WCR 1112

12^th Nov 2014: Surathkal and Mangalore:

We woke up lazily after the late night. The weather was very humid. Today, us ex-KREC-ians planned to venture in the college campus again. I was also wearing my old College Tee. We left earlier than the others. We also didn’t want to bore our co-riders. We couldn’t travel inside the campus on our motorcycles. So we had to park them near the entry gate and traverse on foot.

We were exploring our history now. We started with the main block and made straight for Samudra Darshan canteen. We were eager to taste egg-puff but it wasn’t found here. Due to new paintwork, the buildings looked new, but were still very familiar. There was a lot of construction going on too. Gyan was again recognized by a registrar.

Familiar spots were revisited with glee – SAC, Tennis and Basketball courts, swimming pool, Down Co-op, cricket grounds, etc. 


We were having the elusive egg-puff at Down Co-op when our co-riders joined us. We took them to the Main Canteen. College canteens offer good food at unbeatable prices. While visiting the Sports Hall, another familiar face appeared – Paku. This guy is one of the sportiest guys. He immediately recognized Gyan, both having played football together. The hilarious comment came from Paku – “Thoda bada ho gaya” indicating Gyan had grown fatter. This statement would stick with us for the rest of the Ride.

Then came the depressing news. Our most coveted Night Canteen was no more. It had been the haunt for so many late nights. There was a flat ground in its place. For the last leg of our historical re-visit, we went into the first block hostel. The in-charge, Shetty also immediately recognized us. He greeted us with warmth. Being lunch time, he was busy but warmly invited us to have lunch. We just had breakfast so weren’t hungry. But the invitation was too kind to refuse. We took one plate to share. Rohit had other ideas. He took up another plate and began to help himself to a full meal.

The look on the first year students was priceless. They must be wondering who these people are that are receiving VIP treatment from Shetty. The anxiety was clear on their faces just like freshly ragged first year students have. To add to that here were some super-seniors seated right at their table. Poor guys must be dreading getting ragged inside their safe haven. Nilu added to the tension by standing directly behind a student having lunch. The effect was that he finished his food quickly, got up and left. I’m sure we would’ve done the same if we were in his place.

We said goodbye to Shetty and made for Nescafe. As we made towards Final Block, the confidence on students’ faces was clear. Final year students walk with a different air. We relived the past by sitting on the stairs of Fifth Block. This place used to be the hallmark of Bakchodis. To our co-riders we must be appearing as idiots with a lost look on our faces taking delight in seeing small, worthless things. To us, these were priceless sights.

We had planned to cover Mangalore in the evening. We had some time on our hands. So we made for Muka beach. Nilu brought us to a wonderful, isolated spot he had seen here some days earlier on a site visit. We just relaxed here for a long time. How many times in our daily life do we just sit down to relax. All stuck in the rat race. On the way we noticed Sharath Bar too, another regular haunt.

We returned to our rooms tired from the humidity. There was enough time to take a nap and then we left for Mangalore in the evening. The 20 kms to Mangalore had surely become more occupied than earlier but still it wasn’t chaotic. We still remembered the turn to be taken inside the city. Then we noticed the changes. High rises were coming up everywhere. But the good part was they had great architecture too. That showed planning. Some of the roads had been converted to one way so we had to consult with passers by to guide us on the correct path, which they very eagerly did.

The city was still as neat as before. We asked at Hotel Maharaja if their famous Crab Ghee Roast was ready. It wasn’t. We had two hours to kill. As Nilu went to KTM service station, we went to Ideal ice cream parlor at Hampankatta. The Skei parlor had closed down. The ice cream here was still as special as earlier. They had a new dish by the name of Tiramisu, Chocolate sin.

All of us then met at Hotel Maharaja at 6:30 pm. When the Crab was served it looked delectable, and tasted like that too. It was a first time for many of us, so we struggled to eat it. The cook had also cooked it enough to soften the shell more than usual. So it was easier to eat. Our hands turned bloody from the red gravy. Our stomachs were full but still we hadn’t had enough of it. It was only the longing to taste Hao Ming that we didn’t order more.

We walked around a bit more to digest the crab. Having described the notoriety of the bus drivers of this region to our co-riders, we took them for a joyride to Surathkal and back. This was all done in a matter of 45 mins. A hilarious incident that occurred on the way back was when one of the passengers tried to speak to Gyan and he didn’t respond. The passenger was drunk. He then turned to Rohit sitting ahead of him and asked, “Where are you taking this Chinese?” Gyan then replied to him in Hindi. The look on his face was priceless. He had been making effort to converse with him in English and Hindi both. The shock was so much that he even missed his bus stop.

On reaching Hao Ming, the usual Hao Ming special rice dish was ordered and it tasted just like it had years ago. The bunch of universities around the city ensure that prices are never too steep. By now the crab in our stomachs showed its power and many were unable to finish the entire plate. 

For dessert we went to Pabba’s near Saibeen complex. Our flashback tour was over now.