Beyond Barriers!

Friday Night Fever: and fever it was, literally! I have no reservations against people who make a fool of themselves AND pay obscene amounts of money for all the mindless obscenity which crosses all boundaries of professional comfort, as long as I am not a part of it. But given a choice, I don’t like to go to conventionally “happening” places, and yeah, I am not ashamed to admit that I have hardly been to any of the “cool” places in spite of being in Mumbai for over four years! I would rather stay at home, curl up with a book or chat with close friends and munch on junk food: all for free…

Tryst with the Reel: Finally on Saturday we braved the scorching sun and set off for the much hyped Ramoji Film City. Some 28 of us, basically whoever is interning in Hyderabad, got together for the expedition and it was quite an experience of sorts. Coordinating nearly thirty people was no mean feat and wherever we went, we created chaos! The artificial sets which brought the Chor Bazaar of Mumbai, the Taj Mahal, the Mughal Gardens, the Swiss Bank, the London roads right next to one another, which made it possible for the same building to be the University from one side and the High Court from the other, made us go around the world in thirty minutes! But even after the tour guide’s dramatic narrative sequined with dollops of humour, it still remained the poor man’s ticket to the vicarious pleasures of Bollywood dreams. The shows, the rides, the games and the food stalls were a perfect recipe for keeping the children occupied (and in some cases, even 20 something, excitable people who suddenly discovered the child in themselves). I wouldn’t have missed it for anything, but at the same time, I wouldn’t like to revisit it. It’s a great business idea, and I would be content to admire it on the movies! Next time I see Shahrukh Khan romancing a heroine young enough to be his daughter in a beautiful locale, I will take it with a pinch of salt.

One Wild Night: So you have four girls, all newly rich, you have a mega sale with all brands at dirt cheap prices, and then you have Ice Station: and in no time, you are back to square one, i.e. poor college girl bargaining with the autowala! I was determined that I wouldn’t shop anymore till I lose weight, but I am ashamed at my lack of self restraint and every time I stare at the bill, I am overcome with guilt. But there was no such guilt when we devoured the Triple Sundae ice cream AND the Dieter’s Revenge (yess, they have such kick-ass flavours) along with pizza and French fries at Ice Station. It was so awesome (one of my friends described it as “orgasmic”) that whoever stopped to breathe was losing out on her share… and to end a perfect evening on a memorable note, we decided to get drunk! So the cheapest available vodka was smuggled inside the room, and, well, it was a night of getting high, throwing up, crying and confessions. Sadly, I was more of a sober observer rather than an active participant (well somebody has got to listen and clean up) even though I was drinking after nearly a year… at times experience can be a real dampener!