Artwork: Geoff Hyde. Photo of Raghavendra: Nivedita Awasthi

“Oh God! We missed the shuttle, it’s a Sunday evening, it’s pouring, where are we gonna eat now?” Pat comes the reply, “Chill dude, FARAN’s hai na, we will surely find something to eat there”.

“Chalo Yaar, I am tired of working, let’s take a break”.

“But it’s 11:30 man, kya break, and what do you wanna do at this time?”

“Let’s go to FARAN’s and play TT”.

“Bro, cricket match, India vs Australia, gotta be there at FARAN’s tomorrow to watch it live”

So, you have a peek into our lives at odd times now, par yeh FARAN’s kya hai? Welcome to NCBS, and FARAN’s is the most happening place (apart from labs) here. It stands for Fun And Recreation At NCBS. Cool! All from the horse’s mouth, the fundo place boasts of a TT board, carom board, a spacious TV room, a small balcony side sitting room, which overlooks a sprawling lawn and a newspaper room where you are at liberty of discussion (huh), all for the recreation of tired minds. And behold, the fun does not end there, a small store near the stairs sells enough goodies for those eerie hour hunger pangs. From chai shai, to halka fulka snacks, from cold drinks to fag, name it, and you can find it (be reasonable). So, we don’t swear by the place for nothing. Watching matches and having pre and post discussions and arguments, unwinding by playing some sport or simply watching the pattering rain drops with a cuppa tea….FARAN’s is the place to be.

Late Night Lures. Photo: Nivedita Awasthi.

FARAN’s has been home for quite a number of events. Be it the Fresher’s party for the newstuds, small conference, dinner after some meetings, photo exhibition or just relaxation, our FARAN’s has always been at our disposal. The small verandah inside overlooking the pool makes a perfect place for tranquilizing those research minds. The place opened up in the sometime distant past and has become an integral part of socializing among the students ever since, and why not, it provides perfect ambience to refresh ourselves.

As rightly said, change is the only constant in life. So be it. Necessity and new ideas lead to improvement. The name of this improvement is the Sports Complex, the fitness centre constructed newly right next to the main canteen. A well equipped gym, badminton court, squash court, a spacious TV room adorn the new recreation centre. So what makes the new recreation centre different from the old one? To begin with, the place is more sophisticated, organized. The TV room is alluring because of the bigger and better TV and ultra cozy sofas. The badminton court is big enough to actually learn and play the game. The fitness centre invites you to burn that flab off. The icing on the cake however is the swimming pool. With the facilities and security around it, it sure is one of the main attractions here.

With everyone being health conscious these days and such amenities at our service, the new complex is becoming a crowd puller. However, will the opening of the new sports complex mean that FARAN'S will slowly die? Well, only time will decide that, who knows, we even might have one come up in the new centre in the near future. One thing is for sure, the spirit of FARAN'S must always live on.