Monday, May 22, 2006

Wake me up before you go Goa

"Wow. You look very beautiful!" He said.

"Errr... dude, that's 'cos you're the security guard of my gym. You've never seen me in anything other than a sweaty T-shirt and shorts. Even if I was wearing a torn gunny sack right now, you'd find me beautiful." said cynical Sayesha. In her head.

That's when non-cynical Sayesha realised something.

What is wrong with us? Why can't we take a compliment as what it is - just a compliment? Why do we have to read so much into it?

"Thank you." I said to him.

So where was I headed, dressed to the nines? I was on my way to Goa Nite, when I had bumped into the security guard.

This year, I finally managed to get tickets for Goa Nite - an annual party organised for Goans living in Singapore and their friends. It's supposed to be really happening, with lots of food, fun and fenny, and Goan music. I'd missed it last year and the year before that, and so I was thrilled when my friend Max told me he could get me in this year.

"The dress code is strictly formal, okay?" He said.

"Really?? But why?? It's Goa night, the dress code should be beachwear, isn't it?"

"Well, I don't know why, but last year it was pretty formal too. Suits, evening gowns and stuff."

Darn. So I dug through my wardrobe to see if I had anything suitable. I discovered three evening gowns, two from my seniors' farewell nights, and one from my own. But I felt I would not be able to freely dance in them. Especially to Goan music. Anyway, 'formals' for men and women can be defined so differently. There's a lot of stuff that we gals can pull off as formal, unlike guys.

And that's when my little red halter-neck dress caught my eye. I'd bought it in Manila with my airport tax money but never really had the chance to wear it. But it looked perfect for this occasion.

Every dress has its destiny, and this one's was Goa Nite.

So just before the party, I spoke to Max again on yahoo.

"What are you wearing?" I asked him. In retrospect, a question like that, asked on chat, sounds really seedy! :/

"A suit. You?" He asked.

"A little red dress. Should be formal enough I think."

"Little red dress? How is it like?"

"Uhh... it's little... and it's red."

"It's not a bikini, is it?"

Sheesh. It was not that little. But I did take a black embroidered shawl - which I fondly refer to as 'the hole-y shawl' along for protection against the cold. (Boy, was I glad I did.)

It's not every day that you get to dress up for a party. I usually don't get a chance to really dress up for anything, so I was really excited. I felt like a kid who could not wait to put on her 'party dress'. Four hairdos later, I decided on straight hair. After spending a good fifteen minutes straightening my hair, I spent about five more hoping that it wouldn't rain, 'cos nothing kills straightened hair like humidity in the air. Hey that rhymed! :D

When we reached the venue, I was suprised to see the crowd. There were hundreds of people, their ages ranging from 3 to 60, half of them all over the dance floor, and the other half seated on the tables on the two sides. There were six of us in our group - four guys and two girls. We were each given a mask, and to my utter delight, mine was red, a perfect match with my dress.

They had got a band from Bombay. When I first saw the band of two, I was really disappointed, but boy, did they a pack a punch. Every song they sang drove us nuts on the dance floor, especially the Goan songs. The band was urging the people to sing along, and everyone obliged. Everyone except the six of us. None of us knew the freakin' lyrics to any of the songs! The emcee got off the stage and choreographed this silly dance where we formed a big circle (can you imagine the diameter??!!) and basically went round and round holding the shoulders of the person in front of us. Was super duper fun.

Regardless of their age, Goans are amazingly chilled-out people. Even though my friends and I had brought down the average age of that party by a little, some of the people there effortlessly outdid us in terms of energy and dancing skills. When I looked at this 40-something couple dancing, I could see that it was not just the band's music that kept them going, it was the music in their spirit which made them so lively. And I'd seen that music in the spirit in every Goan I'd encountered during my Goa trip in 2004.

I'd gone to Goa two years ago with five of my cousins. Four guys and a girl from different parts of the world. I was to fly from Singapore to Hyderabad (Dad was posted there then) for a week, and then set off for Goa. I still remember how shocked my parents were at the idea of me taking a domestic flight alone. Three of my cousins were flying down from the UK, one was coming from Delhi, and the other from Calcutta. Luckily, our landing times were within the hour. I was waiting at the airport for their flights to land when I spotted Pooja Bedi. She never really made it big in Bollywood but I must admit she still had a fantastic body. She looked kinda disappointed 'cos no one was giving her bhaav. I would have obliged but my luggage was too heavy.

Our tour guide was this really cute and funny guy called Savio (okay, is everyone in Goa named Savio or what?) and he kept cracking jokes in the bus. "In Goa, fenny is the biggest source of income... and hangovers." He said with a straight face during our tour of Panjim. I laughed my lungs out. My cousins rolled their eyes and said, "That was not funny." I rolled my eyes back at them and said, "Jealous buggers." I got teased like hell after that. "Oooh, looks like our little sister has a crush on our cool tour guide, eh?" Savio took us to the place where Dil Chahta Hai was shot, and the five of us sat at the same spot where the three friends had sat and stared at the ship.

We stayed in the Taj Holiday Village. We had two huge villas connected by one door. I set down the ground rules. One of the rooms was called 'the smoking room' where the guys had to migrate if they wanted to smoke, and the other was the 'non-smoking room' which was inhabited by me most of the time. "You can't pollute both rooms, okay?" was my logic.

I found a card on the dressing table that said 'Complimentary yoga at 6 am for all guests'. I have no idea how, but I manged to read it as 'compulsory yoga at 6 am for all guests'. Suddenly I was freaked out by visions of the room service guys dragging the guests out at 6 am and making them forcibly sit and do yoga! Then one of the guys pointed it out to me. (And I call myself an editor. Sheesh.)

That afternoon, as we frolicked in the beautiful pool, we saw Kapil Dev, complete with family walking towards the pool. My cousin Sid dashed back to our villa to fetch his camera, but by the time he had put on his shades, adjusted his hair, checked his biceps and returned with the camera, the Devs were gone. But the rest of us had had a chance to speak to him and shake his hand.

"Shucks man... can't believe Kapil Dev is in the same hotel as us!" Said one of the guys.

"You know what this proves?" I asked.

"What?" They asked.

"Kapil Dev and we have the same budget! Muahahaha!" I said.

They gave me strange what-have-you-been-drinking looks.

I still remember the discussion the five of us had at midnight on the beach about careers and money and ambition. I sipped my orange juice and watched my brothers get high and senti. Is it me or do guys everywhere turn senti when they are high? It's hilarious to hear them talk. All the blackmailable stories start coming out.

The mention of alcohol brings me back to Goa Nite. At the dinner table, there was an elderly couple sitting next to me. When they started serving fenny, the old man turned to talk to me.

"Fenny is the best, isn't it?" He asked.

"Well, I don't know... I haven't tried it before, but now I will."

"Oh! You're not a Goan??" He asked.

"Nope." I smiled.

"Well, you should try fenny... but be careful." He warned.

I had barely sipped about 2 mm of the feni, when I realised why the old man had warned me. It was incredibly strong. I could not drink it by itself. It was only when I'd poured the whole thing into my glass of Coke that I could take a few more sips. Halfway through dinner, most of the people were back on the dance floor. Poor band. Then started another crazy round of dancing when the band played some hindi songs. I had never thought I'd enjoy myself so much dancing to the remix version of 'Woh lamhe'. Suddenly, I missed my old gang, especially Sinnerman and American Pi.

Sigh, why do good friends go away from you?

Later on, they had a few contests, the first of which was so hilarious. The emcee announced, "The prize will go to the person who can show me a one-rupee coin!" One-rupee coin?? Who the hell would have a one-rupee coin?? And yet, there was a mad rush, but no one could produce the coin. So the contest was changed it to "Who has a 100-dollar note?" A few such contests followed, such as 'longest earrings' (I almost won this one!), 'greatest number of buttons', 'shortest skirt', etc.

The millions of kids running all over the dance floor were quite a hazard, yet we danced like crazy. I had not danced like that in a very long time. I don't frequent clubs anymore, mainly because I don't like to come back with my hair and clothes smelling of cigarette smoke. So Goa Nite was the ultimate party for me - a smoke-free dancefloor! Yippeeeeeeeee!

I feel like visiting Goa all over again. Recently, I watched Socha Na Tha for the 7th time, and the Goa scenes stayed in my head, particularly the Abhi abhi song.

Goa teri har adaa ke, hum toh deewane ho gaye...
Zindagi jeene ke yahan pe, kitne bahaane ho gaye...




56 comments:

InfJunkie said...

GOLD!!!!
yaaaaay....
:-p @ everyone

InfJunkie said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

hey sayesha,

complete masti, huh??
that's good, but tell u what? I'm getting a Leeeeetil 'J'(just a lil':) )

Sangeetha *wink wink*

(shall write 2 u soon)

dearbharat said...

I tried fenny in Goa but dint like it one bit. Still whenever I go to Goa I resort to my Smirnoff with orange juices only.

Ur post though made me a bit nostalgic about my last new year party evening. I enjoyed more on 30th night than 31st.

Lalit Singh said...

wah wah kya sher mara hain... cha gaye, garaj pade, baras pade

Anonymous said...

Ooh looks like Sayesha's getting all nostalgic! Has to be side effects of KK last week....what was it again?

Hum... rahein ya na rahein kal
Kal... yaad aayenge yeh pal

:)

Sayesha said...

#Freebird,
Hahahaha! Your ':P @ everyone' cracked me up! :D

#Sangeetha,
Yeah, complete masti! Awesome! :)

#Venky,
I LOVE your 'drool in gloom' phrase! :) Maybe because I know the exact feeling you're talking about! Hehehe :P
ps: And you MUST go to Goa! :)

#Bhaarat,
Fenny neat is a killer man... even my 90:10 Coke:Fenny was too strong for me, I could not finish it! :O

#Lalit,
Which sher are you talking about? The humidity wala or the Goa wala? Agar Goa wala toh one saucepan strike on your head! :@

Kya yaar... original sher ka credit dete nahin ho... 'Goa teri har adaa ke' is not my original... it's a line from the song 'Abhi abhi' from 'Socha na tha'.

#Restless,
Hehehe... if you're going to Goa, I'll be the envious one! :P

#Duhita,
Yeah man... I miss my old friends... I miss my gunda cousins... I miss my Mommy and Daddy... I miss my sis... I miss Goa... kya yaar... senti ko aur senti kar diya :|

Unknown said...

good fun was had it looks..
it's for contests like that i always carry a one rupee coin and a five rupee note in my wallet :)

Anonymous said...

wanna see dat red dress of urs :-( can v hav a pic..

Sayesha said...

#Ipanema Girl,
You do???? Awesome man! Hope you strike lottery some day! ;)

#Anonymous,
Sorry sweetheart, I've only got a pic of myself in the dress, but obviously you're interested in a pic of only the dress. Too bad, eh? ;)

Prayank said...

Yo ... another Socha na tha fan ...
there r to kinds of ppl in this world .. those who've been to Goa and those who r planning to ... i fall in the second category .. so till i make it to goa .. i'll DIG (drool in gloom)

Anonymous said...

You go by Rediff?? Then go watch this

http://in.rediff.com/movies/2006/may/19aparichit.htm

HOTWINTER said...

When I first saw you, I thought you are an Anglo Indian Goan.

Now I understand that just the way you look like a Goan, you too have a soft corner for Goa. Impressive!

Sudeep said...

Goa rocks!!!

we guys have so defined dresses for anything.. i hate it

but I must admit she still had a fantastic body.
had?? :0

u had a crush on Savio? he he.. n lol @ compulsory yoga

i want to go to Goa again...

Anonymous said...

Hey Sash, glad you enjoyed :).
Been to Goa once as a kid....I must get there again. Will appreciate it more this time am sure.

Just Jane said...

Goa is the best holiday spot ever. It rocks big time! And Goans are very cool people too ;-)

Shruti said...

how i wish i was in goa after reading this post.Damn..njoy urself...mai tasveero mein hi goa ka maza lootne ki koshish karti hu.

Anonymous said...

>>Sorry sweetheart, I've only got a pic of myself in the dress

I dont mind your being in the dress. I want to know your definition of 'little'.

As for the drinking and getting senti... go ahead and generalize, I will back you on that one. Have seen it happen more than I would have liked it.

How do we know said...

i havent read this really long post, but I have flicked your Bulla Translation post to put on my blog, and to forward to all the job sick, despo junta of the world tomorrow morning!
Thanks a ton for restoring that unique post to its full glory!! I have NEVER laughed so much reading! Next time, ask him to translate Ghalib!

Sirius Black said...

my feelings abt GOA :
"Ek pyaari se Goan fasson , Phir usse shaadi rachaaon" am sure u knw whch movie
ITs simply a paradise :D

Anil said...

oye, such a good story and no picture? At least think of anpadh gawaars like me.. why should I read all that description when a photo would suffice ;-)

Sayesha said...

#Venky,
Cool post yaar! And cool phrases too! :)

#Prayank,
Ooh I LOVE that movie! :D
Hope you don't have to DIG too deep before you reach (Goan) waters. :)

#Anonymous,
Dubbed movies? YIKES! :S

#Hotwinter,
I look Goan? Cool, I take that as a compliment! ;)

#Sudeep,
Yeah man... poor guys... they can't really experiment! :P

I didn't have a crush on Savio... just that he was the sexiest tour guide I'd ever seen. :)

#Harshi,
Yes yes you should go now! :)

#The Chosen One,
Aha! :D

#Shruti,
If you haven't been there, you should! :)

#Pradyot,
So it was you eh?? Grrrr... :@
Every girl's definition of 'little' varies... to me anything above the knees is little :)

#How do you know,
Welcome to Sayeshaz! :) How do you do, how do we know? Sorry, just trying to be corny :P Yes yes, spread Weird Hair Anil's glory, that dude deserves it! :)

#Sirius Black,
Yeah man! What a movie, what a place! :)

#Anpadh Gawaar,
A picture speaks a thousand words... the writer would like you to read the thousand words instead. Muahaha! :D

Shilpa said...

Hi first time here, hopped in from Archana's blog.

I loved the description. Feel like going to a Goan party right now :-)

Prabhu said...

hey,
blog hopped from Shilpa's blog. Was disappointed at the absence of the little,red dress in this blog :(

Goan party sure seems a lot of fun :)

Anonymous said...

u dont put ur pics in dis blog..so askd4 da red dress pic:-( u showd us da butterfly denim..now dis red dress plzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sayesha said...

#Shilpa,
Hey, welcome to Sayeshaz! :) Thanks for commenting :)

#Jessica,
Eh, is that a genuine comment or disguised spam? :/

#Prabhu,
Welcome to Sayeshaz! :) Yeah, the party was really fun... and I usually don't post pics on the actual blog post :P

#Anonymous,
I put the denim pic at the request of someone I know. You're not even willing to disclose your identity and you wanna see my pic? Hahaha! :D

Anonymous said...

Arrey nahi... it wasn't me earlier. The anonymous would mind you being in dress.. I won't. Subtle difference you see.

HOTWINTER said...

Y dont you write a book on Goa, Sayesha? We would love to read it and Im sure it will be the bestseller among all the books on Goa. Cool Na?

Sayesha said...

#Prad,
Chal tu bhi kya yaad karega... Here it is. :)

#Dexter,
Kya yaar! Driving away my readers, eh? :@

#Hotwinter,
Uhhh... I don't think I am qualified :)

dharmu said...

"galyan saakli sonya chi,
ee poori kona chi"

the goan songs r called "baila", they r basically konkani lyrics talking about the life in goa!

i myself love goa, and have been there several times. nothing to beat the goan tour by bikes.

sun-sea-sand, goa is 365 days of holiday! jeez, i miss being in india

Just Jane said...

That is a lovely pic, Sash! It actually does make you look Goan :) Absolutely LOVE the dress! Looks almost kneelength though?

Just Jane said...

@Dharmu,
i think its sangli instead of saakli and ee gori konachi :)

dharmu said...

@the chosen one-

no dear, the song goes like the way i told earlier. here is the word-to-word intrepretation.
as i said, the song is in goan konkani.

"galyan(around the neck) saankli(chain) sonya(gold) chi,
ee(thi) poori(daughter or damsel) kona(whose) chi"

in simple words, the dame with the gold chain around her neck is whose daughter ???...uh..
(i know it sounds funny in english)
i grew up dancing goan bailas...

Sayesha said...

#Dharmu,
Goa on a bike!!!! Sounds super duper fabulous!! I want to do it too! :(

#The Chosen One,
Thank you thank you... mera pehla experiment tha halter neck ke saath :P

Actually the dress is slanting type, so it covers one knee but not the other.... hehehehe :P

#Dharmu,
Hey, thanks for the translation... been singing it bachpan se, but never really knew what it meant! Thought it had something to do with Goa ki galiyan! :P

Anil said...

oi! I must be looking in the wrong place coz I can't see any pic...sudhar jaa anil, kam piya kar..

Sayesha said...

#Piyakkad darubaaz Anil,
Dhoondne se toh bhagwaan bhi mil jata hai, tum ek photo nahin dhoond paya? Isi page par hai baba, dhyaan se dekh :)

Anonymous said...

kwel ;)

Anonymous said...

the above is me... there seems to be some problem with my log in
-Pradyot

Unknown said...

Hey Sayesha!
red dress looking good!! And good call on the straight hair too! ;)

rock on!
tgfi

dharmu said...

even i dint find the photo, saw all the links too,
hey, sayesha bhai, bataye na...foto kahan chipka hai? apunko tera fultush roop dekhneka hai

Sayesha said...

#Pradyot,
Oye that 'kwel' word of yours better be a compliment ok?? ;)

#Ipanema Girl,
Thanks thanks! :P
This pic was before I straightened my hair... after wala pic I'll email you or something, okie? :)

#Dharmu,
Yeh raha baba :)

http://www.geocities.com/sayesha13/Sashinred.jpg

Unknown said...

oh? i guess you don't have very curly hair then! you could've gone with that too! ;)
btw bhai kidhar tapak gaya? no new post???

Unknown said...

**looks at pic again, with my glasses ;) **

hmm..i see some curls/waves, yeah...

Sayesha said...

#Ipanema Girl,
Haha... yeah my hair has a mind of its own... sometimes it's wavy, sometimes curly and sometimes almost straight :)

//btw bhai kidhar tapak gaya? no new post???

Bhai ko tapkaane ka baat karta hai?? Grrr... tera game baja dalega apun! :/

dharmu said...

sayesha bahi, aapto fulltosh rapchi item ho baap, kya mast lag rahelihai us laal rang mein,
ek dum filim heroien maafik...

apun kush hua..

Kusum Rohra said...

Goa nite in singy!!! WHoa! Mez just returned fully tanned ... heheh chal ab thora jaal.

I did parasailing, lazed on the beach till wee hours in the morning, rode on the bike late into the night :)

( Its not like i want to Jalaoo u :P)

Sayesha said...

#Dharmu,
Thank you thank you :) Apun ka disguise wala roop hai yeh... pulis ko dhokha dene ka waaste... is masoom si soorat ko dekhkar koi bolega ki yeh underworld ka Bhai hai? :)
*innocent eyelash flutter*

#Kusum,
Kya??? Apun virtual Goa mein tha aur tu real Goa bhi ghoom aayi?? x-( Abhi dekh Sash kaise badla leti hai! Muahahaha! :D

Unknown said...

i can so identify with the hair with a mind of its own, sistah!! ;)

Sayesha said...

#Ipanema Girl,
Photo bhej, tab maanega apun! ;)

Unknown said...

hahahaaahha shaani. after ur last email, NO WAY, Jose!

Unknown said...

Nice post (yet again) Sash :)

Cute, funny & made me a bit nostalgic too!! But loved reading it.. read the whole of it thrice (see.. the length never bothers me :D)

//"Kapil Dev and we have the same budget! Muahahaha!" I said.
hehehe.. that was cute & funny, cracked me up completely!

I wanna go Goa too :|:(
Yups.. being in India, I've never been to Goa :(
Guess il make it alone this time if no one wants to accompany me :|

Loved reading the post Sash :)

Take care,
Aarti

Dev said...

Ooooh... u shud have seen my last trip to Goa. :D

Anonymous said...

Hi,
just tell me where these smoke free parties take place
SUNITA

Anonymous said...

i found the song meaning very useful thanks guys was just googling to download he song

Anonymous said...

Goa is a party town, it's famous for beach resorts...

Anonymous said...

M-Sand can drastically reduce the cost as it does not contain impurities like river sand has, and wastage is almost nil. M sand is only appreciated by known users knowing the great benefits of it over river sand. They can used separately for concrete and plastering purpose. Get more details M Sand in Goa