1978 to 1983, the cresendo

My heart thumped hard as I removed my index finger off the round, stained switch. The doorbell responded with a sudden and jarring burr that almost threw me off. The sound of this cheap human-alerting gizmo was but a faint utterance in contrast to the loud beat of my heart. Ears hot, lips dry and my circulatory system on maximum load, I waited. The door opened. And there she was, a jaw-dropping display of physical endowments that Mother nature ever bestowed on the female species. My fight-or-flight response system was instantaneously activated to start what must have been the world’s most heated sub-conscious debate lasting a second. Finally, the jury was out. The fight in me persisted! I said “Hi!”

I stood frozen in front of the damsel, order forms in hand, as the self-appointed salesman of Diwali firecrackers for the Annanagar Youth Club, aka AYC. That year, 1981 I think it was, AYC decided to pedal Diwali firecrackers to the denizens of our housing colony. Don’t be mistaken! It was AYC’s socially-responsible response to the profit-gouging attitudes of the local merchants who were marking up the festive goods to make explosive profits. Our prices were market-shattering! AYC stood for something worthwhile, magically enlivened by a group of the most fun-loving friends that provided the soul for the organization. Those five years, 1978 to 1983, represent a major turning point in my life. From shy to extrovert, from unsure to confident, from a faint desire to a huge vision, from cocooned to worldly, those years changed me from a boy to a young man, thanks to my most cherished friends.

My friends were an interesting bunch. Let me introduce them – “Village” Arun’s spontaneous wit kept me and my friends laughing non-stop. Alagu’s attempts at controlled seriousness invariably failed, foiled by the utter silliness of the rest of us. “Doc” Srini, the aspiring doctor drove us around Madras in his dad’s Fiat like a maniac. Solai was the Casanova, at least he thought so, always ready with a pick up line for the opportune time. Girish, my younger brother, laughed loud at his jokes as he got the rest of us cracking up. “Military” Prakash was full of ideas to make Shanthi Colony a better place. Saritha was the responsible of the lot. Suri loved to do wheelies with his motorbike. Nandu was the walking encyclopedia. Harish was silently naughty. Deepu was always smiling.  Sridhar was the budding CPA.  Kavita was smart and polished. Nita was always happy. Sampath was the unassuming and mature leader who tried to harness our wild energies towards social responsibility. Madhu was always dressed and ready to party. “Iyer” Venkatesh was the ardent student of the mysterious ways of the opposite sex. Evenings and weekends is when we all hung out – at street corners. To me, that was the time and place to recharge myself with all the levity that these guys had to offer. As silly as it all may have seemed then, I now know that there was a major transformation taking place quietly within me while I hung out with my friends.

Set against this backdrop of friends and good times was the story of my life between 1978 and 1983. My father’s business was going through a very rough patch. Tensions ran high at home. In 1978, I was down with chicken pox two weeks before the 10^th standard public exam. But I  fought back to win a gold medal. On finishing high school in 1978, I set my eyes on joining the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). That meant passing the grueling Joint Entrance Exam (JEE). I burned the mid night oil consistently starting 1979 and took the exam in 1980. I did not make the cut. Neither did I make the cut into any other engineering college that year. Reluctantly, I joined Guru Nanak College to study Chemistry. Not my choice at all! By then, a fierce drive to join IIT had taken possession of me. I worked harder and took the JEE again in 1981. I made it, securing an All India rank of 1748 and a South India rank of 256.

I soon learned that if something is not to be, it will not be. I could not join IIT that year because IIT decided to admit fewer students than usual in 1981 and the axe fell just before my rank. This had never happened in the history of IIT but it certainly did in mine! I was mad and seething. It fueled a bigger vision. I fiercely competed with myself. I went back to the street corner every day and laughed with my friends. I was emboldened. I challenged myself. I exercised and improved my cricket enough to play in the Tamilnadu Cricket Association league. I gave of myself through AYC. I pulled all stops and even mustered up enough courage to pop the question to the beautiful girl holding the door: “would you like to buy some firecrackers for Diwali?”

The next two attempts at the JEE in 1982 and 1983 bore no fruit. I was losing ground, sinking. But my buddies were all there, day after day, healing my wounds with their laughter at the street corner. I hung out with them while the growth and healing happened inside, unbeknownst to me. The goodness that my friends offered overflowed to my family. Whenever the guys dropped by at home to chat, my parents joined in and we all laughed together as we sipped tea and snacked, the worries of life taking a backseat momentarily.

From shy to extrovert, from unsure to confident, from a faint desire to a huge vision, from cocooned to worldly, I transformed from a boy to a young man in those five unforgettable years. In 1983, some interesting events led me to take the entrance exam for the esteemed Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to study engineering. It seems like I had grown inside and was ready to take on the world. I passed the IISc entrance exam with ease and and was one of the 100 applicants admitted out of almost 20,000 that applied. That marked the beginning of the next phase in my life.

My friends played a pivotal role in shaping me to be who I am today. Thank you “Village” Arun, “Doc”, Alagu, Solai, Girish, Sampath, Prakash, Sartiha, Nandu, Harish, Deepu, Sridhar, Kavita, Nita, Sampath, Madhu and “Iyer” for what you have selflessly done for me. There were so many other wonderful friends that I met through you guys for which I will indebted for a long time.

If the Creator was to give me another go at the human experience I will take the offer on His terms, but with one non-negotiable condition – that He give me back my friends and all the wonderful experiences that 1978 – 1983 had to offer.

From L to R: Madhu’s cousin, Deepe, Doc, Suri, Arun, ??, Sridhar, Madhu, Murali.

Sarita (middle) and Nita (right).

Yours truly playing the lead role in “Dames Bond” with Alagu casting the support role as “Kunjappa Bond” – New Years’ party.

Girish, “Iyer” Venkatesh, Sampath, Ramesh

Prakash and Ramesh

Sampath and ??

Saritha, Rajiv, Girish, and Tirlok “Bayya”

One of the many AYC events