the greater part of our evenings at MSE were spent wisely on plain converations and planning out exotic excursions alongwith ramdass's 80% water and 20% tea, milk and sugar concoction with some flicked biscuits which people willingly shared. On other days, wen we felt more upto it, a casual stroll across the ranjith road, amidst palatial bungalows, which we conspired of taking over thru some devious plots, we (mostly a group exceeding 4, 3 regulars n the rest variables) would be involuntarily lead to 'snazee' - to the place of paneer rolls, cutlets, samosas, chats n tea of course (this time the proportion of the concoction being reversed for the better).
come 5.30-6.00 pm, and everyone would be looking at each other's faces. No questions were needed to be asked. A quick change of clothes, slip in the floaters n off we went to gratify our palettes. Cutlets was by far the most precious commodity available. I sometimes feel that the owner mischieviously created artficial scarcity by restricting supply....:). There were innumerable days wen we would find the last piece being sold off to some flabby chap who would be on the verge of bursting with excess food. And you could only hopelessly stare, n think wat if i wudnt have combed my hair, maybe i wud have saved a minute n wud have got the cutlet. But i guess its enuf of cutlet speech....
times have changed as they always do. Snazee still remains, although it has been renovated with a fresh coat of white paint and granite flooring. But is it not that the things become special only wen the people who are really close to u float around? It might not have been so apparent then, but now these are only cherished memories nicely tucked in one's safest place.
