Flashbacks: A Year To Remember (Part II): How I Met Polo

Okay, so this is the episode where I am supposed to write about How I Met Polo, but before that, there was one more funny little thing that happened with Arka.

One day while we were just about to start talking in Google Talk, before he actually met me, he gave me a link he had found in someone’s scrapbook (Those days we were well into Orkut rather than Facebook). It was some silly Love Calculator in which we had to enter the name of 3 persons we had a crush on. So, he was all so excited and asked me to do it, and that it really worked! I recognised the link as soon as I saw it. So I filled those 3 names and hit the “Calculate” button on that page, and there came a message flashing – “Oops, we accidentally sent those names to ‘findarka_007@yahoo.com’. Fool your friends and find out who their secret cursh is.” (findarka_007 is Arka’s ID).

After this, I went back to the chat and told him that it wasn’t fair at all, and he shouldn’t trick others about their sentiments etc etc. But he was very happy that he fooled me and apologised, but he was really very very happy, and I could feel the heat even though I wasn’t in front of him. So, I finally got over it and said “Now that you have the mail, so just see it, what can I do now”. And then he opened his mail and saw the three names:

.

.

.

.

.

-I know this

-sends the names

-to your email address

I waited like forever to have his reply after having him see this. Now I will quote EXACTLY what he said and then translate it.

“dhurr saala, ami kauke boka banate parina, shobai saala amake boka baniye deye, ki yaar, dhurr bhalo lage na”

Translation: “Oh Crap, I never get to fool anybody, everybody fools me, what man, crap, I never like it.”

HA HA! This is just a small story that happened once very long ago. I thought I would share.

So back to How I Met Polo. Now, a little recap. I started talking to Polo over the internet not long after Arka added me to the Orkut Community. She was really excited, like all of us, about the Freshmen Welcome Party we call “Freshers’” here (which eventually never came). We were all fantasising about how it would be when we will all meet up at the Freshers’ as we have already talked too much with each other over the Chatroom but never met. We were all really excited to meet each other whom we have become really good friends with and there was never a day that went by without meeting in the Orkut.

Even though I often used to see her at quite a distance, I never went to meet her coz I liked the mystery about not meeting and I always told her to have patience, its just till Fresher’s you have to wait. So, one day I did leak to her that she and I went home in the same bus that day but I didn’t say “Hi” and she got crazy and bummed out and started shouting at me that day in Google Talk (You can know when someone shouts at Chat). I was secretly enjoying, coz I was determined not to meet her till the Fresher’s. When Fresher’s kept delaying, and the suspense was starting to die out, so I decided to meet her next time we went by the same bus. That day wasn’t too long.

After some 4-5 days, she again boarded the same bus as I did. She was all tired, as most of us usually were, stuffed her earfones in her ear and settled down just a seat away from where I was sitting. No wonder she didn’t recognise me. As soon as I saw her, my mind took a sudden jolt and I started cooking what could be the best way to pinch.

“Hey, you are Polo right.” I said tapping her shoulders wearing an expression like I was a senior.

“Yes” she replied with a blank stunned face. I bet she wasn’t ready for that.

“Any idea who I might be?” I asked.

“No, I mean, I don’t...”

“Okay, don’t say that I didn’t come to meet you when in actual you cannot recognise people”

(A minute silence)

(Another minute silence)

(A few more minutes’ silence)

“You are Samik?”

“My God, you are worst tubelight I have ever seen” I said...

And indeed she was (A BIG ONE too). She jabbered all the way and I kept praying that the bus would go a bit faster and my stoppage will be reached quickly.

This was the first time I met Polo, but the fun Arka and I had with her doesn’t end here...

Keep Reading...

To Be Contined...

Flashbacks: A Year To Remember Part I: How I Met Arka

Its only a year that has passed, but whn I look back, I find so many things that I could always fit a whole lifetime in that year that just went by so fast. I bet I have mentioned this line in almost every of the post, and everyone might have guessed it as my most favourite lines to start with, and as a matter of fact, whoever thought so, isn’t much wrong.

It was in the late July of 2009, when I first talked to Arka over the internet. He was a guy I only knew as one of my “to be” college mates, and He was the founder of the Freshmen group in orkut. The orkut comminity was moderated and not anyone but the freshmen and freshwomen were welcome. So his first scrap came was the one asking for confirmation that I am indeed a freshman and not some senior with the motive of spying, because seniors were strictly proibited and I clearly understood the reason later.

The sole purpose of the community was to get familiar with the fellow freshmen. But instead, we used to pick on every guy and girl who, even by mistake, wrote anything in the topics in the community that we could cook upon to make it sound embarassing. It was fun there.

Once upon a time, topics never ceased to crop up for discussion and we all would have been attracted to that community in orkut for updated posts. Arka started a topic called “Unofficial Community Chatroom” which provided an awesome Conference platform. It worked like, when some of the community members were online, everyone can reply to each others’ posts and the posts would go upto 50-60 in a single session, and it looked like the online members have had a Conference in that topic. We basically used it to pull each others’ legs “LIVE” on anything anyone would say.

There was a girl who is with us since freshmen year, we called her Polo, the girl with a hole (came from the mint of the same name). She was a bossy sort of girl, and was easily irritated. She was the type of girl, who would chase you till she is exhasted just because you called her a Dumb (which is quite honest)! Arka and me never lost a chance to tease her in any topic we could find or she let slip by mistake. Then sometimes, Polo and me would tease Arka when he once said that he has to rush to get Wheat from “Manuda’s” shop leaving the computer online, and after that everytime he said, “wait, I am coming” it would always be “Manuda’s” shop assumed, and teasings continued!

I adored to pick on a guy called Kamal who was in my section, and was the nerdiest person I have ever seen. As a matter of fact, I am still surprised of the reason why, but for Each and Every of his posts, I always found a funny reply!! Let me tell you why. He was the kind of guy who would start a topic called “News Corner” and will post 42 posts, 7:40 A.M in the morning, about a Sledge Dog who caught cancer coz it ate a stale fish somewhere in Greenland! (There were many more topics started by him, this is just a Sample!) So I guess, I am naturally licenced to tease such a guy, which I never failed to excercise.

Whenever Arka found me online on Google Talk, the only two lines he had to say: “Hi, community Chatroom e aaye na!” (Come to Community Chat). As a matter of fact, during the first days of college, I wasn’t having the days which I wanted or was remotely near to my expectations. So, the thing I looked forward to was, as soon as I got back home, I would find Arka or Polo online, or Kamal would have left a post somewhere on which I could feed. I was dying to meet Arka and his group especially after listening to all the adventured they had, but I met them properly after about a month of desperate waiting, more on this later.

Now, How I Met Arka. Funny story, in orkut I saw his display picture and I dunno if it was his haircut, but he looked like a 5 feet guy, but Polo told me that he was tree size tall. So back to the story, I was about to climb up the outer stairs of the office building during recess while he was climbing down when we collided, but it was not after a minute when I realised who the familiar face was, and by the time he had gone a few paces in the opposite direction, but I doubled back, called his name, and he turned back too, and what I did after that, I swear I still remotely have no idea, why I did – A Salute! I felt it was so lame and idiotic, that I didnt even wait for his response, I meanm  a SALUTE, Who Does such a lame thing! Now, any other guy would have let this slide, but the most amazingly astonishing thing about Arka is that, he tracked me down in front of the library the same day and said – “You are Samik, right?” Now what strange and funny about this is that, he could’ve thought me as anyone from the fact that neither has he seen my photograph somewhere nor have I said anything to him that he could match with my talking style in Google Talk. I still don’t know how he recognised it was me!

Arka and me went on to become Best Friend to this day, and this was how it all started! Arka and me discussed all crazy things in google talk, including about an idea of animation (which I am not going to mention coz I am still hopeful about it and I don’t want anyone to steal the idea!) or a theme for Google talk had found somewhere which displayed funny Emoctions.

Once, everyone in the orkut community came up with a “Meet Up Plan” in the Engineering Graphics Laboratory, (those who dont know about the subject, it was one of our back breaking subjects in first year), which I couldnt attend. Polo was very eager to meet me, coz she wanted to meet the guys who would fire her tail everytime they caught her online in Google Talk (one of them being Arka, whom she met during the “Plan” and the other being me). So, when Arka told Polo that he had already met me, she got even more desperate to meet me! Now the thing is that I was delaying meeting with her which was annoying her, and I was enjoying that...

Keep Reading for How I Met Polo, Aditi and Nirmalya...
To Be Continued...

The Final Handshake

Evening was falling, Joey was getting his bicycle out to go to Matt’s place to get something he had to take back from him for a long time.

Joey and Matt were childhood best friends and they made through their high school together, fighting all the odds along the way to becoming teenagers and strengthening every string of friendship as they grew up. They made every promise to stick together till the very end, shared every dream together. But somehow, time, the changeless enemy of every friend, had different plans that was beyond the horizon of the craziest thoughts of the two little teenagers.

Everything was going perfectly before Matt took off to a Summer Camp while Joey stayed home because of illness. Matt promised that he will be back before Joey wakes up next morning, but mornings came and mornings went by like years. Joey kept the faith hold on that Matt’s letter or phone call would arrive in a day or two. Maybe it was the silly postal service that purposefully delayed every letter just to annoy him. But the only thing that he didn’t realise that both of them were seventeen.

Before Matt went to the camp, he took a couple of books from Joey, promising him that without him the camp would be no fun at all and he will spend time finishing the books which would remind him of his best friend Joey.

Joey was riding down the street lit by the streetlights that flashed the memories he’ve had with Matt like a video tape on rewind, all those good times. Ten months have passed since Matt returned and he haven’t met him since until that evening when he called up and asked if he could have his books back.

He shouted his friend’s name when he reached outside the lawn of his friend’s house. A boy came out that was supposed to be his friend but didnt remotely look like him, nor did he sound like him when he addressed Joey with a couple of supposedly “friendly slangs” that might have beens in fashion lately. Joey’s throat was getting heavy, his stomach lurched like all the urge to see his best friend has gone away suddenly. He didn’t know the boy who just came out of his friend’s house where he spent almost half his childhood playing in the mud in the back garden. Joey tried to speak, but merely a squeak came out. Matt was also staring at Joey silently wearing a weird smile. He had Joey’s books in his hand. Joey stretched his hand still staring at Matt’s eyes.

“So, did you read ‘em?” said Joey anxiously taking the books and placing them carefully inside his old school bag.

“Actually, no” smiled Matt guiltily.

“Been busy lately, have you?”

“Naah, not much, you see, just here and there, hanging out with friends” smiled Matt.

“But still didn’t get time to read the books, I get it” Joey smiled.

“I am not of those reading types, you see” said Matt after an awkward pause stealing his eyes away from Joey’s.

“Its okay Matt, its nice to see you after a long time.”

“Its the usual Joey isnt it? Standing outside my doors leaning to the pole” Matt tried to laugh.

“Yeah, usual I am as always” smiled Joey.

Joey stretched his hand wide, to take his friend’s hand. Matt accepted it, and this was the moment after so long that Joey felt his best friend the first time in about ten months. It was a little wet uniformly. ”I sweat a lot in the heat you see” smiled Matt. But Joey didn’t care. He wanted to hold his hand a little longer, he would’ve stayed all night long if he could, because he knew it was the last time he was doing so. He knew that he haven’t got too much time left. He have to get back home very soon to get his regular dose of medicine that he had been taking since a year now.

He looked in the eye of Matt the final time with a silent pain Matt could’nt notice, trying to find the friend he had somewhere deep down inside, when he bade his last goodbye. Joey rode off. After a few paces, he stopped his bike and looked back. Matt wasn’t around, tears were blinding his eyes, and he tried to tap his pockets for the handkerchief he usually carried. But they were also missing that day as was the warmth in the eyes of his best friend he was seeing after so long.

A Year later, Joey died of throat cancer which he has been carrying for quite a while. He didnt let Matt know any of it, nor did Matt ever came to know. Taking the books back from Matt was just an excuse to see him for the last time. Joey left the world with the memory of the final handshake of his best friend and all the best moments that they’ve had which he cherished until the very end...

Expectations.

We used to be a big bad ass group once upon a time.. but that was really once upon a time. These days when I need my best friend around, don't always find him... Sometimes people will ask you to accompany somewhere and an hour later, and a lot of harrasment they wont even turn up coz they “forgot”. And if I am angry about that then “it doesnt matter that much” to the others who hear about it, and I am again at fault our of nowhere. Whatever other people do unintentional wrong to anyone, if I am even a slightly part of that, noone takes a backseat in blaming me, but its never the other way round. Friends hurt a lot these days. I tried to make out through difficult times. I will stop expecting from even the bestest friends I have got. When people told me not to expect from anyone, I used to point them to my friends and show them a bunch of living expectations, but I think, I should keep my fingers in control from now on.

Friends who have once dreamt with you about the greatest dream an artirst can dream, doesnt miss you anymore and you are now not upto their level because you dont drink or smoke like they do. They dont even miss the warmth when you are having the last handshake. They dont even get time to call up and ask if you are alive or dead. The person you thought you knew through and through can change so much in eight months that you dont even recognise his face or the way he addresses you. I tried to resist “change” that makes you “forget”, but in the end, I was broken to the worst level that I didnt even know where my tears were when I wanted them to come out freely.

I tried living a fairytale, still do, and will do forever, tried to take many things lightly, but learnt that the only thing happens when you take things lightly is that, everyone starts thinking that they can do anything at all and still would be taken lightly, even though it hurts like hell. Among all the jokes, pranks, and mischiefs, sometimes, a moment of silent thinking can work miracles on the matter of valuing friends. I know to myself that I believed and still believe in friendship, but expectations figure out ways to hurt you anyway. When you are a friend to someone, that friendship flourishes as the expectations builds, it gives you rights, and the number of chances increases, but there always remains a threshold, beyond which all the bad things, which were once forgotten, add up to make a mountain of sorrow. The fairytale that I was spinning broke away before it got quite started.

Sometimes, little things done right make us more happy even though big things not done at all, but when in attempt to do big things, the little things gone wrong, can hurt more than the happiness of the big thing even when its perfectly done. I feel that, people should try doing the little things in daily life right, and if along with this, they attempt big things, and fail, doesnt matter much...

No matter how much I help people collect their broken pieces, when it comes to collecting mine, I always find myself alone...

I dont think people will come across this post or blog, but still I write with no expectations at all that someone is going to read this crap.