Of Guns and Houseboats

17

There we were. Surrounded by some seven thousand girls. In a women's college. Having challenged the girls Volleyball team for a match, Qais and me were just about beginning to realise we'd clearly bitten off more than we could chew.. The college in question, was the Govt. Women's college in Srinagar. Qais, is a friend I met on a previous trip to Srinagar. Funny how a delayed flight, some bad air hostesses and a moment when we were certain we'd die.. got us talking! Any other way to start a conversation just isn't as dramatic! Anyway, the girls were from a vollyball team, that we later realised had many feathers in their hat. Or in srinagar, I'd assume a monkey cap (ok, bad one!! ;) Funny how this team made a statement by just playing the game. And yet somehow.. what they wore while playing it.. went....

Of Jeans and burgers

25

“But how can they be ok with not wearing Jeans to college?!” The Bombay boy in me just refused to see how, just how, the students of Christ college in Bangalore were ok with the imposition of this dress code. I mean, here I was. Not being able to imagine my peer group without their faded jeans. Not being able to imagine what they would scribble on when an unbelievably boring professor refused to shut up in class! I couldn't’t imagine, just how I’d bring myself to getting my trousers washed ever so often, if I wasn’t allowed the luxury of wearing jeans to college…that can go unwashed for weeks together. Months sometimes, if they manage not to stink! And yet somehow, there were these students from Bangalore, who couldn't’t understand what the fuss was all about. They couldn't’t get my sense of revolt.. and I....