Gatecrashers unlimited

"Come on man, where will you get this chance again..." by the young-at-heart and fun-loving and older-than-me VM was evidently enough to get me into gatecrashing into an MDP party on campus! For those who know me well, this is not quite how I like to do things. The question of gatecrashing into a party of strangers would normally be out of question.

The second term has been quite a ride. It began with a slow pace of classes. Since the PGPs came back to school after their summers around the same time that our second term started, our profs have been pulled in different directions leaving considerable void now and full capacity later in our class schedules. This has at least helped us catch up on as many as three hard bound books on strategy and leadership that are a part of required reading over and above the course material. At best it given us time to think about what we want to be doing at the end of 8 months.

The roller coaster that the first term was landed us right into a drag pool of water and it took us a couple of weeks to get used to the slow pace. I say this despite having already written a couple of mid terms and surprise tests and innumerable reports. The action started with our place comm asking us to build a wish list of companies that we want to individually consider. That information would form the basis of the efforts that team would spend in its mission to getting us what we want (not need!). Having gone into a pensive mood and out, we have probably been trying to make the best of the time we have around here; the current macroeconomic and political situation of the nation notwithstanding.

No wonder then that talents have been tumbling out of the wardrobes of many people. In preparation of TNite (The traditionally PGP T-Nite has since PGPX's inception included the latter in its scheme), ideas on posters, themes, skits, songs, shouts, music and even nicknames are pouring out for what the batch wants to make an unforgettable week. In that spirit, I have been sketching and painting with oil pastels, something I have not done in the last eighteen years or more. My wife has been getting her hands dirty with camel skin bristles and Camel Oil paint. Quite a cocktail it is when we play 'Comfortably Numb' and 'Shine on' while making pencil marks on the drawing cardboard.

In the midst of all this happy commotion 'normal life' goes on. It being TGIF meant that SP and I spent our evening in VM's room with high spirits and over an HBO (etc.) movie. This goes on till dinner time after which we go to the dining hall and then home (to our families). Today, by the time we finished the movie, it was about 9:27 PM, three minutes before close of dinner. It was raining when we made a 300 meter dash to the dining hall and sprinted up to the first floor.

But in this rush, we did not miss the disco lights and loud music playing in the ground floor dining hall. Seated upstairs we could feel the high decibel bass vibrations. That was when VM suggested that we join the party after dinner. I reminded him that we did not have an invitation. He said that I was missing the point and added what I said at the beginning of this story. If he says," I have done this a hundred times. It will be fun", I can think it is a trap or I can simply believe him. I was almost sure we would invite dirty looks and VM that we would be welcome.

VM was right. During the course of 70 minutes of shaking and moving to the music, we were made to feel that we were indeed welcome and that the last-day-of-MDP crowd was glad to have us fill up their dance floor. A couple of guys from our batch, who joined us, left within a few minutes. Our Cultural Rep, TJ, was aghast at seeing us there. She had been attracted to the music and was there on the agenda of probably striking a deal with the DJ. In any case, our efforts to get her into the crowd were futile. I sweated out the high spirits and cool down the stressed out mind and body. When the DJ unplugged the music system, we thanked the MDP folks for letting us gatecrash. They said they had fun and wished us well for the rest our the eight months at PGPX. Apparently, a month of case studies had done them in and they were glad to be going home.

I totally enjoyed the evening. After all, the best things in life are 'illegal', 'illicit' and ephemeral!