A day in the life of LIFE

Even as HIMYM enters its fourth season (HIMYM, for the uninitiated, refers to “How I Met Your Mother”), the Bakar Club at IIM S (copyright of using the name rests with SK who is also the President of the same) had its Diwali outing last evening.

The torrential rains over the past 72 hours brought with it a long drawn power cut for around 12 hours. This was the opportune moment that the Bakar Club was looking for to venture out into the unexplored alleys of Shillong.

With darkness setting in by 4:45 p.m., our stroll at 5:30 in the evening resembled that of a post dinner walk. The cabbies out here live the moment the fullest. Our man played some good old “blues” well in sync with the weather outside.

Guided by our able leader SK ( whose skills are as dependable as that of Mr. Bean), we reached the heart of the city, Police Bazar, to embark on our mission of “Humey pata nahin hain ki kahan jaana hai”. Options included CCD, Tango, or even as JJ suggested, a heavy supper (some people can only think of food and then complain that the sluggish weather got them overweight! Bah!)

While we explored the bad options that the leader presented before the club members, TP arrived out of thin air ala Superman Ishtyle. (Apparently TP had just then spent 800 bucks on a pull over made in USA – Ullasnagar Sindhi Association, though stitched onto it, was a 1”x1” leather label which said Monte Carlo)

TP had a few currency notes remaining from his shopping spree and hence wanted to spend them effectively. The vote of the day for the place of choice went to Tango owing to its well heated environs that would provide us with respite from the biting cold.

While the setting was perfect for TP and MKJ to get into their groove, others such as me enjoyed some good music that was on offer. Before I forget, I did witness one of the most interesting standoffs between two members of the Bakar club – It was an irresistible force versus an immovable object. With threats and counter threats being exchanged, it formed and interesting watch over onion fries and Dragon vegetable.

Rejuvenated from the environs of Tango, our next stop was a place where we could grab some good dinner – Center Point, our best bet. The low lights and soft music (courtesy: the N73 of yours truly) brought back memories of the Savera Rooftop in Chennai.
MKJ was in full flow by now and there were some pearls of wisdom that he showered the rest of us with. Some filtered excerpts…

Let me let the readers know that you may not be able to find the writing humorous, but then you had to be there to witness the conversation.

Scene 1:

Restaurant Manager (RM :thinking we were tourists) : So Sir, where are you from?
MKJ: from Kolkata
RM: Me too, I was born there but have been 24 years outside of Kolkata.
MKJ( somehow also hears “half my life” as an additional remark. Putting 2 and 2 together he retorts to RM): So you are 48 years old?
RM( Speechless, trying to save his face): That’s kind of you sir, thanks for the compliment but I am just 40 years young.
(MKJ trying to counter question RM is silenced by the President of the Bakar club, SK. MKJ justifies that his prowess at cracking logical reasoning in the CAT exam was still at its highest)

Scene 2:

MKJ: Excuse me, can you please get me a jug of plain water
RM: Sir, JJ has ordered for mineral water
(JJ meanwhile tries helping MKJ with the Bisleri)
MKJ ( breaking into a British Accent which is 180 degrees different from his desi Bengali): No, No, that is exclusively for you, JJ, I wish to have some plain water, “P.L.A.I.N”…
JJ: Speechless
MKJ: Speechless too
RM(trying to flatter the customers) Sir, you have a great sense of humor – are you from Marketing? I ask you this since I have been into marketing for the past 12 years.
MKJ (almost as if "you asked for it now!"): No I am from finance and let me tell you that plain water has dependence on the market meltdown!
RM: He did not visit our table again….(no not even for the bill)

Well, I must say one thing:
The snacks and mocktails at Tango: 1200 rupees
The food at Center Point rooftop: 2200 rupees
Seeing MKJ in full flow: PRICELESS!

P.S.: This blog post is dedicated to the Bakar Club at IIM Shillong. Cheers!

Pic: Hotel Center Point by Night.