Trademarks : 'abey yaar', film critic of the year???

Not to be confused with : Linus, Dexter.

Our man from cybercity, the 'torchbearer of the ISC tradition'. He takes his net seriously, replying to all your mails and cursing those who don't reply to his. I didn't realise how e-mail savvy he was till I met him on Yahoo!Messenger while he was in Bombay and asked him where in the city he was. The only guy to come from Hyderabad and log onto the net from Chowpatty before sampling the Chat(um... u know which Chat I mean). His yahoo nick? Dexter. Need I say more?

Dexter is always ready to chuck you out of his room, each person in his own style. Except Modi, who is allowed to stay. With Bob, he'll retrieve his rechargeable batteries and mobile first. With me, he'll give me a spoon of Maggi (or a pair of tonsils of Maggi, which is his equivalent of a fork) and get me to wash the dishes. Then he'll chuck me out. Or so I thought. Till I discovered he does the same with everybody and implies that you and only you are the one privileged to have Maggi in his room. An art, which he has, no doubt, perfected after watching Mehra. Mehra however does it with peanuts (no, really - not 'metaphorically speaking, of course'). The only time Marda has offered me Maggi was during the 10 days when I had decided (don't ask why - I don't know, maybe the weather does it) to keep a fast for Navratri. For whatever reason, some forbidden fruit, er.... food, was being consumed almost daily and Maggi being slurped up (much too obviously teasingly) by Marda and Sureka with many a comment on how deliciously invigorating it was. The only satisfaction I was allowed was to wash, er... watch them wash the dishes.

At the time this was written, Marda was three hours from catching the Konkan railway train to Goa, and I was briefing him (over the phone for once) on the ideal spots to catch the sun 'n' sand (and other sundry Goa offerings). We were unable to meet and Go-Kart (Go Go-Karting?) as planned as our plans were foiled by what turned out to be the biggest downpour in May in Bombay since 1949.