My Beach Bum Vacation: Part Deux

Around this time last year the two stooges and I decided that we would make our vacation to Gokarna a recurring theme every year. I have already taken three vacations for the year and maxed out my travel budget. But, for Gokarna I don’t think I have the strength in me to say no because for me it’s a slice of heaven; a place in India where at any moment of time the density of human population is less than 100 per sq. km and a beach within reach. I actually volunteered to do the planning, that’s how exciting I was about going back there. I even planned an early trip home so that I can have my long Diwali weekend free.

As it happens with me most of the time, we couldn’t get confirmed tickets till the day before. I almost thought it wasn’t going to happen but then it did even though we had the crappiest seats on the train. None of us complained though. We were happy even though we were going to reach Karwar at 12 in the night check into a hotel for the night. We just wanted to get away from civilization and be beach bums even for a few days.

Gokarna has all the ingredients for a rousing good time: miles of wide blue sand, shacks with the best seafood fare and cold beer. And the best part no crowds! The shacks are cheap but they don’t shirk when it comes to keeping them clean. This is my perfect vacation spot. I don’t have to plan the day; don’t have to think about the things to do, places to see. All I have to do is get up, put on a swim suit and alternate between reading my kindle while sipping a cold one and floating in the sea the whole day.

Unlike the last time, we were here in season which meant most of the shacks were open. With the kind of crowd you get, you wouldn’t think that the food there would be so awesome. They had Israeli, German, French, India, Spanish delicacies on the menu. And it did help that swimming in ocean made me hungry. I think I have ODed on calamari and prawns can’t have them for the next one year. One dish deserves special mention: Banana Fritters. I think I had them for breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks in between.

The beach was especially good this time because I learnt swimming since the last time I was here. I love it the feeling when I am floating. I can’t hear a thing and all I can see is the clear blue sky with birds flying. It’s this simple moment that made the vacation worth it. And it dint hurt that I get along with the people that I travel with or maybe I am getting old and much more mellow about these things.

For any lazy traveller Gokarna is the place to be, the perfect beach bum vacation to resuscitate your life. 

My Ladakh Adventures

It’s been about two weeks since I came back from the Leh, but I am still stuck in the vacation mode. It was nice to be unreachable. No phone. No internet. Just your thoughts to keep you company. Mundane office things have lost the little lustre they had before. This trip helped me in a lot of ways. It helped me clear my mind and not obsess about the usual stuff. I dint have to listen to my parents complain about my indifference, my room mates’ weird antics, my maids lament, my rather incessant chatter of my friends. I loved it.

I did not do the traditional trekking/cycling/biking trip. It was a driving trip. Pretty lame but I am not into adventure sports. It was a photography trip. I was there to take pictures and soak in the atmosphere, which I did without partaking in any of those adrenalin rides (I almost tried cycling but I chickened out in the end). I have been planning this trip for the past three year albeit unsuccessfully, so this time I went ahead and booked the tickets as soon as we had a plan.

I had two people for company, PG who is the quintessential planner and one her insti friends. Her friend turned out to be a Modi fanatic. I have never met a person of my age who was not apathetic towards Indian politics and here is this guy who talked about the quagmire that is Indian politics non-stop. It was entertaining and educational because I don’t know shit about any of these things that he was talking about. It was not my usual fare, but I loved this trip because of those differences.

The trip in itself was pretty hectic, here’s our schedule.

Day 1: Leh

We landed in Leh around 10 in the morning. I couldn’t believe that the trip was happening until I saw the mountains from the flight. I was almost sure that this trip would get scrapped till the day before (expect the worst and whatever comes your way would feel better: that’s my philosophy).

We went directly to the hotel and were literally pushed into our rooms in the name of altitude sickness. We took a light nap and went about to hunt for a good Tibetan restaurant because it’s all about the food for me! We did not find a good place but got familiar with the layout of the town. It was a sleepy town with more foreigners than Indians. And so many junk jewellery stores! But I was too out of breath to evenlook at all the glittering baubles.

Shanti stupa was the first thing on our long list of places to see. I was never too much into Buddhism but this place has a sense of stillness attached to it. I loved the wind blowing around and the sight of the snow-capped mountains on every turn.

Day 2: Leh- Alchi -Leh (Sham Valley)

The second day was a trip to Alchi which was an old monastery. The great part about these day trips was that the drive was as beautiful as the destination. We were crossing mountains and valleys to get to this place which was perched on top a mountain with a river flowing below. The good thing about travelling with photographers is that you don’t have to worry when you want to stop the vehicle if you see a good view.

We were too excited from the drive that we dint care about the altitude sickness part. We wanted to explore the city. We went about from one Tibetan refugee market to another in search of a turquoise tea pot (which PG had to have). On route we found this little coffee shop called the open hand café where we ended up staying for almost two hours just sipping coffee and tasting all the pastries lined up.

Day 3,4: Nubra 

Nubra Valley is a cold desert according to Wiki. Now, I assumed that means that I had to pack a lot of winter-wear. Sadly, no one told me that it would be boiling hot. I had to peel layer after layer by the time we reached there. It was just the three of us who were brave (==stupid) enough to walk across the desert, the rest of the people were happy just hanging by the camels.

But, we headed to this organic nature retreat which was in the middle of an apple orchard so it was all good. We had a nice hammock under an apple tree and unlimited supply of coffee. I lazed around the whole day and night enjoying the quiet and plucking apples from the trees and eating them right off.

Day 5,6: Pangong and around

This was the best part of the trip for me. I have heard about Pangong from every person who has ever been to the Ladakh. They can’t seem to stop gushing about how awesome it is. The first sight of the lake and I was in love with the surroundings. There is this picturesque lake that is surrounded by mountains with tents dotting on the river bed.

I was in awe. I just put my camera down and stared and stared. The view doesn’t seem to be real. The sounds of water flowing doesn’t feel real. It would be the best place to shoot faery in True Blood (that’s saying something).

PG wanted to walk for a while but I dint want to move, I had the perfect seat on the banks to enjoy the view. So, I lay there for almost hour thinking about nothing and everything. I don’t remember the last time when I stopped thinking/analysing/assessing everything around me.  

And the best part, it was finally cold as in I was chattering non-stop cold. I was wearing two sweaters and a jacket on my jeans in between two heavy blankets and was still feeling cold. I loved the feeling. I miss winters. I missed the feel of the cold wind blowing on your face that numbs you to everything else.

I sat in front of tents and sipped insane amounts of hot coffee while enjoying the view. I took bath in water so cold I couldn’t feel my scalp. It felt nice. It felt of a catharsis in a way, I left the negative feelings there and came back more balanced. No, I am not looking at cute kitten pictures but I am not listening to Anathema non-stop so I think I am getting there.

Day 7,8,9: Leh- Keylong-Manali-Chandigarh
This was the last day in Leh for us. I dint even notice that a week has passed by. I was too busy gazing at the mountains that I forgot about my real life. I dint feel like thinking about my stupid office problems.

The drive back to Manali did just that. It eased us back into real life. As the altitude lowered so did the euphoria. I was getting back to my usual hyper self by the time I got back to Manali that night. And talking to people did not help either. It was just reminding me of my mundane soulless existence and it was making me maudlin. I dint feel like walking around the city because there were too many people around me. So, instead we stuffed ourselves with awesome Punjabi food and watched crappy Hindi movies.

The trip was better than anything I had ever imagined. I am so going back again but this time I would be trekking (ok, I will at least try). Maybe it was the company or the surrounding or the mountains but I felt renewed after this trip. I was dead tired but it was so totally worth it. 

My Weekends in London and Around

Even though I am living and working in central London, my weekdays are spent in a dingy conference room. By the time I get out of the office, I am so tired (too much work I tell you!) that I don’t have the energy to walk any more. My legs are seriously giving up on me after three weeks. But, its not stopping me from maximizing my weekends.

I have been planning my weekends to the dot so that I would visit as many places as I can. The first weekend was solely dedicated to London walking tours, the second a quick visit to Scotland and the third to Lovebox Music Festival. Yes, I did not sleep through my weekends; I was out by 2 PM the latest.

Weekend 1: 

I planned my London walks by looking into a hundred websites and finally decided to just wing it. I started with Westminster Abbey and just kept walking. Within about half hour, I ran into a senior from L. How is it that wherever I go, there is always an L person nearby! Anyways, I was happy to see a familiar face. After a bit of negotiation we decided on walking the Tower Bridge and West Bank area.

Sunbathing Londoners

The Tower Bridge

I did not believe that London can ever be this hot and everyone in the city is just waiting for that moment to get their clothes off. Londoners are very much into walking around anywhere and everywhere bare-chested if they can get away with it. I did have my customary Pimm’s start of my tourist trip. We ended the day after a rather gruesome tour of Jack the Ripper’s home grounds.

Looks pretty eh? This is where Jack the Ripper murdered his first victim

The next day, I went on to cover the rest of the major touristy traps including the Palace, Hyde Park, Green Park, Trafalgar Square, basically almost everything a Japanese tourist would capture in their iPad. I got back home thinking that I would go out for a dinner but only to find out the event that I wanted to go happened the day before. Me being the lazy person ordered room service and caught up on my series and phone calls.

Out with the old in with the new, Parliament Building

Weekend 2: 

This weekend shall forever be named as the best weekend vacation ever until that time when I check into Katakies Hotel in Santorini, Greece. My weekend was rather eventful with N planning the whole thing. It’s weird how fast we caught up with the two year information gap. I was like we are back in IIT, just a change of venue from Roorkee to Edinburgh.

Cafes and Parks in the middle of bustling Edinburgh

We had a quiet dinner in Aberdeen on Friday and caught up with each other’s lives. The day trip to Edinburgh the next day was unlike any other touristy trip because for once I was more interested in the experience than the place in itself. We moved from pub to pub tasting their ales and talking away with a bit of shopping thrown in between. We ended up in a Jazz Bar which was by far one of the best live music shows I have attended. It was a cozy basement with low lighting and comfy chairs and a jazz band in the background. I was pretty tipsy by the time we got out because I was so engrossed in the music I didn’t think twice about the amount of alcohol imbibed.

Impromptu Concert

We reluctantly left the place around 10 in the night. Now, at this point on any other day I would head back home and have an early night but that day I did not want to go back. I wanted to dance which might have been the liquor talking but I dint care. At this point I should probably talk about the weather there. It was so cold I did not take my jacket off even inside restaurants the whole day. But, by the time we got dressed for our club part of the night, I was wearing a flimsy dress with no stockings and a light jacket on but I was not cold.

Best part of the night..or maybe one of them

We went to the Cowgate part of the city trying to find out a good club and got into Espionage which was in a basement of this old gothic building. It looked like we walked into a jail cell in 18^th century. We got some Jaeger bombs into our systems before we started the party. I did not dance that much since L but the crowd was much much much better behaved and good looking :D. We found a group of German students and danced with them for the rest of the night. We got back to our room at around 4 in the morning and I was still pumped :D

The Lone Bagpiper

The next day was obviously is the day I realize that I am too old for this shit. So, we limited ourselves to just walking around and having some greasy breakfast followed by a train journey to Aberdeen and a flight more to London.

Weekend 3: 

This was the weekend that I was dicey about. N was supposed to come down to London but as they say never make plans with people in the Oil field :). I was waiting anxiously till Friday morning that week to find out her status. I did have a back-up lined but still I was excited about the Lovebox thing and I would not go there all by myself if she dints turn up. But that she did.

We walked around Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden on Friday night trying to find a good restaurant. Saturday we did not exert ourselves as we were getting ready for a heavy Sunday. We walked around Hyde Park, had some lunch and moved to Kensington for a glass of cider and crepes followed by another pub in Mayfair where I definitely got too drunk on rose wine (sad day I say!)

The next day we got up and planned for our festival trip all the way to Victoria Park in Hackney, one tube and taxi ride later we found ourselves at a nice family park and I was wondering whether we were at the right place when we heard the familiar cacophony of music from the other side. We walked in where the guys checked all my bags (I guess that never changes) and found ourselves in the Lovebox :D We dint have the schedule on us so we went to a friendly looking organizer and asked about it, instead she handed over a nice little envelope with a contraceptive in it and try to talk us into free STD testing. I will never forget this kind of welcome.

We were pretty early to the party, so it was not that crowded. We got ourselves some drinks and sat down in the park to have a nice lunch. MS MR was performing that day which I found out exactly half hour before they actually came onto the stage which was kind of awesome because I have been listening to their music for the past two months.

Around 5 PM the crowd was getting drunker which was when I observed there were far more guys than girls which should have been a clue but I did not notice it.  Everyone was dressed really well, no scruffily dressed people here, that should have been clue number two. And finally I saw a guy wearing My Private Idaho t shirt ( I was so happy that people appreciate Gus Van Sant, ignorant me :D), I don’t think people can get more obvious than that, but I ignored that one too. I couldn't stay ignorant after a while because, well actions speak louder than words.

But, it was so much fun. We were surrounded by at least thousand drunk guys and I was not afraid. I might finally give electronic genre a chance after listening to Paul Kalkbrenner. I danced like a crazy person. I don’t think I was ever this carefree in any concert. I loved the feel of the whole thing. There was so much security everywhere and these guys were supplying water to the concert goers in between. We came back home covered in dirt and grime but it was so totally worth it. This would be a concert like no other.

Only one final weekend left before I head back to India, hopefully I would be spending it walking around the city and enjoying the short-lived English summer in London. 

My London Work Trip

It’s been almost a week that I have moved to London for a project. I know, I did not tell you guys about this trip. The reason why I did that was whenever I tell people that I am travelling, it never works out. So, this time I kept mum even though it was killing me on the inside. I did not breathe a word to any one in my office until I got my Visa. It happened so fast! I got my Visa on Thursday and I was flying on Sunday. I dint even have time to think about packing. I just did three quick shopping trips just to cover the basics. Instead of vetting the clothing choices, I reamed in the expert. I did not have time to rethink my choices.

My first impressions of the city would be “too many Indians!” The last time I travelled to Europe I was in the middle of nowhere in France where I would be the only Indian in the 5 mile radius. But, here in London everywhere I turn I see a familiar face. I am in love with the city, which might be because I don’t have to live like a pauper (thanks per diem).I am trying new restaurants every day. Which is also the reason why I had a food allergy the second day (not so cool, but I guess I will just chalk it as a part of the London experience). I am walking around the city till I can’t walk any more. The hotel I live in is walking distance to everything that there is to see here. All I have to do is get my lazy ass out of the bed which is rather difficult.

I was a bit skeptical when I started working because it’s the first time I am actually in a corporate environment that is most definitely not like India. I had to re-haul my whole wardrobe moving from FabIndia-environmentalist to iBanker mode which I should say is not an easy thing to do on a budget. Apart from the changing sartorial choices, I like the people and the place. It’s more professional, much more serious people doing serious work. I no longer had tea breaks every hour and chit chat, but I was okay with that. For once I could say that I was actually busy.

I love the tube, it’s so convenient. I am obsessed with maximizing my tube usage; trying to figure out all the possible lines. Also, it is one of those settings where I discovered probably the most precious and interesting aspect London has to offer: multiculturalism. The cacophony of way too many languages spoken at any single instant feels so eerie.

I like rushing past the long queues at Pret a Manger, first thing (it’s so good that it’s always busy), wondering whether or not to have yet another pain au raisin in the morning and taking in the tangy aroma of French Cheese Shop right outside the tube. It’s all about food when you work near Liverpool Street; ambling through the road, trying a different stalls every day. Lunchtime has been revolutionized. There are just too many choices! The smoked salmon and grilled chicken from Street Kitchen are to die for and there’s a fabulous burritos from the Mexican place... my bank balance and my BMI both are at a serious risk of irreparable damage!

More about my weekend adventures in the next post..

My Sudden Travel Plans

After almost two years of working my ass off my big brother here has finally letting me travel to another country on business. I always thought that at least I would get to travel outside the country for work but it never really worked out, I was always this close before all my dreams of photo-journalizing fell through. It started with Indonesia, Singapore, and Bhutan but finally I am going to wait for it…Uganda. I know, I would never have guessed. But, I am so excited that all I do in office is plan my short term trips around Kampala. I have already shooting mails down to tourist agents there for possible tours. I was kind of planning my US trip in June, S and I road tripping along SFO, but I guess I will have to settle down for Chimpanzee trails and Lake Victoria for now (I am so not complaining!)One more week to go before I will be traipsing my way to Africa via Adis Ababa, I cannot wait.

The best part, I am the SME(!!#!!) for the project. If you are done laughing, let me continue. That means all I have to do is review their work and help them. This is going to be the best project ever! 

Reason 1: Ding dong the bitch is gone, I am out of the her clutches; the sweet smell of freedom, how I missed you :)

Reason 2: I am the only one working on it, so no more grumpy managers, yay!

Reason 3: One whole week away from all the madness, why would there by any complaining :)

I cant wait to start clicking!

If you were wondering about people’s reactions, I am getting there,

Dad: What the hell kind of a job are you doing, why don’t you resign and come back home?

Mom: How are going to meet all those guys? I was planning on doing some meet and greets for this month!

Friends: Wait, wasn’t that the place where “King’s Speech” was based on, the country next to Somalia?

Bro: Dude, you should track mountain gorillas, golden monkeys and chimps in the wild get your camera ready! (I know, I broke my baby but I am getting it fixed now)

Grandma: Why do you keep doing this to yourself, just hang in there honey, I am working on something, give me one more month (Doesn’t she sound like a mafia don?)

Miranda Preistley sans the wardrobe: Oh, you got into another project! How could you do this? Wait, I am going to talk to the partner, I am not leaving you! (a la "the grudge”)

With so much enthusiasm from everyone around me I cannot wait to get out of Mumbai. So, one more week, Kampala awaits :)

Update: You know that thing called bad luck, it stuck again. My plans got postponed for a month :(

My Family Vacation 2013

The one thing that Indian parents are very good at or practice being good at is emotional coercion (maybe I am being too judgmental, but trust me if you are in my position you would say the same). You can run but you can never hide from the apparent trauma you cause them by just existing.

This story started in February when my brother had to take a break from his masters because he had not completed the requisite credits for his degree. Now, I being the supportive sister had to be his accomplice and cover up this whole mess. That was my job description from day one and I was the best at supporting all my brother’s decisions in front of my parents. So, we both put our heads together as to the best way to break this news to my parents with the least amount of blow back. All was well, my parents accepted the inevitable, and they were supportive of my brother after about two weeks of ass kicking.

The problem in this scenario was that with my brother’s future on hold everyone suddenly needed a new project stat. They needed something to fix. So, they sent across an SOS message to all my extended family, visited every pundit in the Greater Hyderabad area to find out what was ailing my family, why is it that their kids are so fucked up. I was fine with it as long as I was in Mumbai; I supported them with their eccentricities. I was being a good daughter. But one of these pundits decided that I was the root of all these problems (something was wrong in my Kundali which is effecting my whole family!)

Apparently I was the iron leg. I was the reason all this was happening. Pretty fucking awesome isn’t it? What was I supposed to say to that? If my mom wanted to go visit every temple that performed some sort of Pooja to minimize my “iron leg effect”; I had no other option but to obey. That’s I found myself planning a temple marathon during my much awaited Holi vacation while my room-mate was gallivanting in Bali/Fifi.

My project ended and all I finally wanted was a break where I could sleep, but there was waiting in Mumbai airport to start my first leg of the long and arduous temple run. Here’s my itinerary

·         Sunday: Machilipatnam

·         Monday: Vijayawada

·         Tuesday: Tirupathi

·         Wednesday-Thursday: Sri Kalahasti

So, I put my game face on, picked up some gult looking clothes, packed my backpack and was on the run. Sunday was alright, all I had to do was sit in front of the pandit while he gave me a sloka to chant for three hours. He was really good at this, the moment I stopped reciting, I was asked to do a pradakshan around the temple (this happened thrice). By the time the pooja was done, I was tired, hungry, dehydrated and my feet were burnt.

Then I moved on to Vijayawada where I had a moment of reprieve. The only family member I can remotely make intelligent conversation is my uncle. He is a photography enthusiast like moi. We talk about everything under the sun about photography. He gives me tips every time at his place or when I call him up. And before we were all talked out I had to catch a train to Tirupathi.

The train part of the journey was really good because I literally glued myself to my Kindle refusing to make conversation. We moved to Tirupathi only to find out that I have a conference call scheduled because my dear client from Singapore needed some clarifications. So, there I was sitting in the hotel lobby on the floor (austerity measures in Tirumala, no more than four chairs allowed) talking away for an hour while every other person was staring at me as if I was a cross between Alien and Predator (why would someone even think of work in the presence of the Lord, blasphemy I say!)

The day only got better when I found out after standing in the special darshan line for almost 3 hours that it might take the rest of the day before we even step into the harrowed halls of Tirumala. In between I almost fainted of exhaustion and was hauled back by my sister-in-law who took pity on me unlike my parents who were glaring at me as if I have committed murder. I think no one in my family will forget this any time sooner, my cousin always start our phone conversation with the line “remember that one time where you fainted while seventy year old ladies were sauntering along…”

After my day of humiliation I now moved to Srikalahasti which is my dad’s ancestral home (that home is demolished and now in its place stands a shiny building which makes me sad every time). Anyways, I am still sick as a dog for the rest of the trip, while everyone else is enjoying great home cooked food I was sipping Orangina and eating Idlis. But, that still did not get me off the hook. I did go to the temple and prayed for more clothes (yes, there is a God who will give you more clothes if you leave a fiber sample of your dress. DON’T question it)

So, there went another vacation which shouldn’t be called a vacation. I wasted 10 precious days shuttling from place to another, trying every possible means of transportation: bikes, rickshaws, autos, taxis, buses, trains and flights. The great family vacation of 2013. NOT.

My First Impromptu Concert Trip

It all started with a facebook post. I don’t remember who posted it, all I could see was Anathema was coming to India. I jumped out of the seat, muttering to myself “How the hell am I going to get to Chennai this Saturday?” This was last Tuesday. I had no money, a project that just started and most of all no company. But I had to do this, I had to see Anathema. It became the Holy Grail that was almost discernible at that moment.

I told the analyst that I would get back to the job in some time and then got to “work”. I started calling everyone I know in Chennai and all could get “Sorry. No can do, never heard of the band”. I was the least bit perturbed. I would go there even if it meant I would be the alone standing next to the mosh-pit. There are few things in my life that I get excited about and this was one of them.

The band sort of symbolizes my life in Chennai. Every time I listen to lost control, I get transported to those unruly roads of Tambaram that I used to walk on with my iPod on full volume. It reminds me of those days way back in 2008 where I shut myself in my room for almost three months. It was those 90 days of solitude with their music, my only companion. Even now, whenever I listened to “A natural disaster” it felt like that she was talking to me.

And here I was in Mumbai almost four years later, in a somewhat better state of mind but I could never forget those days. And that was enough for me. I planned this trip within half hour. I booked my flight-tickets without even knowing where I would crash. If nothing worked out, I was ready to dish out and stay in a hotel. But they did work out eventually; KK was ready to join me even though she never heard the band before.

By Tuesday evening I had everything in place. PP and K thought I lost it and they swore this was not about the band but I was scheming about something. But I dint care. I dint give them an explanation. I told my manager that I had a personal emergency and had to leave for the weekend. I had the reason all planned out, if they ask I am going to meet a prospective groom (now, no one can say no to that!).

Saturday morning I landed in Chennai airport at 8 AM with my backpack in tow waiting for KK to pick me up. Chennai surprises me every time. It’s like watching your favorite movie for the nth time and savoring it. It creeps up on you like a kind of harmony that settles your mind. 

I go to KK’s place where she lives with her parents. It felt like I was back home with the newspapers, inane gult news channels running in the background. Her mom couldn't stop feeding me. She saw me once and decided I had become thin (!) and started serving me extras. I had the best home cooked gult lunch after a long time.

We took off after lunch on her bike, two chicks with the worst directional sense and a Google maps app. We did get stopped by the cops at which point we got all the bike related paraphernalia and shoved into their hands. I even gave them the pollution check receipts for the last two years. They took one look us then and let us go with a smirk on his face.

We reached IITM around 3 and got to GCC after taking to customary bus from the entrance. The campus never changes but all of sudden I felt so old. It felt like an old maid at a frat party. I couldn't get out of there faster. We got our tickets and started our Chennai Darshan. I had to do a customary visit to all my favorite haunts in the city before getting back to the concert. We started off with Adyar, Besant Nagar Beach, Pondy Bazaar and ended up at Bikes. At least Bikes was just like I remembered, they still had the same bartenders and they still made awful cocktails but I was home.  Here’s where I did my best work when I was in Chennai, some of those tidbits included being hit on by some stranger in front of the loo, crying like a banshee in front of a wedding party and getting thrown out by the bouncer to name a few.



Quintessential Chennai(Check out the masks :D)

Empty Carousal at Besant Nagar

 

After paying homage to my old life, we started back to IITM only to get stuck in quintessential Chennai traffic. It was already 6 30 PM and the band was supposed to start at 7. We rushed to the campus only to hear the distant sounds of guitar. I was heartbroken. This could only happen to me, who would do such a stupid thing like getting drunk and forgetting about the sad state of Chennai roads when you have an important appointment. But I did not give up, we ran from the parking lot to the bus stop and got into a running bus, rushed out of it as soon as it stopped and started our marathon running to the VIP gate which for some insane reason is at some hidden corner. We finally reach the gate and I could almost see the band, they sounded a little different but then I thought they were playing their newer albums. I was ready to jump the guards and get in.

But, as usual things only got worse. We forgot about IITM’s crazy rules during concerts. Handbags were not allowed. So, there I was 20 ft. from the stage and yet so far. I tried my best ditzy blonde impression but it dint help even a bit, damn you IIT nerds. I had to get rid of my handbag. One of them suggested that we use the students’ lockers on the other side of campus. So, we took off again running only to be led to the freaking parking lot.

So there I was listening to the drums in the parking lot clutching my exclusive fan pass. But as luck had it (or may not as you would soon find out) we found another bunch of chicks, who were also trying to dump their belonging but they had a car. So, I begged them to stash our stuff, exchanged phone number and then took off again back to the stage.

By the time I reached the OAT I was breathless, my legs were killing me and I was coughing like a 20 year old chain smoker. I couldn't even stand, but I went through and found my place in front of the stage only to see an Indian kid playing the guitar. It took me almost a minute to realize that the guy performing were the cover band. I couldn’t believe it! I took all this trouble to find out that the actual band has not even started playing. I understood then why the bag-chicks were sauntering along the road while we were running like regular Milka Singhs.

The freaking cover band wouldn't stop singing and I was getting rather testy. I don’t want to listen to some random Indian band. I dint come all the way to freaking IIT to listen to some garage band trying to growl their way to their 5^th number. So, I thought I would freshen up in the meanwhile. I found the water cooler right outside the stage. I gulped down three glasses of water when I noticed some Firang guy standing next to me. I couldn’t see him properly so I thought it was some exchange student. I turned around I found myself at Vincent Cavanagh!! I couldn't speak. I was dumb stuck. I stood there squeaking like a duck trying to get my voice to work. And then he walked off. So, there I was with a chance of actually talking to THE guy and all I did was gape. But that was enough for me, all the running, the aching legs the parched throat, who cares. I actually stood next to him (!)

After making the crowd wait for almost an hour the band finally started playing and there I was standing right in front of the stage. I couldn't believe that I was actually looking at the band because I never had a chance to actually stand near the railings. I could actually see their expressions. I could hear them speak to each other (without the mikes!). This was soon becoming my favorite concert. I stood there with my mind blank, listening to the lyrics and without my volition I started crying (silent tears). It was so overwhelmingly real. I stood there for the next two hours, singing along and just dazed for the next two hours. At one point, the kids next to me said “Akka ki patalu vachu ra”(gult translation, sister knows all the songs da, it was so funny!) It ended so abruptly that it took me a while to get back to normalcy. I was high on music and I dint want to think of practical things like going home. I just wanted to stand there for a while soak it all in.

That's my hair BTW

Sadly, reality beckoned and I had to go back to KK’s place before 12 which was the time of her curfew. So, we set out to find out bag-chicks who had conveniently put their phone on silent.  We called them for almost 15 minutes before they picked up only to tell us that they were grabbing dinner and would be back in some time. So, there we were slowing getting back to reality where we might not be able to find our bags which had all the money, bike keys, cards which mean we dint have anything on us other than our soon be battery-drained phones.  We waited there for almost an hour before they turned up, which only made KK lose it. She drove back home like a crazy bike driver that my hands wouldn't unclench even after I got back to her place.

In the end it would be one of those memories that I would cherish, this would be the day that I almost spoke to Vincent Cavanagh.