Decade of Undecayed Friendship-Part I

It all started in August 1997. That’s when i stepped in to the humungous campus of College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University. It is a moment I cherished like never before. All my 17 years of past life looked so silly suddenly. First time I defied my dad's decision when he asked me to pursue Computer science engineering in REC . Nothing wrong. How else could one feel when you are going to study the second most sought after engineering discipline in the state's highest regarded campus? You have managed to top among lakhs of students to get into this coveted institute. And now it is universally accepted that I am the cream of Tamil Nadu. People around you are convinced that you have achieved almost everything in your life. Now that I am in Anna University my life is more safe, settled and secure. Enough reasons to be exhilarated. Stop it. All wrong. Wrong in all ways. No point in resurrecting those days. The mistakes were done and the damages were quite severe. It was severe to the extent of jeopardizing each and every aspect of your life. You have very few reasons to still keep hoping and fight back. I am no hypocrite in saying that friends were that for me. Because there were this so called friends who were so similar to me with so much same worries and miseries. That simply explains how understandings of friends were we? Hahahha…. may be konjam nahaichvayaha sollanumna..we were 5 people. Engalukku padippu na ennane theryathu. aana aasai irunthuchu mela padikkanum nu. So B.E kullayae higher studies padichom. puriyathavanghalukku a big sorrry. but go ahead the story will be more interesting. The story of “Decade of Undecayed Friendhip”.

It is very natural that certain relationships cannot be explained. The reason for that is that such relations become so omnipotent and omnipresent that it looks like almost does not exist, at least superficially. Hence u can't explain which does not seem to exist. Ippadi intha kathaya philosophical eh kondu pohalaam. Aana naangha basic eh appadi pattavangha illayae. Appadi aaha patta oru nanbarhalin pattalam patriya kathai ithu.

We would be the perfect cast if Steven Soderberg plans to return back to create the next mission of Danny Ocean. Ocean’s 14. If not Ocean’s 14 we were and are at least the Fantastic 14's. So you got it right, 14 members in the gang. Lets make things a bit clear here. Let me not take false pride that we 14 guys were and are the thickest of the friends for the last 10 years. Take for example my case, I happened to move along and join with this gang only from the second year of my college. So goes the case with few other members. But in any case under the current scenarios we have grown up our relations to the extent that we have been friends for centuries. So decade or less than decade of togetherness is just the superficious number. But the quality of friendship is like that one which has been immortal for centuries. No philosophy. controlllllll.

Ellathukkum oru pillayar suzhi irukkanum. Undoubtedly it was the two highly CIVILized guys. But it finally got rooted in because of Eight ECcEntric guys. To cut a long story short. ECE pasangha general eh nalla padikkaravangha. Civil pasangalum appadi thaan. irunthaalum namakku therinjha pasangah appadi pattavanghala illama poyitaangha. It was like those guys were more talented in various other aspects than studies. So CIVIL oda saerntha ECE um manakka arambichathu. Approm civil oda oors , roommates ECE oda oors roomamtes nu gang full form aahi set aahi rembha manakka aarambichuthu. Oorellam ore manam. suthatha theru illa. paarkatha cinema illa. pannatha saettai illa. CUT. Next shot

A peek into Fantastic 14's one day:

But for one or two guy the whole gang had no bloody necessity to start of the day by waking before 8:25 A.M . The problem with one or two guy was either they were too good (or had problems of insomnia). And the problem with the rest was we were also good enough to wake up at 8:25 A.M and go to the 8:30 A.M class at 8:45 A.M. Puriyuthu. Late eh poena vaathiyar ulla viduvara nu kaetkareengha? Appadi oru situation leh naangha 8:25 ku enthirikkave maatom. So no problem. So only for necessities, like missing out a class will lead to "I "grade or "U" grade (both grades are equivalent to failing) and with great stress only we would start our day by 8:25 A.M. Else waking up around cool 12 noon was the norm. You know you can't sleep in the terrace after that. It really gets too hot around 12. So you wake up at 12 noon and find that the guy who had gone for the 8:30 class is back and sleeping. Either he had enough of classes for the day or enough of aapu's for the day. In any case college for the day is over, but for some extreme reasons. So next target is lunch. Being in the rolls of mess was not a regular aspect. Hence we move out to Adayar or surrounding areas with our limited bikes. Now with the bikes there were two strict rules. Reservation is a priority. And whoever rides the bike will fill in the fuel. These are not like government rules. Strict rules. You ride and you will fill in fuel, though it is a different case altogether as to where from and how you source the fuel. So after a biryani or any sort of vivacious lunch you get so tired and u take a short nap. Short nap for 3- 4 hours. By the time you wake up its almost 7 P.M in the nite. Such a pleasant time to wake up you know. So all or available members gather to plan for the nite. Here is where the real problem starts. Too many opinions would flow in. The broader plan remains simple. Booze, Dinner, Movie, Mokkai (Mokkai means the art of unrelenting conversation you have over hours over various subjects. it could last as long as anything between one hour to 4 or 5 hours. The only conditions are that the subjects we discuss should be as useless as possible, and you take rounds in picking up on individuals. A great art though). Now that the broader plan of booze, dinner, movie, mokkai remains the same every day we just don't do everything every day. May be a combination of movie & mokkai, booze and mokkai, whatsoever fits economically and physically accessible for that day. But we were an immensely talented group and we never found it difficult to do all those activities in the same day and again and again. So after all master plans its time to be fresh and as presentable as possible. So at around 8:30 in the night after pushing some guys who love wandering with towels to dress up the real day starts. Depending on the availability of time you chose to sit or stand and drink amap (as much as possible) and again depending upon time have dinner in a restaurant or a roadside makeshift hotel, during which a couple of good samaritans would eat as soon as possible and move early to fetch the movie tickets. Basically we love to see good movies. But since we had no control in bringing out good movies we just were happy to settle down with those were coming out. In other words we will see all the movies. If my memory is intact, once remember a last bench activity of trying to list down the movies we had watched. And the figure came to something around 285 or 385 for 3 years. So the movie gets over and it is 1 A.M midnight. You are still so fresh and with loads of energy. Again suggestions start to pour in for the next move. Finally everyone decides to meet up at HI LOOK the 24 hour snacks bar. So 1:30 am at Hi look you order bread omlettes and juices and start off with the art called mokkai. This can be enhanced by midnight boozes possessed at premium prices & morning triplicane mess pongal ambitions. In any case the momentum is set and goes on strongly. It goes on and one when slowly one by one starts to retreat. But there are a few notorious guys who would not relent and keep the thread going. In midst of the mokkai you would have vowed to eat B'fast that day after ages. So you keep mokkifying till 6 am and start off to triplicane the bachelor's haven and diner's delight. Here again we do what we know best. Eat. Eat at least 4-5 varieties at least in minimum 3-4 hotels or mess as generally they are called. It is such a relishing experience that you just want to go to bed so much so happily. And that’s what you exactly do. Go to sleep. 7 A.M. Good Night.

I know many a people by now would have developed a hatred for our gang. Hold on. This is just to explain how raw we can be. But every one gets refined with time and more relations. But the basics remain as I had said in the beginning. Nalla Pasanga Naangha. That will and is remaining for the world to see. This is not the end of the story. There are a lot of branch stories. Like any other gang of friends we had every aspect and every character, the hero’s, the Romeo’s, The small fights, the ultimate fights, the most memorable happenings, The exquisite trips & tours, solliya kathalhal, sollatha kathalhal, vaangiya vadaihal, etc. The difference may be that we always go the extremes and we don’t stay too long on course. The final word is that you cannot carry everything every time in life. That is a fact and was also the same with us. We have lost, forgot whole lot f stuffs. But our friendship remains intact. Now that’s the fantastic 14 for you. And how incomplete it would be to not talk about all those girl’s factor. A related key note feature is that Internet was then a rapidly growing phenomenon. It would not be false to say that we were the one’s to have seen this internet phenomenon grow up. And the Internet in it’s own way did influence the lives of lot of us. All the more I want to write. But this is in itself such a big post. So I propose this solution.

I WILL TRY & WRITE SEPARATE POSTS ABOUT THOSE BLOCKED PHRASES. They definitely deserve one. And i get chances to write more. :)