Kuch Kahaniyan Returns – S2E1
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FutureHostelPlan T!
It was the turn of the century, the year 2000 to be precise. Bombay or Mumbai, as it had been rechristened was India’s answer to New York. Well yes, it was and remains the financial capital but more importantly it is a city that never sleeps! Except between 1AM and 4AM.
This is a tale featuring 5 inmates of the K.J. Somaiya Hostel for Boys in Vidyavihar. In those days, the residential accommodation was limited for the students of K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research (SIMSR). While the girls were accommodated in a working women’s hostel in Tilak Nagar nearby, the boys were assigned a floor in the hostel that was originally built for the students at the engineering college and polytechnic. The problem – UG rules for PG students. One of the rules of the hostel was that the gates to the hostel building remained closed between 11PM to 6AM.
The rules however never curbed the lifestyle of the MBA/PGDBA students. They had figured out a way around them – a willing and pliant nightguard and a pre-negotiated rate.
Coming back. Our 5 protagonists let’s call them Surdy, Tingoo, Mota, Roopi and Buddha were students in the second and final year of their PGDBA and veterans of the late-night scene. Roopi especially had the nightguard dancing to his tune.
It was a Friday before a long weekend and bound to be one where most of the hostelers would head back home or simply head out! As did our fivesome! The plans were in place – catch the Friday release at Sterling in town, take the last train from VT (CST) back to Vidya Vihar get some sleep and catch the first train out to Lonavala. Hectic in the books of Mota, but if you were Surdy, it was just another weekend!
The Fivesome duly watched the movie and rushed back to VT station and managed to board the last train. Mota all this while kept cribbing and talking about how his romantic alternate plan of spending a night watching the waves roll-in at the promenade on Marine Drive while sitting on the stone wall followed by a bottomless cup at the Oberoi Coffee Shop was better. None of the others bothered. It was Mota being Mota – always wanting adventures to be comfortable! None of them had any inkling about how uncomfortable the night was about to get!!
By the time the boys reached the gates of the hostel it was past 2AM. The gates as was to be expected were locked. Confident as always Roopi gently whistled his signature tune like he had done on so many occasions for the guards to recognise and open the gates. There was no response. He whistled again, a little louder this time. No response.
Unbeknownst to the boys a raid had taken place in the hostel that evening. Aside to the contraband that is expected to be seized in a boys hostel the arrangement with the guards was also uncovered. Net result. The warden decided to stay the night at the hostel, the guards were changed and of course a trap was laid for the errant inmates. A trap that our quintet had just walked into!!
As mentioned, it was the turn of the century, technology was changing the face of India and in a certain way saving friends from imminent disaster too! Mota and Tingoo both used to carry pagers. Just as Roopi was about to whistle a third time their pagers buzzed. In tandem!
<<< HOSTEL RAIDED. WARDEN INSIDE. GO TO PLAN T. >>>
The message scrolled through their beepers. Tingoo looked at Surdy and Buddha sceptically and then looked towards Mota. Roopi confidently shifted gears and proceeded to walk towards the rear of the building. Mota didn’t know what to make of the message but generally felt that having an alternate plan was a good thing. Little did he know!
Plan T was code for entering the hostel through the narrow windows of the toilets. This entailed someone from the inside removing the glass louvers creating just enough space for a person to climb through. The process involved some gymnastic abilities in terms of first climbing to the window itself that was at a height. Nobody bothered to explain the process to anyone, especially to Mota.
“Watch me, follow me!” Roopi whispered with a sense of urgency, hopped to reach the windowsill, pulled himself up and climbed in.
The considerate friend in Tingoo came to senses and asked the one question that was begging to be asked.
“Mota kaise chadega?”
It was quickly discussed and decided that one more person would climb in and two on either side would prop Mota up and pull him in!
Easier said than done. It seemed liked a lifetime before the 5 of them had made it inside.
The picture would take far more than a thousand words but suffice to say – it was crowded, silent and smelly!
After that eventful night Plan T was not implemented again.
The protagonists however, spent many nights thereafter sitting on the stone wall on the promenade on Marine Drive followed by coffee at The Oberoi!
बिछोड़ा (Bichchoda)
आज का ये कलाम
बिछड़े हुए दोस्त के नाम
संग अगर तू आज भी मेरे होता
तो ये दिल धड़कन से जुदा न होता
लिखी दोस्ती जिस कलम से, सियाही कम थी
रुके हुए हैं आँसू वहीं, आँखें तो बरसों से नम थीं
आज भी जब कहीं यारों की महफ़िल सजती है
यादों की पूर्वाइयाँ बड़ी ज़ोरों से चलने लगतीं हैं
लड़कपन की उन गलियों को फिर घूम आतें हैं
कुछ मौके साथ अपने बिछोड़े का दर्द लाते हैंFriendship Lane
They’ll most certainly lie for you,
Spin tall tales at the drop of a hat,
Man, they make ‘em sound so true,
You’d kill to have a frat like that.
Take your trip with a straight face,
Draw immense joy from your pain,
Cause a pain in every wrong place,
No misses when there’s points to gain.
Friendships made whilst still young,
Hanging together turning days to nights,
Meaning every word of the songs they sung,
They turned into men destined for heights.
Lives got lived and careers got made,
The wheel of time continued to turn,
Decades slowly rolled into the next decade,
Conversations changed from heartbreaks to heartburn.
Time reset to where they’d hit pause,
Fifty something and they met again,
Everything back to the way it was,
Those three nights at Friendship Lane!Friendship Lane
They’ll most certainly lie for you,
Spin tall tales at the drop of a hat,
Man, they make ‘em sound so true,
You’d kill to have a frat like that.
Take your trip with a straight face,
Draw immense joy from your pain,
Cause a pain in every wrong place,
No misses when there’s points to gain.
Friendships made whilst still young,
Hanging together turning days to nights,
Meaning every word of the songs they sung,
They turned into men destined for heights.
Lives got lived and careers got made,
The wheel of time continued to turn,
Decades slowly rolled into the next decade,
Conversations changed from heartbreaks to heartburn.
Time reset to where they’d hit pause,
Fifty something and they met again,
Everything back to the way it was,
Those three nights at Friendship Lane!Reflections @ 50 plus
रोज़ाना (Rozaana)
आसान नहीं है ऐसा हो जाना
होता भी तो नहीं है ऐसा रोज़ाना
मिले, बैठे, फिर अपनी राह चले
इस से ज़्यादा कौन करता है भले
बात ये कुछ तीस बरस पुरानी है
चंद दोस्तों की ये अजब कहानी है
अलग भाव, अलग स्वभाव का व्यवहार था
आपस में यूँ घुल जाना अनूठा विचार था
लड़कपन की सूखी लकड़ियाँ तैयार थी
बस एक अल्लढ़ चिंगारी की दरकार थी
एक हॉस्टल के कमरे की ये दास्ताँ है
गहरी नींव पे खड़ा ये यारी का मकान है
कभी बिछड़े, कही झगड़े, कभी बस पड़े पड़े
कितने दिन ढले, रातें बीतें, कितने सूरज चढ़े
ज़िंदगी के कदम मीलों में कब कैसे बदल गए
बाल में सफ़ेद और वज़न सालों संग बढ़ गए
दूरी जो थी यारी को सिमटा मिटा ना सकी
नोक झोंक, छेड़ छाड़ की आग बुझी न रुकी
जीवन के कई उतार-चढ़ाव दोस्तों ने देखें हैं
साथ खड़े रहने, निभाने के क़िस्से अनोखे हैं
हर गुट, हर कहानी में कई किरदार होतें हैं
किसी सूरत में सेना, किसी में सरदार होते हैं
जो ना देखे ऊँच-नीच ना देखे दुनियादारी
कुछ ऐसी और लंबी चली है ये गाड़ी हमारी
अब तक सँभाली है बस यूँ ही चलानी है
बावजूद दूरी या मजबूरी पूरी निभानी है
क्यों की आसान नहीं है ऐसा हो जाना
और होता भी तो नहीं है ऐसा रोज़ानाTime Travellers
Two wonderful days that I’ve spent
Happiness that was heaven sent
Afternoons filled with tales of old
Some repeats and many untold
A lifetime re-lived in just few hours
Great escapes and magical powers
Tricks and pranks, our devious ways
Endless nights that ran into days
God’s angels or devil’s messengers
My supporters and firm challengers
So believe that true friends infuse
That spark in our life, brighter hues
Fellow travellers, my companions
Badges of honour, my medallions
Forever together, win or lose
You’re family that I’d always chooseA Beautiful Friendship
Wonder if things would've changed Or would they have remained the same Would we have grown into wise old men by now Or remained boys taking things as they came Life would have kept us together I'd reckon Circumstances no doubt would've made our journeys part It would have remained a beautiful friendship If only a premature end did'nt beckon Had life not made other plans You'd have turned 50 today Imagine all that we'd have done The boys in us would've had their way So in your memory we shall pour out one Sing songs all night from an infinite playlist Do things the only way we would have done Have one more and one more till morning come
Us Raat Ki Baat (उस रात की बात)
उस रात की बात कुछ और ही थी दिलचस्प क़िस्सों और यादों की होड़ सी थी नये पुराने रिश्तों बीच लगी एक दौड़ सी थी चेहरे जो धुंधला गए थे वो साफ़ खिल गए कुछ मलाल भी होंगे जो उस रात धुल गए बीते सालों का असर कहीं छिपा कहीं ज़ाहिर था गहराते रिश्तों के मंज़र का हर शक्स नाज़िर था इतनी हसीन थी मुलाक़ातें के शाम कम पड़ गई या यूँ कह दें की अपना काम बहती जाम कर गई ख़ुशियों का उठता ग़ुबार बारिश भी दबा न सकी लगी जो आग है मिलन की वो कब है रुकी उस रात की बात कुछ और ही थी उस रात की बात कुछ और ही थी
Dil Chahta Hai (दिल चाहता है)
इस दौड़ती थकाती ज़िंदगी से
एक पल चुराना ये दिल चाहता है
किसी भूले से पसंदीदा एक गीत के
दो बोल गुनगुनाना ये दिल चाहता है
बिन मतलब बंध जाते थे जो
ऐसे मीत ये दिल चाहता है
बिन मौसम बेइंतहा बरसती रहे जो
ऐसी प्रीत ये दिल चाहता है
ख़र्च अपने किसी शौक़ पे कर सकें
वो फ़ुरसत ये दिल चाहता है
चल पड़ें किसी रूमानी डगर पर
ऐसी हिम्मत ये दिल चाहता है
कथनी करनी में भेद ना हो जिनमें
वो बोल बोलना ये दिल चाहता है
मर्यादा जो मनसपूर्ण और सच्ची हो
वो लेना-देना ये दिल चाहता है
चाहत में जहाँ निजी स्वार्थ न हो
वो दुनिया ये दिल चाहता है
बिन माँगे पूरी करे जो सबकी दुआ
ऐसा ख़ुदा ये दिल चाहता है