Epar Bangla, Opar Bangla
Hash Run no. 37, Saturday 17th April, 2004 Hares: Pants Down Pammi and Grand Master Molester Visiting Hasher: Boring from the Dhaka Hash Returnees: Soma from The Park Venue: Opar Bangla, beyond the ITC and the IT hub The Hashers congregated by the truck, organised by the GM, outside the ITC hotel. Hitching a ride in Bill and Sarah’s car, Alice and I answered calls from hashers who were planning to reach, others like Kunalka who wanted to meet us at the circle and those like Fiddler who stepped out of his office, into the heat wave and decided not to join us. Molester, to whom I handed my mobile, told Kunalka we’d be having the circle in the truck somewhere; so they came over to the starting point to find out about the next Mayday Run, as they wouldn’t be able to join us on this run. Very wise of them as Pants Down Pammi had been gleefully issuing orders that we leave mobiles and valuables behind on this run. The direst warning: there was to be swimming with the water buffalos on this obstacle course! 15 of us, 4 harriets to 11 harriers, trooped onto the back of the truck. Conspicuous absentees were Sexy Legs Chiru who should have brought his girls from Thursday night at The Brit Club and Pumpernickel, Rye and White Bread, the three Americans working with Bill, who’d promised, at the DJ Le Tone Night at Incognito, that they would come. Either the jello shots at The Park poolside had laid them low or they were lying low expecting retribution for throwing Padminie & co. in The Park pool on Friday night. Virgin Hashers are always suitably baptised by the KRH3. The venue was still a secret so when we stopped at Soma’s gas station in Salt Lake to fill the tank, we knew we’d be heading far from the madding crowd, where no hasher has gone before. The truck ride had the wind whipping our hair; exceptions were Pammi who had Alice’s Cox & Kings cap after RA Bill tired of keeping his hand above his head as protection, since he didn’t have his turban, Soma who pinched Sarah’s Uncle’s Desert Hash House Harriers’ cap, and a few others who got Down Downs later for caps in the Circle. I’d brought along an umbrella to keep the sun off my back but it was no protection against Shaun who planted himself right behind me as we all grappled for the sides of the truck. Duck Suck Carl was sitting down at the opp. end from the tub splashing iced water every time we took a turn. Past the new IT hub, Soma’s house and the arrows pointing every which way to Aquatica, we finally arrived in the fields beside the new highway to the airport. Any further and we would have been at Vedic Village and eventually Dhaka. Having been transported like “high class prison labourers” according to RA Bill, we were offloaded and told to look for the trail. We tore off into the distance and FRB Boring, Shaun and Carl were able to find the trail. I’d look down on the ground and see tiny seashells and snake holes in the cracked earth! At the check backs, while the others were fanned out in every direction looking for the trail, I followed helpful hare Pants Down and was able to find the markings. Finally we were near the water body, and walking around the edges, we came to a point where there was a marking on one bank and another on the bank opposite beside the mound of cow dung! Hare GM Molester, to prove that there was no other way but across, waded in and then struck out in a crawl towards the opp. bank. Having had practice in his boxers and black socks at the Park poolside party the evening before, such eagerness was only to be expected. RA Bill too gave me his money and his sunglasses and with Sarah, were off into the choppy waters of the Channel heading from Dover to Calais. Danish Hasher of Dhaka - Hash Handle Boring also took off for Opar Bangla with Carl swimming behind. Shaun, Lickin’Lucky and the 3 Stooges continued skirting the lake looking for a way out of the water hazard- where we could see the water buffaloes crossing. By a miracle we were able to walk on water – over the 3 planks submerged at the point where the two banks were the closest. Shaun gallantly helped Alice, pulling her up the bank, while Ravi carried her digital camera across. Soma and the others also walked the plank as Pants Down Pammi looked on like Captain Hook barking orders at his hapless victims. Having crossed over to the other side, we squelched, jogged and raced back to the truck after our sighting of a snake. Back at the Truck there were more than 50 villagers gathered around to see us making spectacles of ourselves. Very entertaining to see Shaun douse me from a bottle of cold water and someone else getting Alice down the back! Bill’s airport duty pick up had also stopped on the highway after spotting us. Realising we couldn’t do Down Downs with such an audience, we moved down the highway to a quieter spot. Shaun bet Sarah that in 7 mins there would be another crowd of spectators. He won. But by then we were busy meting out punishments. The Hares got an on on for a truly fabulous run. The visiting Danish hasher was made to sing a Danish song. We figured after he sang with such vigour he definitely didn’t live up to his hash handle Boring. All the caps in the circle got down downs and after they wore the caps again, GM had to pour beer in the caps! Pammi for religious reasons was exempt. Shaun got charged for a fashion faux pas as he was wearing white pants and tho’ he argued they were track pants we heartily sang to the Poncy pants! The others got DDs along with him for wearing jeans -Pathetic Lay Ravi, newcomer Naseeb for his Dick’s Dilemma T Shirt, Glam Chick Soma etc. Lickin’ Lucky, every time we lost the bottle opener, used his religious kada to open the bottles. Boring managed to open one Dansberg with another. Very useful. After the windswept truck ride back to the ITC, singing songs and drinking beers, I for one was starving for some Chinese food. As I’d seen the banners for Fung Fa, that’s the restaurant I wanted to check out. So rallying to go to Fung Fa, I managed to persuade Bill and Sarah, who had never even been to Tangra, and Alice, who knows every other restaurant there. Though we went looking for Fung Fa, we couldn’t find the place and therefore landed up at Kim Ling. There we sampled some delicious Honey Chicken, Spring Rolls, Drums of Heaven, Tom Yum Soup, Hot n Sour Soup and prawn crackers. Bill and Sarah drank some Baccardi Cokes or rather Thums Up as neither coke nor Diet Coke was available in Tangra! Luckily we didn’t have that problem at Some Place Else and Tantra where we later gathered to hear the Saturday Night Blues Band and Bill singing with them. My date for the evening, as Bill put it, was Fiddler (busted! and Fiddlee is going to tile the floor with him) who wanted to see the Chhod Do Aanchal babe performing at Tantra. As he wasn’t drinking (on an empty stomach), and antsy to reach Tantra on time, (I had the invite) he looked on in horror as we had vodka shots one after the other and then Sarah’s lemon drops. Sue and Soma came back from Tantra saying that Klaus the underwater photographer of the Park poolside was there as were P, R, &WB. So we all continued the Hash party after midnight at Tantra. Cheers and on on, Late Cummer Neela |
posted by Calcutta Hash Walks @ 11:35 am
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