Synapse goes to the movies.

The Synapse team went to see Mission Kashmir one fine Saturday evening in November 2000. The movie turned out to be rather shoddy however, so the eleven of us — six staff plus five llamas — soon found other ways to keep ourselves entertained.

Gourav first got onto his seat (top row of the balcony) and put his hand over the projecter. But it didn't have the intended effect. The other two projecters accounted for the screen getting only a little fainter.

Next, we started to imitate the tea vendor on screen who walked around asking everyone if they wanted "kaava" (a hot spicy concoction made in Kashmir that resembles black tea). Calls of "kaava" soon started to echo through the hall.

In the mean time, Kevin, who wasn't understanding anything on screen, went off to sleep. The calls switched to "Kevin, kaava!"

Then Gourav made a new plan. Everytime there was a joke on screen, we would laugh one after the other, each in a distinct style. Effectively cascade the laugh down the row.

During the interval, we crowded into the snack bar, trying to decide whether we should continue watching or leave. Gourav was in favour of staying, everyone else against. Then Kevin picked up a jar of tea from the tea vendor, put it on a tray, and went around offering it to everyone chanting "chai chai", his Canadian accent now disguised behind a Bombay accent.

We left the place and headed for Baskin Robbins where everyone crowded into the little seating area. Gourav asked "Do you have...", and came the chorus: "KAAVA!"