We just had a small discussion today and it got me all nostalgic about the wonderful time we had in college. We had started a magazine in college, called it CRAP!. Yeah, you read it right. That’s what it was called. Even now i wonder how we got away with such a corny name. Will never forget how we got it through with the Principal and KNR.

8:41 PM me: hey dickhead

Abhishek: hey whats up

i was thinking of pinging u

8:42 PM me: i am good man

whats new?

Abhishek: was reading CRAP the other day

Abhishek: got nostalgic

me: the new one?

i want to read it man

they came with the new issue

Abhishek: kaam is all there is filhaal to

no new one

me: ok..

Abhishek: the first one

me: yeah man

i miss those days

remember the night outs?

Abhishek: remembering the nights we spent compiling the damn thing

me: yeah man

Abhishek: same here man

me: the photoshop

8:43 PM thing was screwing

Abhishek: didn’t crap go belly up just after we left coll

me: then the slept the whole day in class

i will never forget that

sometimes i wonder, why we were so crazy

Abhishek: i know man…..

i guess its coz we had nothing better to do

me: ha ha

we had something to do.. CRAP

An enlightening conversation between two CRAPians. Damn! I long for those days. It all started with this one comment by a senior. He was editor for ‘Collegiate‘, the college newspaper. Used to come once in a year and had only news. I mean what’s the point of reading news after one year? He once casually asked me, “So what did u like about Collegiate?”.I said there was nothing in it for me to read. Jokingly, he remarked, “So you plan to start one of your own huh? Take a hike man!”. That really left me thinking. Could I kick them in the shins? Could we actually come up with something more often and nothing to do with news. Something everyone can read. Something one can read in class when bored, something you can carry in the toilet and hopefully not use as toilet paper.

I remember the first ever meeting we had. The guys I had chosen – Venkat, Pritish, Prashant, Abhishek and other members of Raag. Pritish was recruiting the females. I remember one of the lines I gave him. “Yaar, ladkiyaan arrange karde!”. I will never forget that line, those girls still take my trip on that line. Spare me people!

So we had our share of pretty women. Rachita, Polomi, Mishi. This first meeting was more of a concept on what we planned to do. There were a whole of ideas. We went berserk. Totally. It was outside the library, in the lawns and everyone was looking. It was a gang of over 20 people.

We called it CRAP!. If the magazine was good, we’ll be like what the hell, we are good. If people did not like it – aaah! Chuck it, its CRAP anyway! But to get it through to the authorities we had to take a different name. So what could it be?

CRAP: Consortium of RVans Associate Press! Voila! We had it! The perfect formula. So CRAP it is. The permission came in a jiffy and we were through.

The next two months we put in all we had and got the sponsorships and the material. Our trusty old printer, Vasudeva did a good job of it. We had it rolling in the press. And like always, he delayed it for want of employees. So Pritish, Venkat and I actually sat at the printer’s and worked the machines to cut the paper, print and bind them. Damn, we were an enthusiastic lot.

We got the 3000 issues (yeah, you read it right!) on a bright Monday morning and painted the college red. It was a HIT. Super hit! People loved it and they were reading it in classrooms, bunking lectures and it was chaos! We had arrived!

We went for a nice party that night, I don’t remember where though. The girls had gone back to hostel. My hunch is we went to a sidey Bar and had our fill. It was a battle worth having won! And what started as vendetta soon became a phenomenon.

When we left college in 2006, it was already in its 6th issue. I feel the last one was perhaps the best. There were some things I still ponder upon when I think of CRAP.

What glued us together?
Why were so crazy?
Why did we do all this?
Why were we so jobless?
Why did people like it?
Was it worth it?
YOU BET IT WAS!

PS: The magazine carried my name in all issues as ‘Founder and Mentor’. Can never describe the kicks I got out of it!