Pocket Diary Book Club

SRIJAN_20.12.2024_12:44 P.M.

I just reached the PDBC studio straight from my exam hall. Yes, this blog is being written this late because I had my exams. Well, the exams were bearable. This blog, I’m not sure if it would be. But since I have been this late, I have been instructed to type FATA-FAT.

Let me tell you something to keep in mind when dealing with Government officials, don’t be proud if you think that they are sitting there just to reply to your mail and requests. 4 mail ke baad reply aayega:

NO

Bas NO, aur kuch nahi. If you are an overthinker like me, well…

After missing their email over Diwali Break, and postponing the big day by 1 week, finally…

They said yes!

23.11.2024 6 AM 

The dawn was as excited as us, sitting in the cars, waiting and putting bags in, running back, forgotten something, and then finally, finally, everyone is settled in, seatbelts on or not, maybe and the engine starts… purr

Chirag sir, Priya Mam, Aswathy and myself. There were others as well, in Vinod Ji’s car.

Keyur was trying to outwit me and Priya Mam by bombarding the group with messages, and we were so much indulged in our conversation that we were only able to see his messages thodi-thodi der baad. Apparently, Vinod Ji’s car was named Fun Car, as we were told. Ours was called “HAHAKAAR”.

The highlight of the conversations in Hahacar was, “Critique is just sophisticated Gossip”  
RUKO THODA YAHAN! SAMJHO! Bahut Gehri baat hai

We reached the Polo Forest campsite, I went to look for a puncture wala with the Driver, while others were playing Frisbee. We had breakfast, chai aur poha and went to the Riverside. Bas, vahi network bhi tha aur sukoon bhi.

Vinod Ji, being the most experienced, taught everyone how to make stones bounce on water, “Sab bas wo ungli ke spin ka khel hai, jhatke se spin karo”.

Shreyansh was so indulged in learning the art of making round stones that I had to warn Chirag sir and Jainal Mam to keep a count of all their tools and stones at their construction sites, he might poach some in order to carve the perfect stone to bounce on water.

The people who were not there with us, keep in mind that there is no signal at the Polo Forest Campsite. If you want to get a signal, you’ll either have to walk for about half a kilometre to a bridge nearby or, you’ll have to get into the river water and sit on a Magic stone. The only place, where you’ll get a signal. For reference, I’m attaching a picture of the said stone, with me sitting on it and watching BGT*, Cricket Important Hai babu!

If you want to taste authentic desi khana, you need to go to that Campsite. We wanted to do a trek, we did do something, don’t know if it would qualify as a trek. We did walk around, exploring the jungle, losing ourselves in the timelessness of the silent leaves and chirping branches under our feet. 

Bas chale jaa rahe the, kisi bhi manzil ki talash me, 
aakhir me wapas laut aaye, 

– meri aadhi adhuri shayari, 
kyunki raat hone wali thi, aur ham तेंदुए ke ghar me the!

While everyone was waiting for Jainal Mam and Mugdha to come, I revisited my old standup set and tried to keep everybody thoda sa engaged, we discussed school stories. I felt thoda sa good that I was able to get a few laughs even after the expiry of my product (6 months). I am as fresh as Johnny Lever.

We had Khichdi and garam-garam Rotla for dinner and then got started with the bonfire edition. The only thing that stayed with me after that session was a poem that Keyur read, SIT, by Vikram Seth. (It took a sofa and sat in my heart).

“… To sit here in the sun, with grackles all around,

Staring with beady eyes, and you two feet away …”

The fire was mesmerizing, everyone at some point, got hypnotized by the rising flames, Priya Mam was enjoying the changing colours of yellow, orange, blue, slight green sparks inside the fire, Jainal was seen in the same situation as her.

Ankit read ghost stories of old ladies on a highway in Dehradun (Ruskin Bond’s collection of short stories), Jainal read from The Last Queen, Alchemist came with Shreyansh, Forest Etiquette is equally important, i.e. the etiquette for trees on how to behave in a community which in their society, is called by the name of a forest, Kissa Kissa Lucknowa was borrowed by Vinod Ji from me to read us an anecdote as you can see from the title, unka kissa Dilli aur Lucknow ki dosti dushmani (love-hate relationship aap ki bhasha me) ki baat bata raha tha, aisa lag raha tha jese ham bhi kisi chai ki tapri par beth kar sardi me Kissagoi kar rahe hain.

I had not slept for 2 days now, and had walked over 25000 steps that day, whilst everybody was enjoying the bonfire, I was collecting wood and sookha kachra, to keep the fire from feeling cold.

Afterwards, I could not resist the warmth of the blanket waiting for me in the igloo. The temperature was like that of Antarctica, no man can come out alive.

The highlight of the next day was breakfast, eating Methi Bhajiya at a random tea stall on the Highway. At least for me and Priya mam, it was the best closure we could have had for that picnic cum forest edition.

Hoping we could do these short and sweet community outings more often.

Signing Off!

PS: You know you have to get up from your sleep and out of your blanket if Priya Mam threatens to throw water at you!
Bilkul Ricks nahi lene ka baba! (To be read in baburao’s voice)

***

P.S. BGT = Border Gavaskar Trophy