New year ... new ishtyle

Putting it flatly, my new year celebrations have been dreary. Television programmes put up vain attempts to make you laugh ... friends are too far off for access ... its the same old 'musical chair' games outside ... ladies especially are ruthless when it comes to playing this game ... they think its kind of a world cup ... so either me or the chair has to bear the brunt of their power.

I have to just put up a sordid attempt to wake up till 12am, wish everyone at home ... to me new years were nothing special ... the only different thing was, that I had to make sure I wrote '2007' in the 'date' columns of my records.

This time would have to be different. I wouldn't want to punish myself with yet another 'musical chair', and I decided to flee. To my cousins' place ... at Arsikere ... a prominent town ... Hassan district.

It was a pleasant Dec 31st evening. My uncle disrupted my digestive system ... he makes me eat food thats enough for an entire family ... I could hear all the 'idlis' rolling from small intestine to big intestine ... I needed a walk. The Railway station is a popular hang-out ... trains have always fascinated me ... and an evening on a railway platform is more lovely than it sounds. It was almost dark ... Nikhil (little brother), Chaitra (little cousin), Madhuri (the angry cousin), Sudhanva and Kavya - all ranging in ages from 11 to 16 walked with me towards the chaat corner ... paani puris ... that was the main reason I had come to Arsikere ...

It was almost 8pm ... we slowly walked home ... I was wondering ... what would the night be like ... There was a horrible Kannada movie (Jothe Jotheyali) at Venkateshwara theatre ... my cousins were ready ... I was ready ... we were to spend the new Years watching a horrible movie. Chips and chewing gums in hand ... we walked to the theatre ... 19 bucks for a seat in the balcony ... the movie was more worse than I had expected ... Ramya is a bad actress ... full stop ... enter Darshan Tugdeep ... enter the longs and chains ... was a bit of entertainment ... dull songs ... the movie finally came to an end at 11-45pm ... suddenly everyone pounced on me for taking them to an atrocious movie ... I thought I was a responsible guy ... but never thought I would be held responsible for every bad thing that happens ... we slowly walked home.

We hadn't even eaten dinner ... there was nothing at home ... we walked to the railway station again ... thinking we might get some hot idlis to munch ... at 12am ... it was pretty cold ... it was January 1 2007 ... what a new year ... what a celebration ... strangers began walking upto us ... they were wishing us ... funny ... people unite at times of adversity or celebrations ... hungry ... tired ... shivering ... we walked back ... somehow again I was being targetted ... why is the most handsome guy always blamed ...

A man dying of thirst sees an ice-cream parlor in the desert ... we saw something like that ... a bakery ... it was not a mirage ... it was a new year gift ... we picked up a few pineapple cakes ... hugged each other ... and greedily ate it up ... we also did not fail to wish the police-men who patrolled the area ... the cake was nothing for these Arsikere cousins of mine ... they can devour a hippopotamus and still feel hungry ... but the excitement had begun to fizz out ... we reached home ... tucked ourselves warmly under blankets ...

I could still hear an occasional munching sound ... Chaitra and Nikhil endowing themselves some 'Churmuri' ... I did not fail to grab my percentage ... we talked for a long time ... cell phone kept beeping ... wishes kept pouring in ... I missed 2 of my little brothers the most ... at that time ... Bharath and Sumanthu. I was to leave for Bangalore the next day ... that was a deep depression ... but I also did feel like coming back home ... home pitch is where you feel most comfortable ...

I wouldn't say this was my best new year ... after watching that movie ... I certainly couldn't .... my brothers were missing ... my sister Neha was missing ... but I escaped from fighting for the chair with the muscular ladies ... that was the most important part ... I have decided ... new years next time are gonna be strictly with friends or cousins ... not the next door ladies ... they are bad women ...