UPDATES

VEMBY'99: The month of March.  Spring in the air. Same old bondas at Hotel Ambili. Suresh Gopi has just  unleashed 'Pathram' and   'FIR' on the masses of Kerala. And Iype and Ebby have salvaged the pride of Priya by making it to the coveted  All  India  rank-list ( the  Lodge Supreme  Council  even debates  promoting them from  Secondary to Primary Priyans !).  But do we see a pall of gloom descend upon the rest of the gang ??  NO CHANCE!  They're having a blast ! A re-grouping of these 'great' souls takes place on the 11th of the month in the premises of their karmabhoomi. Pleasantries and 'Lofty' ideas are exchanged as they catch up with each other -- Raja's working at 'Naalu
Kodi', RPU occasional GP at Manarcad, PP at Kannur, Shibu at Karukachal, Amos preparing for the GRE after a short stint at Koodalloor, KRP just back from Sharjah, Uncle and Chatti studying at Priya.

They decide to mark this day with a luncheon at Vembanad. The food there is usual fare, but it is Raja who steals the show with a display of brute strength as the stubborn ketchup is sent packing to the ceiling !!! (The Vemby authorities never figure out how ! ). The revered PU decides to inspect the advanced hair weaving techniques supposedly available at the premises, only to turn back disappointed. He does, however make the owner realise the great potential of such a venture !

As the two Marutis wind back to Gandhinagar, everyone decides to go on a shopping spree; for entrance books, that is. Shri SG Pai welcomes them with open arms, darins their pockets, and hopes to see them again after the Kerala entrance ! Following a short stop at Ayyappan's flat, our heroes are back in Priya, with a steely resolve and desperate hope not to have to see Mr.pai again !!

DULLS' TREAT: (can be alternatively named VICTORS' TREAT)
EBBY GEORGE SIMON and SATHEESH IYPE. They have done Priya proud by securing PG seats in the All India Entrance Exam ! And in celebration of their success, they give everybody a nice little treat on the 26th of March. Priyans and non-Priyans from near and far come to share their joy
and of course, get a chelavu. Things go on smoothly as pastry after vada after ladoo after cutlet are downed along with colas of every kind by the gluttonous good fellows. The esteemed Suresh saar (of VC's chamber and Section Office fame) is especially thrilled and god-naturedly wishes all the best for the coming entrance exams. The rest of the evening is spent doing what Priyans do best - katthiyadi. LIKE 'OLE TIMES AGAIN......

UNCLE DYNAMITE: Yessir, he sure throws quite a punch, our dear Uncle Abhilash. First with the Manipal entrance where he gets the 139th rank and an MS Ophthal seat at KMC, Manglore. But before he can even start learning the Kannada tongue (!!), the Kerala entrance results arrive with a BANG (the other Priyans heard only a whisper ! ) and the 51st rank is his. Then follows a long anxious wait for the interview during which time he makes the trips to Muscat and to Trivandrum ("what are the chances - ortho? ophthal?") ending up all the more unsure. But his doubts are dispelled in January 2000 when he joins for MS Ophthalmology at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. Of course, that would mean he bid adieu to dear old Priya Lodge to take residence in the PG Hostel (where he is currently the sole pillar of male strength ! ). And that was how Priya Lodge lost it's very first and longest serving citizen.

ABHILASH'S TREAT AT ANJALI: Of course, before he left for Trivandrum, all the Priyans were treated to a dinner at Hotel Anjali. This time though, Raja did not enthrall us with his ketchup act !

HERE WE GO AGAIN...................!!!: Ah....... time for the annual ritual - the All India PG Entrance at Trivandrum. What a wonderful feeling ! All the more special this time because it follows the Millennial Day. So while the world's partying like there is no tommorow, the denizens of Priya Lodge don't know (as the wise PU put it) "if they can enjoy a decent New Year Day again !!!" Still, they make the best of, and mark the occasion by munching on the peanuts Abhilash Purushothaman distributes ! Next day on Vanchinad Express, the same old faces (at least this way we all meet once  a year!), the same old anxieties. The Priyans (Pradeep, PP, PU, Manoj & Sunil) have their stay at the Yathri Nivas (arranged thanks to Satheesh Iype). The room is okay and so are the million mosquitoes who make a great meal of the poor souls all through the night, prompting one gentleman to get up well before dawn !! The question paper is of a high standard so that "all of them get a big zero!" And it was - the end of another pilgrimage to the land of Sree Padmanabha Swami !

PAANDICHERRY PRIYANS: This one's the first ! The Priyans decide to write the JIPMER entrance at Pondicherry. KRP booked the bus tickets for the five (RPU, Raja, Shibu, PP & KRP) and they assemble at the Ernakulam KSRTC stand on the hot afternoon of March 17th 2000 to take the "hi-tech, push back" rickety bus to Pondy. At Pondy, they are helped by a "kind" and "knowledgeable" old man (32 seats, 6000 students !) in getting an A/C suite at Hotel Ram International. The day is spend tuning TV and enjoying the A/C. In the evening Manoj and Raja along with Rajesh G (of junior batch) head to the JIPMER campus to hand over their hall ticket numbers to Smitha B. There they also bumped into Thomas Mathew and Betsy. Return, dinner, "Kaun" and sleep. Exam nothing ! The autorikshaw union seems to have hiked minimum fares to Rs.15 for these 3 days. Anyway, the examination was a resounding success, but not for the Priyans. Now they face the hurdle of crossing the great expanse of Tamil Nadu and getting back to Kerala, a task made all the more complicated by the hartal called by some group protesting Bill Clintion's India visit !! A bus to Villupuram, then onto Salem (9:30 PM), from there to Coimbatore (1:00 AM) and at last the Jayanthi Janatha Express to God's Own Country ! What a trip !