The Golgappa Competition

3 days back (in the hostel)

Cena (Abhinav) : Everyday when I am done with the coaching , I make my way to the Chaat Corner in the market and help myself with a plate of Golgappa .
Me : I just love Golgappas . I can eat as many as you bring in front of me .
Cena : Whatever amount it may be , you won’t be able to overtake me .
Me : Are you sure ?
Cena : Of course .
Me : Then why don’t we see it for ourself . Lets have a Golgappa Competition . Eat as many as you can . Losers to pay .
Cena : Done .

2 days back (on the way to gym)

Cena : By the way . Have you ever entered into such a competition earlier ?
Me : Yeah I have .
Cena : So ?
Me : So what ? I won . Isn’t that obvious ?
Cena : What was the number ?
Me : It took me 57 to win .
Cena (with a shocking look ) : I back off .
( I smiled . I knew he was an easy opponent )

A little later that day (in hostel)

Ashu : Harry . Why do you make so many cock and bull stories ?
Me : Which story ?
Ashu : You said you went upto 57 . That’s a white lie . When will you give up your habit of crafting stories ?
Me : If you don’t believe me , you can see it for yourself .
Ashu : Cena , don’t believe him . He is lying . You can easily defeat him . Go for it . If you lose , I will be your one-third financer .
Cena : Lets go for it then .
(At this point , I thanked Ashu for convincing Cena back to the competition)

Yesterday (in Sector 10 … our Kurukshetra)

Me : All set for competition ?
Cena : Absolutely .

Suddenly phone rang .
Abhi : Don’t start it . We are on our way . You have got an audience .

So the stage was set . Plates ready . Chaatwaala ready to fire Golgappas into our plates .
The count started . Comments and words of encouragements were coming out rapidly from the spectators ( Abhishek , Vivek , Raghav , Vibhuti , Ashu and Faraz) . The soldiers were standing steadily in the battlefield .

1…5….10….20…30….

No signs of giving up yet .  Audience was split into two corners , encouraging the contestants to live up to the situation . Counting was not to be stopped .

31…35…40….50….

Half Century . Excellent . Everyone thought that we will hit a century . But at this time , I started losing it . I knew its not long until I vomit it out .

51…55….56….57…..

I was a goner by this time . The magic number 57 strikes . I knew I won’t be able to hold it any further .

Vivek : Harry . Do you give up ?

I nodded . And the nod was followed by the vomiting . My stomach was unable to endure it . I lost the battle . Cena was celebrating . We shook hands and like a lost warrior , I made my way to the stairs of the nearest shop and helplessly , I kept looking at my friends having their own share of Golgappas . ( Hoping that atleast they would eat like Homo Sapiens . Afterall , it was loser to pay )

Cena : I never thought I could eat so much . No matter . Well tried .
Me : Yeah Yeah . Well tried indeed . Now give me the bill . (making my way to my wallet , pondering over the bill)

Slumdog Millionaire

This week is turning out to be my lucky week …. I am enjoying holidays …. practicals went fine …. got my hands around latest crack for windows vista ….. and the icing on the cake – this movie titled “Slumdog Millionaire” ….. 

 

 

P.S. Spoilers ahead ….

This is a story of a impoverished Indian boy  who started his life in the slum of Mumbai and somehow landed up in a show “Who wants to be a millionaire” ….. More than the show , the story is about the incidents that young Jamal Malik go through ….. The director Danny Boyle has more than succeeded in drawing the real life portrait of a poor boy (referred to as slumdog by many) , his life and Indian society …..

So , the boy Jamal makes it to the show “Who wants to be a millionaire ?  ” somehow, not for any desire of money but for his love to see him …… and he  happens to hit the jackpot …. he is able to win 10 million rupees…… but the host Anil Kapoor could not digest the fact and gets the boy  arrested for fraud …..

The cop Irfan Khan interrogates him for the clue and in Jamal’s words “If You would  ask me the question …. I will give you the answer” …… he explains how an uneducated boy like him  happens to know all the answers to the question …. how he happened to know whose picture is portrayed on a 100 $ bill , but didn’t knew whose face it is on a 1000 Rs. note …… how he happened to know who invented revolver …. how he knew where was the Cambridge Circus …… how he knew the answers to all the seemingly impossible tricky questions ….. how he recalled the incidents of his life to tell the answers to the questions ……

Everyone is convinced and the boy is realeased …. He makes it back to the show for the final question ….. the final question for 20 million Rs…..whole nation glued to the TV set ….. Here comes the final question …… can he answer this question ???? ….. Can a slumdog be a millionaire ???? ….. find it out yourself !!! ….

This movie is nominated for 4 golden globes and has already won many awards ….I will give it a 4 out of 5 …..