Naman was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
Everyone terribly petrified --
And this was odd, because you know
He had no muscles to fight.
Stuti was shining sulkily,
Because she thought Naman
Had got no business to compete
After seven semesters were done --
'It's very rude of him.' she said,
'To study and spoil the fun!'
DevD was wet as wet could be,
Mitesh was dry as dry.
You could not see Sudhir, because
He was Sudhir Rai:
Akash was preparing for GATE --
To get new wings to fly.
Bhavani and our Dempo here
Were walking close at hand:
They wept like anything to see
Such sinners in this land:
'If this were only cleared away,'
He said, 'it would be grand.'
'If seven knights with CS guns
Strike them for half a year,
Do you suppose,' Bhavani said,
'That they could get it clear?'
'I doubt it,' said our Dempo dear,
And shed a bitter tear.
'O Mallu, come and walk with us!
Bhavani did beseech.
'A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
By Maikhana, Glassy and Treat:
We cannot do with more than four,
To have enough pegs for each.'
Akash Verma looked at him,
But never a word he said:
Akash Verma winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head --
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave his books for GATE.
But Mallu and DevD hurried up.
All eager for the treat:
Their coats they brushed, their faces washed,
All ready -- clean and neat --
And this was odd, without the bath
Nobody dared to breathe.
Vinay and Rajjo followed them,
And others from other floors;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more --
All hopping to the tinted shelves,
And scrambling to the store.
Bhavani and our Dempo
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they reached an ATM
And off to Maikhana they go:
And all their friends now seated round
Waited for them in a row.
'The time has come,' Bhavani said,
'To talk of many things:
Of bhai -- and bhaisa (buffalo) -- and mess food --
Of placements -- and rememberings --
And whether Manish Sharma is gay --
And If the best movie is Lord of the Rings.'
'But wait a bit,' Rajneesh Singh cried,
'Before we have our chat;
For some of us are not yet high,
And speeches make not for fat!'
'No hurry!' said our Dempo dear.
They thanked him much for that.
'A good placement,' Bhavani said,
'Is what we chiefly need:
Chicks and chicken in mess food
Would be very good indeed --
Now, if you're ready, Mallu dear,
We can begin to feed.'
"The bill's not on me!' Mallu cried,
Turning a little blue.
'After so much whisky, that would be
A dismal thing to do!'
'The night is fine to kick your ass,
And I'd endorse this view'
'It was so stupid of you to fall!
Otherwise you are quite nice!'
Dempo said nothing but
'A little common sense would suffice-
I wish you were not quite so dumb-
I've had to tell you so many times!'
'It seems a shame,' Bhavani said,
'To play them such a trick.
But they got to decide their fates,
And they made it this big!'
Dempo said nothing but
'We only did a little bit!'
'I weep for you,' Bhavani said:
'I deeply sympathize.'
With sobs and tears he gulped again
Four glasses of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
'O friends,' said our own Dempo,
'We've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting back to hostel?'
But answer came there none --
And this was scarcely odd, because
They did not want to return.
[Adapted from The Walrus and the Carpenter from Through the Looking Glass: Lewis Carroll.
Dedicated to my Maikhana friends, and especially my wing.]
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
Everyone terribly petrified --
And this was odd, because you know
He had no muscles to fight.
Stuti was shining sulkily,
Because she thought Naman
Had got no business to compete
After seven semesters were done --
'It's very rude of him.' she said,
'To study and spoil the fun!'
DevD was wet as wet could be,
Mitesh was dry as dry.
You could not see Sudhir, because
He was Sudhir Rai:
Akash was preparing for GATE --
To get new wings to fly.
Bhavani and our Dempo here
Were walking close at hand:
They wept like anything to see
Such sinners in this land:
'If this were only cleared away,'
He said, 'it would be grand.'
'If seven knights with CS guns
Strike them for half a year,
Do you suppose,' Bhavani said,
'That they could get it clear?'
'I doubt it,' said our Dempo dear,
And shed a bitter tear.
'O Mallu, come and walk with us!
Bhavani did beseech.
'A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
By Maikhana, Glassy and Treat:
We cannot do with more than four,
To have enough pegs for each.'
Akash Verma looked at him,
But never a word he said:
Akash Verma winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head --
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave his books for GATE.
But Mallu and DevD hurried up.
All eager for the treat:
Their coats they brushed, their faces washed,
All ready -- clean and neat --
And this was odd, without the bath
Nobody dared to breathe.
Vinay and Rajjo followed them,
And others from other floors;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more --
All hopping to the tinted shelves,
And scrambling to the store.
Bhavani and our Dempo
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they reached an ATM
And off to Maikhana they go:
And all their friends now seated round
Waited for them in a row.
'The time has come,' Bhavani said,
'To talk of many things:
Of bhai -- and bhaisa (buffalo) -- and mess food --
Of placements -- and rememberings --
And whether Manish Sharma is gay --
And If the best movie is Lord of the Rings.'
'But wait a bit,' Rajneesh Singh cried,
'Before we have our chat;
For some of us are not yet high,
And speeches make not for fat!'
'No hurry!' said our Dempo dear.
They thanked him much for that.
'A good placement,' Bhavani said,
'Is what we chiefly need:
Chicks and chicken in mess food
Would be very good indeed --
Now, if you're ready, Mallu dear,
We can begin to feed.'
"The bill's not on me!' Mallu cried,
Turning a little blue.
'After so much whisky, that would be
A dismal thing to do!'
'The night is fine to kick your ass,
And I'd endorse this view'
'It was so stupid of you to fall!
Otherwise you are quite nice!'
Dempo said nothing but
'A little common sense would suffice-
I wish you were not quite so dumb-
I've had to tell you so many times!'
'It seems a shame,' Bhavani said,
'To play them such a trick.
But they got to decide their fates,
And they made it this big!'
Dempo said nothing but
'We only did a little bit!'
'I weep for you,' Bhavani said:
'I deeply sympathize.'
With sobs and tears he gulped again
Four glasses of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
'O friends,' said our own Dempo,
'We've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting back to hostel?'
But answer came there none --
And this was scarcely odd, because
They did not want to return.
[Adapted from The Walrus and the Carpenter from Through the Looking Glass: Lewis Carroll.
Dedicated to my Maikhana friends, and especially my wing.]