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 :)

Naughty Nupur :)

A day in the first week of August 2009 it was. I was speaking to this friend of mine. My parents were out of station and I had lots of free time with nothing much to do. I was sort of bored. I happened to mention this to that friend and he immediately said that he had a friend in Siliguri, from Guwahati, who too stayed alone and did not know too many people here. He told me she was an RJ with Misty. The moment he mentioned her name, I asked him, “Naughty Nupur”? He sounded excited and enquired if I knew her or followed her show or something. No, I told him. I must have heard it on the radio sometime while switching channels. He asked me if I would like to speak to her. I said I had no issues. Normally I would not have been keen on knowing a friend’s friend. Definitely not someone I had never met. But I so readily agreed to speak to Nupur. Maybe we were destined to meet!

Ok jokes apart, we were talking about it and then I had to hang up for a while as I had to go to the kitchen. I was making pasta that day, I so vividly remember. We resumed our conversation in sometime. It was one of those ‘catching-up’ days when you’re speaking to a long lost friend after ages and so obviously have lots to talk about. At that time there was a call waiting, but even before I could check the number the line got disconnected. He asked me what number it was. Why would he be bothered, I wondered! He seemed to have read my mind and told me that it could be Nupur. What!! I was taken aback because that was real quick. He had just mentioned her some ten minutes ago. She couldn’t be calling so soon. Well, this would have been my reaction under normal circumstances. But that day I did not find anything strange about it. Maybe it was because things were happening in such quick succession or like I said earlier, it was destiny. Anyway, we checked the number and it was her. He hung up and said she would perhaps try again. She did, soon and we spoke for the first time. It was a short and nice conversation. So that was how we both were introduced, over the phone. So when did we meet next? Well that same night. Yes! Something must have really clicked between us because it was not a usual meet at a coffee shop or something. She came for a stay-over at my place. Like I mentioned earlier, it just happened so suddenly. In fact our common friend too was surprised. He said he had expected us to gel well, but not so instantly that she was staying over at my place that same night. Well the rest as they say is history.

I’ve now known her for almost two years and it’s been so much fun. Nupur is a sweetheart. She is extremely lively and absolutely fun-loving; we’ve had some crazy moments together. She is full of positive vibes and is the right person to meet when you are low. She passes on that energy to you and lifts your spirits up. She has so much of energy and can talk non-stop. Yes she speaks a lot, and why not. She gets paid to do that, so she better talk, and talk a great deal. In fact she gets so carried away when she is talking, she doesn’t realize when she gets loud. Especially, if it is a closed space, like a coffee shop, I always have to gesture her to be softer. I love the way she has a twinkle in her eyes at that time. She is someone with a pure heart, who doesn’t know any pretence whatsoever. This is what I love about her the most and this is why I can be totally myself with her. It is so just relaxing to be in her company. Today, she is my only friend in Siliguri but I’ve never really felt the need of having more friends with her around. I am so thankful that I met her. I’m saying this not because everyone says this about his/her friend. It is because I’ve realized something. It’s easy to meet thousands of people, befriend dozens and be good friends with some of them. But even out of these, it is just a few people who come into your life and make a difference. They teach you many things and you form a great bond with them. Life moves on and so might they, but then will have left an indelible mark in your life. Nupur has already left this mark :)

You will soon be going away and I am going to miss you a great deal, not because I am going to be very lonely (which I will be) but because I really love spending time with you. I cherish the moments spent with you. I’m going to miss spending time with you. In fact I think I’ve begun missing you already! I love you :)