Exodus 2005-2006

It has begun. The exodus from our beloved place, our ADDA, our true home. For those of you who don't know what I’m talking about, sorry I really am not in any mood to explain it. Its 12th June today. Time is 11:15. Am in office. Was done with my work last working day only, so not too busy and also I wanted to put down my feelings somewhere.

It’s been coming for the last one year and today was just one more dent in the armory which is all that is friendship, comfort and fun. No matter how many dents are caused, I am hoping the armor will still hold fort in the coming years. Adda is what kept us going during our school and college life, the life that we remember best, the life that, 10 years down the lane when we look back at will miss thoroughly. It was basically a form of living. It had its hard-core members and followers and many others joined us in the quest to nothingness, a quest so different, that its not what at the end that matters, its what you do and whom you meet along the way that counts. Sadly, like all good things, this too has an expiry date. It was roughly 9 years ago that ADDA was formed by 5 members- Sandy, Sureka, Tushar, Myself and Rahul. It was a different kind of living then. Cricket was the religion and we used to live for it. It used to be evenings when we used to meet regularly for a game of fun and physical activity. Then more people came seeking this path to freedom of speech and expression. - Amrinder, Karthik, Ram, Panda, P.K and Vicky and the girls – Smitha, R.K.etc. The time of 11^th and 12^th were totally fun. No matter what people said about NPs being nerdy, only studies etc. I wish they could see my two fingers up now. It was one of the best times I had in life and will always be. How we never got around to studying in 11^th and how we wasted our parent’s cash and our time in BASE. Geez. But I don’t remember the times we had to sit through KVC’s or CRR’s class. All I remember is the time we spent in class waiting for a bite of that yummy Hathwar Bakery’s capsicum puff., the “IIT methods of KVC”, the”atul gupta belching” incident, ammi’s “you can feel it if you can’t see it” incident, the” sandy removes starter” incident, our “daddy’s girl’s daddy”, our “aagala” case, our “steal guava from ashram” cases, “NTTF bus journeys”, “put stones in ram’s bag” pranks, “I don’t know I say, put ladder to the moon” dialogues, “chalk baeka” questions, our “slides down Beugal Rock”….. I can go on. There is no end to this list. And I am sure I would have brought back so many memories for all those who spent those glorying weekends at BASE along with me. And beat this, we never used to bunk BASE (I eventually quit it in 2^nd year middle). That year was tough on all of us. We were uncertain of our futures, some aspiring to be IITians (people like Vicky did succeed), some hoping to get into good engineering colleges (all of us did that) and others just to be somewhere in Bangalore (no one left). We all came out in flying colours, mind you; it’s a very relative term I am using here.

The next phase began with us spending our post CET hols contemplating where we would get in, which college, which field. That too we got through without much problems thanks to the ADDA, the members, the road, the garage and the ADDA itself. Everyone was entually happy, or shall I say satisfied with what we had in our hands. Even me, who took up payment seat by being lazy enough not to go for a 3^rd round of counseling and missing the merit seat. ( It’s quite funny that I am actually feeling guilty about the fact that I am not feeling guilty for missing that seat and making my parents part with a lot more of their savings) We took up part time jobs selling toilet papers, kitchen towels and car tissues and we gleefully spent that cash on our first ever trip outside Bangalore- a supposed “counseling” to the RECs. The counseling I can remember is ,Ram who never even bought the form I suppose, Sureka who I guess bought it but didn’t bring it. Pai, Sandy and Me – who bought it, brought it and said screw it, Ammi – who did everything right but attend the counseling and finally the sole man with the purist purpose Tushar, who even attended the counseling with all of us in wet shorts and t-shirts, questioned by the REC faculty and finally ended up with a NO to go to Kurukshetra REC. What a rocking trip it was. The beach, the rain, the “you lost my best Undi” incident involving Sureka and Sandy. Unforgettable!!!

The next stage of our lives were college life, a first for me. It meant just more than colour dress and new friends. It could have meant end of time spent together. Yet again, the ADDA came to our rescue-car pooling, sharing lunches, and evenings of seeking solace from our capricious and universally dreaded principal and our college in the ADDA. Also, came Karthik and Kurie, two bital important members of the present ADDA.Those games of cricket in the road, challenging teams for a game of cricket or footer in our beloved home ground aka Kamallaman Gundi (K.G.) Grounds.. Eventually we all grew old or shall I say old-er and hence were not enthusiastic about running up the slope on the ADDA road to bowl (I shall quite honestly exclude my name from this list of such people) and our cricket became “throw”. I suppose even that took a toll on people and hence it went indoor. Improvisation ruled and voila we had our very own version of under-arm cricket with our very own rules. It ranged from tushar’s super supler “I will only be only 2423 nanometres away from the ground” low balls to get out Sandy, to Ammi’s “Sehwag ki Maa” style batting to me playing with my leg (I always did that. What can I say. football came naturally to me) to Panda or Ram fighting not to last. We had our very own zones and it was a crime to ask a fellow player to step into your zone to fetch the ball. Hahaha. I cannot forget that rule we made up. One of our best. But alas, that too had an end and we ended up playing Business aka Monopoly aka “the game is so boring I decided to become banker” aka “ Sandy : No, I cannot give you this card because if I do so, how can I win” (don’t deny it sandy). In all this playing and studying for our boring VTU exams, we did manage to go out on a few trips. Yercaud and Coorg for 4-5 days where we experienced what it was like to live in a cloud and a quails. And a few 1-day trips to Mekhedhaatu, Talkaad and Muthathi. We all got placed, most of us in Bangalore. But unfortunately Karthik, Khushi and Tushar had to leave for Bombay. I thought it would end there. But Ammi Bummy had other ideas. He decided to re-unite with his family abroad and so it started….

The next and current phase in life has been the toughest for me. But before things changed, we had one great and so far the best trip so far. The trip to MUNNAR. It would definitely not take a PROFOUND thought to say that it was the closet I’ve got to heaven (really sad AMMI and PANDA couldn’t make it) After that, I have seen my friends depart, my fellow ADDA mates leaving to pursue better futures.. I too was off to the place where I first came from (I was born in Mysore) in September. Seeing P.K. leave was sad enough but seeing Ammi leave the country was the saddest part esp the fact that his parents also moved outside Bangalore back to the north was very depressing as that would mean he no longer might spend good amount of time in his “BIRTHPLACE” (remember ammi??...hehe). Tushar, Khushi and Karthik left for Bombay, and eventually got separated there and R.K. left for Hyderabad ( but she came once a fortnight atleast). But I didn’t feel that bad then, cause I knew they would be back in a year or two. I was to leave ADDA for my work but I could be back only on weekends. It was bearable. Ammi’s absence was duly felt and I suppose, the practical owner of the ADDA will have felt it most. I was back in Bangalore in 5 months time and so another 4 months and Khushi, Karthik and Tushar would also return. It was just like old times. But not for long, I write this today as it is the end of this phase and beginning of another, another that can test all that is ADDA…

Smitha has officially left ADDA for higher studies and God knows when she’ll be back next. I wish her all the luck in the world for her future endeavors. Next in line to leave the country is Sandy (who has already got his VISA) and Ramu. They shall be off in two months time and just the thought of that leaves a bad feeling in my stomach. Tushar will be here along with Kurie and Khushi for company. I do not mention Karthik, Sureka and Panda’s name as they will be off in the coming year. Everybody wants to leave this country eh??? The only lass here is Kurie and I felt bad for her when she shed some tears today morning at the station. Tushar, my fellow arien , myself and Khushi all plan to crack CAT or the likes of it this year and hopefully be on our ways by next June.

Just the very thought of all this that gives me a bad feeling in my stomach. It’s that we may never be able to and by we I mean the whole jing bang lot may never be able to meet up together again, all of us in the same place at the same time for quite a few years to come. But no matter, what happens, I am sure of one fact though – The ADDA always has been and always will be one of the most influential factors in my life. We shall each lead our own lives and we will all grow old by ourselves but the one thing that shall forever remain young in our hearts are the sweet memories of the ADDA, the memories that have got us through tough times, rough times, good times and bad. And though it is a bit too early, I would like to thank the ADDA and all its fellow members for those memories and I think I speak for more than just myself when I say………

“Once upon a time, there was a tavern

Where we used to raise a glass or two

Remember how we laughed away the hours,

Think of all the great things we would do

Those were the days, my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we'd choose

We'd fight and never lose

For we were young and sure to have our way

Then, the busy years went rushing by us

We lost our starry notions on the way

If, by chance, I'd see you in the tavern,

We'd smile at one another and we'd say

Those were the days, my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we'd choose

We'd fight and never lose

Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days

Just tonight, I stood before the tavern

Nothing seemed the way it used to be

In the glass, I saw a strange reflection

Was that lonely man really me?

Those were the days, my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we'd choose

We'd fight and never lose

Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days

Through the door, there came familiar laughter

I saw your face and heard you call my name

Oh, my friend, we're older but no wiser

For in our hearts, the dreams are still the same

Those were the days, my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we'd choose

We'd fight and never lose

Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days”