The Mumbai Tragedy

I happened to read a recent post on Bohemian Rhapsody and i suddenly remembered a very similar incident that happened to me seven or eight years ago. Thought this would be an apt time to blog that. I think it was when i was in my second year of under graduation in college and for one of my holidays I decided to take a trip to Mumbai to explore the city. I boarded the train from kerala and this was not the Konkan route so this journey would take two days, but i didnt care. The longer the journey on a train, the better for me. My father had given me close to Rs 1500, which according to him was a huge sum for one person to spend in Mumbai. The advantage was that i was staying with relatives and did not have to worry about my stay, but the sad part was that i did not have any friends in mumbai at that time. So, anyhow, i boarded the train and got into my 2nd AC coach and settled in. The train halted at Cochin and in walks a stunningly beautiful lady and I couldnt resist looking at her. I took my eyes off as i noticed that her husband was right behind her (damn). Imagine my excitement as she placed her bags right in front of my single seat. I was watching where her husband would take his seat, but it so happened that he had just come to see her off and he was not travelling with her (*sly smile*). The train departed and she took her seat facing me. We exchanged smiles and the rest of the day passed without any conversation between the two of us. Its at times like these that i really curse my communication skills. On day 2, i wake up and take my seat again. Still no conversation but i did manage to steal a few glances at her often. Couldnt resist that. Maybe an hour or so later, she broke the ice and asked me my name. Imagine my relief. The conversation took off from there and in a short while we knew the basics. It appeared that her husband was a navy officer stationed at Cochin and she was going to her hometown in Punjab for a holiday. She expressed her interest in Philosophy and Psychology and we talked about that for a long time. By evening i guess we were running out of general topics to talk about. She stares at my face for a long time, after which she says a few things about my personal life and family, which happened to be true. There was no way she could have know all that, but i swept it aside as very general assumption. Someone who is interested in psychology and philosophy, and has good observation skill could have guessed that, and chances are that they could be right. I did not take that seriously and start thinking that she had some amazing powers. However she made one statement, which at that time i did not take seriously. She said, "be careful, because i see that within the next three days you are going to lose a large sum of money". I laughed about it and soon even forget about it before i went to bed that night.
Woke up at 4am the next day and got off at Dadar, where one of my uncles received me and took me over to his place. I stayed at home most of the day and the only trips i made was to meet some of my relatives who lived in Mumbai. On the second day i decided to explore Mumbai and so i set out alone, with Rs 1500 in my wallet. Took one of those one day tour buses called "Mumbai Darshan" which would cover most of the important places in Mumbai. By afternoon the bus stopped near some garden and everyone disembarked and set off to explore the garden. I was on my way too, but was drawn to a small crowd on the road side. On taking a closer look i saw that it was a man who was playing some game with three cards where one could double his money. One out of the three cards has a star on it. He shuffles those cards and lays it face down. People place their bets on the card that they think has the star. If your guess is right, you get double of what u placed. The minimum amount for the bet was rs 50. I was excited. WOW...!! This is going to be easy cash. Trying to be smart, i observed the game for a long time, trying to understand his style and tricks. When i thought i had mastered it, i placed my first bet for Rs 100, and lost it immediately. I was not going to give up so easily. I could recover the lost cash. My next bet was for rs 300. The outcome? Yes, you guessed it. I lost that too. Now come on, im not a quitter. I can succeed. So, i watch him lay the cards more carefully and place a crisp note of rs 500. I was thinking that i lost 400, and if i win this i would make an overall profit of 100 and i would be off, a richer man. I was sure i was going to win this. It all happened so fast. It was like i was hit by lightning, as i watched my 500 note disappear forever as he turned open the cards and i did not find the lucky star. I had rs 600 left with me. A man with some common sense would have walked away atleast at this stage. My greed for more money was all over me and i decided that i would place one last bet for 500 and make 1000, and walk away happy. This time i was careful and more observant. The man lays down the three cards and i wait for others to make a move first this time. Two others who were among the crowd placed 500 each on two different cards. I knew that the lucky star was on the third one. I say my prayers and place another 500. I am just too embarassed to even mention the outcome. I was lost. I felt this sudden darkness come over me. I was shocked. I froze. How could i be so stupid. I wanted to shoot myself. I slowly pulled back to hide my shame from the crowd. I thought the best thing for me to do would be to continue watching the game and watch other poor loosers place their bets and lose some cash. That would make me feel better. As i continued watching i noticed that the two people who were placing bets along with me were still playing the same game. They were having the same conversations with the new players that they had with me. Shit. The two of them were his accomplices and they were all in it together. I was completely duped. I have never felt so worthless in my life ever. To say that i felt worse than a load of crap would be an understatement. I almost wanted to cry. I walk back to the bus. The people board the bus and we take our journey back to where we started from. I couldnt think properly. I had just rs 100 left with me. There goes my holiday. I runied it and did a good job at it. Congratulations to me. My head felt empty. I couldnt think anything. On the bus ride back, one line i had heard before came to my mind and it stayed with me through the whole journey. You can guess which line that was, right?
"be careful, because i see that within the next three days you are going to lose a large sum of money".

5 Years - A Whole Different World

Just finished school and the yearning for a life outside Kerala finally paid off as i got my admissions at MCC. Heard so much about it and my expectations were sky high. I was attached to Bishop Heber hall, one of the three different halls on campus. The first week it didnt matter to me. I was in MCC and that was what i wanted. There was so much more that i wanted. Make friends, have my own band and be a rock star, date women or "chicks" like we used to refer back then. So much to do and so little time. Finally I stepped into Heber Hall, my home for the next three years, or so i thought and it actually turned out to be five years.

1997-98: A freshmen, junior, barbarian, kattan all rolled into one. Dress code was followed. No jeans, shoes and round neck t-shirts. No footwear when you step into a seniors room and ofcourse, had to call them sir. A stuggle to get initiated into the Hall system had me desperately trying to learn the names of all seniors and their room numbers and departments, in addition to all facts and myths about the Hall. Lost count of the number of times i found myself floating inside infamous the piss pond. Lost count of the number of odd jobs i had done for seniors at odd hours. Had my first trip to a theater to watch a soft porn movie, with batchmates ofcourse. Had my first taste of alcohol when a senior forced it down my throat. Had my first experience at a nude community bath with seniors. Was invited to join a grunge band called "simpletons". Became the only junior to represent the college in an out of station cultural event. Since i was the only junior on the whole trip, i paid a huge price. Our band became the first band from college to have their power turned off because the audience had a very low tolerance level. We took train trips on the metro just so that we could be away from the seniors. Dodging them was a skill which we kind of mastered but not completely. Also had my first experience at being held upside down from the first floor by some adventurous senior, thankfully I weighed much lighter back then. Got beaten up a few times for no reason. The seniors who did that had no clue too. Made a group of awesome batchmates. Overall, my best year in Heber.

1998-99: A year with not much worth remembering. Had the thrill of becoming a senior and being able to beat the crap out of the juniors. Liked the fact that i didnt have to move my ass to get much work done, as it could be achieved by just ordering some junior. Got lost between juniors who were too many in number and the third years who were of not much help. Someone bombed my room during Diwali time and my plan to take revenge backfired. I used a more powerful bomb and his clothes and mattress went up in flames. The worst part was that i got caught. Got drunk for the first time and puked badly all over my room. I have not touched rum ever since. Almost got killed by my hallmates because i had arrianged a band for our annual cultural event and they had a terrible mallu accent when they sang. My band still played where ever we could without much success. Come election time and the divisions began. Batch mates began turning against eachother. Was an ugly scene. I was glad this year was over. Not many pleasant memories. My worst year ever.

1999-2000: We were the final years and we ruled the place. The new juniors were much better. Took over as the entertainment secretary for the Hall cabinet. Was in control of all acpects of entertainment for the hall. Someone has to ruin the party, and they did. Got suspended briefly from the hall because someone had used the hall equipment to watch porn. I was suspended on moral grounds as i was responsible for their actions. Two of us were suspended. The real heroes escaped. The two of us were known as "The Blues Brothers" from then on. My previous band mates passed out the year before and i was left with no band. My first experience with cigarettes and marijuana. Afterall this was my final year and wanted to do everything i could before i finished. Finally i graduated with a grade that was nothing i should be boasting about. I was not complaining because in my batch only three of us managed to clear all the papers. I was happy. Had long hair. Had a nice time. Thats it. Im out of this place.

2000-01: Didnt plan to come back. I thought i had had enough. The summer holidays got me thinking and before i knew it, i had applied for my masters in philosophy and was back in Heber Hall. There was something about that place that keeps drawing someone back, for more and more. All my previous batch mates had disappeared. Made friends with new guys. Continued experimenting with alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana ocassionally. Held the post of "Bishop" in the hall. Musically it was average. Was part of the college band and managed to play here and there and that kept me happy. Met someone and before i even knew it, we were going around. My first experience of being in a relationship. Learnt that it was not what i thought it would be. It was a jump that i made too fast. Was a good year. Made some new friends in my batch. Was looking forward to the next year.

2001-02: Stood for elections the previous year and was the Chairman of the hall. A prestigious position that brought respect along with it. Not just from student but from others as well. A bigger piece of chicken in the mess. Unlimited lime juice at lunch. Nice and more crispy dosa. What more could i ask. Had a special room with a fairly big balcony which witnessed all sorts of activities. Alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana continued to pass that way and it got more and more intense as we neared the end. My first relationship continued through the year though it would end soon after. Had an awesome new band. Won many events all over the city and also elsewhere. It was an all time high. Graduated with a much better grade which i dont mind sharing. A good year and a nice ending.

Tagged - The weird weird Me

So, I just got my first tag, and it came from Chandni and this seems interesting so why not take a shot at it. Ok, so here is what i do. I list out six things that are really weird about me and then i tag six unsuspecting souls, and then i leave a comment saying that they are tagged(and expect them to get startled?)

So, these are my list of six things(not in any particular order) that make me, ME (clap clap clap).

1. I cant stand blades and safety pins. If i ever have to come in contact with any one of them i may end up puking. If there is a blade or safety pin lying somewhere, i have to ask someone to pick it up and throw it away. In short, no traces must remain. (how weird is that?)

2. I cant stand watermelons. Cant stand the sight, smell or taste. I also find it difficult to sit next to someone who is eating a watermelon. (guess these two points make me a difficult person to live with)

3. While in bed, i hate sleeping next to the wall.

4. I love music and i am really good at identifying a bum note. I can pick out an off note if someone is singing or playing some instrument, even if it is just a small fraction off, BUT, I cant hit a single straight note. I cant hit a note to save my skin.

5. I cannot express anger. I just dont know how to do it. No matter how hard i try, i just cannot get angry or even convey the message that i am angry.

6. I have never eaten vegetables and most meals i have has to have some form of meat in it (just realized that i may not have long to live. I love you guys)

So there goes, and now take it over you guys.
Shain
Phoenix
Mutton
Elika
JayJay
Quincey the quackpot

Voices - II

So I knew that this matter had to go to a psychiatrist and I took an appointment for one of the days this past week. My client was there almost an hour early and we waited in the lobby. As a therapist i have the priviledge of sitting in for the sesssion with this amazing psychiatrist, as long as the client is under my treatment. I was nervous a little bit because i was worried that the psychiatrist might discover some flaws in my treatment. Would he arrive at a conclusion that it was my treatment that messed my client up? Or would he think that i have not been doing enough? These thoughts lingered on in my mind for a long time. How stupid of me. Like he had nothing better to do. I had every reason to feel this way, afterall my client had said that her voices told her that i had no clue what i was doing. The psychiatrist began with the usual few questions about her history and list of medications. Soon the topic shifted to the voices in her head. He listened to her and then he gave his view points and this went on for a while.

Psychiatrist: So how long have u been hearing these voices?
Client: I have been hearing them since 1999
Psychiatrist: Hmmm. Have you taken any medications for this?
Client: No, someone once prescribed some medications but i have not taken them yet.
Psychiatrist: Well, we dont want those voices anymore, do we? So start your medications.
Client: But..... my friend prayed and told me that these voices were a gift from God.
Psychiatrist: Ohh please... forget your friend, and start your medications.
Client: But... can i pray about it? What if God is planning to heal me without medications?
Psychiatrist: Eehhh??
Client: My friend prayed and told me that God will heal me through counseling.
Psychiatrist: No. Counseling alone cannot heal you. Please take your medications.
Client: (looks at me and laughs)
Therapist: (Thinking to myself-there goes my reliable client. Sigh..!!)
Psychiatrist: I didnt mean that you dont need counseling. What i meant was that that alone wont help you. You need both.
Therapist: (Phew)
Psychiatrist: Well, you dont seem to look very convinced.
Client: (laughs) Can i pray a little more about it?
Psychiatrist: Well, start your medicines and come back and see me in another month.