Adi means Sun. It also has a meaning of "In the beginning". In case it didn’t, iet now has! So why am I going on this track? There is this local-train geek on MS by that name, who just can’t stop feeling J about a nomad who he claims "is just roaming around the whole country, meeting people!". This nomad happens to just love doing that, but being painted in saffron-ish hues by unknowing pals, has asked me to advocate the case! So, here is the story!
MegHa Plans: Like name, the persona! And to add to that, she is still coming to terms with starry spots! Always ready with words and appetite, she decides to play the organizer for a bash of MSians residing in the Capital. NCR was left out as being village-ish! (Amit, Haks, put that shoe back!) It just happened that an outstation MSian with no proper bearings also happened to be in the city, and hence was IN! Else, by antics, he would have been out, being termed ’tribal’! So, MegHa plans got made for a Meet! The able organizer sent emails to everyone on every site (Orkut, MS, BBC) giving out time, venue, payment terms etc. Then she did IT! No, she hadn’t found a guy yet! She felt democratic, and asked for suggestions. Between the 10 people, there were 17.5 suggestions, the half being her own second plan! Then a high level HR Trainer (you know, the kind who trains Lions, oops, Leos!) decided that enough crap had been going on. She put her foot down and said CCD. Only, nobody seemed to know (including herself) whether her choice was in the outer circle or inner, of CP! Anyway, that’s hitting below the circle!
Ayes and Nays: Mr Outstation was perennially ’vela’, so raised both hands. Mr Software, whose name means ’younger bro’, agreed due to non-conflict with other programs running. Ms Planner (Aah, women also propose, & Steps dispose! More on that later!) was of course Chief Co-ord! The PhDs and twins, one of whom is A Frank lady and the other with a name which really is ‘Of Sony’ (Soni Ka, for non-Hindi enabled dummies) were undecided and had to be bulldozed by diplomatic and literate means! DLit Khanduja found a way out. No, he was actually busy! He-Chup, as always, cited Microsoft was coming recruiting and that Bill would be offended if he couldn’t shake his left hand between 3 and 5 pm! Hakoona was out with Matata, river rafting and couldn’t swim back fast enough. When last reports came in, it was found that a Must-Haffa and a Senior AllOk were missed out! (E&OE!) CCD at CP it would be and 3 pm(HR always has the last word!). 2 s before the D, Planner tore the ligament of her right big toe (she calls it ‘finger’! Choo Chweet!) and had to click “Ctrl Alt Enter”. She was re-booted with a crepe bandage. She is OK now, so save those ‘-W-S’ mails!
Convergence CCD: Tribal gets a call at 2.20 pm from HR, asking for GPS co-ords. A puzzled look at the wife-gifted and reviewed watch and a quick Time Zone check later, it was confirmed that HR was indeed early. But like the good Samaritan, she had booked a sofa of 5 for the group of 8 and was sitting tight with a teenaged cousin. Tribal had a tough time, negotiating tree branches, and could Yahoo! in only at 3.20. The twins and younger bro were already perched on the seated on the available remaining 3 chairs. Handshakes and proper greetings followed, with the cousin going the MouthShut way after the Hi! Nail polish seemed more interesting than this oldie group! A small musical chairs followed, with the waiter in the centre trying to be helpful! 1 full chair later, all seemed to be well and swell, when a couple of guys barged in. They seemed expected, but nobody knew by whom! But luckily, they were a Free Soul and Sum Al! One, an Army Col and the other, a confused lawyer who first joined the Army and then ran away to the Coast Guard! Soul had met the Twins and Bro earlier. Tribal had met none and none had been to the jungles too! So, all in all, across a small teapoy, with multiple sized chairs strewn around like at a seconds sale, with music so loud you could hear the unknown singer’s constipated grunts between the octaves, the group talked. Rather, they tried to. Until an elderly couple on the next, long sofa logged out and handed over t possession. Folks crossing the border in 1947 would have been military, compared to the scramble that followed! But at least, each had a decent seat. Orders had to be placed, as the ‘sitting’ had crossed decent limits of even politicians. All heads turned to HR, the know-all at CCDs, who told each one what they would have. Sum Al got a pack of cookies, for which the coffee came free! Tribal, impressed with Colonel-(replete with hazel eyes, which legend says, had a Ms Summer gaga in ’06) ordered it like Rum - same here, double! At least no Incentives were cut for non-performance, and everyone got at least a Coffee each. The hot coffees and cold could hardly be made out (elephant/Doc, not what you think!) and were over in 72 seconds, after appropriate minimum gaps between sips. Only HR sipped in shtyle, and seemed to have got a bigger glass!The talks touched Faisal (no, not that way!), Mouthshut (the .com one!), 3 ‘hot’ babes most hated on MS, reviews, contests, Video Reviews (with HR even asking “Has anyone here ever done a VR?”!!) and MegHAHA! Adi was mentioned & Elephants, quacks and Reviewers (the THE kind). Parallel discussions were in order, especially as the ‘rock singer’ showed no signs of his constipation having let go! Another round of hot drinks was suggested by Col, but most people seemed to’ve been told at home “Not more than one drink with strangers”. HR kept the smiles going, with her multi lingual linguistic (s)kills, including on her boyfriend! A few photos were clicked, lest someone later said “I didn’t have coffee”! 2 hours went by, with none noticing, except probably the other CCDians! Topics were many, decibels were high, spirits were warm & leg-pulley. The air was of bonhomie, despite it being the ‘First Xperience’ for most!
The bill was called for. HR quoted from MeghDoot “Everyone pays for self”. YoungBro turned on his maths and did a quickie! 720 bucks had never been split in more detail. It was amazed! Still, money seemed short! So pennies (mind the spelling!) were thrown in & a begging-bowl worth of fund pooled. The waiter even got a Rs.3.50 tip (or was it 3.75?)! And, with that, the Meet ended!
Sayonara: No, she wasn’t there! Byes had to be said. The dwarkawaasis managed to fix their backyard as the next venue. 10 March was generally found OK. Everyone had something to do in within the next 20 mins! Tribal had nothing! So, as every civilized human took to his/ her car/bike, the tribal hung around, until the roads were clear, and at the first break vaulted onto the trees with a Yahoo!, waiting for the next MS meet at Dwarka and thinking of the branches along that road!
PS: Pun intended! Faint hearts may kindly look up at the nearby tree and scream at the tribal! And, you, Adi, you just keep ‘train’ing and feeling J! Delhi Meets will go on, so Tum Chup!!
Jingalala!! {That’s tribal for "Delhi Meets Are Fun, and the Folks are Great!"}.. but Bill? He’s shaking hands, remember?!