ಫೋನ್ ಮಧ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ

It was Karthik's idea, which nobody expected, because Karthik checks his phone everywhere, even at weddings.

Friday, an Indiranagar rooftop, six friends who hadn't all been in one place since convocation. Before the menus came, he put his phone face-down in the middle of the table. "New rule. First person to touch their phone pays the whole bill."

The tower

Five more phones went on the pile, one by one, like a very nervous game of Jenga. For the first ten minutes everyone kept glancing at it. A phone buzzed. Then another. Nobody moved. Meghana sat on her hands.

Then something strange happened. They started talking properly. About Nisha's new job in Pune that she secretly hates. About Arjun's dad learning to make reels. About the school trip to Jog Falls when Karthik lost a shoe and walked back in one slipper.

Midnight

The sky went from orange to blue to black. The waiter asked twice if they wanted the bill. At midnight they realised nobody had touched the tower. Nobody had a single photo of the night, and nobody minded.

They split the bill six ways. Karthik paid the tip anyway, "for the idea".

Ee Sanje is for evenings like that: fresh, a little party, a little aromatic, and so good you forget to post them.