All about me. Part 002

Madras Christian College was a paradise (please note the past tense). We learnt more stuff outside the classrooms than inside. One of the best things about MCC were the cultural extravaganzas that took place every fortnight. Starting with the Fresher's Auditions and culminating in Deep Woods, the festival season never really ended in MCC. It just hibernated. For a boy new to the city, new to sophistication it was mind blowing. And the most important thing in college life-girls. After having studied in a school that frowned upon any communication with the opposite sex (it didn't work with us though) MCC looked better than paradise. But I was to learn the hard way that things do not happen the way it happens in movies. God alone how many times I made a fool of myself trying to impress members of the opposite sex (I didn't know of this aspect of my various stunts till about three years later). 

But I was uniquely blessed in one way. Most of the crowd I hung around with were from similar backgrounds as I. So I was not alone in pulling the stunts. I will give you an example. The first event on the cultural calendar was the Fresher's Auditions, an event where fresh talent is given an opportunity to showcase themselves. What would a 18 year old new face to the city know about western rock? I knew of only a singer called Michael Jackson who sang English songs whose words I could hardly make out. And here were people singing full throated rock numbers by Van Halen and Metallica. A few "peter" (colloquial slang for people who speakify only in englifees) boys were shaking their heads violently. I had heard of people letting their hair down, but this took the cake. Upon enquiry, a senior told us that the procedure was called head banging. The sight amused us. It looked like they were being electrocuted. Our merriment spilled over and we all joined in. But we didn't stop with simply banging our heads. We broke small branches of trees and pretended that spirits had descended on us. Then when we tired of spirit dancing, we took off our belts and pretended to whip ourselves to atone for the sins being committed on stage. Great was the surprise in the audience. First years! trying to reduce western electrical competition to a farce! how dare they? a few seniors tried to make us reason. It was then I understood the truth in the saying 'united we stand'. All the first year boys stood up and closed ranks. 

During the dancing I noticed a group of boys belonging to the department of history and economics performing the silliest antics. The department of English shared language classes with history, maths and statistics, and general English classes with economics. So I knew those people by sight and I nodded at them in both recognition and appreciation. It was they now boldly faced the seniors. At the frontline was Minish and Tommy (history and economics respectively). One look at Tommy who was a boxer and the seniors decided that they had other important things to worry about. and the celebrations went on till the red dust engulfed us as we danced away in a frenzy.

The next day, my legs were stiff and sore, and my neck had a crick. I walked like a robot to college, only to see my fellow robots all sitting in the gutters moaning the aches and pains relics of the previous evening's orgy.  That was the first time I was welcomed by them with a smile and was invited to sit with them. I learnt their names then and have not forgotten them now, though ten years have passed. 

1. Minish Kumar P (Madhavan) - History

2. Pradeep Kumar C (Daddy) - History

3. Dharmendrapani T (vaayila olu) - History

4. Tommy Varghese (toomy bugger) - Economics

5. Sanjeev Khanna (sedu) - Economics

6. Yuvaraj V (ading *****) - Economics

7. Karthik  (mokka) - Statistics

8. Prakash (Picca) - History

9. Vel Murugan (Vel the P**l) - History 

10. Nakeeran (nakee) - History

11. Babu (Rowdy babu, thevidian babu) - Economics

12. Daniel (Danny) - Economics

13. Vijay Anand - Economics

and others