Karaoke Nights are not rare…neither are they unique to 10D. But the one thing that makes KJ Anand’s Karaoke Sessions a delight is the pleasure that he derives in making everyone sing. Unlike in many bars, not all the singers at 10D are good…in fact some of them are downright bad…but spirited and sporting. And it takes Anand’s charms to allow a bad or mediocre singer to slip through and have his or her moment in the sun.

The practice actually makes Karaoke at 10D a much more credible and much more real proposition. Because it is the wart and the mole and the scar that make true beauty come alive.

Last night was yet another 10D night…but with a difference. The pre-finals of the Karaoke World Championships were being held there and I was one of the judges.

So we got there, all geared up to hear some good music and see some good singers. To make sure we gave the songs and the singers a good reception we decided to shift from our respective Beers and Bloody Mary’s to Long Island Iced Teas…and that proved to be the magic potion that fueled our night.

While the Karaoke Finals were rudely interrupted by the overzealous cops, the kids took it well and we dispersed in quite an orderly fashion. Then someone mumbled the words…Dee Yell Eff.

Now here was an experience I had been hungering for…and I had actually written about a few months back…how the kids were conspiring to keep me away from this culinary carnival. So when they suggested DLF Bandi…I said yes with a smile and my friends agreed to stretch the night.

The stretch of eateries opposite the DLF building in Gachibowli is alive and kicking at 2 am. There is the famous Maggi Noodles chap offering to spice up his concoctions with eggs. And a bunch of idli / dosa stalls offering different kinds of dosas. In a small lane I saw fruit juice shops. Since the driving force of the Foodies in Hyderabad came and joined us, we were welcomed with open arms into a ramshackle shed, offered chairs to sit and a table to boot…and unspoken permission to carry our beers in.

After I had gotten over the traffic jam in this area at this time of the day..and after I had gotten over being stared at as if I was an alien…and after I had gotten over seeing young men in their night clothes I realized that this truly was another world. A world which ticked on different tocks. A world where body cycles went haywire and conversations were completely out of sync with the comfort zone of civility that we had cocooned ourselves into.

My egg dosa was delicious…the noodles were…slllluuuurrrrpppp…and the evening was fun. Yet another instance of song and dance contributing to world peace and harmony…and I realize I am rambling…could it be the after effects of a longer night than usual ?