A shortened trip to watch a cricket match in temperatures soaring at 40 degrees and above, it might be called madness. But we had our reasons, and we enjoyed it, specially with a great company and terrific hosts. Here's the details if you wish to catch the enjoyment we had.
A guy doing an IT job using up more than his weekend, a job-hunting guy giving his Saturday interview a miss, a recently-turned 18 going out for first time with people other than family, and another guy who had his minds on various things, all went for the small 2-day trip basically for the match, and Jaipur sight-seeing as a secondary option. Sight-seeing can be thought as double meaning, especially with an all-boys gang.
We did what we went for right from the start, we had fun. Right from the time we met at Kashmere Gate (sans-Kichu), and enjoyed. It wasn't an easy thing to do, with heat catching up. While on our way, two of us slept, Santosh less though, and two others didn't at all. Part of what we discussed is when we can talk about anything any time, why do we use women as a synonym of gossip? Wait, may be we were discussing it while coming back. Doesn't matter, we did, and there's a point.
We reached there, booked a hotel after a lot of hard-work because there was an AIEEE exam scheduled and hotels were mostly full. Santosh left for home, and all the others gave an attempt at sleeping. Most did this time. In fact, it was difficult to wake Aman up from the dreams of Amani. I can claim to have heard him say see you later, love you, etc.
Santosh finally came with his friend Amit. He got his car down, drove for us and had it not been for him we would have been burning in Jaipur. He had actually left an important relative at home just to be with us. Brilliant work I'd say, finally someone gave me importance, albeit because of Santosh. He is a brilliant guy, I don't mean Santosh but Amit. You can't call someone brilliant if you know them for too long, can you? We had brilliant kachori when we got ready. Then it was about roaming around. Amer Fort, where I took a long route, I was alone in fact clicking pictures and walking up under the fury of the sun who was angry probably because I tried to touch it. I didn't really, but misunderstandings always rule the world. Amer Fort is beautiful. The walk alone was interesting, would have liked to go farther to the other forts but when I came back I wasn't in position, and Aman fell ill due to his nocturnal habits mostly. It was his sleep time, the main problem. We entered the insides, took pictures. It was brilliant. Specially to be taking pictures before we actually saw bats. And we ran away. I was always the last one left for the pictures. Sad, who clicks the photographer? Probably someone does if photographer is a female.
From Amer Fort, we headed for Jantar Mantar. It was something you'd like to visit under enthusiasm when you've score an 80 or 90-odd in Science in Xth standard and taken up Sciences for the Senior Secondary and dreaming to be an engineer or a scientist. For most, reality falls early, and in last few years, even the IT fell before reality. Anyway we were enthusiastic anyway. Checked the sun clock which was working fine. Took some pictures, the most beautiful place I found worth taking pictures, later I found, was a toilet. Amazing where toilets are more beautiful than equipments.
We saw Hawa Mahal from outside. It's not bad really, a good architectural piece. Later, we headed back to hotel, and then a bit of rest, and we went to Chaunki Dhaani, a heaven! It's a place I had visited a month prior to this, had loved it. This time, loved it even more. What atmosphere, what serenity. The lighting, the atmosphere, the brilliance of it all, the food, the service, everything was fantabulous. The other three forgot to thank me for forcing them to come there because it would've been cancelled but it's a thankless world really. I mean these guys thank their girlfriends thousands times a day for nothing really, and a friend? Isn't a friend to be taken for granted. Well well. I would've minded if I didn't enjoy it. I loved it. The food was the highlight, a great food, whose one plate would be enough for a family without any extra serving on a normal day, but that day, even Aman finished one-fourth of it who usually gives ants a competition. I had the lion's share. Finished almost everything till my stomach reminded me if I didn't have mercy on it, it'll not have any during the match tomorrow. I had to give up. The cruel stomach still cause problems. We topped the brilliant Rajasthani thali with a couple of Punjabi dishes with a kulfi. Kichu had been wanting kulfi all day so it was but natural that we have it. We had it, we loved it again. Santosh and Kichu went to the dance floor just because there were so many of the girls. I had the best seat, a camera in hand, to supposedly click those two. I just kept on clicking and clicking, a wider frame and tried my best to skip those two and capture everything else. One of those days when you need concentration to succeed and who will have the concentration to click in such situations? Ended with a paan, which was brilliant again. Later, at the room, I managed to finish a cold drink again. A match made in heaven I'd say, cold-drink and me. Roaming around at midnight to search for cold drinks, what else can one say? Obviously others wanted water and that could've waited.
The next day, the big day, the match day. Santosh tried it hard to keep the emergencies coming in so that we do feel like missing the real deal. I bought the Rajasthan Royals t-shirt, Santosh also ghost-bought it. We were with his cousin, we went to Puma store to get the tees, then to a mall which was more of a market and all hopes of getting under the ac went under drains, rather under sun! Would you believe, sun was still angry that I challenged it to go farther than it has ever been? The best thing in the market was the BRRR campaigne. I mean the girl who was presenting it. Coke given inside was chilled, super-chilled, and was therefore brilliant. I gave it a shot, and being the perfectionist I am, couldn't clear it up without any rehearsal and in the two shots they gave me. No respect for their brand ambassador Aamir Khan who wouldn't have cleared a difficult brrr stunt in 10 shots with proper rehearsal. Oh well, life isn't fair always, is it? Anyway for the coke of it, it was fun.
Then came Santosh, and went again for booking tickets. Finally he came, and me and Santosh stripped in public. I mean we changed t-shirts to show our love for Rajasthan Royals. It was one of those days when I'd have done without the slight obesity. But well, thankfully only our group was watching, and it's good not to be liked by boys for your body. Santosh had no such problems. He's a semi-skeleton after all. For the match, along with us four were Santosh's cousin Manoj and friend Ramavtar. They were great hosts, I'd bet better than Santosh. Well sorry Manoj and Ramavtar, that wasn't even a comparison. Anyway.
Off to match, the security guards tried there best to make people turn back and go home so that they could watch all alone. We didn't. I held on to the poster we had made for Rahul Dravid despite them telling it's not allowed. I held on, and kept it open almost all the match, till Dravid got out probably. The match was brilliant. Dravid was batting well before Watson stole the show with a wicket maiden and from then things turned backwards till Menaria came. Earlier in the day, Uthappa got out four times to Warne, while the umpire was sleeping in the first over where three weren't legally out as per umpire, Warnie changed ends and finally got him out the fourth time. For the record, Uthappa got some 4-5 boundaries of Warne. Well well. Coming back to batting. Menaria is brilliant, and before Taylor if was him who gave the impetus to victory. Taylor finished it off with the classy Rahane who seemed to be wasted lower down, as he later proved to. Santosh had left mid-game, continuing the practices from the manual of good hosts authored by Ricky Ponting, with contributions from Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke and Mathhew Hayden. Ramavtar came back after dropping him and we went to hotel, clicked a few pictures, and had a brilliant dinner. Then going to the bus station, we took the bus.
It's interesting how lovely the ride can be when you're not comfortable. Because you can't sleep obviously. You know you have to talk. I was listening to the fast and full bass songs trying to sleep because that's how I sleep with the aide of music. Aman tried his best and I guess he failed. That's why he started talking to me, probably only the best thing after sitting silently in an uncomfortable bus. We managed to wake Kichu up. Actually Aman managed to, his brilliant idea. He told Kichu if he wanted to learn Punjabi songs now. Obviously, Kichu's heart goes out to Punjabi and so it was really no question of no. He was, for the first time in our trip, physically and mentally both present (other than the match) because he was either sleeping or on phone for the rest of the trip. He messaged someone 'kinna sona tennu rab ne banaya' and was last seen checking his cellphone ten times a second while we were leaving. There was no reply, obviously not everyone stays awake at night in the matters of heart. I had the last cold drink of the trip around 2 am. It was good to be back home finally.
