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Another question, rather a debate
which seems to have consumed a lot of time and energy of oriental philosophers since times immemorial is regarding the degree
to which human life is predetermined or to cut a long story short "The theory of destiny". In my opinion, considering the
weight it carries, there are events which shape a person's life and most of them are thrust upon us; a few years down the
line when you take stock there is no turning back. The grad college, the circle of friends, your first job and of course the
woman and the two women they claim are after every successful and unsuccessful man respectively. But we do have a lot of leverage
to perform along the path we have taken. Lately I have developed some interest in the concept of "Alternate History". Check
out the link provided. Not the best site but enough to set you searching the web.
http://users.metro2000.net/~stabbott/AH.htm
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The Loonds
Our group in R.E.C. Rourkela was christened "loonds' in September 1995 by one of the
esteemed members "Girish Parashar" alias 'Mota". The idea was immediately seconded by stalwarts like "Alankar Saxena" alias
"Soko Bhaina" and "Bhaskar Soni" alias "Sooni Saahib". The rest is history, the group grew from strength to strength and when
it was time to go we had left a fair impression on the general scheme of things. From "Keshto" to "Prasad Babu's canteen"
and from "Maheshjis" to "Mandap" you could hear hushed voices talking about the "Group" which had arrived. The general
philosophy of the group was very simple:
Four Bs which hold the secret to a happy life:
Bike, Body, Babe
and Booze. The fact was discovered by the wise Jat "Vivek Sangwan" alias "Jatu" during one of his elevated states. Of course
the importance of this vision was immediately visible to all of us and "Loond" took to it immediately. Unfortunately most
of the loonds were a bit shy and innocent by nature and as such couldn't give the babes much leg room. However we tried to
fill the void by our occasional trysts with Ladies Hostel with events like bottle breaking, wall climbing and Antakshari near
the Ladies Hostel gates. The leaders in these endeavours included the irrepressible "Girish Parashar" alias "Mota", "Ganesh
Balakrishnan" alias "Ganiya", the baby faced "Jeetendra Meena" alias "Meenee" and "Ajay Raina" i.e. me. "Meenee" was an ideal
chela and imbibed all the qualities a "loond" should possess. Somehow he even managed to clear GATE and later IES.
As
far as "bikes" were concerned Loond possessed three vehicles, two of them "Yezdis" and one TVS Moped christened "Bopadoo".
These vehicles had the responsibility to carry the "Loonds" to their favorite haunts i.e. Deepti and Radhika. It was at these
bars that the great men used to sit and formulate the group strategies while satisfying the stipulated requirement of the
"booze" criteria and indulge in their favorite sport i.e. "Character Assassination". Of course the story cannot be complete
without paying homage to the greatest character assassin of them all "Vivek Sangwan" alias "Jatu".
As far as "body"
was concerned only two loonds came close to the rigorous criteria. The wise Jat "Vivek Sangwan" alias "Jatu" and "Mr. Bhaskar
Soni" alias Sooni Sahib" who incidentally was also believed to have some Pingalwara connection. This fact was vigorously stated
by the inimitable "Girish Parashar" who seemed to have some insider information about "Sooni Saahibs" days as an inmate of
some "Pingalwara". For the uninitiated who are not aware of the meaning of "Pingalwara", I request them to visit the site
http://www.pingalwaraonline.org/aboutintro.htm for a quick brush up of the facts. Of course the fact was vehemently denied
by "Sooni Saahib".
As always amongst the youth there was one old man, "Mr. Vijay Singh" alias
"Khaadu" who tried in vain to make us change our ways. We had long discussions regarding life and the lifestyle one should
adapt. I would like to reproduce one such discussion
"Ajay Raina":
Life is like an ice cream, eat it before it melts
"Vijay Singh": Life
is like an ice cream. Keep it properly in a refrigerator so that it lasts longer.
You must have guessed the general
theme of the other conversations.
"Mr. Bishal Pujari" alias "Puzu" was a darling. We used to have regular music competitions
with me playing "Ghulam Ali" and he playing "Jim Morrison" at the highest volume our local made record players would allow.
There was only one room separating our rooms and I would like to thank the inhabitant of that room for bearing with us.
"Damandeep
Singh Soni" alias "Sardar" lived in constant fear that the wild world was out there to loot him. Somehow the fellow loonds
always succeeded in their mission despite his best efforts to foil them. Maintained a good stock of shirts, deos, canned foods,
khujli powder and money.
"Ganesh Balakrishnan" alias "Gania" always had the best one-liners up his sleeve. One of them
"Kanoon aur College ke haath bahut lambe hote hain".
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"Nakul Jain" alias "Jain Bhagwaan", a voracious paneer
eater, an insufferable gambler and an altruist was famous for style. He would run all night gambling joints in his room one
day before the exams. He would vigorously debate with his patrons when trying to copy in the exam from them. And last but
not the least he would scratch the paper after three hours so that he could have a better try next time.
"Subhankar
Dey" alias Kiki" an indefatigable storyteller, fondly referred to as the "God" and "Chidimaar". An ultimate Bakwaasi, he was
one of the key people who made stay in R.E.C. a memory to cherish.
"Malay Mandal" alias "mowli" was a kid. He
used to be the prime target for the eternal sadist "Vivek Sangwan" alias "Jatu". He had some narrow escapes. His closest shave
was when "Jatu" tried to smother him with a pillow. He once even suffered from liquor poisoning and "Mr. Daman Deep Singh
Soni" had a tough time convincing the doctor (incidentally a pediatrician since he was the only one close) that the patient
was indeed 21 years old and hence eligible for drunken revelry.
"Girish Parashar" alias "Mota" was a mischievous character.
A master character assassin with a proven track record few escaped his wrath. He was responsible for several innovations in
the field of expletives and "Loond" took to all of them like a duck to water.
"John Bayan" alias "Johnny boy" was the
Loond rock star. A playboy at heart he was able to unleash his true talent only after leaving R.E.C. This was because of the
serious restrictions that the membership in "Loond" placed on liaisons with the fairer sex. His favorite statement coined
jointly with me "Dost hum kum peete hai magar roz peete hain".
"Shreemoy Mishra" alias "Shreemoy" was the only day
scholar in "Loonds". A fellow ceramist although now an economist, we had some some good times together especially during our
department study tour and his post visa period. We jointly managed to scrape through our final year courses through last minute
bouts and discussions.
"Alankar Saxena" alias "Sakko Bhaina" was the biggest news maker. Controversy and
fans used to dog him throughout his stay in R.E.C. Mind it he is the one "Loond" whose name is going to flash across your
TV screens in a few years, fame or notoriety, time will tell. His favorite statement " Too pehle yeh bataa ki too hai kaun?".
Now how do you answer it. Probably "Girish Parashar" alias "Mota" has some expletives ready.
"Pankaj Dubey" alias "Dubey
Jaan" was the prime target for "Girish Parashar". His room was the most adorned with latest models. A ghazal fan, he always
had an arsenal of shairs ready for sentimental situation.
"Niralli Anand" alias "Kaddu". His favourite statement "naheen
naheen, main to bolta hoon". Had a room in Hall 5 but used to spend his time primarily in Hall 2. Tried for GATE and is missing
since.
"Palanki Ravi Kumar" alias "Gulti" had only two passions. "Achha Khana aur Achhe Daaru". We had some great
times including the visit to Calcutta. He was the greatest companion at the "Loonds" drunken revelleries.
"Thoudam
Thoiba Meetei", to keep the best for the last, was a funny character. His general demeanor always tended to lie on the
thin line separating sanity from psychosis. Many people claimed he was already there but I give him the benefit of doubt.
He could be seen loitering around on the campus on a Hero Ranger (the all terrain bike). His only grouse in life was his inability
to match the fellow loonds in their startling display of drinks digesting prowess. That reminds me he still owes me a party
on account of a bet where he promised to drink three large 60ml "Officer's Choice" pegs. Needless to say he.....
Visit
http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/ajayrainaus/my_photos for more photographs.
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