LOVER'S SPOT (Spot the Lovers)

Today, I am going to share a memory associated with my college days about a place which everyone used to call a Lover's Spot. Well before starting, I would like to ask you, what do you mean by a Lover's Spot?Don’t look at me, I am not going to answer it now. Keep thinking while we start, Everyplace on this beautiful earth reserves some place for the Lovers. Its just a matter of Luck who finds that first. I will surely justify this statement. We too had a place something like that. Whenever we use to go out of the campus to get something, we tend to use the shortcut to the back gate which goes via Girls Hostel (A footpath about 300 meters long). As the name suggests it was only meant for foot and we too used our Bike’s foot there.

It was in September 2005, I along with my friend Rahul planned to go and buy some stuff to eat. And as usual we rode the bike and used our pet route. “It was a shorter way” was just a very small reason for us to use that route. We went to Hazira (A place/market in Gwalior very close to our institute) bought something to eat and drink and on the way back entered the Institute from the same back gate, passed the Girls Hostel and came to our favourite footpath. The reason why it was our favourite place is that we use to spot new lovers there and sometimes regular ones. The technique to do that was very unique. I switched the Headlight Off and turned towards that footpath and then switched it on reaching the Lovers Spot, just to find the new couple in our Headlight Beam or we call it Spotlight. I don’t remember the person who found out that place but, it was an ideal point for lovers there because of the dull light( It was not more that a mere candle light) where they can sit and have some love talks without getting noticed by others. As the whole footpath was with no lights and only the Braves or the Lovers dare to use that in the night. So who’s the new couple we spotted that night.

Unfortunately it was one of my friend Rishi who was in the spotlight this time. He was sitting with his classmate and got a real shock when suddenly a light came on them as a spot light. As soon as I saw that I thought I am a dead man now, ofcourse he was not going to leave me. And would surely like to pass on the shock to us. Somehow we managed to be alive, only after convincing him that this incident will remain as a guarded secret just like KGB guarded there secrets from FBI and vice-versa. But we never changed and kept Spotlighting.

Thanks to the person who found that place out. It was a nice Lovers Spot where we spotted several lovers and had fun by embarassing them with our spotlight... :)

Model with a moustache

It was in the Year 2004, I saw a circular announcing the dates for the Aurora’04, the Annual Cultural Fest. It had many events, I just ignored them as I was more interested in Organization committee. A few days later, I went out with my Software Engineering Classmates for the Annual Gwalior Mela, it’s a fate organized by MP Govt. in Gwalior once a year around February. We thought of going for a ride on the Giant wheel. Suddenly the girls in our group asked me if I am participating in the Fashion Show, which was one of the most looked forward and awaited event in the Aurora’04. Well I straight away said ‘No’. The reason was I had never participated in any Fashion Show or rather any show on stage which require my presence for considerably long time. May be I didn’t had enough confidence . Moreover I had no plans of chopping my Moustache. They started convincing me giving several examples and to avoid further discussion I had no choice other than saying ‘Yes’ to them. Who wants to stick to that ‘Yes’ the next day. It was just to keep enjoying the Mela and to avoid the discussion about me participating in the show. The next day, I went to the institute as I did usually. Whole day I was brain washed, so as to convince me to participate in the Fashion Show. In the evening, I was standing in the queue in front of the selection committee for the Fashion Show. No, I didn’t come as others were pressurizing me. Rather I thought of going for that because of my Initial Pledge and the arguments of those girls acted just as a catalyst to it . In my initial days of college, I pledged to try everything, be it organizing the Fests, participating in the events, taking new responsibilities. But my fear of stage use to overshadow my ambitions. Not becoming too much philosophical i will come back to the Selection for the Fashion Show. I was asked to walk in front of 100 people including the onlookers. A bit nervous and quite a lot conscious I just started without looking at the crowd. “It was good but you need to work a lot for the show. You are selected.” were the comments of the Event Secretary.

Next day onwards, I was regular at the practice sessions. And I was asked to walk in specific patterns with different partners. After a few days I was able to overcome my stage fear as I became some more confident. We practiced till late evenings, and somehow I had the energy to practice continuously even when everyone else was too tired to walk/practice. May be I was walking for my Pledge and not just to participate.

Finally the day came; I had to walk twice as per the sequence decided in the Formals and also in the Ethnic Wear. The day has come when I was about to walk down the ramp for considerable time and as a participant in the biggest event of the Fest.

I was sitting backstage, a bit nervous. “Manjit, you are next” said the event organizer. I was in the queue and had to start walking with a girl named Samriti. I concentrated on the event and tried leaving my nervousness far behind. And finally, there was the Model walking down the ramp with a moustache. Everyone supported me as well, I know they must be smiling from inside when they saw my moustaches. The second time was just normal and I walked without any fear.