A word of caution : A few things might appear derogatory , uncivilized Or unwarranted .Since its all about perception the weak hearted are suggested to take medical advice if they still feel the urge to continue.
It all started in the Summer of 1997 . The norther plains especially the region close to Rajasthan (and the state itself) is baked by the Sun God. Each year hundreds if not thousands die – courtesy : Sun stroke .
An Engineering college on the outskirts of Agra . It was here when a few guys became friends (Nothing unusual ) . These were an unpolished lot in their early twenties .
A normal college day :
X : Did you hear our senior got beaten up .
Y : Yeah I know I was there too .
Z : So what did you do .
X: I ran away !! (pretty smart)
To give you a taste of the local dialect :
A : Ka hairo hai ( What'z up buddy ? )
B : Kachu na hairo ( Nothing)
Hindi in its crudest form .
The campus and the Agra city was connected by a broken road , the distance was no more than 15 kms but the journey took approximately one and a half hours ,if I do not exaggerate . The Bus broke down often and you might well imagine the nightmare since only two buses plied the route.
The better way to travel was to use the Train . The train tracks criss-crossed the college campus and the college was famous(did I hear ill famous ?) for making the Train stop where ever and when ever they desired . So it was more of a private train and the most recommended way to travel was on the train top – after all Kings cannot share seats with the Commoners.
The college had a huge campus , a giant foot ball field , a cricket ground , a hockey , basketball, volleyball ........., gardens , orchards , a mini jungle ... It was mind blowing .
The only thing it didn't have was discipline . It was something nobody had heard about in that region for quite sometime.
In a hostile territory these guys joined hands to do something which nobody attempted before. They formed a “Gang “. !! People named it “Kabila” . It was just the beginning .
Gang's are supposed to harass , to loot , to kill, to murder and may be a few more things which I better omit . Kabila was different – it did nothing of this sort and this is what made it a formidable force to reckon with and which people took pride in joining .
The only thing it did was : If you feel its wrong – stand up and say “This is Wrong” and we're not going to take it lying down. !! That was the underlying philosophy .
The Gang had no leaders . The members staunchly protected their freedom and did what they felt was right .
The bonds between the members grew with time and so did their enemies .
Gang wars !!
We had quite a few of them and one which rocked the campus . It split the batch but it was necessary . Corrupt practices had to be brought to an end . This needed determination and the heart to fight it out .
Kabila did it – and it made sure it stood by what it felt was the right : The Gang couldn't take things lying down after all !!
If you're wondering who these guys were – I'm not disclosing . Two of them are scientists , one in the US and the other in Mumbai . One is Managing the whole of Western India Sales for a company at an age which might surprise you .
The rest are Engineers , some are coding, some are testing and some are just enjoying . - in short they are keeping the Kabila spirit alive (you don't trouble me - I don't trouble you)!!
The Gang lives on and so I just cannot write it off now. One day your morning newspaper might read : Kabila strikes back !!
