Post Delhi Musings

I havent blogged for quite some time now,and with good reason.
Billions of cusecs have flowed through the Ganges since then,a world cup has got over along with a wimbledon,the most enigmatic rockstar to ever live died,terrorists struck making it seem like an even longer time.

Ahhh another arbit title again.This is about a guy,i know,or seem to know for the past six years.
Lets call him Syd.He used to take the bus with me to school,to get down halfway through to go to his school.

We used to take the same bus almost everyday,which still amazes my unpunctual and erratic self,as to how he would show an almost congruent trend in unpunctuality(?!)

This happened form somewhere in the middle of eighth grade till i completed my tenth.After that,timings changed,seasons passed,and the meetings gradually became infrequent and finally halted,.

But he had this uncanny habit of turning up every now and then,in unacceptably unexpected places,on the road,when i am taking a walk,on the way to the doctor's,when going to get some sharpners because teachers still persist in continuing and upholding the ancient barbaric practice of making students write neat records,etc.

A typical conversation would go like this:
Syd:Hi da.
Phony:Hi "da"
Syd:Hows life da...Life rocks man.Its all happening and fun.i thought i'd just go for a ride and then play hockey.
Phony:Ok.
Syd:Chalo...see you around,nice talking to you.Bye(followed by a weird handshake given by an even more weirdly tatooed hand).
Phony:ok.

Then I dont see him for about two years.

One extraordinary afternoon,i see him in Saarang.After the prelims of the main quiz.Sitting near a juice stand near clt.I could hardly recognise him.

Since he had a a weirdly tatooed hand in school itself,and since he was in "college" now,he followed it up by piercing his eyebrows,nose,ears.He also claimed later he had pierced an unmentionable place,but I didnt buy it,because he didnt seem to be in that much pain while walking.

"Yo man!"He said,as I saw him walking towards me,with Houdiniesque thoughts rushing through my brain.He was wearing the shirt of some vague Swedish Death metal band,or atleast thats what i could make out of it.

"what college da?"he drilled further.I thought I would get away with saying "ok" as usual,but decided against it and said"here only da".

"oh thats so up there man"he said pointing in some vague direction in the sky.

"What are you doing here..and where do you study?"i asked,making it a point to look half interested.

"oh R L K college",enlightening me about the existence of one more three lettered engineering college.

"Oh good"i said,not feeling so.

"I want you to meet Akshaya,ya...akshu...he's one of my closest friends"he said pointing to me.

Thats when it hit me that I didnt even know his name.Think.THINK!

She was almost of angelic beauty,with her hair softly falling on her shoulders.She said"Thats so nice"..or something like that.I wasnt listening.

Now after four months in IIT,then ,my definition of beauty had suffered a few changes.Anything that didnt have balls qualified as a knockout.So dont ask me.

Think.THINK!They were drifting away.One could hear Run like hell in the background,the lines which go

"for if they catch you in the backseat trying to pick her locks,
they'll send you back to your mother in a cardboard box
you better run"

I dont rememberwhat happened next.I had to call out to him.Some really cornily stupid sluggish part of my brain decided that the boyfriend of akshaya had to be akshay.This was thinking at its worst form in me.Normally I think better.

Besides if they found out I didnt know his name after being called his best friend,it'll sound outrageous.All because of that half boiled infidel.

I figured that,if his name turned out to be something else,as it most probably will be,I could always try and call the bluff saying the bf of Xa has to be X.

She 'll probably think I'm shit if i said that.But I figured she probably thought so already.

So I did it.

He actually turned back.

He said"Oh didnt I tell you,I am not akhsay anymore.I changed my name to Surrendaerr last year."

"Oh" I said,relieved that he was called akshay atleast at some point of time in the past.
"so you 'll be going to alumni avenue,you two?" I asked.

"Not really,I just met her.Saarang's a great place to make close friends man!"he said.As he walked away,leaving her behind.

"Just add me on orkut ok.Gotta go.Hope to see you soon."she said,and then gave out a Liv Tyleresque smile before leaving.

And there I stood laughing at the Atheists,for how wrong they were,thanking my stars and also one Mr.Orkut Buyukkokten.