Was it worth it !

October 26th Friday, 06.00 am, inside a bus near the borders of Chennai:
(Anees and Karthik are cramped inside a government bus near Chennai. They both are really tired, eyes hollow because of the sleepless last 2 nights)

Karthik: Was it worth it!
Anees: I don't know but it was fun wasn't it ?
Karthik: I don't know if we should have gone there. We don't even know what happened to the other 4 guys.
Anees: Hope they make it to office today, otherwise we're all screwed up.

9 hours before, at Kempegowda bus stand, Bangalore. [October 25th, Thursday]
(Saran is running all over, and we 5 friends waiting for him. He comes after a while)

Saran: There are just 2 seats in that bus and that too close to the driver. We need to decide which 2 make it first.
Anees: Guys, I have to go, my mom will come back tomorrow, and you guys know the consequences if I'm not at home.
Karthik: I have to go as well, you guys know why.
Saran: Alright, the first 2 is decided, you guys carry on, we 4 will make it to Chennai somehow. Just take care.

3 hours ago at Lalbagh, Bangalore.
(All the 6 of us are gathered at the park, all faces exhausted, frustrated and gloomy. )

Saran: Ok guys, this isn't fun anymore and I think we did a mistake coming here in the first place. It's getting late now, we need to catchup some dinner and try to find a way to get back to Chennai.
Rest of us: Nod our head in agreement and take an auto to Kempegowda bus stand.

1 hour ago at Lalbagh, Bangalore:
(Karthik weeping, on a bench and rest 5 of them around him comforting and pouring water on his head. Sanju had just landed a huge log of wood on Karthik's head. It was an accident. )

Anees: Dude, c'mon don't weep, the hurt will go off.
Karthik: It's not the pain I'm weeping for. It's the fact that Sanju is so frustrated and unhappy about the shopping we all did. It's spoiling the entire trip and I'm feeling bad for it.
Anees: Sanju, you shouldn't have shown your anger on him. It was our collective mistake we went to that shop. Whatever you did is still very wrong.
Sanju: His head down in apology, feeling a little guilty may be.


15 minutes ago, Lalbagh, Bangalore:
(Sanju and Saran and throwing pieces of wood and pebbles all over the park aiming at targets. One such log of wood lands hard on Karthik's head. )

Raj & Selvam: Macha, are you alright.
Karthik: No, this is hurting too much.
(He begins weeping as others gather around, Saran runs around to get some water. )

3.00 p.m., Show Off, Jai Nagar, Bangalore

Karthik: This is amazing man. I mean, I can get an Armani T-Shirt for 300 bucks. I'm gonna collect all the best brands here.
(He ends up with No Fear, Armani, Versace and a scullers tshirt. Others are no better, Anees with his load, Saran with a bunch and so is Raj. We all queue up in the billing counter. )
Billing guy: The total is Rs. 11,000/-.
We look at ourselves, Anees puts up his bargaining cap, but in vain. Then decide to strip down on our purchases.
Billing guy: So it's a total of 5,500/-
Anees: [After persuasive bargaining the settlement is at Rs.5000/-], Sanju macha, can we have your debit card. I'll pay you back once in Chennai.
Sanju: I'll pay you da, but to be frank, I am not happy with blowing up our cash at this purchase [but his card is swiped clean].

2 hours earlier , 1:00 p.m. KFC, Brigade Road, Bangalore

Anees: Finally all are here. So guys place your orders.
Sanju: French fries and coke
Karthik: Chicken burger and coke
Selvam: Chicken burger and coke [actually it's whatever Karthik orders].
Saran: Chicken burger
Raj: Some veggie
(All the guys have a sumptous lunch at KFC after missing for couple of hours. )

2 hours earlier, 11:00 a.m., Brigade Road, Bangalore

Anees: Where are these guys da, suddenly all vanished !
Karthik: No idea macha, I remember Sanju went out with Atheeq, no news since then.
Anees: Well now that everyone's gone, there's a thrill ride in some mall here, lets go there.
Karthik: Why not..
Anees: Hope they all make it to Brigade Road for lunch at 1:00.

2 hours earlier, 09:00 a.m a restaurant in Brigade Road

Sanju: Finally our breakfast is over. What a hectic morning
Selvam: Yes what a hectic morning.
Karthik: So what's plan guys?
Anees: Let's walk around the Brigade and MG Road, plenty of shops and crowd to look around.
Saran /Raj: Yeah sounds good.
Atheeq: Hey Sanju, why dont you come with me, have some place to show you.

2 hours earlier, 7:00 a.m, Curzon Court, Brigade Road, Bangalore.

Karthik: Macha, my credit card's blown up, 0.00 credit remaining. But here sir try swiping it.
Hotel Receptionist: It works sir, your transaction's through. Your room's in the first floor:
Anees: That's great, your credit card's magic man, it works even with 0 credit.
Karthik: Must be the overdraft facility
Anees: [To hotel guy] Sir, we have some friends visiting us. Guide them to our room please
Hotel guy: This is awful lot of luggage for the 2 of you.
Anees and Karthik: [Wink at each other]

15 minutes ago, Brigade Road, Bangalore:

Saran: Macha, Anees and Karthik go to the hotel, try to get a 2 bed room and Freshen up. We'll visit the hotel as your friends and once into the room, will freshen up asap. The hotel guys will not know a thing.
Anees: Good idea, but what are you guys gonna do till we settle down, it'll take a while.
Raj: We'll probably take a walk around the MG Road, it's cold and pleasant anyway.
Saran: Fine, here take all our baggages and move on.
Anees: Curzon court looks fine. Karthik, come let's go, hope everything works out fine.

45 minutes before, Cantonement Stationm Bangalore:
(All guys land up in the Bangalore Cantonement Station to a cold morning )

Selvam: Guys, it's damn cold out here !

12 hours before, 6:00 p.m., Temple Towers, Chennai , CGI Conference room
(Sitting around a round table)

Anees: So tomorrow's a holiday and we have to go out somewhere.
Karthik: How about Pondicherry?
Anees: Can we fly to there, or atleast train journey till there?
Saran: No, only bus services.
Anees: How about Bangalore then?
All guys: Look at each other, the silence here meant a yes !
Saran: Selvam, Raj, you both go to the Central station and get us all tickets to Bangalore.
Anees: Rest of us will go home and pack our dresses for tomorrow. Meet you guys at Central by 9:00 p.m.

3 hours before, 3:00 p.m., Temple Towers balcony

Anees, Karthik, Sanju: Isn't it a wonderful weather today, feels like we should go for a drive !

Trip to the Government Home

Sunday, 29 June 2008, Chennai.

This Sunday started like any normal Sunday, with just a simple plan of making it to Dasavatharam (a Tamil movie) with Deep (my sister), my aunt (my mom's sister), Arun (my cousin) and his wife. Lazed around this morning, and made it on time for the 11 am show which unfortunately was delayed by an hour. Used this time to grab a Pepsi and a game at the gaming zone at the Abirami mall. We then watched the Dasavatharam extravaganza (even though it was my second time, I enjoyed it like any first timer). It was after this movie, that I took an unexpected walk.

It was my aunt's suggestion to park my car in her office premises (Goverment Home for Girls) right next to the Abirami theatre. My aunt wanted to show us her office and the premises she and my mom grew up in. As I walked into the gate, I realised it wasn't my first entry to this gate, and the last time I walked in was the fateful day of Feb 17th, 1997, the day that changed my life. I had come here from the hospital to pick my aunt but it was little too late, as she had already left for home. That instant just flashed and here I was walking into the same gate 11 years later. But as I walked in, I realised that in a few minutes I would be traversing 40 years back.

This "Government Home for Girls" is a wing of the "Center for Social Defence" a State Government entity. It is meant for girls who fall into the categories of Orphans, Economically Backward or Minor girls serving some kind of law offence. My grandma admitted my mom and my aunt to this Home under the category of Economically Backward kids. Understandably so, since these girls were the younger ones among a family of 6 girls and a boy.

As I walked into the gate, I felt an unusual aura, more of an emotional one. I was actually seeing the buildings and spaces my mom lived the 10 + years of her life. My aunt first showed me the room where they lived when they initially joined the home. This campus actually hasn't changed much in the last 40 years except that a pond has been covered by rubbles, a dormitory demolished and a new Computer Science block been installed. The door creak still remains the same, the windows are still the same and the walls haven't changed much either expect for a few coats of paint on them. I remember my mom telling me about the rigorous routine in the campus, where their day started at 5 in the morning and went on till 9 in the night. The toughest part was to carry water in huge vessels every morning to water the plants about 50 meters away. The kitchen was shabby, well, what more can we expect from a poorly maintained government home. I saw the present day little girls running around very ordinarily dressed. My mom wouldn't have been much different those days, a shabbily dressed little girl. My mom was average in her studies, and it seems she and my aunt used to go across the pond and study under a tree not to get disturbed by their peers. As we walked further, we saw play areas with volley ball poles erected which have always been existing here. I also noticed an overflowing tank because of a faulty tap. Thought to myself, if such taps existed 40 years back, my mom's mornings would have been much better eliminating the need to carry the water this far. Aunt showed us the rooms where my mom and her spent the latter part of their schooling. This is where I thought my mom spent the most time of her grown-up childhood days. 

Living in this home, I know what part of childhood she missed out on. My eyes were wet from the time I walked into the campus until I walked out of it. I could actually correlate now, why she was a mom who never got tired of her daily chores and always had something to do for us. This was probably the reason she gave my sister and me wonderful memories. She was always devoid of it herself and I felt she re-lived her childhood days through us. Well, the second most time she spent outside her married life was at this home.