Sitting and talking

There was this thing we used to do back in college. And for years after, while we got busy with our jobs.

Once a month, we would meet, the five of us. It could be Sarthak's place or mine. We would either go out to eat, or order in. Then during college days we would play Counter Strike. Later, we grew out of CS. Though some of us still want to get back to shooting the others across the map of De Dust.

The bonds of our friendship were forged in these Coke fuelled CS nights.

Today, while reading about the German practice of Stammtisch, I found myself reminiscing our CS days.

"In every German village there is the corner bar, and in the corner is a table. It's reserved for the sort of elders or other regulars. And they sit in the corner and they drink their beer and smoke their cigarettes and pontificate on the town and all of its craziness."

We did not drink alcohol during our CS nights. But it was regular, we did not have to worry about where we would sit. It was home, after all. We did laugh, sing and dance.

Men in particular can find it hard to be vulnerable with one another, added Hein. But amid the ambiance and repeated meetings of a Stammtisch, something starts to happen.
"You open up on things, on your very personal things," Hein said. "Nowadays, I have to almost say it's more important than ever to have a kind of Stammtisch."

That is also something we did often. But during the winters of Delhi, we would sit on the terrace, burn some wood and talk. Talk about things we could not to anyone else. Talk without worrying what they would think. Talk without objective or want. Or maybe sometimes to get advice.

And it was nice.

Now, I liven in Finland. Uchit is in Japan. Sarthak and Saurabh are in Delhi. Pankaj is in Bangalore.

And man do I miss it.

Sitting and talking.