España, España

Introduction

This travelogue may I share with you all A
Although, I am just a novice in this form. B

So, first, please excuse me for any shortfall. A
I may betray the wrong tetrameter norm. B

I hope you wont laugh or scoff. C
As I just want to bounce it off C

the management students at IIM; D
It's not for money, nor for fame. D

Call it a poem, poetry , a verse or a sonnet, E
A hyphen, comma or a bullet point, as you deem fit; F
I am quite poor at nomenclature, I must admit. F

And yes, one more thing before I forget E
It will rhyme in a particular way e.g. G
AB AB CC DD, and then EFF EGG. G

Going Away

Listen then, lets begin from the beginning.
We sift through matrushka dolls, souvenirs & 'things'

While at Moscow airport we are kept waiting
Till, after a long 10-hour wait, finally we got wings.

Flying over the Volga and the Caspian Sea
Jit Rai and Tin Nash while sipping coffee,

Dreams of neon signs, Ferraris and the Mediterranean,
Sunkissed beaches, sex bombs and the pseude bohemian.

Midnight we touch base. Its Spain finally -
The country of FC and Real Madrid,
Picasso & Cassals, Velazquez & El Cid.

Its 1 a.m. Stranded at a Raval (old town) alley
We make some frantic phone calls for a place
To stay put for the night and untie the shoelace.

Barcelona

Life at ESADE was cool, assignments were few.
From India to Italy, from Mexico to Monaco -

Our mix was eclectic. We were a motley crew;
My group had a Peruvian from faraway Cuzco!

They are all covered in brands, from top to bottom.
Behold! The consumption patterns of all consumables -

Tissue paper, kisses and public displays of affection
Of the young and old, old and new, new and veteran.

The young blonde cozies up to a moneyed sphinx!
But then, whats in a number, silly, formed of digits?
When what matters is a boy with a #ick & a girl with *its?

In the middle of this merry-go-round, Jit Rai thinks
After this what? Poor Tin Nash thinks of a vegetarian course -
He is tired of "Hola, como esta?", muy bien and carnivores.

Travel in Spain

Years later, Jit Rai while thinking of the places traveled
Remembers tits and bits, smiling he puts pen to paper.

The sights and sounds came back soon. A friend said:
Though it’s been almost 2 years, better late than 'later'.

Oh! What a place was Montserrat, the mist and the colorful kids;
The ascent of the cable car and the walk down to the green fields.

Who can forget the run to catch the train to Nice?
And yes, Zulu's cooked rice and egg did suffice,

To start the Nice sojourn - jaywalking through its thin alleys -
Quiet reflection by the sea at Cannes and the lights of Monte Carlo.
At nighttime after a nice dinner and tiramisu we said bye, Ciao.

At night (while sleeping in a park), 2 guys ran away with Jit Rai's valise.
3 novels and a pair of jeans is all they got. The poor souls did come to know
Jit was poorer. They gave him a limp (from the chase) & a cut on the brow.

Feel the gas

Friends kept visiting us from all over Europe
Barcelona is quite a happening place, you know

While Paris was freezing and guys couldn’t cope
With the cold, they came down south to say "hello".

One fine November evening, A Sad Rain Moth and A Good Paji
Came knocking on the door, "Koi hai ghar pe? Haanji?”

We hired a car to drive down to Andorra and the Pyrennes
Four of us left Barcelona to come back after three days.

Adrian Thomas was driving, and his test of the left hand drive
Was carried out right in the middle of the traffic! Hearts
In our hands and seat belts firmly tied, we were going nuts.

It was a great trip. The golden sunset at Andorra at around five,
Next day the beautiful Pyrennes, the villages in the hills, a happy quiet,
And the rain drenched San Sebastian (not to mention the ice-creams we ate).

Last days

Assignments (in Spanish) at ESADE, which were due,
Which Jit Rai had shelved for the very last moment,

Made him learn preterito past perfecto at half past two.
But sincere Tin Nash did well. He got almost 93 %.

Soon after Marathon Dias and his friend Good Paji left Spain
The good word spread far and wide- the fun at Cobra Lane

People came pouring in, in the coming weeks
And put Louis, our Mexican roommate, in a fix

On a weekend, a team of five went sightseeing to nearby Tarragona.
Valdimir Uno, Lanka Guru Aryan, Mannish Theta, Jit Rai, Atyadi
Shaked legs at a local disco, with Valor Indium screaming I feel free.

Few days later, came in a cozy twosome from another corner.
Habitual Kim and his better half Mikhail Tabu joined in the mirth.
Btw, they threw us out of the bedroom, till we gave them a wide berth.

Coming Back

The journey's over. We are close to finishing
We sift through matrushka dolls, souvenirs and 'things'

(Repeat from Going Away)

While at Moscow airport we are kept waiting
Till, after a long 10-hour wait, finally we got wings.

All over the world, people are finding ways to return,
To someplace they can call their own under the sun.

All this travel, near and far,
Isn’t a waste, dear mother?

It is late into the night. What is it that I just wrote?
Just a rhyme, shorn of emotions, nothing at all?
Its not so, believe me, but then it is your call.

Dear reader, the one thing that I did note:
Whatever I do - going away or coming in
I am the future and the journey is within.

------

Anagrams:

Tin Nash - Nishant
A sad rain moth - Mohit Sardana
Adrian Thomas - Mohit Sardana
Marathon Dias - Mohit Sardana
Good Paji - Pooja Gadi
Mannish Theta - Nishant Mehta
Vladimir Uno - Vinod Murali
Valor Indium - Vinod Murali
Barcelona – Cobra lane
Kalyan Nagaruru – Lanka Guru Aryan
Mikul Bhatia – Habitual Kim, Mikhail Tabu