Srivardhan!!!

When are the best plans made? If asked, my reply would be "in an instant"!!! The same happened when me and a few of my friends decided to go to Srivardhan. One morning we are having breakfast and in the nexfew hours we are all packed and ready to go to a place called Srivardhan. The only information that we had was that it is small and beautiful coastal town along the Konkan coastline. Well, that was enough to encourage us. So within a matter of a couple of hours from the initiation of the discussion we were off (some 8 of us) to our holiday.

The best part of the trip, I would admit myself, was the journey towards our destination. Oh, what a view!!! Long, beautiful roads, greenery all around and small water bodies now and then. A lot of nonsense had happened in college just a few days back and all of us needed a break from the routine. Giving time to each other, just having random conversations, sharing hearty laughters and listening to songs, what else can you ask for?

After a tiring yet enjoyable 7 hour journey, we finally reached our destination. Words cannot describe the beauty of that town. Small, adorable houses, twisted lanes and people huddled all around, it felt as if we had been transported into another world altogether. Now another problem presented itself before us. We had a choice between a hotel or a home where the owner rented out tents for one night' stay. The latter was a 2 minutes walk away from the beach and hence that became our final choice.

Now the fun actually began. The beauty of the starry night was beyond explanation. We dumped out stuff inside the tent we had booked and headed off to the beachside after ordering for our food. The owner helped us build a bonfire right at the shoreside. Oh, the wondrous beauty of it. The night was slightly chilly. But then we were all in company we coveted. Random conversations, beautiful skies and faces blurred with the smoke of the bonfire light; we all shared an amazing time together. A walk at the beachside at that time was like an icing on the cake.

Finally we settled down for the night. All of us had an exhausted but amazing sleep, so much so that waking up in the morning in order to start back early proved to be one of the most difficult tasks of the entire trip. After an amazing hot breakfast of misal pao, pakodas and poori, we finally started back. In comparison to our journey towards Srivardhan, the journey back was on a much quiter note.

However, once we reached back, we realizewd that such trips lie at the heart of comradeship and the fun of being in college. Now that we are nearing the end of our time together, such trips would soon become a part and parcel of our past which would remain etched in our memories for a long time to come.

Strangers....and friends!!!

New Year on our hill top! No, not a situation any of us had actually thought through completely. But as the day drew closer, everyone had their thinking caps on. Unfortunately, so late in the month of december it was actually close to impossible to get any bookings (from hotels to taxis, everything was fully booked). Then, one of my friends came up with the brilliant plan of having a house party at one of her friend's bungalow. We jumped at the chance and were soon off to our new year's adventure.

At first we (me, padma and nikhilesh) were a little skeptical. New Year at the strangers house, among people we did not even know. But then another thought popped up. New Year at the hill top. no no!! We had been invited by one of our batchmates. So, in all, we were five people from our hill top, and the number of people hosting us was yet to be known. :D

I got a lift from one of the people attending the party on his bike. Ohhhhhh, what a romantic drive it could have been! Full moon in the sky, thew weather just a bit chilly for a motorcycle ride and me wearing a dress! (Blush blush) However, I had been warned by Padma that the person I was taking the ride from was her 'Baby bro' so I had better stay away from him. Sheesh, no trust left these days I tell you! :D Anyway, so I took a ride from this friend and we reached the city, got food packed for our party and went to our first stop, Shweta's (the girl who had invited us to gatecrash the house party) home.

We waited there for around an hour for the host to turn up to escort to the bungalow where the party was scheduled to be held. Finally the host arrived and proceeded towards what would become a night all of us would remember as one of our best times ever. We reached the bungalow which was located in a very quiet place surrounded by construction sites all around. There we met the rest of the party. At the end of the round of introductions we were a total of some 10 people all geared to enjoy and wecome the new year of 2010.

Then the fun truly began. On one corner we started the preparations for a barbeque. (whose end products I could not sample because I am a vegetarian) and also the preparations of a bonfire in the courtyard. Then we just sat around the bonfire and the most surprising thing of the night took place. we did not talk much. All of us were in our own worlds but yet the silence was not uncomfortable. It was as if a group of strangers had come together and somehow found peace.

Then 12 o clock struck and all of us got busy on our phones. Then we all wished each other and were thinking of what to do next. One by one the candidates were also opting to sleep off after enjoying the beautiful moon lit night and the strangefully amazing company. Then came up the idea of a game called 'Mafia Wars'. The rules are to complicated for me to explain now but let me suffice by saying that at roughly 1 30 am in the morning, a group of people were trying to make sense of a game which needed expert understanding. You can understand the scenario yourself. I am sure I need not explain more. :D

Then the clock started inching towards 3 am and my eyes began to droop. I made my way towards the make shift bedrooms and the moment my head touched the pillow I went off to sleep. Morning dawned and I realized that New Year was here. It was the 1st of January 2010. Cheers!