Mysore
I was sitting in my hostel room and matching dreams with reality watching the beautiful network of cobwebs woven by the extra-active spiders on the roof. Then walked in NS. We started speaking on some topic, and both of us felt claustrophobic.
What else do you expect?
It was a 10′ x 13′ room with walls that were last painted when the Wodeyars were ruling Mysore. The walls, probably, were built much before that. It is said that Tipu Sultan supervised the construction! Four of us were supposed to live in that monument of a room. Till I came in, my roomie was the only one to have been staying there. And he was what we called, “Doctorate in Engineering”. It was his fifth year at engineering! Anyway, more about him later.
NS and I stepped out of the room into the corridor. The corridor of this monument overlooked the road to our college. Manantody road. The hostel was just off the road. Nobody would even notice the hostel unless someone they knew stayed in the hostel. From the outside it looked like a neglected Government project of lined up houses for the slum-dwellers. Not that it was a palace from inside, but still!!
NS said, “Ninge bere yaava hostel siglillva?” [Didn't you find any other hostel?]
I answered, “Sikktu. KSS hostel nalli sikkittu. But alli nange munche inda 6 jana iro room kottru. Nanu hogididdre 7th man aagtidde!” [Yeah, I was offered accommodation in a room where 6 people were already staying as the 7th man!]
NS said, “Sari bidu. Olledu aytu. Illige bandyalla” [Good in a way. You ended up here.]
I said, “Haudu” [Yeah]
NS asked, “Estu ittu ninna CET rank?” [What was your CET rank?]
I said, “2930, nindu?” [2930, what was yours?]
NS said, “1068″ [It was around that number! I don't remember properly!]
I exclaimed, “Enu?! NIE Mech enakke togonde?” [What?! And you landed up in NIE Mech?]
NS said, “Hun. Nange mech ee bekittu. NIE gintha na Mech bekaadre. E&C, CS ella madakke ista illa nange. Adanna elladru kalibahudu” [Yeah. I wanted Mech only. And NIE is the best in Mech. I didn't want to take up E&C and CS]
I said, “Nandu ade idea iddiddu. But NIE mech sikkidu punya ne anko” [Even I belong to the same school of thought. But getting NIE Mech was a matter of pure luck!]
NS said, “Illa. Hangenu illa kano. Ninna rank ge general aagi sigutte NIE Mech. Olle rank ee nindu. [Nothing like luck. You had a good rank. You got the seat you deserved]
I said, “Nanganthu counseling time nalli full tension. Bari onde seat ulidittu nanu togonda mele” [I was very tense during my counseling. After my chance, only one seat was left]
NS said, “Nanu togondaaga, ade second seat. Naanu first inda second seat togonde. Neenu last inda second seat togondidya! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” [I picked the second seat from the top and you picked the second seat from the bottom! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!]
I joined in the laughter.
By the time we ended laughing we had settled ourselves comfortably on the bench under the Neem tree within the hostel compound. The weather during November in Mysore is just amazing. The birds migrating from Ranganathittu to their winter capitals. The “V” shape that they formed against the backdrop of the clear blue sky gave me a metaphor to think about. V stood for victory and the sky for the amount of potential we had to achieve the victory. Also, at times it gave me the feeling that our playground is like the sky. Unbounded & limitless but you will encounter clouds as you come down on your value system if you are blinded by that “V” for Victory.
Mysore gave me unlimited metaphors to life with its easy-going nature. The town would be called sleepy by those who had lived in the so-called big (and hence considered as better) cities. If you were not materialistic in nature, then Mysore is a place you would have loved during those times!
On the bench, I couldn’t resist sharing these metaphors with NS. Instantly he agreed! He started sharing how much he loved Mysore. And I was agreeing to each and everything he had to say. It was like he would say something and I would build on it. And later, we would build on it. We enjoyed the conversation immensely.
It was like we were finding our wavelength. And it was being so easy. We felt like we were destined to meet each other this way at this time. Also, both of us were feeling homesick. It was the first time we were away from home. I remember both of us taking an oath that we would stay together throughout engineering. We had struck an emotional bond!
NS is what he signs at his office. Called “Harsha” by family and “Shastri” by friends. Narasimha Shastri and I went on to endure the hostel during the first year. Later on, we moved into a room at Kuvempunagar during the second year. And stayed as PGs at Jayanagar during our pre-final and final years.
Shastri graduated from NIE (Mechanical Engineering) in 2001. Got through Mico Bosch on campus and stayed with them till 2002. Secured an MS in CFD from NUS, Singapore and flew back to India. Has been working for GE JFWTC, Bangalore, as a scientist ever since. He insists on being called a technologist. Has his own blog too.
Shastri tied the knot this year in February to a very cute, sweet and strong-willed girl who goes by the name “Shrivalli”. Shrivalli is an M.Sc graduate from Karnataka University and was with I.I.Sc as a Research Associate. She also has a paper published to her credit while at I.I.Sc. A girl with a clear determination to do her Ph.D in Glass Transition, Shrivalli and Shastri are colleagues at GE JFWTC presently! And it was all arranged!
My God! Talk about memory! You remember ranks even!!
Keep going, your narrations are very interesting. I now remember your hostel… did it have a one-rupee phone that had electrical contacts hanging out of it??
Vikas:
Yeah! It’s the same one. I remember you had come to meet me there too! :)
Talking about the phone, we had found a way to make calls without putting a rupee into that phone!
You really seem to have a very good memory.
Talking of phones, we at NIE LH had also learnt to make calls from our landline without using the number buttons as they used to be locked. I should try out and see if I can still manage it. ;)
Anda kaalattile… those were the days that made us what we are today. You know Adi, I feel that apart from my family, you are the person who has influenced me the most. I am proud to say that these days mentioned in this post were to be the foundation for a life-long mutually enriching relationship. I am sure the things that we did, people we met and the ideas we shared during our time at NIE are really the key aspects of our life, even till today.
Vikas: Am not sure if you remember me, but I came to your house in Mysore with Aditya once. I was recently reminded again by Aditya about your hobby of Photography. I must say I am very impressed with the photos you have posted on your page/blog. I am also pursuing it as a hobby but have a very long way to go. BTW, I guess you are working with Fluent. I am in CFD field too!
Hardu: Do you remember me? I surely remember seeing you in college but not sure if we ever spoke! I have a vague memory of seeing you recently at the wedding ceremony of Preethi and Gowtham. Anyway, good to meet to here again too!
Thanks Adi.. for the cute way of introducing me:)
NS: congrats kano, gottirallila nin maduve aaythu antha. ondu ashtu photos haku ninna maduve du and like kalisu.
NS: i meant to say “link” kalisu.. that was a typo.
here are some pics (not so importnat) from shastri’s marriage.. i hope shastri will send official photos link soon..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sam_ftcr/sets/72057594067784738/
@hardu: you can find adi, me, madhujith and KP (all mech) in these photos.
NS: Yes, I do remember seeing you at college though I don’t think we ever spoke.Yeah, I was there at Preethi and Gowtham’s wedding ceremony. Nice meeting you. :)
Sam: Thanks for the snaps. Finally a glimpse sikkathu. ;) Among all of you, the only one I had spoken to at NIE is Madhujith.
No time to gothrough ur post rite now, but will read it when i find time…
I dropped in here just to say HI to u and to convey that iam remembering u !
Bye
Hope u r taking up the new job today.
CONGRATS HERE ONCE AGAIN !
Hardu:
Aa disengaging button hidkondu “tup tup” annsidre phone hogattalla aa method aa neenu helta irodu?!
So, madhujith obbane na gottirodu astralli? Very good. Avana contact details beka?!
Shastri:
You are so right! In fact the ideas and thoughts that we discussed then, were so much ahead of its time that they have the capability to shape our future too. We are what we are today because of what we were then! Absolutely agree with you!
Shrivalli:
Cute people deserve cute things in life! :)
Sumi:
Thanks da!
Do read my post and leave your comment!
Have a nice time at Mumbai!
Sam: thanks link kalsidakke.
Adi: Houdu correctu. That is the exact style I used to make dial and make loooong conversations. :P
Last I knew Madhujith was working in ITC. Amele yenu gothilla. I am not sure if he remembers me.
Hardu:
Aa method sakkat useful actually. It’s tough to master it allva?! Real knack irbeku! :)
Madhujith yavdadru hudugi na mariyodhu nanu kelilla! He is working with a company called Infiniti Research as a Research Manager. You can contact him at [madhujith@gmail.com]Khushi aagi reply madtaane!
he he he. Haagidre naanu mail maadalla. What if he thinks that nanu line hoditaayideeni? ;)
Knack beka? Haagidre naanu adanna master maadidde! :P But ivaaga maratuhogirutthe for sure!
It reminded me my friend Yeshwanth who was my batchmate & he used to proudly say NIE Mech andre ‘Royal Mech’… :-)
Very nice of narrating about a person, his habits, his family, his nature in all in all….
Very interesting to read about all these nostalgic days!
Kuvempunagar andre kiviyella nimirutte, the place I spent my childhood… my some part of youthhood too :-)
GOD Bless the newly wedded couple(s)
Veena:
Enu royal mech andre mazaak aagogbittide ellarigu! :P
Kuvempunagara… aaaha! Ello nodirteeni hangaadre nimmanna! :)