Sunday, August 20, 2006

Kahani Poori Filmi Hai

This is a story about 5 girls and a guy (and his girl of late).The story of dreaming, striving and getting it. They parted precisely one and a half years ago to find their destinies. All of them found their calling in various cities, such as Mumbai, Dubai, Ahmedabad and Pune, in premier business management institutes. And they met again on the eve of Independence Day in Pune.They were the best of friends, they always fell on each other, still do. Two among them were like Siamese twins one was a jester, another a soothsayer and still another a Go-getter, actually no, all of them were go getters. They firmly believed in 'Smart Work rather than Hard Work’. And knew that their priority in life ,come what may, was to have a 'good time’. What bound them closely together was food, coffee and gossip. Together they were called 'The Gang' while they called others 'Lesser Mortals’. There were tears, tribulations and triumph at last. In short, is shtory mein action hai, drama hai, suspense hai aur melodrama bhi hai.
This story is about the long pending Pune trip. Out of the 5 aforementioned people, 3 are pursuing their M.B.A. in the city of Pune.And since the last one and a half years we had been planning to congregate there and at Mumbai (no one ever mentioned Ahmedabad, I am wondering is it a good thing or bad).Finally all of us could squeeze time out of our busy schedules, for taking this pilgrimage of sorts, which would be forever etched in my memory. I had almost cancelled the trip because ,when I mentioned it to my parents( I am a good girl ain't I) they went all paranoid telling me about the floods in Gujarat and Maharashtra.Mom strictly advised me against traveling in such weather, by whatever means(all because of those zillion news channels and their blowing things out of proportion).But Swati coaxed me to come , and assured me that there were no floods whatsoever, and I was anyway waiting to be assured,'coz I was the one who had come up with the idea in the first place.
So it happened, Swati had come to pick me up, and I saw her beaming at a distance,Seanpati Bapat Marg that was where the Siamese Twins reunited. To cut a long story short, the next 4 days were the best 4 days in a long time. All we did was, eat, chat and shop (oops).The idea was to go to as many places as possible in that short span of 4 days. Places worth mentioning would be Apache on F.C.Road, Leather Lounge on M.G. Road and Shisha in ABC Farms. Besides there were a lot of small li'l 'world famous in Pune places ' where we were taken. Like a place where you get the best Momos( I can't recall the name).The best and the cheapest cold coffee in Pune at a place called Coffee Stop in Shivaji Nagar.And two very good bakeries/eateries on M.G. Road called Marz-O-Rin and Dorabjee's.
Priyanka and Naveen could join us only for a single day.Priyanka who is the sincere most student of an esteemed college called the Narsee Monjee Institute for Management had a presentation on the following day, hence they made a move on 16 early in the morning. But on the 15th, the best day that was, we had a gala time, the places we went to were mostly around the Koregaon Park area, where the Osho Ashram is located. The walk to the Ashram is replete with scenic beauty; the boulevard that leads to it is lined with trees, and exotic bungalows, presumably owned by foreigners. After the walk we went to this place called the 'German Bakery', and gobbled our chocolate truffles and coffee. The remainder of the evening was spent at this exotic lounge called 'Shisha' at ABC Farms, and settled down comfortably in a corner, all 7 of us. For the first time then I regretted being in Ahmedabad or anywhere else and not in Pune.Not just Shisha but just about any place in ABC Farms made me feel like that. The ambience is perfect with dim-lit lamps, low seating, music and its location at a terrace. It was also about catching up with each other more than anything else.
The next day we went to this pub called the Leather Lounge on M.G. Road, it was plush and happening, diametrically opposite to how Shisha looked, it had leather couches and glass cabins. It was still good but not as good. The silver lining was watching KANK(Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna) at E-Square, but Swati and I found solace in the fact that we had invested only 50 bucks to watch it in a morning show. However, the foundations of our common resolve that we can watch any crap dished out by Karan Johar shook that very day.Swati still liked it a bit.
One thing that put me off Pune was the condition of roads, everything sans the pathetic condition of roads in Pune rocks. There was something endearing about the city, although I had been there for the first time I felt a kind of connection. Partly because all my people were there, and partly for some inexplicable reason. I liked the fact that even the small time shopkeepers looked well educated, and the fact that there was a Crossword (the book shop) at every nook and corner.And yet it was not as mammoth and daunting as Mumbai, but still has a cosmopolitan appeal to it.I felt that I'll have to come back again and again.
The 4 day long extravaganza ended on a sentimental note, Harsha and I thought Mumbai was a better and cheaper place to shop and we shall meet again in a matter of a couple of months there.Swati and Garima declared that for the first time they were feeling at home in the city. And I was dreading the heaps of assignments waiting for me back at Ahmedabad.
But the story remains incomplete. They shall meet again at some other point , in another city, and keep on meeting, and the bond shall grow stronger,while making their dreams come true; they are still striving to find their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but the kahani is filmi and always will be.