Yours truly was in Bombay to attend the marriage of (as declared by the marriage hall notice board) Chi. Anand Krishnamurthy and Sou. Sudha (this notice board was promptly changed to "Sudha weds Anand" by Sudha's sister)IIM Calcutta made the prodigal mistake of imprinting a foot-in-the-mouth tagline on their T-Shirts; Something that we had learnt not to do, the hard way at Sangharsh (IIMA-IIMB Sports Meet, and not IIMB-IIMA Sports Meet! :)) last year. “And we thought there could B no one worse than XL”, they claimed, followed (hilariously, if one may add) by the answer below that read “IIM Calcutta”.
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We had all heard, and speculated, about the apparently strong sporting culture at IIMC, and that nothing less than a tough fight that awaited us. Sadly though, the IIMC folks seemed to have spent all their energy uploading shabby videos on internet sites, and training their girls to shout obscenities at us. Wish they had spent half that time practicing some of the sports that they eventually decided to compete in, leave alone the ones that they feared to enter the field for!
The final scoreline of 7-4 does not reveal how one-sided the competition was in our favour. It would have revealed so, had the rain gods been kinder, and Cricket and Throwball not been washed out, and had the hosts learnt to play on a proper snooker table, or not been petrified looking at our boys practising Tsepak at their home court, eventually leading to canceling of these 4 sports. All in all a much more commanding scoreline was always on the cards.
‘But what really happened?’ Well the answer to that question is a long-winded one. So gather around as this storyteller narrates a fascinating tale. Here is how it all unfolded:
The Welcome:
Late on Friday night, Amit Kamble (IIMC Sports Secretary) and a few other students came to receive us at the airport. After a 4-hour flight (no food served, if it may be said) coupled with the humid weather of Kolkata welcomed us with open arm-pits… err arms. A couple of hour’s bus ride from the airport, and we finally arrived at the campus, to the “pleasant and welcoming” chants of slogans, and loud drums by a huge crowd awaiting us at the entrance of their ‘Old Hostel’. After much ‘hospitality’ shown by the home crowd, we were finally let inside the hostel mess for some badly needed refreshments, which we feasted on big time. After a bit of delay, we were escorted to the common rooms where we were put up. The rooms were spacious and reasonably comfortable, and IIMC had played their part as decent hosts. A meeting of captains of all sports followed, to sort out issues, rules and other related stuff, and finalise the schedule for the weekend; with the captains and Sports Secretaries managing to get some rest only post three in the morning! The energy at the campus was palpable, and the action was right around the corner!
DAY 1: SATURDAY
The rain gods played spoil sport with some late morning showers that led to a delayed start for various events lined up for that day. Thankfully, by noon the skies cleared up and the action finally went underway with Lawn Tennis, after Snooker was put on hold due to non-availability of a proper snooker table.
Lawn Tennis:
The IIMB team could not have asked for a better start to the Sports Meet, with our Sports Secy., taking the matter in his own hands from the very first match, and doing that with some sublime play that left the hapless IIMC player running all over the court. The 6-2, 6-1 victory ensured that Nishant nicely ‘warmed up’ to the task for the bigger tasks ahead.
The 2nd match featured our very own Suren Sista competing with the best player of the rival team. Although Sista lost to Pratyush alias Kutty, he made him fight for every point, creating a huge female fan following in the process that was falling all over the place to catch a glimpse of him!
With the scored tied at 1-1, the doubles encounter was always going to be a crucial one for both teams. In came the 6’4” daunting figure of Hardeep Singh Guru, who created a stir as soon as he entered the court with some booming serves that sent shivers down the opponents’ spine. Together with some elegant net play from Sista, the duo closed out encounter in straight sets, setting the stage for Nishant to show them how it is done.
Kutty may have been the best IIMC could manage, but that was only till he ran into a wall called Nishant Gupta in the 4th match. And we all know that there is only one winner when you play a wall. Kutty kept on sending balls to the other side only to see them coming right back with double the force. Nishant raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set, and never looked back. Despite some hiccups in the latter half of the first set, he closed out the match in straight sets, after having decided not to subject the IIMC “champ” to further torture! The Tennis event had been won and we were on the board. 1-0 to IIMB!
Badminton (Girls):
The Girls Badminton event started in parallel with the last two matches of Lawn Tennis. The crowd got split between the two events rather inequitably in favour of the former. Despite coming to play after an exhaustive journey, the Awesome Twosome of Super Sireesha and Stylish Saumya ran all over the disgruntled rivals. Sweltering heat, foul-mouthed girls, and an uncouth crowd could not stop our girls from winning the event with relative ease, and setting the path for what was in store for IIMC.
In the first match of the tie, Sireesha, playing IIMC’s no.1 Mridula, set the stage on fire by breaking into a 7-1 lead in the first game. Just when it seemed that it was going to be yet another one of her crushing victories, Sireesha allowed her opponent to come back and take the first game 15-11. However, it was as far as Mridula could manage as Sireesha trampled all over her in the next two games to claim the match in style.
The match also witnessed a mini brawl in the middle when our Cat-woman Nidhi Gupta, who after being provoked by the ‘anti-cheering’ IIMC squad, decided to take the matter in her own hands, and quite literally so! The damage was done where it mattered, on the opponents’ psyche!
Next up was Saumya. After the high pressured, tense moment-filled first match, Saumya’s match was on the other extreme of the scale, a complete contradiction, and an absolute pleasure to watch for an IIMB supporter. Her class came through, as she played her dominating best, smiling away to an easy victory and in the process, sealing the Girls Baddy event for IIMB. 2-0 to IIMB!
Volleyball:
If there was one event that can be said to have left a huge dent in the IIMC morale, it must be Volleyball. Endless hours of practice spent by Tonmoy and Co. bore fruit when the IIMB team played a near flawless game at the rain-plagued Volleyball court. The game was an absolute eye-candy for the huge bunch of spectators, who were treated to some straight-out-of-the-textbook play by our heroes.
There were absolute no answers to the near-perfect spiking by Manas Sahoo (PGSEM), who sent one missile after another into the opponents’ terrain. If that was not enough, Yadav displayed an equally spotless show, with power-packed punches, and deft touches from the net that left the entire IIMC lot mesmerized. It was a team performance we are proud of!
Victory in straight-sets meant that the scoreline read 3-0 to IIMB, with more demolition in the pipeline for the hosts. It also meant that before dinner on day 1, they were looking at a never-before situation of a big deficit... in short, they were ready to snap!
Basketball (Girls):
Arguably, the fate of Samhar 2007 was decided by this memorable performance displayed by our Girls Basketball team. Purely going by the average height or weight of the two teams, no one would have given our girls a chance. But our ‘5-feet-someones’ displayed steely resolve, relentless stamina, and exemplary grit to overcome all their “shortcomings” to register probably the finest moment of the Sports Meet.
Led from the front by Nupur Kalgaonkar, the “Girl from Kolhapur”, the team had a clear mission: don’t let the ball reach the opponents. They snatched at the ball, jumped in unison (sometimes did it in synchronization), elbowed the opponents, and did a lot more than what had been seen on a Basketball court before, and, importantly, never gave possession of the ball. In between all the drama, Anjali scored from a free throw to take an early lead in the match, and the score after 2 quarters was 1-0. Anjali found the basket on two other occasions but unfortunately the referee on account of ‘traveling’ disallowed those. Another free throw in our favour, and a freak moment of weak defending made the score 2-2 at the end of the 3rd quarter, with everything to play for.
The 4th quarter had some heart-stopping moments but nothing to add to the score. Just when the spectators were getting ready to go into extra time with only 28 seconds to go on the clock, the ‘oh-not-so-shy’ Sharmili Phulgirkar somehow stole the ball from the opponents, raced towards the basket, defied all odds, and actually put the damn thing in the basket, a feat she never achieved during any of the practice sessions!
A special mention for Nidhi Gupta, who repeated her Girls Baddy performance yet again but only this time, she did it where it mattered most - On Court. Her defence was impeccable, and whomever she marked visibly felt awfully stifled! The IIMC girls had already got a taste of her medicine so no one dared act smart with her this time, and when someone did, Nidhi ensured that she got more than a mouthful in return! (The match was also memorable for the celebrations after every basket, which reminded one of that after goals scored at footer matches!)
The Chak De IIMB squad had done it, and did it in some awesome style!
Scoreline: 4-0 to IIMB, and IIMC, players and support was all but set to go home.
Basketball (Boys):
Playing against a talented, full-strength IIMC team, and two referees, our boys put up a fantabulous show at the floodlit IIMC Basketball court.
We made a not-so-good start, and trailed by 6 points at the end of the 1st Quarter, and for once in the whole day, IIMC seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief – their cheering got louder, and as usual, very foul; not that we held back when the opportunity came our way.
At the beginning of the 2nd Quarter, in came Lama, and the tide of the match appeared to turn. Together with some consistent play from Shireesh Johari, and a bagful of baskets from Pranay Shetty, we came closer inch-by-inch, and finished the 3rd Quarter tied at 20 apiece.
However, the class of the IIMC team showed up yet again, as they raced to an 8 Point lead early into the 4th Quarter. Our boys fought back hard, and came within two points of our opponents. One basket would have sealed it for extra-time. But it was not to be.
Fate had it written that Pranay Shetty’s amazing snatch, run and lay up, circled the rim of the basket twice, and in a most heartbreakingly dramatic moment, fell outside the basket. The referee’s refusal to see fouls committed against us, and see non-existent fouls by us, sealed our fate.
That the opposition captain actually said to ours that he could not believe the referee did not see some of those are testament enough. Our boys went down fighting. IIMC had salvaged some pride, and were for the first time in the day on the board. Score 4-1, to IIMB.
Table Tennis (Boys):
The buzzword was that our team would always start this event as the underdogs. Hradayesh started off well as he took the first match against a stroke-less wonder from IIMC. He then teamed up with Kandarp for the Doubles tie, but began well below par. A great fight-back to tie the score at 3-3 wasn’t good enough to win the final set. Vetri then lost his Singles encounter to Pratyush (of the Tennis fame) who was backed by a vociferous crowd in a reverberating closed court. In the next match, he teamed up with Sid, and they looked good in parts. However, thanks to a barrage of unforced errors on their part, and some consistent play from the IIMC team, Table Tennis went out of our grasp.
It is one sport that continues to elude us. Come Sangharsh, and we hope to remove that jinx once and for all, and make it our strong point once again as it was a couple of years ago. By now IIMC was looking good, with the scoreboard reading a very respectable 4-2, though still in our favour.
Carrom:
The good news from the Carrom room was that we were sitting and playing, which was a task in itself. Phew!! Why do we say this? Ok, snatches from a conversation between Ravi, our Carrom Captain, and the IIMC Carrom Captain
IIMC: Hi, we have a standing arrangement for Carrom.
Ravi: Ok... (Thinking: Man! These guys use heavy terms ... ‘Standing Arrangement’!)
IIMC: (repeats) We have a standing arrangement for Carrom.
Ravi: (curious by now) So, what is the standing arrangement?
IIMC: (We presume innocently) We stand, and play.
(Ravi ROTFL)
We started with the first Men’s Singles, and all eyes were on ‘Captain’ Ravishankar to give us a flying start. The IIMC champ Aditya raced to a massive 17-0 early lead only to Ravi fight back winning 2 back-to-back boards to wrest back the lead at 19-17. Aditya then pulled it back, and closed out the match 29-27, a huge setback for the IIMB team to see their Captain go down in the first match. The match was a gem with both players playing the best they ever have. The result was a huge blow to our support team that was witnessing the loss at TT (Boys), with a possible 4-3 EOD scoreline.
The word doing the rounds at IIMC was that Nithya is a district level player, and the way they feared her was quite evident. The mind games for the 2nd match were already won. Nithya, for her part, district level player or not, kept her cool, and simply outplayed, outwitted and outclassed the opponent by a considerable margin, displaying an array of well-crafted shots to all corners of the board.
The 3rd match featured arguably the 2 best players on the day when Karthikeyan Raman clashed with Siddharth from IIMC. Though RK took an early lead, it was a seesaw battle with some sublime play by both players, fighting for each extra point. With a scoreline of 21-20 in favour of IIMC, it was anyone’s match and there was nothing to choose between the two players. Until RK decided to play a ‘God-level’ board that left the audience stunned to say the least. With 7 coins on the board to opponent’s 4 coins, RK put 2 easy coins, neatly cut 2 coins from the opponent’s base into the left pocket, rebounded and pocketed a coin on the right, centre cut the queen and covered with a rebound and pulled back his last coin from the base: ALL IN ONE TURN! Finishing the board with his next shot, RK, usually the quiet types even on the Cricket field (remember Bjorn Borg? Well… not as stone faced, but quiet nevertheless), showed signs of emotion, punching the air in elation, and giving a stare to the arbit guys who tried hard to distract him during the game. Siddharth did not know what hit him; walked up to RK to congratulate him. It is only fair to say that in this match, there were no losers, only winners!
The Men’s Doubles match was a no-show, with Jidesh and Vikrant being crushed by the 2 best IIMC players. Though it can be said that it was good strategizing to allow Ravi to partner Nithya in the final match, nothing can be taken away from our duo for coming up with an abysmal performance.
With 2 matches-a-piece, and the overall tally at 4-2, there were a few jitters in the IIMB camp, and a lot of hope for IIMC. This next Carrom match would decide if we went into the second day with a comfortable lead, or if IIMC would hold the edge of having pulled it back from 4-0 to one short. But the way Ravi and Nithya played this final match there was little chance we could lose. They had it easy in the Mixed Doubles match, winning quite comfortably (the scorecard read 29-0, for the record), ending the day on a satisfying note, and the overall tally at 5-2 in our favour.
Cricket:
A bright blue sky, a lush green outfield and with a good toss won, IIMB piled on the runs after a swashbuckling start. The bowlers were in form too as they dismissed the IIMC team for a paltry total to go 6-2 up in Samhar.
This was exactly what our opponents feared would happen if the Cricket match took place. The IIMB team’s exploits at the club level in Bangalore had sent shivers down the spines of IIMC. Our team’s performance at last year’s Sangharsh (IIMA) and Sangram (IIMK) events meant that IIMC had received reports about us being a disciplined, well-knit side, and one that would take some effort to beat. We are rumored to have three Ranji players in the team (What!? Who!? Where!?). From their sources at IIMA, IIMC had come to know that we possess a fearsome attacking batsman, and a lively pace bowler from our FPM program; interesting ‘facts’ about our Cricket team that we were not aware of! The captain of our opposition team in a discussion also let out that, had the match taken place, he believed they would have come out a cropper. Little wonder then that our captain (who may have been the said FPM player) was full of smiles even though he did not get to add another feat to the team chest.
The ground had not been prepared for the match and unfortunately, the only thing lush green about it was the pitch itself (4 inches of grass on a soft wicket!). The match was a non-starter, and the Cricket team was left disappointed. Our Cricket kits; like the guitars of “Phootage and Co.”; had the distinction of returning unused. That the rain may have anyway ruined the game was a different matter altogether. The score sheet still 5-2 in our favour.
Chess:
For a non-cheering sport, Chess turned out to be one of the most fascinating events to watch for the small audience. With a 3-Player round-robin format, it was as nail biting as any other event.
After the 1st Round, IIMB led 2-1 after Bhanu (PGSEM) and Shrikant (FPM) won their respective matches from the round. The 2nd Round saw the IIMC folks bounce back by winning 2 boards, taking the overall score to 3-3, and the stage set for the 3rd and Final Round to decide the event.
As everyone had expected, Bhanu; a champion chess player during his younger days in AP; made quick work of his opponent, and recorded a rather comfortable win while Shrikant went down fighting on the last board to some impressive play. With scores tied at 4-4, all eyes were on the final match between IIMC’s best player, and our No. 3 Anand Gautham. Anand had lost both his previous matches, and the IIMC team clearly had an edge, as was evident in the body language of the IIMB supporters. It was always going to be an uphill task for Anand to hold on to that match.
But as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Anand pulled out a masterstroke from his bag, and was on the verge of emerging victorious from the match, and the thus-far subdued IIMB supporters, were ready to pop the champagne. But, with barely 3 seconds to go on his clock, the opponent somehow pushed Anand’s King to a corner and drew the match on the virtue of a stalemate. The room was stunned into silence, and much-deserved victory eluded us, but all was not lost, as the teams were tied at 4.5 points a-piece.
To decide the tiebreaker, a 5-minute blitz game (called ‘Armageddon’) was played between nominated players from both sides. There was no doubt as to who was going to represent IIMB. Bhanu, having won all his 3 boards, had scared the hell out of the opponents by flawless play all the way; that he was the best on display was evident from the way he played his first three rounds. Bhanu not only played his board, but also knew what was happening on the other boards – after a particular match on the next board got completed, and with his own clock running down, he took the next board’s game back by five moves (he remembered all moves!), and showed what could have been done for a checkmate!
As per the rules of ‘Armegeddon’, Bhanu playing with white pieces, and with one extra minute on the clock, had to win the game, while the opponent had to just draw the game to win. Bhanu, playing Armegeddon for the first time in his life (surprisingly, for he has played over 160 competitive ‘ranking’ tournaments!), played a classical timed-game, running down the opponent on his clock, and sealing victory. The crowd in the room burst out in celebrations, and marked their entry into the Girls Table Tennis event announcing the scoreline of 6-2 in our favour.
Table Tennis (Girls):
“6-2” was what was on everyone’s lips as a 30-strong IIMB group marched into the TT room when the first match was just about to get underway.
Sireesha lost the first set, and had all but lost the match in the 2nd set when some lightning level stuff struck her as she got back at the opponent saving 7 match points, and then going on to claim the set 23-21. Building on the momentum, Sireesha packed the first match with some delightful display of Ping-Pong, leaving the opponent gasping for breath at every point.
However, in the 2nd match, Sireesha teamed up with Diksha, only to find their opponents a little too well rounded for their liking. They lost the Doubles, and subsequently Diksha lost the final Singles, and TT remained a black-mark in the IIMB portfolio.
While IIMC gained a point on the overall score-sheet, what emerged more prominently from the event was the proficiency in the usage expletives by the womenfolk of IIMC. Score 6-3 in IIMB’s favour.
Football:
For those who thought they had seen it all, there was some serious re-thinking in store! We had just hit the tip of the iceberg.
IIMC’s football team had said, nay announced, that Samhar trophy or not, footer was one event they would not lose. It was their pride, and they were going to keep it that way. Little did they know that our footer team had had its share of losing (remember IIMA last year), and have avowed since to never slack on commitment, and to give it all. This was the backdrop to what came next, so buckle-up for a Football match that can only be described as pulsating!
A swamp made an apology for the footer pitch, but this did not deter either team from going headlong into the slush amidst an incessant heavy drizzle. The ball barely made it across the turf as IIMC began menacingly, attacking relentlessly to heavy cheering for their team, and heavier anti-cheering for Lama, our goalkeeper. However, veterans Sid and Nishant made an excellent double play, and even as it unfolded in front of our eyes, IIMB went 1-0 up within the first 10 minutes with a sweet left-footer from Nishant sliding across the helpless goalkeeper into the center of the net from the left flank. Every member of the contingent on the sidelines went into ruptures at this early lead, and the stunned IIMC supporters visibly had ‘that-sinking-feeling’ all over again.
Sid was brilliant throughout, and after being pushed by the opponents, repeatedly took face full of muck that was the black clay that made the ground, never once flinching, and carried on regardless – showing that he was a truly a soldiers son. Nishant, for his part, emerged as the god of goals. However, the biggest praise must certainly go to the Goalkeeper Lama, and his defense squad, both on and off the field! On field, though the ever-reliable services of Srijith Mohanan were missed, it was the fearsome foursome of Daga, Shekhawat, Aveek, and Anuj that stood like a wall, one that proved to be unbreakable through the match, and Lama was at his absolute impenetrable best. On top of that, solid midfield play by Senthil, Tenzing, and Francis ensured that the ball supply to the forwards never stopped, and the pressure continued to mount on the IIMC goal, despite them having a higher ball possession, and more strikes on goal.
The sledging reached its absolute zenith during the second half as a large IIMB contingent, led by the “Master-Abuse-Innovator” Vikrant, ably supported by Chakro (who thanked his stars for not having had to bowl that morning). They took up the dirty IIMC challenge just behind our goal post, and silenced the otherwise deafening IIMC girls. Even at our liberal best, the Sports Council cannot allow one to mention any of the expletives exchanged during the course of the match, especially those mentioned by the opposing team’s women.
In all this there was still a match being played in the middle. The two halves were each to be 30 minutes long. But after the first half ended in about 35 minutes, the second seemed to enter this unending time warp! The referee on being asked about the time started walking away from our players! Had Nishant not pounded the final nail in the opponents coffin with a smart goal that warmed every soul’s heart in IIMB, the match would have gone on indefinitely till such time that IIMC scored the winning goal! Anyways, after 45 grueling minutes of a 30-minute half, the referee could no longer continue without shame, and blew the final whistle. Sista’s air-horn was a huge hit with loud noises following every good move by the IIMB team. 2-0 at footer, 7-3 at the overall tally, and the trophy rested deep in our pockets.
Badminton (Boys):
This was one event everyone believed should easily have been ours. With regulars like Sista and Nishant warming the bench, one thought that we would trample all over our opponents. The “Rockstar of the Day” Sagar got himself some valuable practice in the first game before making his opponent dance in the second to give IIMB a 1-0 lead. Sagar, with his super-quick reflexes, and incomparable court coverage is believed to be better than Amit Gupta (Alumnus, Class of 2007, and destroyer-in-chief of anything with a racquet on the other side of the badminton net), but we doubt one can ever find out.
In the second match Praneet Chawla never seemed to find his touch against his opponent, and despite multiple promises of a comeback, he went down in 3 games, after having led in the crucial third game 6-1, only to give it away and trail at 6-13. One was often reminded of the legendary match he won from the brink of defeat at Sangram (IIMB-IIMK Sports Meet) last year, but this time, it was not to be. Having seen Praneet fight it out and win from the brink in some memorable matches, it is only fair to say that he was far from his best on the day. By his own reckoning he was clearly ‘not there’.
Sagar teamed up with Sahil Barua to take the 3rd tie (Doubles) with ease and give IIMB a 2-1 lead. Barua then looked to take IIMB through with a victory in the third Singles, but that was not to be. A poor second set, along with a number of errors, saw him go down to Pratyush (yes, Tennis, TT and now this), to set up an exciting final Doubles clash.
The tie, however, was far from exciting, as Praneet, teaming up with Rajat, gave IIMC the final cheer with an unbelievable number of unforced errors and missed serves, and returns. It was a sub-par performance by any standards, and an event that was clearly ours was lost. The final result was a 7-4 victory to IIMB at Samhar’07.
The Climax:
The most exciting part of the Badminton event had nothing to do with the players. In the middle of Barua’s Singles tie, there was a temporary power cut that lasted a good half hour. Tired of having thrashed the IIMC contingent on the field, IIM Bangalore decided to have some fun of its own. Out came a poster reading “Now can you C what’s worse than XL?” in retaliation to their T-Shirt message.
Vikrant was at his abusive best yet again, swearing left, right and center (into mid-air at times), and his eyes popping out with every word! To continue with that, another provocative poster came out from the IIMB contingent, and that was that. War broke out. Both teams reached out each others throats, the Badminton net serving as an apology for a Lakshmanrekha. The few gutsy IIMC students that dared to venture into the IIMB half were immediately mobbed by a huge crowd screaming, “Loser, Loser” into their ear and bringing tears to their eyes. One thanks one’s lucky stars that the incident stopped short of fistfights (the few that began were either ignored or immediately squashed).
The icing on the cake was when a skimpily clad IIMC lady dared to grab the collar of our dear old Georgy! She let out her inimitable shriek, and the attacker was thrown back a few feet. That was enough for the mob to pull them apart. How the battle ended, one cannot recall (things moved too fast), but end it did, and the game continued. If you weren’t on the Baddy court during the power cut, you really weren’t a part of Samhar. Hopefully, atleast one of our daring cameramen has got some interesting footage to share.
All in all, Samhar was ours from start to finish. As Sid aptly put it in an attempted funny speech at the end, “We truly destroyed them!” The various battles, and the subsequent victories, shall definitely be remembered, but so will the extent of foul language and unacceptable behaviour on part of the hosts (particularly the women) that unfolded over that weekend. We have been given the unenviable task to not only play better hosts next year, but also to teach our to-be-guests the norms of social behaviour!
The Musical Night:
After a grueling sporting schedule that stretched into the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, and continued till late Sunday, it was what all of us were waiting for to unwind: the performance by the Musical Bands from both institutes with the lovely party thrown for us by the hosts as the backdrop. Unfortunately, rain played spoilsport yet again, depriving us of the performances by “Phootage” and “IIMC Rockstars”.
It was then the turn of the DJ to take center stage, and the party got rolling in earnest, with some much-needed ‘liquids’, and foot-tapping numbers. IIMC played perfect hosts by making elaborate arrangements for the same, and taking extra pains to ensure that all of us had a gala time at the party.
It was a perfect icing on the cake for the Sports Meet, and ensured a more amicable atmosphere to meet old friends and new from the other campus before coming back. It was heartening to see groups from both institutes dancing together (who would have imagined that after all that had happened through the two days!) and joining in each other’s rituals. The message was loud and clear: Play hard against on the field and party harder together off the field.
On behalf of the IIMB contingent and the entire student community, we wish to thank the IIMC President, the Sports Secretary and each and every IIMC student to have contributed in making our stay an extremely memorable one.
Epilogue
Incidents that surely demand the tag of “The Best of Samhar ’07”
1. During the described Battle at the Baddy Court, the IIMB team began a taunt “Kolkata ki Kaise Phati?” And ‘Paaaaaaaaan’ went the dying air-horn. Again, “Kolkata ki Kaise Phati?” Paaaaaaaaaan… And again, till the air-horn actually died… Hilarious! the larger IIMC support contingent was left dumbfound!
2. Over-heard in the corridor at the end of Day1 (IIMB leads 5-2):
IIMC guy1: Tu cheer karne kyun nahin aaya?
IIMC guy2: Yaar, Monday submission ke liye kaam kar raha tha… kal pukka aaunga
IIMC guy1: Kal kya @#$% marane aayega? Lag chuki hai apni!
3. The IIMC President (Dhameeja), half in disgust, half in self pity, saying to one of the narrators before we boarded the bus: “Hamari preparation? Jo bhi kiya who tha is (pointing to an old heavy truck tyre near their lake) 300 kilo ke bojh ko uthane ki competition… aur usme ladkiyon ki gaali ki practise…” NO WONDER!
4. An inebriated Vikrant Bahl reeled off what he claims to be his 4 best and most innovative phrases (obviously, we aren’t mentioning them!) during the meet. Be sure to contact him about them! That this incident may have failed his memory, thanks to the state he was in, is a different matter altogether, but there were enough people on the bus that morning to recall the golden words.
P.S: All personal comments on any individual are meant to be that way, and are totally intentional!!
P.P.S: A heartfelt thanks to all alumni who; by not severing their umbilical cords; continue to support us, whether by following our exploits over SPIDI and Bracket, or by turning up for events at these far-flung corners of the country. A special mention for our co-narrator (and ex- Sports Secretary) Dipak Krishnamani, Muthu Mohon (the ex-ex-Sports Secretary), Arvind Rayappa (ex-Sports Council member), Anand Venkatesan, Abhishek Anand, Jeevesh Jain who turned up for the two days of Samhar’07!
Hey Guys,
