Valentine day is a day of expression. You express your love for that someone special. In other words, it is a day on which record number of people say “I LOVE U” and hope to say the same a year later to hopefully the same person. This day is the most planned of all days in the entire calendar. Everything from “good mornings” to “good nights” is planned well in advance. Important office/college work is kept on hold just so that the mornings and nights are not only good but excellent.
The planning is not only confined to the people who do a “celebration” of love but also by the resource providers. Who are they you may ask? These are no one but the florist, Archie’s gallery, hallmark people who sell stuff at higher prices on this day with a view to recover all their year’s costs! All in the name of providing your respective love one day of happiness which should be enough to last for a year (even though you don’t care to express it for the next 364 days).
But ultimately it is the pressure to conform to such rituals which drives all couples to conjure various routes of expression. Hence I set out on a journey of self righteousness to find a way to provide the most perfect articulation of love. Heavy isn’t it??
It was my 1st valentine and I made the biggest rookie mistake – I forgot to plan! So here I was on 12th February amidst high valentine day inflation to create a plan out of nothing. Then in a “Home Alone” kind of way, I drew up a baby plan to support the cause. Flowers in the morning, good happiness lunch in the afternoon, snacks on the house and then a lavish dinner. Pls don’t ask for the quotations for this plan. Let’s just say that if there was anything more than this, I would have most certainly required to take a small loan or something from friends, family, RBI etc.
“Ye bouquet ka 300 rupees hoga sahib (this bouquet is for Rs 300 sir)” barked the extremely busy florist. 300 bucks for something I would call a small twig planted in a takeaway pav bhaji style plastic container with a few roses who most certainly passed their prime (they might as well have been last year’s valentine day rejects). When I complained about the sky high price and quality, the florist replied “2 din pehle toh aisa hi hota hai, kya aapka pehla hai kya? Log toh pehle se hi order kar lete hai! Dekhiye Bhabhiji ko kush karna ho toh ye chal jayega…nahi toh thoda aur paise dalke “MEGA Bouquet” le sakte ho. Ek Cadbury iske saath free hai (you will get such prizes 2 days prior to V-day. I think this is your 1st time. Others do ordering in advance. Let me tell you something, add some more money, get this bouquet on which you get a Cadbury free!)”. WOW!! Valentine day combo offer from a florist for my lady love!!! There can be nothing more uncomfortable than to discuss what my lady love would like and what not with a florist!
Then with a lot of lightness in my wallet (around 350 rupees lighter – 50 rupees “special delivery charges”) I gave the florist the address of delivery and then went off. On 13th February, I realized another fact – I haven’t purchased any gift!!!! Getting off my bus @ 9:15 pm, I rushed to Archies gallery fearing that it might be closed. But no, it was open, special valentine day thing where they remain open for a fairer part of the night for bakras like me who forget stuff! They guys at such shop are really laid back people who know that I am the person in need and would give any prize to escape the wrath of my lady love. They have catalogue specially placed to confuse you and put you in a bigger dilemma – what to get!! Finally after going through the entire catalogue for more than 45 minutes, I got a gift which would ensure that I am safe for at least a year.
So the day finally arrived, my 1st valentine day!!! Morning was perfect. I got up, called her in order to make her day ;). Then I got my 1st shock, the florist who was suppose to reach her place by 8 am was late by a big way!! Maybe the logistics calculation went wrong somewhere!! Anyways, I was at a loss, 350 bucks on a bouquet and no smile on her face - a raw deal indeed. I liaised with her roommate to ensure that she was late that day. The place worked and they got the bouquet on the road to office! A smile on the face which implied 350 rupees well spent!
Lunch and snacks went to plan and through my wallet! Office was a breeze that day as most of the people were either busy forwarding valentine day emails or on call with their respective partners. Basically, telecom industry works and toils hard for this day!! Surprisingly this day doesn’t see any network congestion or sms delay! It’s like they flip a switch to get that extra spectrum for such times!!
Anyways, after an eventful day @ office, we left for dinner which highlighted my second mistake – No reservations! Guys and girls, let me tell you something, you can forget the flowers, gifts and cards, but you cannot afford to forget reservation, single most important aspect on valentine day - something which can make or break your day, something which puts the “!” mark or “?” mark on your love commitment!!
However, this was my second mistake and I had to deal with it. We went to a restaurant and asked for a table for 2. When explained about the absence of a reservation, the guy at the reception gave a chuckle and asked us to wait for a very small duration of time – 90 mins - to get a table. Sighting some good opportunities on the horizon, we left the 1st place and went to another one. Slowly, slowly, the horizon became an oasis and the prospect of having a nice fun filled dinner was looking like a remote possibility.
Finally, the most regrettable decision was taken and we headed over to KFC for our valentine day dinner. The shock of my life would have been a waiting list for that place also, but God isn’t that cruel. KFC, Macdonalds are places made for boneheads like us who forget the 1 important things on a day like this. So, there I was, in KFC, at a small table, biting in on a freshly oiled chicken drumstick and pushing towards her the gift of Valentine! She was happy!! After a very average day, she was happy and that put the “!” mark in the relationship!
I would never forget this day on 2 counts, it taught me the very beautiful yet often ignored art of planning and KFC chicken is really good!!!!!!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
Why Do I even bother?
As i loved along the road,
Looking behind like an eager toad.
There she was, the angel of my dreams walking,
Carefully stroking her hand as on the phone, she kept on talking
Slowly i reduced my pace,
As she came close to me, my heart began to race.
But alas, I saw her with the class bully!!
I started devicing methods to get rid of him fully!
Luck finally became came to me like a moth to a flame,
the bully went to his friends who were also very lame!
In quick time now minus the phone, she caught up with me,
She was besides me, all for me to see
She looked at me and gave a big inviting smile,
but clumsy as she is, she tripped, dropping her file!
I jumped at the chance and offered to help,
I picked up her file which made me feel good about myself!
She was grateful and acknowledged the fact that i assisted
Her eyes met mine and the smile on my face persisted.
She looked at me and was sure to say something sweet,
I had summed up the courage now to ask for a coffee meet!
She said with a open heart, "Your so sweet, your just as helpful and cute as my little brother!"
I thought with a broken heart, "Oh,my god! Why do i even bother!"
Looking behind like an eager toad.
There she was, the angel of my dreams walking,
Carefully stroking her hand as on the phone, she kept on talking
Slowly i reduced my pace,
As she came close to me, my heart began to race.
But alas, I saw her with the class bully!!
I started devicing methods to get rid of him fully!
Luck finally became came to me like a moth to a flame,
the bully went to his friends who were also very lame!
In quick time now minus the phone, she caught up with me,
She was besides me, all for me to see
She looked at me and gave a big inviting smile,
but clumsy as she is, she tripped, dropping her file!
I jumped at the chance and offered to help,
I picked up her file which made me feel good about myself!
She was grateful and acknowledged the fact that i assisted
Her eyes met mine and the smile on my face persisted.
She looked at me and was sure to say something sweet,
I had summed up the courage now to ask for a coffee meet!
She said with a open heart, "Your so sweet, your just as helpful and cute as my little brother!"
I thought with a broken heart, "Oh,my god! Why do i even bother!"
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Will of the Heart
The door bell rang. Shilpa, sobbing as ever, got up to open the door. She was crying since last yesterday. She had a big fight with Aneesh, the guy she was in a relationship with for 8 years over some decisions of future which either of them weren’t agreeing to. Although the decisions to be taken were straight forward, they did have a direct effect on the way both of them had perceived their married life to be.
The argument grew and went totally out of proportion eventually leading to a thought of breaking up for the better. This dented Shilpa bringing her to tears, which haven’t left her eyes ever since their arrival.
The door bell rang again. She had to clean her face thoroughly to remove any signs of the sadness that was on it just a few moments ago. Once she was prepared to face whosoever was at the door, she turned the latch.
As soon as she got a glimpse of the person who was waiting to come in, she couldn’t hold her tears back. It was Aneesh. All the emotions of yesterday which she thought had drained off with the tears came back.
Aneesh: “Can I come in? I think we need to talk”
Aneesh, who is usually neatly dressed, was looking bit ragged in his outfit. Clearly a sign of how much he also was affected by yesterday’s fight
Shilpa: “Yes..” she squeaked while trying to control another round of uncontrollable tears
Aneesh entered and sat down on the sofa. After closing the door, she also settled down emotionally and found a place on a sofa chair near to Aneesh.
Aneesh: “Love, I know what happened yesterday was not right. So what if we had a disagreement but that shouldn’t have caused us to end something which is so beautiful? Something which we have treasured and dreamt about for the last 8 years?”
Shilpa: “I know Aneesh. But we want different things. Just that we didn’t realize this earlier……”
Aneesh: “Agreed Shils. But considering that we knew each other for so long, I think we should have found a common path for us to work this out. You know how passionately I think about our future. You know that our future has always been the pivotal point over which all my plans/activities have revolved right?”
Shilpa:”Ani, I know. I understand. But I was scared. I don’t want us to end up in a tough spot in the future. That’s what I wanted to tell you since long!”
Aneesh:”We wouldn’t have ended up in a tough spot. Both of us were well off. You personally had a lot to look forward to. Now, that I think about it, I feel that you should pursue your dream and during the course of that pursuit, find ways to ensure that your love ones are taken care of and are secure.”
Shilpa:”Its easy to ask me to pursue my dreams but you know every well that it wont be possible if I get married to you”
Aneesh:”That should not be a problem. I wont pressure you to marry me now. You can complete your thing 1st. Remember dear, no matter what you do and how you do it, I would always love you and be there with you. I would want you to ensure that your life is set before you get married”
Just as Shilpa was going to say something, her cell phone rang. However, there was something different about the ring. She went inside the room to closely hear the ring tone. That was the time she realized that it was infact Aneesh’s ringtone!! Bit annoyed, she came out and looked around but no one was there. She picked up the call. The voice from the other side destroyed her completely.“Madam, I found this phone next to your friend. He has met with an accident and in his last few dying moments, he wanted to talk to you. Are you his family?”
The argument grew and went totally out of proportion eventually leading to a thought of breaking up for the better. This dented Shilpa bringing her to tears, which haven’t left her eyes ever since their arrival.
The door bell rang again. She had to clean her face thoroughly to remove any signs of the sadness that was on it just a few moments ago. Once she was prepared to face whosoever was at the door, she turned the latch.
As soon as she got a glimpse of the person who was waiting to come in, she couldn’t hold her tears back. It was Aneesh. All the emotions of yesterday which she thought had drained off with the tears came back.
Aneesh: “Can I come in? I think we need to talk”
Aneesh, who is usually neatly dressed, was looking bit ragged in his outfit. Clearly a sign of how much he also was affected by yesterday’s fight
Shilpa: “Yes..” she squeaked while trying to control another round of uncontrollable tears
Aneesh entered and sat down on the sofa. After closing the door, she also settled down emotionally and found a place on a sofa chair near to Aneesh.
Aneesh: “Love, I know what happened yesterday was not right. So what if we had a disagreement but that shouldn’t have caused us to end something which is so beautiful? Something which we have treasured and dreamt about for the last 8 years?”
Shilpa: “I know Aneesh. But we want different things. Just that we didn’t realize this earlier……”
Aneesh: “Agreed Shils. But considering that we knew each other for so long, I think we should have found a common path for us to work this out. You know how passionately I think about our future. You know that our future has always been the pivotal point over which all my plans/activities have revolved right?”
Shilpa:”Ani, I know. I understand. But I was scared. I don’t want us to end up in a tough spot in the future. That’s what I wanted to tell you since long!”
Aneesh:”We wouldn’t have ended up in a tough spot. Both of us were well off. You personally had a lot to look forward to. Now, that I think about it, I feel that you should pursue your dream and during the course of that pursuit, find ways to ensure that your love ones are taken care of and are secure.”
Shilpa:”Its easy to ask me to pursue my dreams but you know every well that it wont be possible if I get married to you”
Aneesh:”That should not be a problem. I wont pressure you to marry me now. You can complete your thing 1st. Remember dear, no matter what you do and how you do it, I would always love you and be there with you. I would want you to ensure that your life is set before you get married”
Just as Shilpa was going to say something, her cell phone rang. However, there was something different about the ring. She went inside the room to closely hear the ring tone. That was the time she realized that it was infact Aneesh’s ringtone!! Bit annoyed, she came out and looked around but no one was there. She picked up the call. The voice from the other side destroyed her completely.“Madam, I found this phone next to your friend. He has met with an accident and in his last few dying moments, he wanted to talk to you. Are you his family?”
The Last Phone Call
A cell phone rings. We fade in on the cell phone light which can be seen coming from the pocket of a young man who seems to be enjoying his sleep on a garden bench. However, the buzzing and the ringing of the phone broke his sleep and compelled him to answer the ring.
The caller: “Happy Birthday Arjun! Wake up! It’s your birthday. 25 years ago, around 4 hours from now, you made your way into this world. How does it feel Arjun? How does it feel to share your birthdate and time with the 1 person who ensured your existence in this world? The 1 person whose name you take in 1 form or the other and whose word you abide by? Well Arjun, this is your lucky day, you are going to meet him today!”
Arjun: Hello!! Who the hell this is! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh
Caller: Now now Arjun, do not work yourself up. You do not want to meet your God early do you?
Arjun (in a scared tone): What?? What are you saying??
Caller: hahahahahah. I am merely saying what you are destined to be! You are destined to meet the person whose number is all over your birthdate!! Yes Arjun, you have a date to keep. A date with god!!
Arjun: Oh no..no non no no n o !
Caller: Don’t deny that you cannot negate. However, as I would eventually step into God’s shoes, I should show some of his world renowned mercy also! As it is now, you have a small needle placed in your lungs! Any heavy breathing, friend, and you would be as flat as a punctured tyre! However, that is not the only problem you have got on your hands. A couple of kilometres away from the park, we have your girlfriend hanging upside down and tentatively scheduled to be submerged in acid!! You can save her though. All you have to do is cycle your way down to the shop and have your love! Would you do it? Do it for your love? Location is mentioned on the cycle handle. You have 30 mins. Please try not to be late! – The call disconnects!
Arjun: Hello!..ahhh. (now shouts)..helllllllllloooooooooo.ahhhhhhhhhhh
Thoughts and sweat both running fast all over Arjun’s head! All he had to do was to cycle all his way to his girlfriend and she would be safe. However, now he realized the catch. The 2 km stretch was a ride up the hill!!!
Mustering all his courage he started peddling up the hill. He could feel the needle, teasing the side of his lungs with every breath. The feeling of being slowly peeled open was gripping him. By the time the 1st km was over, the needle did the job it was kept in for! It pierced his lungs!
Arjun collapsed on the ground. He knew his time was up! However, he had to get up! He had to save his girlfriend! He got up and with awesomely great difficulty he made his way to the top of the hill and entered the house where his beloved was kept. Opening the door, he collapsed. Too much internal injuries had caused him to be on the verge of death!
He looked around! He couldn’t see anyone. Just then, his phone rang again!
Caller: Do you think I am barbaric? How could you even think that I would harm someone not born on the 7th of July? Good night my friend, may you give the God company he needs during his retirement!hahahahahah – Chunk. The call as well has Arjun’s last few breaths are cut!
The caller: “Happy Birthday Arjun! Wake up! It’s your birthday. 25 years ago, around 4 hours from now, you made your way into this world. How does it feel Arjun? How does it feel to share your birthdate and time with the 1 person who ensured your existence in this world? The 1 person whose name you take in 1 form or the other and whose word you abide by? Well Arjun, this is your lucky day, you are going to meet him today!”
Arjun: Hello!! Who the hell this is! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh
Caller: Now now Arjun, do not work yourself up. You do not want to meet your God early do you?
Arjun (in a scared tone): What?? What are you saying??
Caller: hahahahahah. I am merely saying what you are destined to be! You are destined to meet the person whose number is all over your birthdate!! Yes Arjun, you have a date to keep. A date with god!!
Arjun: Oh no..no non no no n o !
Caller: Don’t deny that you cannot negate. However, as I would eventually step into God’s shoes, I should show some of his world renowned mercy also! As it is now, you have a small needle placed in your lungs! Any heavy breathing, friend, and you would be as flat as a punctured tyre! However, that is not the only problem you have got on your hands. A couple of kilometres away from the park, we have your girlfriend hanging upside down and tentatively scheduled to be submerged in acid!! You can save her though. All you have to do is cycle your way down to the shop and have your love! Would you do it? Do it for your love? Location is mentioned on the cycle handle. You have 30 mins. Please try not to be late! – The call disconnects!
Arjun: Hello!..ahhh. (now shouts)..helllllllllloooooooooo.ahhhhhhhhhhh
Thoughts and sweat both running fast all over Arjun’s head! All he had to do was to cycle all his way to his girlfriend and she would be safe. However, now he realized the catch. The 2 km stretch was a ride up the hill!!!
Mustering all his courage he started peddling up the hill. He could feel the needle, teasing the side of his lungs with every breath. The feeling of being slowly peeled open was gripping him. By the time the 1st km was over, the needle did the job it was kept in for! It pierced his lungs!
Arjun collapsed on the ground. He knew his time was up! However, he had to get up! He had to save his girlfriend! He got up and with awesomely great difficulty he made his way to the top of the hill and entered the house where his beloved was kept. Opening the door, he collapsed. Too much internal injuries had caused him to be on the verge of death!
He looked around! He couldn’t see anyone. Just then, his phone rang again!
Caller: Do you think I am barbaric? How could you even think that I would harm someone not born on the 7th of July? Good night my friend, may you give the God company he needs during his retirement!hahahahahah – Chunk. The call as well has Arjun’s last few breaths are cut!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
A Day in 2 Diaries
Girl’s Diary:
“Dear Diary. Today was an interesting date in my life. It began with the most melodious tune, my favourite song, my secret favourite song (the one I don’t disclose to others). `Bazigaar..Oh Bazigaar`. I really enjoy this song. I feel that the special one is just around the corner. And you know what I think I found him today.
Well I will come to that later. I got up, did my usual morning routine. I went out to jog in the park, enjoyed my music, came back, had the most beautiful bath possible and then sat down for my look of the day. After pondering for a good amount of time, and after trying out a dozen hair styles, I went for the `Kate Winslet from titanic meets Kate Winslet from Finding Neverland` hairdo. I was looking so beautiful today! I am so proud of myself!
Taking this getup to college was like taking a fat guy to dance! It was such a waste of time! Anyways, I had to do what I had to do. I attended all the lectures today. Not becoz I wanted to but becoz I had to! Attendance was low and had to prep it up! But luck was in my favour, all lectures had professors whom I don’t despise. A very rare occurrence indeed!!!J. Anyways, once college was done with, another piece of good news came my way; no practicals!!!! I was so happy. Immediately I called my gang and all of us went to Mocha for a blast. Boy I was glad I decided to go there!
He was sooo cute!!! I really adore him!!!! He had the sweetest smile that can be offered!! Well he came in while we had ordered our 1st round of coffee (low fat of course). He came and sat on a table in front of me. He kept looking at me for a long time. Then finally he I think made up his mind to come and talk to me. But since the gang was there, he was a bit shy. I understood that and pushed out and went to the counter. To my liking, he followed me there!!!! He said `Hi, My name is Akaash. I am in Dr Pai’s Maths class, same as your batch` I giggled. He was just magic. I said yea and just started talking. I know I am not the kind of person who would just start talking to strangers but this guy felt right. He was sweet, cute, kind and loveable; oops did I think too much? :)
He has promised to meet me tomorrow night, Saturday night! He is taking me out to have a nice dinner. Hope he sweeps me off my feet!!! I was in his spell the entire journey home, had dinner but under his enchantment!! God, please let him be the one for me! Good night! Bye!”
Guy’s Diary:
“Hi, I had a reasonably good day. I met a hot chick at mocha while I was waiting for Romi. She was so sexy and hot. Had a bit weird hairdo, but I think that was a one off thing. She bought the class thing which I told her, gosh girls are just so easy! Well she has decided to go out with me which reminds me to cancel my plans with Romi. The guys should know about this. I would get some popularity points for sure. Akaash-The guy who is double dating!!! Now that’s Kewl! :))”
“Dear Diary. Today was an interesting date in my life. It began with the most melodious tune, my favourite song, my secret favourite song (the one I don’t disclose to others). `Bazigaar..Oh Bazigaar`. I really enjoy this song. I feel that the special one is just around the corner. And you know what I think I found him today.
Well I will come to that later. I got up, did my usual morning routine. I went out to jog in the park, enjoyed my music, came back, had the most beautiful bath possible and then sat down for my look of the day. After pondering for a good amount of time, and after trying out a dozen hair styles, I went for the `Kate Winslet from titanic meets Kate Winslet from Finding Neverland` hairdo. I was looking so beautiful today! I am so proud of myself!
Taking this getup to college was like taking a fat guy to dance! It was such a waste of time! Anyways, I had to do what I had to do. I attended all the lectures today. Not becoz I wanted to but becoz I had to! Attendance was low and had to prep it up! But luck was in my favour, all lectures had professors whom I don’t despise. A very rare occurrence indeed!!!J. Anyways, once college was done with, another piece of good news came my way; no practicals!!!! I was so happy. Immediately I called my gang and all of us went to Mocha for a blast. Boy I was glad I decided to go there!
He was sooo cute!!! I really adore him!!!! He had the sweetest smile that can be offered!! Well he came in while we had ordered our 1st round of coffee (low fat of course). He came and sat on a table in front of me. He kept looking at me for a long time. Then finally he I think made up his mind to come and talk to me. But since the gang was there, he was a bit shy. I understood that and pushed out and went to the counter. To my liking, he followed me there!!!! He said `Hi, My name is Akaash. I am in Dr Pai’s Maths class, same as your batch` I giggled. He was just magic. I said yea and just started talking. I know I am not the kind of person who would just start talking to strangers but this guy felt right. He was sweet, cute, kind and loveable; oops did I think too much? :)
He has promised to meet me tomorrow night, Saturday night! He is taking me out to have a nice dinner. Hope he sweeps me off my feet!!! I was in his spell the entire journey home, had dinner but under his enchantment!! God, please let him be the one for me! Good night! Bye!”
Guy’s Diary:
“Hi, I had a reasonably good day. I met a hot chick at mocha while I was waiting for Romi. She was so sexy and hot. Had a bit weird hairdo, but I think that was a one off thing. She bought the class thing which I told her, gosh girls are just so easy! Well she has decided to go out with me which reminds me to cancel my plans with Romi. The guys should know about this. I would get some popularity points for sure. Akaash-The guy who is double dating!!! Now that’s Kewl! :))”
Appraisal Time!
The situation was tensed. Everyone had gathered in the lobby waiting for their chance to go in. People were going and coming down in a hurry. Curious faces in the lobby wanting to ask the people going in and going out of the room about the status. One of the curious faces was of mine.
I was really tensed and serious about the outcome. I had been looking forward for this day from the past year now. I was especially concerned about this day from the last 2-3 months when the hard ships had increased. I was thinking if my efforts in keeping things good and comfortable for others had helped in any way. I was only hoping that the outcome should be beneficial not only to me but to everyone in my family.
I looked down the line which I originated. Everyone was pounding their fists to their hands, moving around in anticipation that my name would be called and then eventually their own. This added to my nervousness standing at the helm of the room. It was like a runner at the start line; when will the gun would be fired, the flag would be waved and he would start running towards his destination!
Finally the door opened, and the person I wished to see most came out with a smile on his face.
“Congratulations!!!! You have been promoted. From a loving husband you have now become a proud father!” The doctor gave the most blessed news I had heard this year!
I was really tensed and serious about the outcome. I had been looking forward for this day from the past year now. I was especially concerned about this day from the last 2-3 months when the hard ships had increased. I was thinking if my efforts in keeping things good and comfortable for others had helped in any way. I was only hoping that the outcome should be beneficial not only to me but to everyone in my family.
I looked down the line which I originated. Everyone was pounding their fists to their hands, moving around in anticipation that my name would be called and then eventually their own. This added to my nervousness standing at the helm of the room. It was like a runner at the start line; when will the gun would be fired, the flag would be waved and he would start running towards his destination!
Finally the door opened, and the person I wished to see most came out with a smile on his face.
“Congratulations!!!! You have been promoted. From a loving husband you have now become a proud father!” The doctor gave the most blessed news I had heard this year!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
My Angel….
This article is dedicated to the love of my life....My Angel....
All through his childhood, Sam was a loner…never mingling with people…always wanting to be by himself…I would look at him as being an independent person….whenever he used to be brought into company he used to be very witty and a sport as well…..
That was Sam, on the other hand, Romi was the coolest chick in the house!!! Acting like a typical blonde coming out of a teen movie from hollywood, she was so opposite in real life…Smart, dynamic and sharp but a controlled loud mouth….She wasn’t the apple of everyone’s eye but whenever she met a sad individual she used to cheer him/her up like Sunflowers glazing in the morning sun!
These 2 hardly interacted in school and junior college…Even harder to believe when I reveal that both of them had adjacent roll numbers throughout school and both belonged to the same group!!!! Well the trend continued in college as well and then came a time when everyone of us had a decision to make….Post 12th std, everyone wanted something different in their life….Sam was more of the techy guy, so naturally engineering was the way to go for him…whereas Romi took the most surprising decision of them all, going in for dentistry as a profession!! They last met during their farewell party that year….The exchange of words was brief and quick:
“So best of luck for your studies, heard it is very difficult na..engg?” Romi tried to make a conversation…”Yea it is…but am looking forward to it..Congrats and all the best for your choice of career, its going to be exciting for u as well” Came the prompt reply…”You always have been mysterious…I will make it a point to run into you sometime in the future” She said….”Me too”. He quietly ended the conversation…
A good 6 years pass, after degree got over, Sam joined an IT firm whereas Romi started her internship at a local dentist clinic….
“Hi I have an appointment for 10:15 am?” Sam spoke to the receptionist…”This is killing me, requesting you to please attend to quickly”..Over the years, Sam’s outlook towards interaction seemed to have changed…”Madam, a patient for u to see…he is kinda in pain” The US sentiment in the exchange evident! “Yea send him in, lets see what he has got” Came an answer from inside…Sam went inside and sat on the seat “Sammy, is that you?” Romi shouted, “Finally after 7 years we meet and the thanks for that goes to your obviously decayed tooth!!! The chances of that to happen!!” She was good and he knew it…“6 years Romi, and yes it has been a long time..by the looks of it, you haven’t changed…Dentistry or not you would always be chirpy!” Sam in his usual sedate manner… “Yea I think they made Munnabhai and looking at the way I move around my college, the mammu style was the only thing they invented themselves!!! “ Both of them smiled and then seeing each other smile, laughed aloud!! “This is the 1st time I have ever seen u laugh!!Gosh you have changed” Romi made an uncharacteristic remark!
Then it came..on the dentist chair as she was drilling into his mouth, their eyes met and Sam said “We need to catch up…can we meet for coffee sometime in this week?” Without breaking eye contact, Romi said “You know na, too much coffee is not good for your teeth?..But I never cared about such thing ever!!” Again a sync laughter followed where she almost drilled into his tongue :)
1 coffee outing turned into multiple ones, Sam and Romi used to meet, discuss life in general and then make their way home, carry on with their lives and like this 7 months passed….One day Sam couldn’t make it for their weekly coffee and requested Romi to come to dinner with him…They met at the restaurant they had planned to….Romi was looking very beautiful that night, Sam was looking like a gentleman himself….”Sam, whats the occasion today? Why did u want to meet today, we could have met tomorrow as well na” Romi inquired, curious as she was…” it’s a special day, can I explain to you the significance?” Sam replied…”Yea yea, sure”
“Romi, sometimes in life, things don’t happen for a reason, they are made to happen that way, I still remember an angel walking into my class room, her eyes as beautiful as black pearls in snow, her hair, all bunched up like a long flowing waterfall, her attitude, as if someone won a million bucks!! I was totally floored!! I followed her throughout school, noticed her, admired her whenever she was in front of me, never missed my attendance as I went up just as she did….But I was scared, scared that she might not accept me, never spoke to her, showed an uptight attitude, but still she kept coming to me…talked to me….smiled with me…For the past 6 years, I have been building up the courage, never attended reunions just becoz I didn’t want to face her till I am ready, but kept a tab on her through friends..what is she doing, how is she fairing…where has she been employed…A cavity could have been taken care of at the very beginning but I kept it to rot just so that I could find the exact clinic, to come back, to show her that in life, there are no coincidences, no destiny, just love and a desire to be with her, to go at length just to meet her again and tell her this…on the very day 18 years ago, an angel, my angel walked into my life and here I am asking her, the most important question of my life… Will you partner me in this journey called life and make it paradise?”
“Yes I will Sammy, I will”
All through his childhood, Sam was a loner…never mingling with people…always wanting to be by himself…I would look at him as being an independent person….whenever he used to be brought into company he used to be very witty and a sport as well…..
That was Sam, on the other hand, Romi was the coolest chick in the house!!! Acting like a typical blonde coming out of a teen movie from hollywood, she was so opposite in real life…Smart, dynamic and sharp but a controlled loud mouth….She wasn’t the apple of everyone’s eye but whenever she met a sad individual she used to cheer him/her up like Sunflowers glazing in the morning sun!
These 2 hardly interacted in school and junior college…Even harder to believe when I reveal that both of them had adjacent roll numbers throughout school and both belonged to the same group!!!! Well the trend continued in college as well and then came a time when everyone of us had a decision to make….Post 12th std, everyone wanted something different in their life….Sam was more of the techy guy, so naturally engineering was the way to go for him…whereas Romi took the most surprising decision of them all, going in for dentistry as a profession!! They last met during their farewell party that year….The exchange of words was brief and quick:
“So best of luck for your studies, heard it is very difficult na..engg?” Romi tried to make a conversation…”Yea it is…but am looking forward to it..Congrats and all the best for your choice of career, its going to be exciting for u as well” Came the prompt reply…”You always have been mysterious…I will make it a point to run into you sometime in the future” She said….”Me too”. He quietly ended the conversation…
A good 6 years pass, after degree got over, Sam joined an IT firm whereas Romi started her internship at a local dentist clinic….
“Hi I have an appointment for 10:15 am?” Sam spoke to the receptionist…”This is killing me, requesting you to please attend to quickly”..Over the years, Sam’s outlook towards interaction seemed to have changed…”Madam, a patient for u to see…he is kinda in pain” The US sentiment in the exchange evident! “Yea send him in, lets see what he has got” Came an answer from inside…Sam went inside and sat on the seat “Sammy, is that you?” Romi shouted, “Finally after 7 years we meet and the thanks for that goes to your obviously decayed tooth!!! The chances of that to happen!!” She was good and he knew it…“6 years Romi, and yes it has been a long time..by the looks of it, you haven’t changed…Dentistry or not you would always be chirpy!” Sam in his usual sedate manner… “Yea I think they made Munnabhai and looking at the way I move around my college, the mammu style was the only thing they invented themselves!!! “ Both of them smiled and then seeing each other smile, laughed aloud!! “This is the 1st time I have ever seen u laugh!!Gosh you have changed” Romi made an uncharacteristic remark!
Then it came..on the dentist chair as she was drilling into his mouth, their eyes met and Sam said “We need to catch up…can we meet for coffee sometime in this week?” Without breaking eye contact, Romi said “You know na, too much coffee is not good for your teeth?..But I never cared about such thing ever!!” Again a sync laughter followed where she almost drilled into his tongue :)
1 coffee outing turned into multiple ones, Sam and Romi used to meet, discuss life in general and then make their way home, carry on with their lives and like this 7 months passed….One day Sam couldn’t make it for their weekly coffee and requested Romi to come to dinner with him…They met at the restaurant they had planned to….Romi was looking very beautiful that night, Sam was looking like a gentleman himself….”Sam, whats the occasion today? Why did u want to meet today, we could have met tomorrow as well na” Romi inquired, curious as she was…” it’s a special day, can I explain to you the significance?” Sam replied…”Yea yea, sure”
“Romi, sometimes in life, things don’t happen for a reason, they are made to happen that way, I still remember an angel walking into my class room, her eyes as beautiful as black pearls in snow, her hair, all bunched up like a long flowing waterfall, her attitude, as if someone won a million bucks!! I was totally floored!! I followed her throughout school, noticed her, admired her whenever she was in front of me, never missed my attendance as I went up just as she did….But I was scared, scared that she might not accept me, never spoke to her, showed an uptight attitude, but still she kept coming to me…talked to me….smiled with me…For the past 6 years, I have been building up the courage, never attended reunions just becoz I didn’t want to face her till I am ready, but kept a tab on her through friends..what is she doing, how is she fairing…where has she been employed…A cavity could have been taken care of at the very beginning but I kept it to rot just so that I could find the exact clinic, to come back, to show her that in life, there are no coincidences, no destiny, just love and a desire to be with her, to go at length just to meet her again and tell her this…on the very day 18 years ago, an angel, my angel walked into my life and here I am asking her, the most important question of my life… Will you partner me in this journey called life and make it paradise?”
“Yes I will Sammy, I will”
Friday, February 8, 2008
Need Change?
It was salary day….smiles all around….everyone checking their bank accounts and seeing a pleasant sight….a lot of cash in their kitty…like small kids eagerly awaiting to open their piggy bank, they all dream of withdrawing cash, hard cash…make their pockets heavy again so that they can party….again. With such ambitions I too made my way to the ATM counter….i had a host of things I needed to do with my withdrawal…”ahh, finally all my debts settled today!!!”….I went to the ATM machine…as expected, there were around 7-10 people in line for withdrawal…I was expecting this…and had brought my cell phone along for some gaming…..
After around 15 mins my chance finally came to get the dough…..during the course of these 15 mins, I saw a lot of happy faces…faces which reminded me of cats when they have had a lot of milk and are ready to go into the sun for a nice warm sleep….at ease....I entered the room and came out happy…I had a rocking 5K in my pocket (I had a lot of debts to settle this month) and had a lot of places I could spend it….
A day passed, and I revisited my wallet and was shocked to see the sight…a very gruesome one, total devastation…I had only 500 rupees!!! And the worst thing was…it was only a single 500 rupee note!!!! I was terrified…Getting a change is a mammoth task in a city like Mumbai!! But I kept my cool…it was snacks time so I went downstairs to canteen where I knew the owner would give me the change I most desperately needed..and I got it 4 cool 100 rupee notes and the change for the rest….it was so easy…….for now…
Next morning, I had to goto office, so I set out on my mission…got onto a bus…and was busy humming the songs thrown out by my radio….the conductor came and asked for hafta (read bus fare)..i checked my wallet to find that there were four 100 rupee notes waiting to be pulled out…I pulled out one and gave it to the conductor….An expression which would make a monkey (not used racially here) smile and giggle came on the face of the conductor…. “Chutta nahi hai kya?” (I don’t have change) came the thunderous voice (along with some spots of spits) on me….I gave a classic clueless look to which he said “tu logon ko chute paise rakhne mein kya jata hai” (what will happen for u to keep change?)…with a lot of arguing, he finally gave me a change to the 1st of four hundred rupees….
Weekend came and so did the next peril….how to get a change from an autorickshaw for my 2nd black pearl!!! The drivers never seem to carry any change….everytime it is a new excuse…”today I didn’t get any fare”…”just now I gave all my changes to that person” etc etc…u name it and they have the excuse…anyways so here I was with a 100 rupee note in my hand going around asking for change…I asked the paan bidi shop guy, a barber, cobbler, coffee shop, general stores…u name it, I asked it!!! Finally when I achieved the distinction of being a begger with 100 rupee note, I got the change I needed…came another very convenient mistake..”I don’t have even coin change”..so finally I had to donate 4 extra rupees to the rickshaw who left with a end to end smile on his face…
I kept on repeating my mistakes, after a few days, i bought the most expensive chewing gum I could ever….from a general stores, I got a chewing gum and popped it into my mouth and as I checked my wallet, horror struck!! No change to pay for the gum!! The shop owner, lazy as he was, gave a look which can easily give our angry politicians a run for their money and screamed “2 rupee ke chewing gum ke liye 100 rupee nikalte ho!!!” I tried a lot, argued, even offered to carefully package the chewing gum back and give it to him but he was adamant…he had a sole purpose in life…he desperately wanted to earn that 2 rupees and also didn’t want to fork out the change for the 100…
Finally since I was in a hurry to reach office, I had to give in and had to buy a stuff worth 37 rupees so as to get change I wanted….Finally when I reached office, I had a surprise! Something which I had forgotten…I forgot that my friend had borrowed 400 rupees from me and he was waiting to give it back!!! I got very excited and happy and removed my wallet…at the back of mind I made a promise to myself…to ensure I have change as I have in my pocket right now….Thats when I landed back at square 1!!! My friend gave me a 500 rupee note, took the hundred rupee note from my wallet and ran off to catch his bus….
Broadband…..Anyone!
All my life I was a humble follower of the dial up internet service which was provided by our govt affiliated firms…never in my school and college life did I feel the need for speed…A download rate of 3.5-4KBps was enough for me….This internet access I carried forward into my office life also where I got 1st hand exposure to the fast pace evolution of broadband…..Ah! the speed, the quick downloads, no more click-and-get-a-coffee-till-site-opens funda! I finally had a desire….a desire to promote my home internet use from dial up to broadband…
So my search began, I found that we had a variety of ways to get an efficient and affordable broadband connection. My searches were very intense and took around a month to zero down to the more reliable ISPs in the market….While my research was going on, I found a new ray of home….I came to know that there is a ISP in UK who provides broadband at home in 5 working days with installation completing in 3 days itself!!! My hope was magnified…I made plans….Since this is India and we are 3 times slower than other developed nation, I assumed that once ordered, broadband would be gracing my desktop in max 15 days!!!
I called up a number of ISPs for enquiring the amount of time it would take to get me on the information superhighway at a speed of a harley! But the fun was about to begin…
Each ISP wanted to do a “feasibility study” about providing me with a broadband connection…..I provided them with all the details that could help them in this RnD they wanted to do…The address was explained in such detail that that even a blind man would have been able to turn up at my house without any help..The address details had everything, right from BEST stop to the local paan wala and banana seller (including physical description)
However, the fun was about to start….each and every ISP person told me that the “in-depth” feasibility study would take atleast 15-21 days to complete and provided me with a reference number on which I had to call back on after some days!
I saw my dreams crash as my old Pentium 1 did…in a puff of smoke….My assumptions were thrown out an English window!!! I was dishearten….and I searched even more for getting the best and quickest internet connection…
Anyways, all ISPs took their own sweet time and the results of the feasibility were finally out….after a month for all….I failed the test miserably…My house seem to reside in an alien location…something like Area 51! No one knew where I resided…and if they did manage to trace the presence of my locality, they didn’t have the means to provide me with a broadband connection…I was depressed again…but then I saw an ad in the paper which gave me hope….”Briband” yes that’s what I want to have!!! Oh my god, why didn’t I think about this before!! It was always right in front of my eyes and I never noticed!!
“HELLO” Someone screamed into the phone…
”I am interested in Briband for my house”…
”Yes Yes, everyone is” came a crisp and delightful (NOT) reply…”Exchange ka naam toh bolo” (tell me exchange name)…
”Andheri”…
”Kaunse number be chahiyeeeeeee”(which number do you want it?”…
”123445678”…
”thik hai, time lagega, 2 mahine baad phone karma tab pata chalega ki kitna time lagega!” (Call after 2 months to know the amount of time taken)…and before I could respond, the phone came down at a speed which would have put Neo to shame….
2 months went by…I called again…
”hello kya chahiye” (what do you want)…Felt as if I called some second hand shop vendor…
”I had requested for broadband 2 months from andheri exchange” ….
”hahahahahahaha, aare yahape log 6 months se wait kar rahe hai..unka number nahi
laga..aapka toh time hai” (ppl are waiting here for 6 months, ur still in line)…CLUNK!
The phone came down but this time from me!! I cursed the location where I was residing….Then I took the decision which I didn’t want to…
Cable operator is the best…”broadband” connection in 2 hours at a cost very small service time and outages at the time when most unwanted!! And guess what….8.5 months have gone and I still call up “Briband” with a hope….”Mera Number kab aayega”!!!
So my search began, I found that we had a variety of ways to get an efficient and affordable broadband connection. My searches were very intense and took around a month to zero down to the more reliable ISPs in the market….While my research was going on, I found a new ray of home….I came to know that there is a ISP in UK who provides broadband at home in 5 working days with installation completing in 3 days itself!!! My hope was magnified…I made plans….Since this is India and we are 3 times slower than other developed nation, I assumed that once ordered, broadband would be gracing my desktop in max 15 days!!!
I called up a number of ISPs for enquiring the amount of time it would take to get me on the information superhighway at a speed of a harley! But the fun was about to begin…
Each ISP wanted to do a “feasibility study” about providing me with a broadband connection…..I provided them with all the details that could help them in this RnD they wanted to do…The address was explained in such detail that that even a blind man would have been able to turn up at my house without any help..The address details had everything, right from BEST stop to the local paan wala and banana seller (including physical description)
However, the fun was about to start….each and every ISP person told me that the “in-depth” feasibility study would take atleast 15-21 days to complete and provided me with a reference number on which I had to call back on after some days!
I saw my dreams crash as my old Pentium 1 did…in a puff of smoke….My assumptions were thrown out an English window!!! I was dishearten….and I searched even more for getting the best and quickest internet connection…
Anyways, all ISPs took their own sweet time and the results of the feasibility were finally out….after a month for all….I failed the test miserably…My house seem to reside in an alien location…something like Area 51! No one knew where I resided…and if they did manage to trace the presence of my locality, they didn’t have the means to provide me with a broadband connection…I was depressed again…but then I saw an ad in the paper which gave me hope….”Briband” yes that’s what I want to have!!! Oh my god, why didn’t I think about this before!! It was always right in front of my eyes and I never noticed!!
“HELLO” Someone screamed into the phone…
”I am interested in Briband for my house”…
”Yes Yes, everyone is” came a crisp and delightful (NOT) reply…”Exchange ka naam toh bolo” (tell me exchange name)…
”Andheri”…
”Kaunse number be chahiyeeeeeee”(which number do you want it?”…
”123445678”…
”thik hai, time lagega, 2 mahine baad phone karma tab pata chalega ki kitna time lagega!” (Call after 2 months to know the amount of time taken)…and before I could respond, the phone came down at a speed which would have put Neo to shame….
2 months went by…I called again…
”hello kya chahiye” (what do you want)…Felt as if I called some second hand shop vendor…
”I had requested for broadband 2 months from andheri exchange” ….
”hahahahahahaha, aare yahape log 6 months se wait kar rahe hai..unka number nahi
laga..aapka toh time hai” (ppl are waiting here for 6 months, ur still in line)…CLUNK!
The phone came down but this time from me!! I cursed the location where I was residing….Then I took the decision which I didn’t want to…
Cable operator is the best…”broadband” connection in 2 hours at a cost very small service time and outages at the time when most unwanted!! And guess what….8.5 months have gone and I still call up “Briband” with a hope….”Mera Number kab aayega”!!!
Friday, January 18, 2008
3 Things I knew about her
Well it was the season of festivals…not any religious festivals but of college festivals…the time of the year where a bunch of super cool wannabes come together to organize a “cultural” festival to revive our dying hope of clearing the semester without any KTs. Our hopes or rather our spirits did get revived with these set of activities…but it came at a price…..no studies for a couple of weeks at least….well we preferred this opinion :)….This was the best way to cut classes and enjoy college life as we haven’t enjoyed in the past 3 years…after all engg always brought some kind of surprise in each of the past few years which prevented us from enjoying these events…but the final year wasn’t going to slip out of my hand so easily!
Anyways, we went to the auditorium to have a look at how the dance rehearsal was going on..I hated dancing…absolutely hate it..but that didn’t deter me from going there and make fun of my friend who was living out his ambition of been the twinkle toe of our group….however, once we reached the audi…our expression changed..the new girl whom everyone was talking about was there on the stage!! She looked like a goddess..beautiful black brown hair….black eyes….a smile to rival the best in show business….the mannerisms to woo any soul walking the god’s green earth…she was eternally beautiful …as usual all of us flocked to the stage to get a closer glimpse of this new age marvel…swear to god she looked divine….angel on earth…but as is the case with good looking girls, this girl also came with a tag….rather a DO NOT DISTURB (read “I am reserved”) sign invisible to teachers and non flirtu people but visible from a long distance to romeos like us….Since she was new, no one knew her…all that was known is that her name was Snehal and she was an NRI migrated from US to India and into our college becoz her dad lost loads of money in business…
Anyways, everyday she used to come to the audi…rehearse with few of her friends (all girl group) and go out…Everyday we used to regret…regret the fact that we should not have made fun of that girl group or we would have gain automatic entry and in turn intro with that girl!! Needless to say that the powerpuff group (girl group) would have told this beauty a thing or two about us….So my goal for the next few days was set…to find a common friend, bribe him/her into coughing up some info and then be bold enough to get urself introduced to her! All I need were 3 pieces of info….her favourite color, her favourite drink and her favourite pass time
After loads of eavesdropping, line cutting, practical missing, we finally got a lead…one of the
power puff girls had a weakness for Aamir Khan’s photos and my friend happened to have an autographed pic of his (my signature on Aamir’s photo)…So the trap was set, in the class room where no one lurches the photo of Aamir laid and approached our star informer…With admiration and a sense of achievement in her eyes and tears (yes she cried LOL) in her eyes, she took the photo, touched my handwriting (the signature) and opened pandora’s box..We got what we wanted to know….Mission accomplished!!
So the next day, I was ready…ready to impress the beauty and get an intro based on these 3 little things….With a RED colour tshirt which sported a nice little slogan (just the way she likes it), I entered our café cum canteen...looked around and found her…She was sitting next to
window trying to catch up on studies….Taking 2 bottles of Mazza I walked up to her,
“Can I sit here”….She looked up and with a weird look she said “hmmm yea….”
I sat down and with a great deal of authority interrupted her studies with…” So you fond of Agatha Christie novels??”
SMACK!!!!!!!!!! The entire canteen stood up….”I knew you would be coming….One of my friends told me that a guy dressed in Red, carrying bottle of Mazza would try and flirt with me over a couple of Agatha Christie novels…I know you guys very well….All you can think about is girls, girls girls…..”
Saying this she walked off….The entire canteen burst out into laughter…my friends came running to me…I was shocked…The little powerpuff girl had double crossed us….But a smile came on my face….The most sort after girl had just slapped my block off……
Anyways, we went to the auditorium to have a look at how the dance rehearsal was going on..I hated dancing…absolutely hate it..but that didn’t deter me from going there and make fun of my friend who was living out his ambition of been the twinkle toe of our group….however, once we reached the audi…our expression changed..the new girl whom everyone was talking about was there on the stage!! She looked like a goddess..beautiful black brown hair….black eyes….a smile to rival the best in show business….the mannerisms to woo any soul walking the god’s green earth…she was eternally beautiful …as usual all of us flocked to the stage to get a closer glimpse of this new age marvel…swear to god she looked divine….angel on earth…but as is the case with good looking girls, this girl also came with a tag….rather a DO NOT DISTURB (read “I am reserved”) sign invisible to teachers and non flirtu people but visible from a long distance to romeos like us….Since she was new, no one knew her…all that was known is that her name was Snehal and she was an NRI migrated from US to India and into our college becoz her dad lost loads of money in business…
Anyways, everyday she used to come to the audi…rehearse with few of her friends (all girl group) and go out…Everyday we used to regret…regret the fact that we should not have made fun of that girl group or we would have gain automatic entry and in turn intro with that girl!! Needless to say that the powerpuff group (girl group) would have told this beauty a thing or two about us….So my goal for the next few days was set…to find a common friend, bribe him/her into coughing up some info and then be bold enough to get urself introduced to her! All I need were 3 pieces of info….her favourite color, her favourite drink and her favourite pass time
After loads of eavesdropping, line cutting, practical missing, we finally got a lead…one of the
power puff girls had a weakness for Aamir Khan’s photos and my friend happened to have an autographed pic of his (my signature on Aamir’s photo)…So the trap was set, in the class room where no one lurches the photo of Aamir laid and approached our star informer…With admiration and a sense of achievement in her eyes and tears (yes she cried LOL) in her eyes, she took the photo, touched my handwriting (the signature) and opened pandora’s box..We got what we wanted to know….Mission accomplished!!
So the next day, I was ready…ready to impress the beauty and get an intro based on these 3 little things….With a RED colour tshirt which sported a nice little slogan (just the way she likes it), I entered our café cum canteen...looked around and found her…She was sitting next to
window trying to catch up on studies….Taking 2 bottles of Mazza I walked up to her,
“Can I sit here”….She looked up and with a weird look she said “hmmm yea….”
I sat down and with a great deal of authority interrupted her studies with…” So you fond of Agatha Christie novels??”
SMACK!!!!!!!!!! The entire canteen stood up….”I knew you would be coming….One of my friends told me that a guy dressed in Red, carrying bottle of Mazza would try and flirt with me over a couple of Agatha Christie novels…I know you guys very well….All you can think about is girls, girls girls…..”
Saying this she walked off….The entire canteen burst out into laughter…my friends came running to me…I was shocked…The little powerpuff girl had double crossed us….But a smile came on my face….The most sort after girl had just slapped my block off……
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