Un-break the Heart #3 - Anaikatti Days
A week passed without any notion. For others, the college life is filled with classes, assignments, case studies, presentations and exams but for us (me and Saran) it is all about two things - being happy and having fun. We skipped all the other parts. Personally, I do not worry about any other things. I go to classes or do assignments only when I feel it is important for me to do so.
Though this new life keep me away from my past there is always something that makes those bad things popup in my mind all of a sudden. I don't know how I had crossed those moments in my life. There are times where I lock myself in the room and cry without others knowing. Numerous time I hit the wall very hard in anger, sometimes even hurt my hands very bad by hitting on things like mirror. All those times I will be thinking "Why me??". Why all these things happen to only me?Â
If there is one thing that I wish very badly, it would be I do not want those moments ever in my life again. Â
I am happy that I am away from it all now. Apart from spending time along with my friends, I make myself busy with the new business plan. I want to do something on my own again. I want to prove those people who made me suffer that I am more than what they think. There is always this fire inside me that kept me alive all the time.Â
Life at PSG is very cool and it's a paradise if you do not worry about credits/marks and mind the words of the professors here. There is Amphi where I can spend my time calm reading the books taken from LRC. Â Amphi is a special place for every PSGian. It saw numerous loves and friendships and still keeps them alive year by year. If you are wondering what is Amphi, it is the open air theatre at PSG which by the way used as a park by the students at PSG IM. Or to be more accurate, by the PSG Tech students. Everyday I am discovering beautiful and remarkable things here. Everyday I am learning lots of things here. And absolutely having fun.Â
One of the perks of being a student at PSG is the ALPS program. Which is, by the way, an outbound training program at Anaikatti. Anaikatti is a beautiful hill station and it is full of green and the climate is awesome. The college management owns a farm there and had setup an environment to train us on team building and other management related activities. Except that it will not be in classroom but in the open field, with nature and that too in a playful way. There is an animal farm too.
Our batch is going to Anaikatti today. This is my first ALPs trips and I am going to stay along with all my friends for the next two days. Everyone’s excited on how this trip is going to be. I took a window seat in the last and Saran sat next to me, followed by Naveen and Murali. Once everything is set, the bus started.
I saw the world outside the bus through the window. There are laughs and songs everywhere in the bus. Though I am surrounded with all my friends, I feel alone. The memories of Monika ran through me. In all my previous college trips during UG, she was there, near me. She rests her head on my shoulder, holding my hands and talking with me about all the things in the world. Her child acts and her kisses. If only she is here with me? The mere thought hurts me so much.Â
“Memories of her?” asked Saran. He is very good at that, reading minds, especially mine.Â
He knows, about me and Monika and how close we were.
I replied with just “hmm”.
Murali walked up to the driver and asked “how long it will take from here na?”
“10 minutes thambhi” he replied
I do not want the bus to stop, only if it goes on forever! But it reached the place in 10 minutes as the driver told. I took my bags and got down from the bus. We were shown our rooms (which are actually well built huts in village style) by the accompanying staffs. There were five huts, three for boys and two for girls. After we settled we were given instructions and also been briefed about the rules and regulations here.
                          (The Five Huts)
We had an activity in the afternoon and then we were left free. There are facilities and grounds for almost all the sports. There is Football, Cricket, Basket Ball, Volley Ball, Badminton and Table Tennis. I love cricket more than any and it is a part of my life. In my childhood day I even desired to become a batsman in our Indian Team. But in the coming days I learnt that business is more to me than cricket. Next to cricket I like Volley Ball, I was a district player in my school days.
We played cricket till we couldn't see the ball in the darkness of the growing night. We came to the hut allocated for us and there are cots, blankets and pillows waiting for us. I went into a deep sleep tired of playing. Naveen woke me up for the dinner. I gone to the Bhojanalaya, the place where the food is served here. We were served Chappathi and Kurma. We have to wait in a long queue for the food. There are no chairs or tables in the bhojanalaya, and it is open for air except for the tiled floor and the top ceiling. We have to dine on the floor. We were sitting in circles with our close friends. Foods and thoughts were shared all over.
After dinner, it is time for bonfire. We were sitting in circle around the fire. It made us warm in that chilling cold climate. It is one awesome moment. After some time everyone moved to their respective huts except me, Saran, Naveen, Murali, Raj and Ram. The night is young and very cool. If only added with booze it will be infinite.Â
“Guys, I am in the mood for a drink. How about you?” I asked
“Are you kidding Karan?” Naveen said in shock
The most important of the rules in ALPS is “No Drinking”.
“No I am not. I am going to, whether you guys join me or not” I didn’t give them options.
“But bhai where can you possibly get booze in this forest in the middle of the night?” Murali asked.
“There is one hotel just opposite to ours gate and there is a bar too. Me and Karan planned this as soon as we spotted it.” Saran asserted
“I am already in macha” Ram joined with us.
“What about the security guards at the gate?” Naveen asked. He always cares about the environment than him and his happiness. He is a good boy of the batch and he don’t drink.
“There is a talented man in this group, who is very good with people and intelligent enough of bring the booze inside.” Saran marked some goat in our group as usual.
Everyone is staring at each other for some time and then set eye on Murali because he is the person who is very capable of doing this.
“Shitttt. Okay, okay I will go. But what about the money guys?” Murali tried to release himself from the trap.
I took my purse and showed it to him, others laughed at him. I put my hands on his shoulders and pulled him towards the gate. Once I spot the gate, I released him and gave him the money.
“It’s not late Karan, we can just turn from here and go to our huts for a nice sleep.”
I smiled, “You can machi, do what you always do.”
“Yeah, make them an offer they can’t refuse...” he quoted The God Father and walked towards the guards. He gone there and spoke with the guards. He offered them a pack of cigarette and quarter of Whiskey. And they let him go. We made the arrangements behind the auditorium which is away from the huts and not visible unless someone came that away. There is enough light there.
Murali came after a while with a big bag. Along with the beers, snacks, grill chicken and dinner he also bought cards for playing. We all drank, except Naveen who kept himself busy with the snacks.Â
After long hours of enjoying the night with drinks, card games and stories, we gone to our room past 3 am and slept there.We do not have any worries about getting caught or woke up late to miss the activities and get noticed. Because we have Mr. Perfect, Naveen, who is there always for us, getting us out of all trouble. I had a nice sleep and I couldn’t move my fingers when Naveen woke me up at 6 am. It is very chilling and I already started coughing.
I gone to the bathroom with my bathroom accessories and shocked when I found the absence of water heaters. When I opened the shower, the water flows with force spattering all over. I tried touching it and took aback when I felt the cold piercing in my hand. There is no way I can bathe in this water and there is no other go either as I drank last night.
I close my eyes and bit my teeth and entered into the shower. I shouted out loud when it fell on my head. It might have woken up the others in the nearby hut for sure. After bathing, I came out shivering with the cold and coughing while the climate outside adds fuel to the fire or literally adds more ice to the cold. The day started with the trekking to the nearby hill. Once reached the top we all took photos of us on the top. After that the usual ALPS activities are started. The two days ALPS program passed in a jiff.
I am having ultimate fun. I believe it is same for Saran too. After a month from we were sent out forcibly from our company, we were parted and went in different directions. It is not like we had fight or something. Every moment there reminds me of Monika and my start-up. So I went abroad thinking it will make things disappear from my head. We stayed in touch all the time via phone call or Skype. Things were difficult for us for a year and a half. We survived everything in our way and we still do. Â
When we were coming back in the bus, again the thoughts of Monika came. While I was thinking about the moments I spent with her, suddenly a glimpse of a new girl crossed my mind. The girl I saw at the cafe. I don’t know how I remembered her face, I saw her like a minute or something, but still I remember her like I’d been spent a considerable amount of time with her. It made me feel awful and guilty. How can I think a girl other than Monika?! Â
I didn't knew that this girl is going to cross my life soon and alter my future forever at the time.
