria Junction. The cake was very yum and all appreciated it.

The Lip-smacking cake from Victoria Junction :)

The decorations were also very nice. That was something challenging. We had to get it all done when Sumit was away for lunch. We only had about 45 mins. Everyone pitched in to help. And the result was awesome. I especially loved the balloons. The idea was Natasha's. She said it looked very cute. At one point, we were thinking of getting gas balloons instead. I am so glad we went ahead with this. Not just the balloons; every thing looked good.

The most difficult and fatiguing part was planning the games. I was most worried about it. I knew that for the party to get going, we had to have quality games. I did have something in mind but the execution was a humongous task. The idea was to have games from AXN’s “Minute to Win It”. Games selection was the first challenge as there were hundreds to choose from. I selected some, mainly those for which we did not have to buy anything. After that there was great debate if those were doable or not. We had to try every game and ensure that it could be done. Some were difficult and needed modifications. We had suggestions from everyone and then tried all the options. Eventually we finalized the one that seemed to be the best. But what fun it was! Abhimanyu was a champion in most of the trials. Balancing the golf balls had become a child’s play for him. It was great fun to see the guys try all possible ways to attempt “Bite Me”. But all of it was worth it. The games were the highlight of the party. Everyone applauded out efforts and said that games were unusual and enjoyable.

Ishita playing "Don't Blow The Joker" - She was the final winner also :) 

Rameez trying to get his shot right while playing "Home Golf"

I am glad that the event today was a huge success. But I am also missing a lot of things. The main event was fun, no doubt. But the meetings were equally delightful. More maybe! These meetings were definitely the high point of the event. Right now my room looks so empty. For three days there was so much activity happening right here. To add to it, Nupur too had come to stay for those three days. She did come at a time when I was most busy and had not time to talk or discuss anything else. So all we mulled over was THE PARTY. Thus basically the discussion for the party extended even after the students had left, till about 2 at night.

The empty MAZAA bottle reminds me of the lightening speed at which the bottle was opened and its content was gulped down by all. Actually I have to thank Sandeep for this. I don’t drink other cold drinks but Mazaa used to be a favourite, especially during college time. Yashi and I were gripped by ‘Mazaa Mania’ and we used to savor it daily during the exam preparations. (Reminiscing those days when we used to study in the college library for almost eight to ten hours daily. They were such memorable times. I should write about them too, sometime soon). Coming back to the topic, despite loving it so much I had completely forgotten about it. But yesterday when I saw the bottle and Sandeep’s fervor to gulp it down entirely bottle, I was reminded of it again. The sheets of paper lying everywhere – in the drawers, on the table, inside my bag, on the carpet – ring a bell suggesting the amount of planning we had been doing to make the event a grand success, which we eventually did. The golf balls remind me of the time and energy spent in preparing for the games. The time spent in planning the surprise was definitely memorable! Everyone involved with it would definitely agree with me. 

Finally, I would say that this was all possible because of the students. Had they not been so enthusiastic and supportive the event would never have shaped up like this. And yes a special thanks to the people who helped me organize and coordinate the entire event. We have a box full of memories that will be cherished always :)

A group snap, Finally :)

Naughty Nupur - Part II

There had to be a part two for this post as I wanted to write about some more things. These are basically some memories that Nupur and I have shared. It's not possible to write down all, but just some of them are mentioned here: The first one definitely has to be my birthday cake. We had just a week ago and I had mentioned that I was really crazy about my birthday. But that year, in 2009, there happened to be a strike on 11th and I was already feeling low about it. So on 10th August around 10 pm the door bell rang. It was the delivery boy from Victoria Junction. Poor guy! He had been roaming around with that cake for more than an hour. The reason – incorrect address! Instead of mentioning Silverline Hotel, you’d given the address as opposite Tourist Lodge, which happens to be in Kurseong. How on earth was he supposed to find it? He finally did, with a lot of asking around. Now I was curious who had sent it. The first one was from Appu, and I’d pretty much guessed this one was from you. I asked the delivery boy but he did not have much to tell me. Only he gave me that paper where you’d written down the address. Do you remember what happened the next day? We’d gone to Victoria in the evening and that guy sees us there and tells me “Cake inhone ne hi order kiya tha”.

Next up are our Saturday hangouts at CCD and of course the rain that accompanied every week. Well you mentioned in your comment in the earlier post that I had missed out on the rain. No sweetie. How could I have? It’s just that I had this idea of a next post and had saved it for here. So, what days they were! And what rain too! Every Saturday we used to meet and then it used to rain, and rain heavily. Remember how we once got stuck in Cosmos for a real long time. Then finally we left. We had no umbrellas and there was no luck in getting the autos. So we were just walking. We were so totally drenched. But what fun it was! That time it was a protocol that if we met up, it had to rain. We used to so look forward to it. But seriously those were fun days. All we would do is chat chat chat, and chat nonstop, about anything and everything. It’s so different now. We are always talking about serious stuff. We should do something like those days sometime soon. What say? No serious talks, no tension – just let loose and enjoy!

There are various other things – the morning walks, the coffes, the movies, the night stays, shopping, talking and so much more. Like I said it’s been good. I don’t remember of a time when we have had a disagreement, forget about a fight. Touchwood! No, but seriously, this is commendable. Guess we just have the same wavelength and get along well. And now that I see time running out, I want to make the most of the days that you are here. We should meet often now :)

F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

In the course of our lives we come across several people, befriend quite a many, and finally form close friendships with just a few of them. With time even these close friends depart, at times due to a reason and sometimes without any. We then make new friends, occasionally missing the old ones. And life goes on. However there are some who stick around stubbornly and go on to become a part of our lives. Also there are a number of people we might not be very close to, but they do leave a mark or influence us in some way or the other. It is people like these who make our lives beautiful.

These are those special people who are a part of my world and have left an impression some way or the other. 12 indeed seems like a huge number and mind you this is an only girls list [No specific reason for this]. Sometimes we take them for granted or hesitate to tell them what’s on our mind and how we feel for them. This is effort to let them know that they are indeed special and their presence makes a difference. I share an individual relation with each one of them and there can be no comparisons. But yes, I am fortunate to have known them. Love you all!

I was having difficulty in arranging the order and have finally decided to go chronologically. Starting with the person I met first…

Sweety: Her name says it all – she is sugary, extremely caring and is ready to walk that extra mile anytime for her friends and close ones. People who know her are indeed lucky. I am fortunate enough as we are cousins. But she has been more of a friend. I have admired, respected and loved her ever since I’ve understood the word FRIEND and known the meaning of friendship. Despite being sisters, we have exchanged lots of cards. People called it madness but I actually idealized her those days - always waiting to hear from her, looking forward to her cards and letters. However that was just one side of the picture as life is not just about roses. I am glad we experienced the rough phase as well as now I can say that it is a complete picture.

I had never anticipated having fights or arguments with her but we did and in great style. We did not fight verbally; it was worse – the cold war. The paradox of the situation – when we were far I always wanted to meet her and be with her. But when we were staying together in Delhi, there were times when we did not speak for more than a couple of days. I really do not regret any of it as it has only helped me to understand her better and made me closer to her. I love her lots and wish her the best in life.

Neha: I’ve known her for more than twelve years and I am actually surprised that we are still going strong :P We were five friends in school and our gang was called PINKSTERS. Out of the four of them, I was least close to Neha. I screamed and yelled at her most of the times. If someone told us then that we would be such close buddies ten years down the line, neither of us would have believed it. And the irony is that today I am only in touch with her. Our friendship has stood the test of time.

She has changed a lot over the years, and for the better. Today she is completely different from what she used to be then. But we have been friends during the good and the bad times. I have changed too, but whenever I am with her, I am myself. I effortlessly share my innermost feelings with her and she advises me for a change. I am proud to have a friend like her. Love you baby!

Pooja: She is an absolute sweetheart – one of my rare friends I have not had a fight or an argument with, ever. Knowing me, that’s quite an achievement! I met her in school (Class XI) and there has been no looking back since then. Moreover I am sure she is someone I will be in touch with even twenty years down the line. She is very sweet, caring, down-to-earth and dependable. It has been a smooth ride with her. We have countless memories from good old school days.

Some people say it is difficult for girls to sustain friendship after marriage. That’s absolutely incorrect. She has been married for more than two years but there has been no gap in our friendship and the credit goes to her. On the contrary I am closer to her now than ever before. The credit goes to her mostly as she knows how to maintain relations. I am extremely happy about the fact that she has found a soul mate in her life partner. They are truly a made for each other couple. Wish you all the very best in life honey!

Prachi: Intelligent, outgoing, straightforward, crazy, lazy and total fun – that’s Prachi Gupta for you. It’s a delight to have a friend like her. She has no hang-ups and is absolutely bindaas.

How come you and Prachi are such good pals? That’s the question I am confronted with these days. Our so-called friends raise an eyebrow when they hear that we are close buddies today. But who cares? And why, it is no one’s business actually. So just keep away. (Yeh prayaas tha un dikhawa karne wale doston ko sabak sikhane ka :P)

You rock girl. I am going to miss you bad and life will not be the same without you here. Anyway wish you a happy married life. Lotsa love!! Muah…

Moulshree: We do come across many people in our lives with whom we have an instant connection. We hit off right from the word go. The initial phase is incredibly good and everything seems right. However such relations are known to last for a short while. The charm soon fades. At least that’s how it has been with me.

But once in a lifetime we come across someone we click with immediately and things only get better with time. Moulshree is that person in my life. Met her in the first year of college and there has been no looking back. College was what it was because of her. She is someone I can spend an entire day with doing nothing and still not get bored. Her simplicity is her best virtue. In fact I can now go on to talk about the innumerable good qualities that she possesses and this post will run into pages. I'll write a separate entry on her but for now all I would say is that she is one of my best pals and am assured will always be.

I must have done a thousand good deeds in my past life to have her as a friend.

Nisha: “Best of friends don’t always make the best of roommates.” This is the first thing that strikes me when I think of her. We were roommates for two years in college and have seen all shades of life during that time. Misunderstandings are not uncommon, especially with people you share your room with but the manner in which we dealt with it was absolutely wrong. It was a love and hate relationship. We did have many unpleasant experiences but we also have several wonderful memories. It was just a phase and I am glad we survived. It takes true friendship to pass such tests and ours did.

Nisha is strong-minded, focused and knows what she wants from life. I respect her. Today we are not in regular touch, but that’s not important. I am glad our paths crossed and I had the pleasure of knowing her. She has taught me a lot. We have shared a lot - learning new words, discussing current news and happenings, hanging out together, watching movies, fighting and arguing about petty issues and above all being there for each other. I sure would love to interact more often and share a lot more with her. Guess I’ll take that step :)

Shilpa Sanghai: To be frank, there were 11 names on this list. I was surprised by this number as I had only expected about 8. But somehow it still did not seem complete. I knew someone was missing. I figured out after a while that it was her. And I was not astonished that her name had slipped out of my mind initially as I share an odd but wonderful relation with her. I know her since college; she was a year junior to me and we were in the same PG. I also know that she somewhat hated me in the beginning, courtesy my attitude :P Her opinion of course changed as she got to know the real me.

We have never been in regular touch, not while we were in the pg, not after college, not after that either, despite being in the same city [Strangely enough we have been talking almost daily lately, when she is in Delhi and I am back home, all thanks to Google Talk]. However there always is this comfort that she is there and I can fall back on her, anytime. We speak not more than three or four times a year (on the phone) but whenever we do, we always take off from where we had last left.

I don’t think I have ever told her how I feel about her as it has been a very casual relationship. But it’s true that her presence in my life makes a difference. I respect her for the person she is. I value her opinion and advice.

I know you will do well in life Shilps. Your willpower and perseverance is going to take you places. Lotsa love and good wishes.

Archana: Archana is someone I look up to. We are similar in temperament and perhaps that’s why she understands me so well. I value her advice and whenever there was a dilemma concerning work life, she was the first person I turned to. And she never let me down. I have great respect and faith in her.

Nicky: This is indeed difficult. There is a blog entry on her and I recently wrote a testimonial too. So this will be repeating things. But this list and the whole idea will not be complete if I don’t write about her.

I can write a lot about her, about us, and what she means to me, and yet not get anywhere close to explaining her importance in my life in words. I keep saying it time and again that she is my alter-ego. Of course we are different in many ways but the similarities overpower. She reads my mind, she understands my silence, she knows my various moods, she is aware of my faults - she just knows me inside out. She is a godsend. My life is incomplete without her and I can’t imagine not having her beside me. You know what you mean to me honey.

Amrita: Gentle – that’s how I would describe her in one word. She is soft-spoken and absolutely adorable. More than anything I am amazed at her patience. Not that she doesn’t get stressed or beleaguered, but it doesn’t show up in her demeanor. On the other hand, whenever I was upset or angry in the office, it showed on my face. Everyone could make out there was a problem and I made no efforts to hide it either, as I have always been a straightforward person. This girl sure has some resilience.

Amy was my bitching partner in office. We sat at an arms distance but conversed via chat most of the times. And what fun it was! So much so that it had become a kind of a habit. Sometimes it seemed like we were indulging in it just for the sake of it or maybe because our day would be incomplete without those sessions :P

Amy is a complete family person. Ask her to meet on a Sunday and she would instantly refuse as Sundays were meant to be at home. In fact she sometimes expressed her disapproval about me being in Delhi, away from home and family.

I admire her for all of this, basically for the person that she is.

Sanna: She is absolutely bindaas. I’ve known her for a short while but it has been a great experience. She has a charming personality and is liked by all. Hanging out with her is absolute fun. She is a no-nonsense, in your face kind of a person. Sometimes she can be very blunt but that’s better then maintaining double standards. In fact I respect her for being straightforward and clear. Then there is this other side to her too – soft, caring and thoughtful. She is very dear to me and I am glad I know her. Love you darling and miss you – Barista, coffee, Big Chill; basically your company!

Joyeeta: There already in a dedicated blog entry on her and so there is nothing much to say but yes I am happy we met. Of all the people mentioned here I came across her last but it seems like it was predestined. Even though we were together only for a short while, we have infinite memories. That’s why whenever we talk, we are always stuck up with remember this and remember that :)

What a roller coaster ride it was! Just being with her was absolutely entertaining, no matter where we were – at work, at my place, watching movies, hanging out in CCD, shopping or any other place. It was just so entertaining. Here I must mention that we make perfect partners when it comes to watching movies. Movie watching had never been so much fun before and I am sure we will never find someone better. What I liked most about her company was that I was always myself and it came very naturally. I could say anything and do as my heart pleased and she would just be a part of it. She has left an everlasting impression and I really look forward to more fun times together, especially watching movies again. God I so miss it.

P.S. Two pictures are missing here. Will add them soon.

Joyeeta

Was kind of bored with the monotonous life; thought I’ll take a break and go out for a change. But where and do what? You can’t really come up with ideas here; such a contrast from Delhi where one never falls short on options! In fact there is no need to have a plan, have somewhere to go to. That’s how I was reminded of you and the wacky times spent together.

God! I can’t be so crazy. Do you realize that I am actually writing an entire blog entry on you? I don’t believe myself at times ;) But now that I have thought of it, I might as well go ahead with it. Ok I can tell what exactly you are thinking right now…
“Saali tu kabhi nahi sudhregi na...”
Anyway, I am used to it and so are you I suppose. So I can proceed now!

Know what? Upon looking back, I can now see how we were destined to meet. Why else would I open my yahoo account and check the mail from your dear friend PD :) After that it all happened in the blink of an eye. You were a part of Comma and were soon to be a part of my daily life… at times for two whole days! (Shall come back to it in detail)

You know it; I did not quite like you initially. (Actually not just you. I think that’s the way with me – did not really click with my close pals instantly. Nicky, Amrita, you amongst others) It was that day when you were late and I said you could stay over at my place. Did not know that this would be a frequent affair soon! Bas, that’s how things changed. Spent more time with you, got to know you better and realized we have a lot in common.

Gal, we really have had amazing experiences, they sure do deserve a mention! It was so just so much fun. But the only problem is that there are too many. Can’t recount and jot all of them; this would turn out to be a diary and not a blog. But who cares. It’s my blog after all and I can write whatever I want to. It still won’t be possible to write all of it coz each day there was something happening; also because we spent a lot of time together – 10-12 hours at work daily, and then the frequent night stays at my place. Right from Day 1 you had said you would get clothes and leave them at my place. Bhaiya na bhi tujhe kitni baar bola. But then the LAZY you! Each time you would crib and crib and crib but you did not get them till the last day.

I bet you can’t forget the doggie at my place. God…he was scary. You were so scared of him. Lekin us din raat ko kitna bhagaya than na usne. Pehle se hi green park se bhaag bhaag ke aa rahe the, aur last mein Sandy ne bhi kasar nahi chodi. Bina light ke kaise bhaage the stairs mein. Shit that was a day yah. You wanted to enjoy the ‘cool breeze’ so we stayed back in Green Park after meeting that friend of yours. But then such brilliant ideas occur to you! And the result…those fanatics! Madam where did you get this from? F*** O** We were casual initially but with the kind of impression and message that was sent out UNINTENTIONALLY it did get a little scary. Though my place was just walking distance we had to take an auto to get back. And that too left it outside the main gate and ran home. The icing on the cake was dear Sandy! Huh. I remember we only relieved once we reached the balcony and took a deep breath.

Another similar incident was at Priya’s while watching Rock On! We had not got the tickets. Joyee madam toh itna tayaar hoke aayi thi J Aur jab mera mann ho jayee movie dekhne ka toh phir kya… got the tickets for black and told Nikhil and Mr. JNU that there were no tickets. Had a nice dinner but din know that more drama was to unfold after that. Eeeeuuuu…thinking about it still gives me creeps but cant help laughing also. You were so scared and wanted to call the guards. By the way he was my friend so why were you interrupting ;) The best part was the way we ran as soon as the movie got over.

Movies remind me of much more. I think we have made every movie a wonderful experience with something or the other happening.

• Sarkar Raj – nice comedy! Yah I know you will agree with me on this ;)
• Aamir – Rushed to Nehru Place to watch it but since we were kinda broke, din feel like spending 400 bucks. And so went to Just Parathas instead! Hey hey…phir wahan bhi toh kitna drama hua tha J Remember the police walas and how we were standing along with them. We sure did look like criminals to anyone passing by, not that there were many at that time of night. Lol! And police uncle ne bola, lemme get you girls an auto. But unko dekhke toh saare auto waale dur se hi U-turn maar rahe the. The walk down the drak empty road around midnight was kinda frightening. Finally managed to get an auto and got back home. But the action was not over yet and more was to come the next day.
• Mere Baap Pehle Aap – Just a day b4 we had dropped the plan of watching Aamir coz of the financial crunch, and for what? To watch this shady movie just the next day. The only consoling factor was that we were watching it in Select City Walk. But do you remember how we landed there? Remember we were at Ansal Plaza – had gone to the Vodafone Store as my calls were barred. Who kaam bhi nahi hua tha plus we were both hell bent upon watching Aamir. So we explored various options where it was playing. There was a show at 3Cs in Lajpat and we rushed, only to find that my brother had mistakenly given us the wrong info. Grrhh… only made me more determined to watch it. Oh you had also called Bhaiya there. Was meeting him for the 1st time and what an impression he had of us together (Hey thinking of him reminds me of ‘Pairi pauna’ and the SILENT conversation to check your mobile phone outside A2B) Anyway we decided to go to Saket to watch the movie. But seems like we were no destined to watch that movie. Got no tickets. Was so irritated and just wanted to watch any goddamn movie. And that’s how this movie happened. Bhaiya ko kitna irritate kiya than na! And yes must admit this was a perfect movie to watch after all the confusion and running around. I had fun watching it.
• Hancock – Now if we were both watching a movie, something had to happen. And this time it was just unnecessary commotion. The outcome – despite being present at the theatre, we only saw the movie post-interval. Shit I am barely late for movies. I’m the sort who likes to watch the initial advertisements too. And missing half the movie, that’s just not me. Lekin hum saath the toh gadbad toh honi thi.
• Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na – I think this was one movie where there was no confusion, drama or action. This time it was pre-event (for me) and post-event (for you). And yes I remember it was my ‘no occasion’ treat to you :) Nice movie, nice watch.

Okay, this will surely take more time. There are so many incidents – office and the fun there, the enjoyment in Green Park particularly CCD, the maiden JNU visit and much more. So will continue it in the next post :)

And miss you a lot sweetie. I really really had an amazing time with you. Just absolute fun. Like you said we are both of a similar nature and that's why we clicked. Love you. Keep Rocking!