Over a plate of Pasta!!!

Me and Dittu were waiting for the arrival of the Azad Hind Express… and were supposed to pick up this gentleman … As far as I remember he found us before we found him… He was much better dressed then we thought he would be… so much so that when we reached home and Moinak Bagchi opened the doors if I would not have known Moinak I would have thought he was the one we picked up from the station… 8 Shree had a new resident … popularly known as DADA…

I distinctly remember the first question he asked us in his Bonglicized Hindi …” Toh aaj toom log Lunch mein kya khayeggaaa.. Indian, Italian, Chinese, Japanese...” We all looked at each other... A question like that to a bunch of guys whose idea of food revolved around the PAs, APs, of Chaitanya … Well that’s what dada did for the next 2 yrs… Took care of us…
Dada would be most kicked about parties (well parties sans Tutu)… Coz he would cook his favourite meals and kind of show off too…And not just parties but Jatin’s parties… Whenever it was my party it used to be mostly my batch, and a couple of seniors… Dittu used to be the same but also with his kolkatta buddies… Moinak used to have a few junior females as well… Neel had a list of “Titliyas” mostly arbit juniors and super junior females especially Kashmiri pundits and friends… and Jatin well Jatin was a league of his own… his list comprised of our batch, seniors(few), Tutu’s friends, Dittu’s Kolkata friends, Juniors and arbit people in the college circle and on the way to college who happened to wish him coz they overheard their friends wishing him..In the final year he was forced to break it into core group and common mess… So the relation in terms of invites would be
Abhik< Aditya<< Moinak<<<< Neel<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< JATIN

So when Tutu wasn’t around usually loads of food used to be left over… So what follows used to happen many a times in the following day to a party...
Sometime between breakfast and lunch I used to feel hungry and enter the kitchen..

Abhik: -“ DADA aap bahut acche ho”
DADA: - “Tooo Pheer Agayaaa.. Kyyaa Chihaiye”
Abhik: - “Yaar dada kal raat ka pasta bacha hoga na .. Thoda de do”
DADA: -“ Haaaiiiinn (amitabh style) Kooch naahhhi milegaaaa”
Abhik (Me raising my voice): - “Arreyyy kyon Nehi milega.. bahut bacha hai na”
DADA: - “Toom meeinn kisiko nehi milegaaaa”
Abhik: - “Arrey Kyon…”
DADA:-“ Thoda Bacha hai.. Ye sirf AAADDDITI ke liye hai”
Abhik: - “Aditi ke liye.. kyon Aditi ke liye .. mere liye kyon nehi!!!”
DADA: - “Tooommm kaaal raat ko bahoot khaya.. ye sirf aaaditi ke liye!!!!”
Abhik: - “Toh kal raat ko aditi ne bhi khaya tha!!!”
DADA: -“Bola na ye sirf aditi ke liye hai”
Abhik: -“Reema aur Devina ke liye bhi nehi???”
DADA:- “NEHI!!!!”
Abhik: - “ Yaar Neel yaar.. bol na dada ko”
Neel (outside on sofa): - “yaar.. ch ch.. yaar.. ch ch.. mein kya boloon yaar..samjha kar” (By which he has shaken his head 50 times..and I realize how useless he can be )
Abhik (yells): - “JATTIINNNN…..”
Jatin:- (Hears the commotion comes to the kitchen)
Abhik: -“JP bol na dada ko pasta dene ke liye”
Jatin:-“ Yaar dada pata hai .. Aap Bahut Shantoo ho”
DADA: - “Haaiiinnn (again amitabh style) humko Shantoo bola.. Shantoo hoga tum”
Jatin:- “Usko pasta do na … Itna sara toh hai”
DADA: -“ Neehiiii dega… Kya Karlegaaa “
Dittu arrives (Bastard that he is) “Maat do dada kisko mat do..sirf mujhe do”
DADA to Dittu “Challlaaakkiii karta hain.. tum ko bhi nehi dega!!!”
Dittu: - “Arrey Mene kya chalaki kia???”
By this time I have taken full advantage of the situation and slipped behind dada … as I was about to dump some pasta onto my plate dada turns around and catches my hand
DADA: - “Haainnnn chori karta hai?!?!?!?!?!”
Abhik, Jatin, Aditya : -“CHORIIII?!?!?!?!”
Jatin: - “Ye toh too much boldiya”
Dittu to me complete aag lagena ka style : - “Kya boldiya … Tere ko chor boldiya”
Abhik (Full Bhikari style) “Please Dada aap bahut aache ho please thoda de do”
DADA takes a spoonful dumps it into my plate.. “Ye le… ab jaa”
I look down into my plate and I wonder bloody begging on the streets or outside a temple will get you more
Abhik :- (full Bhaw khaw angry voice) “ ye kya hai bheekh hai kya.. Nehi chaiye” and I walk off knowing the fact that dada would definitely come behind me with a plate!!!
Dittu: “ Kya dada aap abhik ko bheekari samajh te ho” (bastard ..big bastard!!!)
5 mins later dada comes up to me with a plate of pasta.. “YE LE!!!”
Abhik : “Yay dada .. aap bahut acche ho”
DADA: - (Full Dissapointed) “Aadddiiiti ke liye kooch nehi bacha!!!!”
Who cares… yummy pasta !!!!