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The mobile beeped, it showed “1 message received”. I opened the message:

“In 15 minutes”

I stood up, time had come, and I was waiting for this. Everyone said it was not possible but they all gave me the same answer. The answer was so strikingly odd yet gave me hope. I closed the door and started walking fast, yellowish half-moon kept peeking out of clouds, my shadow playing hide and seek in the platform. I thought back to yesterday evening, when I lost all my hope and decided to seek their help. The road had many pot-holes scattered down the entire way was filled with brown puddles. I entered the building; two diamond shapes joined by its edges, like bird’s nest the building had so many rooms. I remembered their room number; AV 154, the sound from the room had shocked me.

“Two da… Two… Two…”

I knew that voice, two guys who were glued to the computer screen, and he knew both of them: Butty and Vikram. But what were they doing, he came with so much hope and this!

Vikram: “Hi da… come in…”

Butty still glued to screen: “Va mappi… exam ellam epidi ezhudi iruka?” (how were the exams so far?)

I sat down on the cot, they were playing Cricket 07, but they only had one keyboard and two of them playing?! Still confused, I replied “so far good da… but next exam internals kami mappi… athan padikalamnu vanthen… unnaku evalo internals?” (so far good, but next exam i have low internals. i came to study, how much is your internals?)

Butty: “ennakum summar ana internals thaan da… unnaku?” (i have a decent internals.. you?)

Me: “ennaku kammi da… epo start pannalam?” (i have low internals da... when shall we start?)

Butty: “mappi… tomorrow leave thaane… so tomorrow evening sure a we will start da…”

Did I hear it correctly?! Is he saying that we will start tomorrow evening?! This paper is vast, so much to study and he wants to start by tomorrow evening. Rest of the hostel has started studying! Big mistake to have come here!

Me: “Vikram… nee??”

Vikram (now he was glued to computer): “ama da… tomorrow evening we will start”

What is he saying?! And how the hell are they playing two player game with one keyboard and no joystick!

Me: “dei… internals kammi da… pass aganum… shall we start tonight…?” ( i have low internals, i have to pass, shall we start tonight?)

Another guy walked in, Ramn holding a tea cup: “when did you guys wake up? Semma thukkam mappi… nenga rendu perum thungave illaya?? Hey hi da…” (when did you guys wake up? i was dead sleepy. you both didn't sleep at all? hey di)

Me: “hi ramana…”

Butty: “thukam varala… athunala thaan oru game a pottom… semma partnership…” (nope not sleepy... so we started the game... great partnership)

Ramn: “Dei please da… Cricket 07 creator kooda evalo ada mattan da (not even creator of cricket 07 plays it so much)… you guys play the same shot over and over again…”

Vikram: “dei Test match adarom da Australia voda… paaru da 335 runs partnership between kram and butty” (we are playing test match against australia... we got partnership of 335 between kram and butty)

I interrupted their insane talk, why are they not worried about the exam?! The guy is more worried about this partnership in Test than exam?!

Me: “Ramana… when are you planning to start?”

Ramn, still sipping the tea: “start what mappi?”

Ok, this was getting highly insane!! Like a ray of hope walked in a guy with Xerox in his hands, Yogu. I was happy seeing at least one sensible guy.

Yogu to vikram: “mappi… intha Xeroxa konjam paaren… ethu next examku sampantha patta xeroxa illaya nu mattum sollu” (take a look at this xerox and let me know if it is related to this exam)

Dummillll…Lightening struck in my heart!

Vikram turns many pages and finally says: “I think so… but not sure syllabus pakkanum” (i think so.. have to check syllabus)

Yogu: “seri… I’ll keep it in your room; give me some Xerox I’ll try to study. But epo thaan marudhamalai padam roommate eduthukittu vanthan… so nightu adu thaan… tomorrow evening thaane?”(ok... I’ll keep it in your room; give me some Xerox I’ll try to study. but now only my roommate got the film "marudhamalai" will be seeing it tonight, tomorrow evening right?)

Vikram: “yes yes!!”

Yogu left, out of nowhere I heard a song, a high pitch song. He comes into room still singing and waving his hand as though he is practicing in a studio. Everyone in college knows him or at least the song which he always sings in fests. Harish Chakravarthy @ chakku, SP.Balasubramaniam of our college, lies down on the cot and starts messaging. Suddenly a guy rushes into the room and searches table, shelf, cot but he doesn’t find it anywhere. The he sees ramana, glares at him and snatches the empty tea cup and walks out of room. I know him, Venkatesh but calls himself Wine and requests people to call him that, but people call him “Dino”. He came back with two other guys who were also holding tea cup, Aravind @ Ver and Raghul @ Gul. Both looking relaxed settled down on cot deeply involved in their tea cup. Room was getting crowded and I alone was looking desperate with Xerox in hand! Two more guys walked in, one wearing shortest of shorts and another with lungi, both squeezed into the already full cots.

Guy wearing shortest of shorts, Nair: “mappi… any good movie?”

The light through the door was blocked by well built guy with tight t-shirt again with a tea cup, Jai @ peeth. Why is everyone here obsessed with hostel tea!!

Peeth: “Dei… Saw VI vanthuduchu da…”(Saw VI has been released)

Chakku: “dei peeth naaye… neeyum un SAW vum... nalla tamil padam podungada…” (you and your Saw! put a good tamil film.)

The guy in lungi, Durai @ Naid, speaks up: “a new movie has come, athule hero and heroine first scene le murdered, avangaloda nai kutti revenge edukara matiri kada… director semmaya eduthurukan… Chinese padam nethu thaan subtitles oda pathen” (a new movie has come, in that hero and heroine gets murdered in first scene, so their dog takes revenge.. superb direction... it is a chiense movie, saw it with subtitles yesterday)

Ramn: “Naid dei… antha padatha patha unna kola pannanum mothale” (you should have been murdered for seeing that movie)

Their talks continued not even a hint about the exam; none of them seemed to be bothered. Room was filled with people and yet people never seemed to stop showing up, this time a guy with thick moustache, tall and fluffy hair, Sudharsan @ Oons: “mapppiiiii…. I have got thala ARR’s new album da… semmaya iruku…”

(I have got the new album of ARR)

He passes the pen drive to vikram and sits on edge of cot facing the computer.

Oons: “dei podu da… seekaram” (put it... fast)

Vikram: “ok ok”

Oons: “dei… innum nee podalaya… seekaram seekaram… seri illa nee”( you haven't played it yet... fast fast... you ain't good)

Vikram plugs in the pen drive.

Oons: “seekaram podu media player a… enna nee… seri illa…”(fast start the media player... what man... not good)

Vikram: “dei oonam… vendam…”(oonam... noooo)

Both of them laugh at each other for reason I did not understand! The room was now blaring with ARR’s new album. I was in middle of a perfect mayhem, worst decision I have ever made in life. They continued talking about the song, it was Greek and Latin “strings” “slap” “fruity loops” and I was little assured seeing few others in the room also didn’t know what it meant! By now chakku had by hearted the high pitched lines and started singing along. The chaos came to a sudden stop as room of never ending people had another visitor, short, fair, curly hair and strangely he carried with him a Xerox and syllabus copy. Everyone in the room fell silent when Ravi @ Rover walked in. He was searching for someone in the group, his eyes fixed on a guy in cot, Ramn.

Rover: “dei ramn vada padikalam…” (ramn come we will study)

Now this was the second time lightening had struck me, to walk into a room full of lunatics and asking them to study was indeed bold. Someone in the cot snorted “Ravi Robo Ramn”

Ramn: “dei… ravi… athu… padikalam… athuku thaane vanthu irukom…” (ravi... that... we shall study...that is why we have come...)

Rover to butty: “syllabus enga da…?” (where is the syllabus?)

Butty: “syllabus… syllabus… vichuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu”

This time I was not surprised to see another guy entering the room, I was half expecting another entry. An innocent looking guy walks into room, Vishwanath @ vichu : “sollu khaaan…” (tell khaaan)

Butty (in sivaji style): “syllabus engada khanna…?” (where is the syllabus khanna?)

Vichu: “aado un kai kitta, CPU pakathula iruku khaaan…!” (it is close to your hand,near the CPU khaaan)

Butty with a sheepish smile on his face, controlling his laughter passed syllabus to rover. Vikram sitting near him burst out in laughter. Rover smiled, vikram started laughing hysterically…! I have never seen a guy laugh so hard, he couldn’t literally breathe but no one seemed to stop him… why? And here is another guy who adds “khaaan” to every sentence… why? I had so many questions in my mind but “lunatics” seemed to be perfect answers to all.

Peace seems to have crawled into the room, talks of exam slowly emerged. Rover, Vichu, Vikram and Ramn were looking at the syllabus and at last Ramn spoke: “epo eelaka perika poram” (now we are going to split portions)

Vikram: “I’ll do the second part of the syllabus”

Vichu: “I’ll take first part”

Ramn: “I’ll take the third part”

Rover: “I’ll do the last part”

Naid: “I’ll also do the last part da… we will share it”

A wave of relief passed through my head…

Peeth: “dei... its 7 o clock, vangada mess ku sapada polam” (it is 7, come guys we will goto mess for dinner)

It was as though someone magically turned the wave of relief into a solid stone and I felt a lurch in my stomach.

Oons: “epo story time?” (when is story time?)

What the hell is he speaking?! Story time??!!

Vichu: “tomorrow evening 7.30 pm” and he left the room

I was lost. That’s it?! I hurried behind the sanest looking guy in the group.

Me: “Vichu… I haven’t started studying anything so far. I thought I’ll study with you guys… but”

Vichu: “that’s ok... Start studying any part of the portions you are comfortable with and I’ll message you,
come here tomorrow night. We will study everything, don’t worry!” he said with a smile.

I have become a lunatic or else I wouldn’t have decided to come back to the asylum again tomorrow night.  On the way past the room I heard Butty: “So… naan oru question padikaren… one sure shot essay question sollu” (so... i am going to study one question... one sure shot easy question say it to me)

Vikram: “one sure shot essay question”

And they both started a quake of laughter. GOD SAVE THEM! PLEASE!!!

Yet again I am going to meet them, but the situation changed dramatically, they were sitting in a perfect circle, cots were full of Xeroxes. For a minute he felt he entered the wrong room. They were waiting for him to join. Once he entered, yogu said: “Ok story start…!”

Chakku: “dei yaaru vennalum story start pannunga but naid story last” (let's keep Naid story at last)

They all smiled at each other, I was totally missing the point.

Vichu started the proceedings; he took up a Xerox and said he will need one and half hours to explain this part of syllabus. When they meant story telling I was under impression that it was just a name given but I was shocked to realize that it was in fact a story told. I was amazed, how easily I could grasp. Vichu completed first part of syllabus well before time. My mobile showed 08:55 pm, I heard a bang, people running everywhere, and I ran for cover worried. Jai, Vikram and Ramn were diving to the near table, on which stood a tea cup. I realized what happening, its MILK time in hostel. They ran and were almost first but Ver and Gul got to the MILK can quicker.

The “the MILK” time included a game of cricket as well which was played in the hostel corridor, chaos settled in comfortably. Rules were different from the normal cricket, one pitch one hand, out if you miss the ball thrice, one run if bat makes contact with ball. It went on for an hour before they stopped it. Vikram started the second part; he left one topic to Butty. It is not that others were not good, but Butty’s story telling capabilities are the best! He explained one essay in purely filmy way that everyone in the room remembered it. Ramn took the third part of the syllabus and it was well past one AM when he finished it. Last part of the syllabus is be done by Rover and Naid. When they started it, almost everyone positioned themselves into a comfortable sleeping position. Even rover left it to Naid to finish the syllabus.

Naid: “Mappi’s intha syllabus liye important question ithu thaan…” (this is the most important topic)

His voice brought in a state of tranquility. Next day exam hall, always eerie, nervous looking people; examiner made announcement about no mobiles or copying in exam, he looked at the question paper and felt as if someone was playing a nasty trick. How is it possible? What is this? It must have been overnight study and eye strain. How can the questions be like this?

I looked around, rest of the students have started writing!! How is it possible!! My mobile started beeping; everyone in the hall was looking at me, the examiner walking towards me. I stood up, but instead of examiner I saw Naid in his lungi and Xerox in his hand. I looked around no one seems to have noticed that I slept off. I settled back into position, sitting next to me oons had a smile in his face. My mobile showed “1 new message”, I opened it realizing what woke me up, it was from oons and it was blank message.

Oons: “feel panathe… ithukaga thaan naid story last a vechu irukom…!” (don't feel bad... that's why we keep Naid story at the last)

On the background I heard naid’s voice: “the battery…. Satellite… communication…”

I looked around, chakku eyes half closed, I am damn sure that I saw butty head fall out of his hand in sleep. And yet unaware of his surroundings, Naid continued his story about… about… what is he speaking about?! I tried to listen to the rest of the syllabus but something about his voice tripped me into sleeping. I decided to sleep at 3 AM; I had my exam at morning 9! I met the guys in exam hall, unlike rest they were clam and composed. I entered the exam hall with a small fear about the dream last night. The examiner made the same announcement and passed the question paper. I checked the question paper, thankfully it was English and I actually understood the questions. I checked the essay question; I almost knew every question except last one…! It had words which shot nails into my heart.  “Battery” “satellite” “communication” naid’s face appeared on the paper, with an evil laugh, “you shouldn’t have slept!” except that I wrote the exam well. I finished my exam and decided to go back to the room in evening.

The room never seems to be empty; it might be magically enhanced to hold so many people! A thriving mass of different figures, pulsating with the energy; it is said that life controls people but here within these walls I am seeing people who control their life. They are fit for the saying "One ounce of gut is worth a pound of flesh". They are called:

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