Pickwick-what?

"Both Dickens and Manto in one fest?"

"Yes. Nothing wrong with that?"

"No.. Whats the concept behind this?"

"Dickens was born in.. 1812, and Manto exactly a hundred years later, in 1912."

"Okay.."

"So, that makes 2012 Dickens's bicentenary and Manto's centenary year. Makes sense? Come for it?"

"When is it?"

"15th to 17th of October."

"Not sure if I'll be in town.."

"Where are you going?"

"Dusshera, dude! Going out for a trip!"

"Never, since a child, have I seen you step outside Delhi. First time?"

"Very funny. But I'll be busy.."

"Okay."

".. on the 15th and 16th.."

"Okay."

".. and the 17th.."

"Alright! I got it!"

"Its going to be the same old thing I tell you.. Like all the other fests.. All college fests are the same. People forget.. they forget that its originally for Dickens and Manto, y'know.. All they really care about is looking smart and being photogenic.."

"You got it ALL wrong.."

"Huh? Who made you the expert? You in the fest?"

"Duh. I'm one of the bloggers for the fest, you know.."

"Blogger? Its big scale or what?"

"Its HUGE! Its a three day fest. First of its kind in Jamia. First major fest that I'm a part of".

" 'Tever. It'll be the same. Random exhibitions. Bored flock of well dressed fest goers, while no one even feels the esprit of either Dickens or Manto.."

"You think so. But something is in the air, man. An English Department that.. you and I have never known before. A Jamia I never imagined. Enter the department and you hear this guy reciting a Manto and that girl practising her role from 'Toba Tek Singh'... Yesterday.. you wont believe this.. yesterday a junior got all emotional when I reckoned Dickens as a failed dramatist.."

"Huge failure, actually. True that.. True, true. Its because he couldn't pull it off on the stage that he started off as a full-time writer."

"Hmm. So, where was I? Wait.. You were talking about random exhibitions and people being bored. Well, there are no exhibitions as such.."

"Hah!"

"But, there are events."

"Events!"

"Yes! There's elocution and there's drama.. and there's quiz.. there's creative writing, there's graffiti."

"Now we're talking!"

"And there's paper presentation by students, seminars, film screenings."

"Woa. That really is huge, man."

"Ain't it AWEsome. And guess what. Cash Mooney."

"Alright!"

"Anyway. I'll push off. PickWick appointments, y'know.."

"PickWick what?"

"That's the name of the fest."

" Damn.. sounds cool, too."

"Yeah.. Okay.. I'm getting late.."

"Register me for the elocution will you?"

"What about Dusshera?"

"Never mind that.. Was just pulling your dignified leg."

"Oh. My. God. I have to kill you right now."

-Aryak Ray

B.A. (Hons) Eng II