The Industrial Visit Chronicles. Part1

This is a story of about 45 guys(me included), 2 girls (yep, just 2), 2 professors, a few security guards, chai-wallas, hotel employees, a bus driver and the cleaner, and lots of food, drinks and cigarettes.

On a side note: I would encourage girls to study Mechanical Engineering. Even Mech. Engineers like a bit of greenery here and there... if you get what i mean.....

So, here we were..... 45 guys, 2 girls (again, YES!*pause* just! *pause* 2! *pause* girls!), in final year Mechanical Engineering. Stupid as it may seem, all of us had never gone for any major industrial visits, in the last 3 years from whence we started studying engineering. (guess what? we were supposed to have 3 visits each year!)

Like all the Engineering colleges, the college too was not keen on sending students for I.Vs (Industrial Visits). We had seen all the other classes being granted permission for visits to Jaipur, Bangalore, Ooty, Delhi (Ooty? Industrial visit? huh?). The amount of excitement in their voices made us crave for one too...

Another side note (I promise, this is the last side note): Mechanical Engineering students here are considered the most rowdy of all the Engineering branch students (Rowdy is an extreme understatement). Considering our "Homo-Erectus type" social skills, the professors are never pro-visits.

So, we started the paper work in the college... dumb stuff that needs to be done. You know, making the Head of Department understand how we were in dire need of an I.V. Well, us students being so obedient, law abiding, extremely good students (Yes, i am being sarcastic here) the professors were a little...... scared? yes, scared i guess.... Still the concept of sending the students off for 6 days was exhilarating to them too! (No students for a week!) And so they helped us. Working our way through the snobbish peons, and useless staff that all college has, to get a few autographs from the Principal (yeah, he's a celebrity). (I'll cut the principal's part, its another story in itself)

So, its decided. 3 days in Mahabaleshwar, 2 days at a Karnala resort, and just 5 hours for the real IV part of the trip. (Yeah! Engineering IV's ROCK!)

Few days and a lot of paperwork later......

I walk into my college at 6.30 am (usually i don't wake until 9 am) with my backpack for a week and my acoustic guitar. Everybody cheers! (He brought his guitar!! FIREPLACE PARTY!)... We made small talk for half an hour until everyone arrived. Everybody is in good spirits. After multiple head-counts (which never matched each other) we did a customary pooja before leaving. Well, the pooja was engineering student style..... a coconut, (common!, we can't forget our roots) a bottle o' rum, and cigarettes. (Now we're talkin'!!)

And we set off for the first 3 days in mahabaleshwar...... (To be continued)

That day.

Just like every day, i was walking down the road from the railway station to our regular meeting spot. All my friends and myself regularly meet at the same place for the past several years. We me t almost everyday and have an hour or two at our disposal to catch up with each other.But that day was special....

Walking towards our regular meeting place, i was subconsciously treading the same route.... Thinking that the day was really better than other days. Light breeze on my face, dry clean air and a slight hint of musk in the air. Walking just out of the railway station, i was turning left towards my destination when she caught my eye.

Just out of the corner of my eye i was able to see her. By the time i turned to have a better look at this lovely damsel, she had moved further.Not thinking twice, I walked faster and tried to get a glance at her face. She turned, right back at me. feeling a bit conscious I looked back myself. typical male actions when women suddenly look at them. She was staring at me! I wanted to scream! but her radiance didn't even let a whimper out of my mouth, which unknowingly was gaping open. Brunette she was, with a slender figure, petite.... just perfect i thought. Wearing a lovely sleeveless short kurta, (sort of loose top ladies like to wear) and trousers..... Goddess......

She walked towards me slow at first and then increasing her pace, expression turning from happy, to serious to really mad.... I was confused. Men have only few moods, happy, sad, angry, and confused. The best bet i had was to keep that confused look on my face and act innocent.

Now only a few paces ahead of me, as she was even instinct stopped working. I was dead meat. Sheer horror on my face now..... if a girl ever even shouts at you in public, people come over and thrash you like you are Osama bin Laden's kin.

She came stomping at me and suddenly moved sideways and hugged a guy right beside me.

Mock punching him in his stomach. I felt relieved but a bit alone. Sometimes its good to have a partner i thought. Talking and laughing with that guy. Whoever he was i thought..... lucky guy.....

They were just about to turn around and go in the other direction, when she turned for a bit and winked at me. Baffled at what had just happened I started walking..... Has she seen me with that confused, dumbfounded face? Or was just cute that she felt like winking at me? Former answer was the better out of two I thought.

Going and then talking the my friends about the incident, they started fooling around the real story..... "I'd have taken her in my arms you idiot!" one said. "Oh yes! I'd have done the same!" said the other. Talking over the subject i don't know how the hours passed by....... and it was time to go home.

Smiling, i started walking back..... Even my friends wouldn't have moved a muscle if they were in my place.

We men really like to boast our escapades, but then, this is what really happens.........