PARTY OF THE YEAR

I was totally flabbergasted when one of my friends reminded about my natal day to the fellow mates in the class. Gosh, I was so sure and confident that they won't remember it and I was wrong. They even knew the exact date and the worst of all, they are expecting a grand celebration. I tried not to give a heed on it and attempted to divert the topic only to go in vain. Everyone seemed to be excitedly waiting to celebrate my birthday to which I showed no sign of positivity. No one is at my back to support me this time. They all want my birthday treat by any means. Despite the money constraints, they want me to blow a huge party. I heartily laughed, as if I was taking heed of their words, except in jest. 

September days has gone too far with just a week left to gladly accept the fresh October month. I am yet to think of whether I should take their words and celebrate my birthday which I normally don't. They try to remind me almost every day with a heavy smile in their mouth. Ofcourse, I know why they are prompting persistently this time unlike the previous years. My silence will deject my friends because they are going to miss the anniversary celebration of my 25 years of stay which will never come back in future. 

They are like, how can one simply keep mum when it is time to be in the euphoric mood. I asked jokingly if they would turn up to my birthday party with sizable gifts and all roar into laughter. So, I said I will also laugh if someone reminds me thereafter. This is once in a life time opportunity to make it a memorable moment, avers a friend sitting behind me and all are there to agree with him. Another guy says, Silver Jubilee celebration, Wow!! I am expecting it to be the number one contender for the party of the year contest. Everybody tries to add on what has already been fermented, leaving me in the state where unsnarling is almost impossible. 

A friend came up with a list of dishes indited on a paper. They believe, any party or gathering without liquor will be a bland one, hinting me to buy Royal Stag liquor which is preferred over all other of same rate. It will be quite difficult to please them with the amount that I have in my ATM card. We sail in the same boat, so I know they won't take it as a feeble excuse. As of now, let me mute myself and act pretentiously clueless as if I have forgotten my birthday which I should competently term as Silver Jubilee- 25 years of prosperous stay.

Adaptability and Flexibility

Adaptability, the ability to change in order to conform to the varied circumstances. It is something which has to be correlated with physical environment and bodily action. For instance, long legged spotted cat Cheetah is the fastest predator because they feed on herbivores like Deer and Reindeer who has the pace which can be appreciated. The quest for survival is to be the fastest runner and surpass the pace of Deer. How does it survive? Precisely by being fast, active and responsive. Similarly, Giraffes’ unusually long neck is also connected with adaptability and survival. It lives a vegetarian life in perfect harmony with the environment, feeding on tweaks of trees not on the green grasses.

Human beings are also of varied colors and aborigines to fit in our own locality or region. The ones dwelling in hot places are generally dark and fairer as we go ascend to the north. The good part in us is we have that adaptable attribute which makes us a step ahead of other beings and the only reason why people are seen in numberless acres of lands throughout the world. Adaptability comes along with flexibility. We get adapted to the new place only due to our flexible personality and some harsh bearings. Had it not been the attitude and positive mind set, we will surely strive to be in line with the people and the new environment. Flexibility overturns the disagreeable, unpleasant situations and circumstances in a more profound way. To adapt or conform oneself to a new or different environment happens in a wink, but understanding the people and the society’s norm and culture requires mental effort to accomplish and endure.

 People are there to comment and sputter if a stranger does something related to their culture in someone’s place. There is no place better than home and a slightest of mistreatment from the locals makes our mind filled with agony and frustration. Only our own native place gives us the warmth and relentless happiness. The feeling of emptiness makes us miss home and the people. Even though, we get adapted to a new place, we still live up with the vivid memories of times spent together with the closed ones.  The water may be so clean and clear, but you still wish to sip tea made from the fresh spring water of your place. It is something to do with untamed human mind which always makes us to long for something that we don’t have with us. Suppose if we are flexible and easily adaptable to any environment, that doesn’t mean we can live up in any society.

If flexibility is something to do with psychology and adaptability with physicality, what would be the possible outcome of our stay in foreign places. Though, far away from home, we are still who we are and nothing strikes in my mind that makes me Unbhutanese. Adhering to the basic norms of the society is must and a mandate to be followed, but people try to cast a shadow whereby every step we take is marked and questioned. The flexibility, which helps us to adhere in the new society gets a huge whack when people around gets the fingers pointing to the temporary occupants. Therefore, people are forced to become rigid and bold, ready to get their feet firm on the ground. Such audacious steps are taken either deliberately, considering the situations around. Human attitude depends on the people around not the environment or the ambience that they breathe. 

Hysteric moment.

Anything can happen anytime and that's something no one can foresee. Who knows what will come next. I am not sure of what I am going to write today because, nothing comes in my head other than the haunting moment that I experienced three days ago while playing basketball. The past one week was little bit busy with internal exams and project review. At times, it is good to stay engaged and busy as we never know how time passes. Trying to live up with the present, we go hmm thinking of the past moments. On certain occasions, things in life make us to sit back and just smile reminiscing those bygone moments. 

While trying to live up in the present, we get to experience many new things. 16th September wasn't a good day for me. Exams and other college activities are the true vasoconstrictor for the collegians. It makes one go fatigue to the point of mental exhaustion. I experienced the same for being busy with books and doing internal exam which constitute 40% of the total mark.  As usual, I thought to stretch out myself by playing basketball with my friends. Everyone was excited to get back into the basketball court.

Tired faces of lads around me just hinted me that they have strained a lot with sleepless nights hitting the books. I wasn’t feeling that energetic with mild headache and giddiness. I just wanted to play with a mild headache which I took it easy as always. As I tried to actively take part in the game, I could no longer stand firm on my feet. I remembered nothing except the time that I bowed down to take rest. When I got back to the sense after a minute or so, friends were surrounding me as if they have seen an alien. I simply tried to stand on my feet despite the fact that I had badly injured my right shoulder with a bruise on my right cheek.

I had a total black out for a few minutes which I didn’t cognize. This incident is the first of such kind that I experienced during the entire two and half decades of my life.  For now I can just cast away the incident from my memory and be cautious and mindful in my everyday life, keeping in mind the purpose of my presence here. We will never exist indefinitely for long duration in this earth, but we are bestowed with the choice to live every minute euphorically. I am glad to have the best moments of my life with the wonderful people around me. Feels extraordinarily rejuvenated to stay with the lads who make me feel more youthful of my age. In the mercy of God, I stay calm and happy for allowing me to breathe the bracing air.

                                                                                                                               

Chilip The Hero.

Chilip is a newfangled name for Rinchen Gara [an abbreviated form of chilingpa meaning foreigner in sharchop]. He is a chink wearing a powerful thick glass who always stays naked in his room and a friend of mine. Highly regarded as a psychopathic person by all his friends, he cares no one and bluntly speaks out hilariously. For all three years, he has been wearing his one and only favourite cotton pant while going to the college. If you are a newcomer to his room, it is mandatory to shout and inform him of your presence in his room for he stays naked in his room that too without latching the main door. He sleeps wearing the pant so that he can directly get ready right after waking up.

One should be mindful of his nature and alarm him so that he can atleast wrap himself with a towel or a bed sheet. I say so because, I know how he stays in his room. In the beginning, I wasn’t aware of it and silently sneaked into his room only to see him in the state that I didn’t want to see. I shouted and warned him that I will say nothing if I happen to see him next time like I saw him that day and to crush his balls. That was the genuine warning he should take it seriously if he is to live as a man. Well the option for him is to cover his private part or to live a sterile life for the rest of the life. No one likes to catch anything like that as we consider it as a sinister blow or a bad luck.  

He will always have something to say and friends are there to make comments on it. No one believes to his words though he mean it from his heart. Last time, I saw him flirting in facebook with one of our class mate girls and was writing to keep the door open for him. Suppose if it was some other guy, the girl would start fuming. This wasn’t the case with MR. Chilip. She  equally cracked a joke and was even accepting the proposal. Feels like I am revealing everything about him in this write up, but I want to inform you all that I am doing so only with his consent and prior permission. After staying together for almost three years, I know him very well as a person. He is one person who evokes emotions, laughter and happiness. The feeling of boredom due to the hectic college routine gets wiped away while staying with him.

Being a sojourner in one of the hottest places 1000s of miles away from home, highlanders are made to sweat out excessively even when doing nothing. The worst of all, almost all are affected with skin infection. Our entertainer is also undergoing a treatment for this  and not to forget that I am the worst and severely infected poor chap. Dermatologist advised us not to wear skin tight or rough clothes. Since then, Mr. Chilip popularly known as Rinchen Gara stopped wearing underclothes. Imagine what would be the reaction of people if they see him with his pant zip open. It will be an embarrassing moment both for him and the luckless people spotting it.

                                                With chilingpa.

Of all, he is the coolest guy that I have ever met and I have been yet to see of his type. It is hard and a rare chance to see him aroused into impatience or anger. Friends call him by the name psycho just for his radically distinctive behavior and he is seen accepting it with a heavy smile. As a matter of fact, everyone is distinctive and unique in their own way and I don’t see anything that makes him a psychopathic person. Perhaps, he may have something to add on to what I am saying as I am always at his back supporting him firmly. Feeling lucky to have him as  a friend and for what he is.

New Home

After much in depth and thoroughgoing discussion with my room mates, we eventually decided to change our apartment. This is the fourth time that we are shifting our room. Planning ahead months before ensured a smooth transition from one home to another. The previous apartments were some 5kms away from my college. It barely took 10 minutes to reach college. Even then, we often missed the morning classes. National highway connecting Chennia and Kolkatta is few yards away and horns of vehicles keeps honking 24 hours. The buzzing sound of vehicles disturbed the peace of mind and sometimes even woke me up in the middle of night. Window panes used to vibrate when heavy lorries plied through.

The present apartment is 22 kms far and takes 45minutes to reach college if we go by auto. Talked with local taxi drivers about the possible fare and it is unusually expensive. So hiring a taxi is simply impossible as they charge hefty amount which is double of the actual fare. Transportation isn’t a big issue with lots of vehicles plying day and night. At times when luck kicks out, even private cars stops and drops us to our college gate. The indefinite hunger strike in Andhra Pradesh and stopping the services of city buses has hampered the travelers to a little extent. Otherwise, people enjoy the cheapest and convenient mode of transportation by taking the city buses.

I can proudly say that I turned to a early riser. Daily routine got rescheduled and no more idle like I used to be. Unlike before, I see myself in the college in time.The present apartment is a massive building block housing hundreds of tenants. The rooms are exceptionally superb and equipped with the latest interior designs. There is no question of being unhealthful because it is well equipped with recreational facilities like basketball court, swimming pool, Table Tennis , Badminton court, lawn Tennis, gym and a snooker room. Tenants have to pay a membership fee get access to all these facilities. The sad story of all is that, I can’t get into swimming pool because of my photosensitive rashes. However,  still lots of other options are available to keep myself engaged.

                                          snap shot of the new apartment. 

The premise is well protected with high wall and mesh wires. Shops are available within the campus. Vegetable vendors comes into the campus on Sundays and Thursdays. Almost everything is systematic and well organized.  In old apartments, I used to laze all day on the bed, but now, I have improved a lot both in stamina and fitness. I try to sweat out lot by going to gym and showing up for basketball match. For now, I am living with a changed and improved rescheduled routine which is amusive. This gives me the vibe of my days at school where we used to spent time playing games right after the school. Feels like I am experiencing the student life all over again after many years..