Suddenly while cleaning my cupboard last week I came across a Hindi news paper clipping dated back to 27 November 2002.
It read like this "POLICE NE LADKO KO SABAK SIKHAYA "It suddenly put me in the flashback mode and I suddenly remembered the exact date and time that put US yes us in that situation.
There were nine of us MJ, Pandit, Indian Idol, Chipku, Feroze, Musa, Baba, ASK, and me (The bynames seem to be a bit obvious but every name has an interesting story behind it , that sometimes later..)
So we were the best of friends having known each other for nine years or so we knew each other inside out. Coming back to the incident that made us instant celebrities in our schools (yeah it did...)
The day was Thursday we had decided in school itself to go out that evening as five out of nine had arranged for some kind of vehicle that was a seriously big news at that time as we were hardly allowed to take or borrow vehicles bearing the fact we were all underage and seriously were not trusted with vehicles.
So on the d-day (we still refer to that day as our d-day) everyone decided to gather at my place and then go off to GANJ as we still call it. My parents were a little bit sceptical about me going out with them in fact my mother completely refused so while everyone's mood got a bit dampened, I decided to stay back and later catch up with by coming via auto MJ decided to give me company. So we reached Ganj, met others had a rocking time together in between all the fun and frolic it got a bit late and suddenly everyone got worried about the thrashing everyone was about to get for getting late.
As we were returning to the place where our intelligent friends had parked their vehicles I was a bit surprised by the fact that the place did not even slightly resembled like a parking lot in fact it more or like resembled a backyard of some sort of a building.
Suddenly we found out that there were three men sitting on "our" vehicles. We asked them to excuse us as we were getting late as soon we asked them to they asked for our "DRIVING LICENCES”. It was a real bolt from the blue but we unfazed as we were asked them that with what authority were they asking us for our driving licences then they dropped the "bomb".
The place where my friends had parked their vehicles was in fact the backyard of "INTELLIGENCE HEADQUARTERS".
On hearing this all our confidence melted with our sweat and we were instantly begging for mercy.
In fact the three men who caught us were intelligence officers who were in no mood of relenting decided to put us in "LOCKUP" for underage driving and trespassing.
Now we were in big trouble, somehow one of the officers was in a good mood (or so we thought...).
He presented us with a way out that we leave our vehicles there come back next day with our parents , but before leaving we had to do "50 SITUPS" in " FULL PUBLIC VIEW".
We just fell from sky on hearing this.
50 sit-ups in full public view that too in front of Intelligence Headquarters, "What if someone sees us." That was the question that was in everyone’s mind.
Still that was the best possible option available then (and I think the only one).
SO there we were "squatting “as it is called in full public view with heads hung in shame ...
I really don't know till date that how that ruddy journalist got that news from..
The repercussions were worse. Fortunately my parents were saved from going to the Headquarters as there was no vehicle of ours involved, but still everyone else was let off with an written apology and warning of the dire consequences if it was repeated again and I got a big showdown on the selection of my friends and more so ever on their brilliance in saving three rupees as parking fee.
So the matter was settled we thought but it was not...
Next day when the news came out, while we reached our school everyone in our school in fact knew who all were involved in the last night's infamous incident although the newspaper had avoided giving the names (that as the only saving grace of that incident I guess)
But the biggest shock for us came after prayer assembly that day our principle announced this "IT HAS COME TO MY NOTICE THAT SOME OF OUR STUDENTS ARE PHYSICALLY ACTICE,
SO MUCH SO THAT THEY ARE NOT EVEN ASHAMED OF SHOWING OFF THIER PHYSICAL TRAINING IN FULL PUBLIC VIEW AT ODD HOURS.TAKING SERIOUS CONCERN OF THIS FACT I HAVE DECIDED
TO FACILITATE A FULLY FUNCTIONAL GYMNASIUM IN OUR COLLEGE SO THAT STUDENTS HAVE PROPER PLACE AND EQUIPMENTS FOR THEM......""

p.s.
HE PUT 'MUSA' INCHARGE OF ALL THE GYM ACTIVITIES FOR JUNIOR DIVISION

@
ABIR