DISCLAIMER
DO NOT BASE YOUR INTERVIEW ON THIS TRANSCRIPT; YOU MIGHT JUST SPOIL YOUR CHANCES.
Do you want to know what happens when a guy has been through 4 big interviews and still unplaced? Read on...
It was December 15, 2009. One more company, one more GD. Once more I cracked the GD and went into the interview. And I knew once again I will tank this one too, so was least interested in putting up a facade of confidence and was completely frustrated to the core.
I'll denote the company in question as "The Soap Company" for obvious reasons of not offending anyone.
There were two interviewers, a lady and a man. So I’ll denote them with L(LADY)and M(MAN).
Entry: Hello Madam, Hello Sir (Someone had told me the lady was the power centre so greeted the lady first)
L: Prasenjit have some biscuits.
Me: Madam, I am here for an interview and not for eating biscuits; so let’s talk (And I push the plate away to her utter disbelief)(Frustration was running through my veins!)
L: So Prasenjit, tell me about yourself (Same old standard question, I am already frustrated. Grrrrr!!)
Me: Most of my details are on the CV itself, I can only tell you about my summers.
M: Then tell us about your summers.
Me: Started the verbal diarrhoea (Fir wahi royal bakwaas..maine yeh kiya maine wo kiya…pak gaya tha 5th time bol bol k)
M: Can you relate your summer experience relate to the work being offered at "The Soap Company"?
Me: Sir you sell FMCGs through retailers, we sell SIM cards and tariff packs through ARCs(Airtel Relation Centers) and multi brand outlets.You push on margin, we push on margin.You design and erect POPs(Point of Purchase) displays we also do that. The retailers gives you 1000 reasons why not to stock your product so do ours. And here as a salesman my job is to give him reason no. 1001 to stock the product.
M: What is your dream company? (I was thinking, lets tell him…I got rejected from 4 interviews so you automatically become my dream company!!)
Me: Super Global. Sir, "The Soap Company" is my dream company.
M and L: Hahaha, text book answer.
Me: Mam, I love Sales, am passionate about pushing my products to the distributors and retailers etc etc
L: I am not convinced.
Me: As a knee jerk reaction I say, “So what do I do?”
L(taken aback): Ok tell me what qualities do you have that can make you a great salesman?
Me: Mam, I am a very greedy person, so greedy that is there’s only one person on this planet and he needs to take a bath, he has to use my soap else he doesn’t have to take a bath. And I have huge expectations, both from me and the people who work with me.
M: (He catches me on the wrong foot) but you marks in PGDM are pretty low. Just 5.48/8 roughly 68%.So you can’t say you expect much from yourself, right?
Me: (Taking stock of the situation now that I've done a blooper) Sir, Life is never a zero sum game. The sum total of all that I do can actually be bigger than one individual thing(Nobody understood what I just said, including me). I have a multi dimensional personality and have a list of hobbies.
M: Tell me.
Me: Sir I am a singer, mime actor (told him about an award I won at IIT Kanpur fest), traveler and avid photographer.
L: What kind of photographer? Do you like the process or the end result?
Me: I like doing macro shots and definitely the process is far more interesting as you need a stable hand and patience to get that perfect shot.
M: Explain macro shots or whatever you said to me.
Me: I told him (for further info check up Macro Photography on Wikipedia.)
L: But why do you do it?
Me: It shifts the entire focus to one single object in the frame which comes at 1:1 ratio and the rest is all blurred. It is like that one single most important thing in your life you want to be or do, for me that is sales (Super emotional - Nirupa Roy style).
M: You worked for Airtel i summers right, tell me three reasons why customers are shifting from Airtel to R-GSM as you said?
Me: Three reasons, telecom specific – Low rates, Specific targeted plans, Our poor customer care.
M: But why would a corporate post paid client shift?
Me: I answered this in Hindi – sir, har businessman baniya ban jata hai…ek rupiya bhi bachaya to ek rupiya kamaya samjho
L: So what are the strengths of Airtel?
Me: Signals, Network, Value Adds etc etc
M: You have done a project on ZooZoos…what’s the project all about?
Me: Mast Global diya usko.Poochna mat kya diya.
L: Do you think distribution is important for FMCGs?
Me:(I was waiting for this question, Gave them superb shit about how reaching out to every nook and corner increases chances of buying, blocks out competitors Bottom of Pyramid aur pata nahi kya kya)
M: You have done this AMFI certification? What is this?
Me: Sir this is a specialized certification for being a mutual fund advisor. Then told him the procedure and all, glorifying a very easily obtainable certification.
M: Recommend a mutual fund to the lady.
Me: Madam, what is your age?
L: What???(Scowl on her face)
Me: No offense meant but I need to know you age to recommend the correct combination to you.
L: If you ask like this, the client will run away
Me: If I have to provide him/her the best possible combo then I have to know this.
M: (Chuckling) Madam tell your age.
L: Assume I am 30.
M: (Laughing uncontrollably)
Me: There’s this formula 120 – X where X = your age, so we have 120 – 30 = 90, so invest 90% in equity fund and remaining in Debt or Money market schemes.
L: hmmm, does your father invest?
Me: No
M: Why he doesn’t believe your advice?
Me: He knows I am greedy, I’ll invest lesser and get desired amount of returns and eat the rest of the money. But my greed will also help me in pushing two tube lights where people can push only one.(Nirupa Roy at it again, emotional attack!!)
M: You come across as very aggressive, why so?
Me: A senior of mine told me, show passion and you’ll get through.(One of the rare times in the interview when I spoke the truth without being sarcastic or angry or frustrated)
L: Prasenjit, you know you can go to Airtel but why this place only.
Me: Mam, I want to work in FMCG and you are the only FMCG Company on campus.(Truth 2)
L: That would be all.
I knew this was make or break, so I launch a mega attack – “I know you gave OT8A (can't disclose the name of my friend here for his safety) a Spot Offer and would be making the same decision for me also. If I don’t get a job here, I’ll feel sad but GIM will get me a job. I’ll work there but I won’t be happy because my heart lies in FMCG sales. If you take me into your company, I’ll give my 110% and you won’t regret your decision”
By the time this sentence ended, I was all red faced and had thumped my fist twice on the table.
I came out and I knew I had blown up another interview.But luck ruled in my favor and I got through "The Soap Company".
Learnings from this episode:
1. Passion is the most important thing, be loud and make it clear that you have to get into this company or else you’ll not give your 100% to anything else. Be that Hindi film hero who yells - "Ganga se pyaar karna agar paap hai, to haan...maine paap kiya hai" and finally takes Ganga with him :)
2. Grab attention, do anything which can grab attention like I asked her age without hesitation. Be the best Rakhi Sawant you can :)
3. Be absolutely ready to back your arguments even if they may be wrong. Think of yourself as Suresh Kalmadi, Digvijay Singh or Kapil Sibbal, it'll be natural :)
4. In the end, when they ask you anything else to say…use a super emotional line to show that the company might get more skilled people than you but they’ll never get more passionate people. Be Nirupa Roy, nothing can beat her in the emotions department or you might try a Shahrukh mode also.
I hope no one tries this technique, this can and will backfire at you.
Prasenjit Choudhury
PGP 2008-10, Goa Institute of Management
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Cynic
Have you ever tried striking up a conversation with a total unknown, random person..at the airport, in the pub , at the metro station and even anonymous chat rooms? I keep doing these wonderfully stupid things every now and then, and get some interesting ideas about life and other things from my fellow human beings.
This is an excerpt of one such conversation…
Stranger: Hey
Me: Hi
Stranger: Waddup
Me: Nothing much. Back from office early
Stranger: Sweeeet
Me: what do you do?
Stranger: I’m in high school.
Me: good
Stranger: yuppp!
Me: So what else? Is it still cold on your side of the world?
Stranger: Nope! 22 deg outside right noww
Me: Nice weather...where do you live?
Stranger: Alabama! wbu?
Me: A million miles away brother…India :)
Stranger: wowwww
Stranger: That’s a long way!
Me: Dodo!Its not a million miles though...its a figure of speech
Stranger: well its still far
Stranger: I’ve never been out of the country soooo
Stranger: It seems like a long way
Me: so what r u doin sittin on the computer on a weekend?
Stranger: i got in trouble
Me: grounded?
Stranger: yes sir
Me: haha..what did you do? pulled a fast one on the principal?
Stranger: no.. according to my parents i did something inappropriate around all these girls and they found out soooo
Me: you are 15, you are supposed to be doing things. We all did crazy things
Stranger: I know!!!!!!!!! its soooo annoying
Stranger: Ok temme, are you a Christian?
Stranger: Im guessing not
Me:Am not
Me: and why that question now?
Stranger: what?
Me: I mean why did you bring religion in the middle?
Stranger: because I want to talk about that...
Stranger: DONT DISCONNECT
Stranger: God made the world…and then we spoiled it.
Stranger: God wants u to be happy and married and have kids but what are we doing? when u face God when u die ur gonna regret it
Me: ok, I got your idea…but my friend…why will I have to regret when I die?
Stranger: This whole world has turned into chaos. God is so disappointed with everyone in this world it’s so bad
Me: And you have strong beliefs in religion. DON’T DISCONNECT, but how can you say God exists?
Stranger: OMG! Everybody on here asks me this question.
Me: I mean I was raised as a Hindu but I don’t follow any religion.
Stranger: I know you probably don’t believe in God, but I do and I know he exists.You don’t have to think that but I know he does.
Stranger: He made the world were in right now so….
Me: But how will a non believer get to know if God exists?
Stranger: We didn’t come from freaking monkeys…that’s impossible
Me: I like your attitude…but again….there’ something called evolution
Stranger: Hahaha well I’m serious about this
Stranger: You probably think I’m so gay but I don’t care
Me: I don’t think that gays are better aligned to ‘God’...that's why I’m still talking to you and asking a simple question…how will a non believer know God exists?
Stranger: Read the Bible!
Me: It’s a big book.
Stranger: Go to church
Stranger: Yea I know, you don’t have to read the whole thing.
Stranger: You just need to read the beginning pretty much cause it’s all about how everything started its so cool
Me: I go to church, but not for Sunday mass...I'm an amateur photographer so I take pictures of churches…the Gothic architecture is fascinating
Stranger: You are photographer!?! That’s awesome my sister wants to be that
Me: That's great
Stranger: I guess so
Me: You can capture a moment forever, and you'll know what exactly happened in that moment. For others it’ll be a picture
Stranger: So do you even have any interest of having a relationship with God? Like trying to get to know about Christianity? Or anything? Just wondering
Me: Not religion. God yes
Me: I strongly believe that religions were created by humans. So religion should have nothing to do with the existence of God
Stranger: Well then do it! His love for you is so great...well I see what you are saying
Stranger: I have a religion, its just Christianity. You don’t have to have a specific religion. You can just have a relationship with God!!!
Me: That's the idea, how to know where he is as to talk to him
Stranger: u pray...
Me: Nopes…bcoz it’s all one sided...we pray, we cry…but does an answer come?
Stranger: an answer doesn’t always come... he blesses us in ways that we don’t realize
Stranger: He’s not just someone you ask for something and he gives it to you
Me: Means he is like a guide...you ask him to send you to place X and he points the way, going there is your own choice?
Stranger: Everything you do is your own choice... he can’t control what you do
Me: Then why are we here? Why did God create us? Does he want to watch a movie?
Stranger: But everything you do should be something that God would be proud of…
Stranger: Why are we here? No one knows! God put us here to be HIS people
Stranger: this is not just a "movie" it’s a horror movie to him
Me: If he wanted us to be HIS people...means he wanted to get something done from us…probably the end of the planet. He couldn’t do it so created us to kill it
Stranger: WE ARE ON THIS EARTH BECAUSE GOD SENT IS SON JESUS TO DIE FOR OUR SINS ON THE CROSS! THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE!
Stranger: Sorry caps was on... didn’t know
Me: Ya…felt like you were shouting standing on a rooftop
Stranger: Sorry!!!
Me: ok, let’s take it step by step...God sent his Jesus to die so we are here
Stranger: God sent his son, Jesus
Me: Means if we weren’t here Jesus won’t have to sacrifice himself on the cross, correct?
Stranger: correct
Me: So why did God take so many pains to create us?
Me: I’m messing up your head, I like to question things.
Stranger: He already sacrificed himself a very long time ago.... Because he loves us!!!!!!!!!! (: he used his own son to take away our sins
Stranger: No its fine I love to teach people this stuff
Me: at your age? You want to go to seminary?
Stranger: Here hang on I have a bible verse to show you that explains some of it
Me: Sure
Stranger: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." That kinda does…
Stranger: Like if you do anything wrong...God is going to forgive. He loves you even if you don’t have any idea who he is. His love is unconditional
Me: Guess its a circle - God gave up his son so we could survive, and we were created by God. So essentially God messed up things by creating humans
Stranger: God doesn’t mess things up
Stranger: Humans messed up this world he didn’t
Stranger: people around here don’t freaking care about anything. (Not trying to be against you) but a lot of people around the world just have sex whenever they want to...murder people…kids are raped all the time...I mean God doesn’t even come across anyone’s mind anymore
Me: That signals the end of the world…Judgment Day as you call it, right?
Stranger: You sound just like my mom. She’s positive the world is gonna end next year
Stranger: like 100%
Stranger: and yes it’s called Judgment Day when you die
Me: Don’t compare me to mom. She must be a much better person
Stranger: Why would she be a better person?
Me: She is a mom...moms are always good
Stranger: ahah she’s pretty awesome!
Me: Now coming back to your concern…SEX….here something for you…Isaiah 34:16 – “None shall want for a mate”
Me: If God doesn’t want us to have sex before marriage...well...then half of the world’s love stories will end then and there.
Me: Then we'll just remain friends with everyone.
Stranger: Noooo!!
Stranger: Loving someone is wanting to be with them for the rest of your life and you would do anything for them not just having sex with them
Me: But the bitter part of this story is that love doesn’t actually last for a lifetime
Stranger: It does for some people
Me: You are a Christian, and then you must be against divorce also?
Stranger: Ok my parents are divorced…and yes I am against it
Stranger: But I believe that God planned for my parents to get divorced because my dad treated us horribly.
Stranger: So my parents’ getting a divorce was a blessing.
Me: Sorry for you. I guess then your mum took right step
Stranger: Yes she did.
Me: So apart from educating people on religion what else do you do? Basketball?
Me: Skating?
Stranger: Basketball, baseball and football
Stranger: what do you do?
Me: I do quite a lot of things
Stranger: Like?
Me: Pictures, writing (blogger), I like ping-pong and soccer
Stranger: sweeeett
Me: hey wait! I just realized you are here as you did something inappropriate with a girl.
Me: God fearing people don’t do such things
Me: Hahah…our strictly “no sex before marriage”, “God will punish you” man misbehaves with women and gets caught.
Stranger: It was a joke I didn’t mean anything sexual!
Me: Well my friend, you are on thin ice…you don’t know about why you are here or who sent you here. You believed in a book which was written by humans. So all the very best to you in finding your God.
Stranger: And do you have your God?
Me: Yes, we have a pretty good working relationship.
Me: Next time, be better prepared when talking to cynics like me…as all it takes is a cynic to bring the world crashing down on your head.
This is an excerpt of one such conversation…
Stranger: Hey
Me: Hi
Stranger: Waddup
Me: Nothing much. Back from office early
Stranger: Sweeeet
Me: what do you do?
Stranger: I’m in high school.
Me: good
Stranger: yuppp!
Me: So what else? Is it still cold on your side of the world?
Stranger: Nope! 22 deg outside right noww
Me: Nice weather...where do you live?
Stranger: Alabama! wbu?
Me: A million miles away brother…India :)
Stranger: wowwww
Stranger: That’s a long way!
Me: Dodo!Its not a million miles though...its a figure of speech
Stranger: well its still far
Stranger: I’ve never been out of the country soooo
Stranger: It seems like a long way
Me: so what r u doin sittin on the computer on a weekend?
Stranger: i got in trouble
Me: grounded?
Stranger: yes sir
Me: haha..what did you do? pulled a fast one on the principal?
Stranger: no.. according to my parents i did something inappropriate around all these girls and they found out soooo
Me: you are 15, you are supposed to be doing things. We all did crazy things
Stranger: I know!!!!!!!!! its soooo annoying
Stranger: Ok temme, are you a Christian?
Stranger: Im guessing not
Me:Am not
Me: and why that question now?
Stranger: what?
Me: I mean why did you bring religion in the middle?
Stranger: because I want to talk about that...
Stranger: DONT DISCONNECT
Stranger: God made the world…and then we spoiled it.
Stranger: God wants u to be happy and married and have kids but what are we doing? when u face God when u die ur gonna regret it
Me: ok, I got your idea…but my friend…why will I have to regret when I die?
Stranger: This whole world has turned into chaos. God is so disappointed with everyone in this world it’s so bad
Me: And you have strong beliefs in religion. DON’T DISCONNECT, but how can you say God exists?
Stranger: OMG! Everybody on here asks me this question.
Me: I mean I was raised as a Hindu but I don’t follow any religion.
Stranger: I know you probably don’t believe in God, but I do and I know he exists.You don’t have to think that but I know he does.
Stranger: He made the world were in right now so….
Me: But how will a non believer get to know if God exists?
Stranger: We didn’t come from freaking monkeys…that’s impossible
Me: I like your attitude…but again….there’ something called evolution
Stranger: Hahaha well I’m serious about this
Stranger: You probably think I’m so gay but I don’t care
Me: I don’t think that gays are better aligned to ‘God’...that's why I’m still talking to you and asking a simple question…how will a non believer know God exists?
Stranger: Read the Bible!
Me: It’s a big book.
Stranger: Go to church
Stranger: Yea I know, you don’t have to read the whole thing.
Stranger: You just need to read the beginning pretty much cause it’s all about how everything started its so cool
Me: I go to church, but not for Sunday mass...I'm an amateur photographer so I take pictures of churches…the Gothic architecture is fascinating
Stranger: You are photographer!?! That’s awesome my sister wants to be that
Me: That's great
Stranger: I guess so
Me: You can capture a moment forever, and you'll know what exactly happened in that moment. For others it’ll be a picture
Stranger: So do you even have any interest of having a relationship with God? Like trying to get to know about Christianity? Or anything? Just wondering
Me: Not religion. God yes
Me: I strongly believe that religions were created by humans. So religion should have nothing to do with the existence of God
Stranger: Well then do it! His love for you is so great...well I see what you are saying
Stranger: I have a religion, its just Christianity. You don’t have to have a specific religion. You can just have a relationship with God!!!
Me: That's the idea, how to know where he is as to talk to him
Stranger: u pray...
Me: Nopes…bcoz it’s all one sided...we pray, we cry…but does an answer come?
Stranger: an answer doesn’t always come... he blesses us in ways that we don’t realize
Stranger: He’s not just someone you ask for something and he gives it to you
Me: Means he is like a guide...you ask him to send you to place X and he points the way, going there is your own choice?
Stranger: Everything you do is your own choice... he can’t control what you do
Me: Then why are we here? Why did God create us? Does he want to watch a movie?
Stranger: But everything you do should be something that God would be proud of…
Stranger: Why are we here? No one knows! God put us here to be HIS people
Stranger: this is not just a "movie" it’s a horror movie to him
Me: If he wanted us to be HIS people...means he wanted to get something done from us…probably the end of the planet. He couldn’t do it so created us to kill it
Stranger: WE ARE ON THIS EARTH BECAUSE GOD SENT IS SON JESUS TO DIE FOR OUR SINS ON THE CROSS! THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE!
Stranger: Sorry caps was on... didn’t know
Me: Ya…felt like you were shouting standing on a rooftop
Stranger: Sorry!!!
Me: ok, let’s take it step by step...God sent his Jesus to die so we are here
Stranger: God sent his son, Jesus
Me: Means if we weren’t here Jesus won’t have to sacrifice himself on the cross, correct?
Stranger: correct
Me: So why did God take so many pains to create us?
Me: I’m messing up your head, I like to question things.
Stranger: He already sacrificed himself a very long time ago.... Because he loves us!!!!!!!!!! (: he used his own son to take away our sins
Stranger: No its fine I love to teach people this stuff
Me: at your age? You want to go to seminary?
Stranger: Here hang on I have a bible verse to show you that explains some of it
Me: Sure
Stranger: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." That kinda does…
Stranger: Like if you do anything wrong...God is going to forgive. He loves you even if you don’t have any idea who he is. His love is unconditional
Me: Guess its a circle - God gave up his son so we could survive, and we were created by God. So essentially God messed up things by creating humans
Stranger: God doesn’t mess things up
Stranger: Humans messed up this world he didn’t
Stranger: people around here don’t freaking care about anything. (Not trying to be against you) but a lot of people around the world just have sex whenever they want to...murder people…kids are raped all the time...I mean God doesn’t even come across anyone’s mind anymore
Me: That signals the end of the world…Judgment Day as you call it, right?
Stranger: You sound just like my mom. She’s positive the world is gonna end next year
Stranger: like 100%
Stranger: and yes it’s called Judgment Day when you die
Me: Don’t compare me to mom. She must be a much better person
Stranger: Why would she be a better person?
Me: She is a mom...moms are always good
Stranger: ahah she’s pretty awesome!
Me: Now coming back to your concern…SEX….here something for you…Isaiah 34:16 – “None shall want for a mate”
Me: If God doesn’t want us to have sex before marriage...well...then half of the world’s love stories will end then and there.
Me: Then we'll just remain friends with everyone.
Stranger: Noooo!!
Stranger: Loving someone is wanting to be with them for the rest of your life and you would do anything for them not just having sex with them
Me: But the bitter part of this story is that love doesn’t actually last for a lifetime
Stranger: It does for some people
Me: You are a Christian, and then you must be against divorce also?
Stranger: Ok my parents are divorced…and yes I am against it
Stranger: But I believe that God planned for my parents to get divorced because my dad treated us horribly.
Stranger: So my parents’ getting a divorce was a blessing.
Me: Sorry for you. I guess then your mum took right step
Stranger: Yes she did.
Me: So apart from educating people on religion what else do you do? Basketball?
Me: Skating?
Stranger: Basketball, baseball and football
Stranger: what do you do?
Me: I do quite a lot of things
Stranger: Like?
Me: Pictures, writing (blogger), I like ping-pong and soccer
Stranger: sweeeett
Me: hey wait! I just realized you are here as you did something inappropriate with a girl.
Me: God fearing people don’t do such things
Me: Hahah…our strictly “no sex before marriage”, “God will punish you” man misbehaves with women and gets caught.
Stranger: It was a joke I didn’t mean anything sexual!
Me: Well my friend, you are on thin ice…you don’t know about why you are here or who sent you here. You believed in a book which was written by humans. So all the very best to you in finding your God.
Stranger: And do you have your God?
Me: Yes, we have a pretty good working relationship.
Me: Next time, be better prepared when talking to cynics like me…as all it takes is a cynic to bring the world crashing down on your head.
Friday, February 11, 2011
DYSTOPIA
Hello, I’m back and this time with a strange idea.
Have you ever given a thought to what would have become of the INDIA we know today if forced integration of princely states into the Indian Union not happened? Had Sardar Patel not been the Iron-Man, had Nehru not insisted on Kashmir being a part of India (although with a plebiscite) and had Bengal not been broken up into two? In fact, what would have happened if at the stroke of midnight August 15, 1947…each of the princely states of free India decided to be a master of their own fate and chosen to be separate countries?
So what follows is purely my dystopian view of what would have become of India. I’m not a seditionist and this is just a thought which I’m trying to compile on paper or e-paper or whatever…
August 14, 1947 – North Western part of India separates from India and assumes a new identity as Pakistan.
August 15, 1947 – India wrests its independence from the 200 year old British colonial rule.
The new Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru convenes a cabinet meeting discussing the fate of India. After heated rounds of discussion, a landmark statement is passed – “all the princely states will have the right to choose whether they want to be a part of India or do they want to continue their existence as separate nations.”
Within a month, all princely states chose to abandon the Indian Union and become nation-states. India was declared as a continent consisting of 30 countries. A brief intro to each of them –
1.Andhra Pradesh – The land of rivers, agriculture and innately one tracked people (fascination with getting into IIT and then into an American house with a Swedish car and a Telugu wife)…this country would be reduced to rubble with Satyam Computers destroying the economy of the country but not before all the IT majors being black listed for getting humanly impossible work done from their employees (I love this part…thank God I’m not the engineer but the consultant…poor engineers).
2.Arunachal Pradesh – Arun-who? I don’t recollect anything…my oracle globe has become hazy…losing consciousness…keeling over….glurg glurg glurg (frothing at the mouth)…
3.Assam – First there was Earl grey, then there was Ceylon…and then came the Assam tea…from that day on…year after year the highest tea producer award went to this small country constantly being wrecked by floods in the Brahmaputra river. And guess the country survived, after all China was too big and didn’t have an enemy called India.
4.Bihar – This would be the Sierra Leone of the Indian continent. Rich in mineral wealth, but equally rich in 5th class fail, hay eating (yeah…people can do that) politicians-warlords…this country would see all its mineral wealth proceeds going to a small country called Delhi and some un accounted parts going to the LGT Bank in Liechtenstein.
5.Goa – The protectorate of Portugal, this small country would thrive like nothing else on the planet…thanks to serene beaches, cashew plantations, Iron ore deposits, nice people and a far removed controlling country. And the only sad part would be…I’d have to clear the GMAT to get admission to Goa Institute of Management. And I would do that if that was the only thing I could ever do in my life.
6.Gujarat – This semi arid desert country would be the most discussed case study all over management institutions across the world for the supreme business acumen of its people. Dr. V Kurien and Mr. Ambani would be giving lectures all over the world and making Gujarat proud (they still do). Occasionally the country would come under the scanner of the WTO for not allowing import of liquor (it was a dry state from a long time)
7.Haryana – This would be the trouble child of the continent. Skewed sex ratio, less brains and more brawns, there would be permanent state of unease in the country.
8.Himachal Pradesh – The pleasant land of the Indian continent. With thriving tourism, apples competing for world level awards every year and posh school…this would be a mix of Edinburgh, Eton and Switzerland all in one.
9.Jammu and Kashmir – The poster boy for something gone horribly wrong, the state would be in flames 50 years after independence from the Indian Union and would continue to be in turmoil for another 50 years – Ladakh, Aksai Chin, Kashmir and Jammu fighting amongst themselves to carve out separate countries and Pakistan providing support to Kashmir, China supporting Aksai Chin and Ladakh and Delhi quietly watching where to poke its nose.
10.Karnataka – The land of superfast growth, this country would become a nemesis to many others due to the sharp brains of its technologically learned people, beautiful girls, rivers, natural resources, weather and everything else. Neighbours would be envious as to why Karnataka got everything and they didn’t.
11.Kerala – Hugo Chavez, Ahmedijenad and others of their ilk would be extending warm welcome to this country. One more Socialist nation, causing pain in the wrong places for Uncle Sam. Winning ‘Lonely Planet’s Best Backwater Destination’ year after year…Bush and party would be crying somewhere….
12.Madhya Pradesh – Supremely sympathetic to the ruling class of Delhi – the Nehruvian dynasty…this country would pawn itself off to them. With everything available, natural resources, tourist destinations, a wealthy ruling family…somehow they would find a way to bungle up everything and go bankrupt. And then put their foot in their mouth all the time…”do a Digvijay Singh” would become a common idiom for idiocy. This country would beat Ethiopia and Chad in malnutrition ratings for 5 years in a row!
13.Maharashtra – The powerhouse of the Indian continent…this country would be the business nerve center for entire Asia. (Pakistan would never attack Mumbai…its black money would be stashed Amcha Mumbai Bank) Mumbai would be the entertainment, financial, business, real estate….oh and I can’t remember more…but it would be bigger than New York, Tokyo and London combined. Every country would want to be on good terms with Maharashtra...after all they would be the source of business for every one. And Maharashtra would be having its own Chechnya (Vidhardha fighting for independence)
14.Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram –Like the three Baltic states, these would be three conjoined triplets. Each country would depend on tourism as the primary source of income and yes…Cherrapunji and Mawsynram would still be winning the ‘highest rainfall award’. I don’t know much about them…why bother the keyboard then?
15.Sikkim and Nagaland – The Finland and Norway and Sweden of Indian continent. Numerous Grammy, VH1, MTV, TRL and Kerrang award winning rock bands would keep emerging and rocking the world every year. (Finland and Norway have produced some of the best bands, house DJs in the world – Rasmus, Poets of the Fall, Europe, Apocalyptica, Children of Bodom, Darude, Night wish(check out Tarja Turunen), ABBA, A-Teens, Yngwie Malmsteem and many many others) Oh and yes…the silk route (not the band, the trade route)would be open and functioning.
16.Orissa – Even after beaches, temples, cyclones, floods and everything in between…people would never forget Biju Patnaik and the highest civilian award would be the Aviator Award. And Orissa would be the first country in the world to make fully waterproof, floating houses anchored to the ground and that would be patented as the ‘Anchor-House’(What with so many hurricanes every year)
17.Punjab – The country winning the Miss Universe, Miss World and any other pageant worth its salt every year. And also the bread basket of Asia award. And also an honorary ‘No Visa Required’ program with Canada (written as Kann-e-ddaa in Punjabi)
18.Rajasthan – Asia’s East Europe (minus the poverty and post Bosnian-war destruction). With beautiful castles, forts and rich cultural heritage this place would be UN’s favorite for its heritage sites. And they’d surely need all the tourism and then a little more to pay for food imports (deserts…you see)
19.Tamil Nadu – Silk.Gold.Rajnikanth. Enough said. And yes… A. Raja :P
20.Tripura – Not bothered. Next Please.
21.Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand– Agriculture, Tourism, Hills, Plains, Mineral Wealth, Hydro Electric Power, Corruption, Gang-lands, acute poverty (Purvanchal, Bundelkhand), Lawless-ness(Noida, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Baraut, Mawana, Gr. Noida) and ultimate a sliver of economic and educational boom (Noida). This would be my little India.
22.West Bengal – Still Communist, listening to Rabindra Sangeet (sorry folks…but its painful to hear and the same songs since 1918AD…or maybe 1918BC), cheering Brazil’s football team while sitting in muddy fields in slippers, and fishing in the Hooghly. Rest I don’t want to rant about.
I think this is a pretty scary picture and I’m thankful to God that even with all his flaws, Jawahar Lal Nehru did one thing right…giving full authority to Sardar Patel to unify the country by hook or crook. Today we have a throbbing, vibrant country where the good balances the bad, and we are changing the world order inch by inch…
Imagine where we would be if this country won’t be in existence.I don’t know about others but I’d be fishing in (East Pakistan) Bangladesh, ruled over by Pakistan with little hope for a better future.
So people who think the unification of the country was wrong, that ideological, territorial and other forms of integrity were taken away from the princely states...TAKE A HIKE to PAKISTAN!
I believe in India.Anyday.Everyday.
Have you ever given a thought to what would have become of the INDIA we know today if forced integration of princely states into the Indian Union not happened? Had Sardar Patel not been the Iron-Man, had Nehru not insisted on Kashmir being a part of India (although with a plebiscite) and had Bengal not been broken up into two? In fact, what would have happened if at the stroke of midnight August 15, 1947…each of the princely states of free India decided to be a master of their own fate and chosen to be separate countries?
So what follows is purely my dystopian view of what would have become of India. I’m not a seditionist and this is just a thought which I’m trying to compile on paper or e-paper or whatever…
August 14, 1947 – North Western part of India separates from India and assumes a new identity as Pakistan.
August 15, 1947 – India wrests its independence from the 200 year old British colonial rule.
The new Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru convenes a cabinet meeting discussing the fate of India. After heated rounds of discussion, a landmark statement is passed – “all the princely states will have the right to choose whether they want to be a part of India or do they want to continue their existence as separate nations.”
Within a month, all princely states chose to abandon the Indian Union and become nation-states. India was declared as a continent consisting of 30 countries. A brief intro to each of them –
1.Andhra Pradesh – The land of rivers, agriculture and innately one tracked people (fascination with getting into IIT and then into an American house with a Swedish car and a Telugu wife)…this country would be reduced to rubble with Satyam Computers destroying the economy of the country but not before all the IT majors being black listed for getting humanly impossible work done from their employees (I love this part…thank God I’m not the engineer but the consultant…poor engineers).
2.Arunachal Pradesh – Arun-who? I don’t recollect anything…my oracle globe has become hazy…losing consciousness…keeling over….glurg glurg glurg (frothing at the mouth)…
3.Assam – First there was Earl grey, then there was Ceylon…and then came the Assam tea…from that day on…year after year the highest tea producer award went to this small country constantly being wrecked by floods in the Brahmaputra river. And guess the country survived, after all China was too big and didn’t have an enemy called India.
4.Bihar – This would be the Sierra Leone of the Indian continent. Rich in mineral wealth, but equally rich in 5th class fail, hay eating (yeah…people can do that) politicians-warlords…this country would see all its mineral wealth proceeds going to a small country called Delhi and some un accounted parts going to the LGT Bank in Liechtenstein.
5.Goa – The protectorate of Portugal, this small country would thrive like nothing else on the planet…thanks to serene beaches, cashew plantations, Iron ore deposits, nice people and a far removed controlling country. And the only sad part would be…I’d have to clear the GMAT to get admission to Goa Institute of Management. And I would do that if that was the only thing I could ever do in my life.
6.Gujarat – This semi arid desert country would be the most discussed case study all over management institutions across the world for the supreme business acumen of its people. Dr. V Kurien and Mr. Ambani would be giving lectures all over the world and making Gujarat proud (they still do). Occasionally the country would come under the scanner of the WTO for not allowing import of liquor (it was a dry state from a long time)
7.Haryana – This would be the trouble child of the continent. Skewed sex ratio, less brains and more brawns, there would be permanent state of unease in the country.
8.Himachal Pradesh – The pleasant land of the Indian continent. With thriving tourism, apples competing for world level awards every year and posh school…this would be a mix of Edinburgh, Eton and Switzerland all in one.
9.Jammu and Kashmir – The poster boy for something gone horribly wrong, the state would be in flames 50 years after independence from the Indian Union and would continue to be in turmoil for another 50 years – Ladakh, Aksai Chin, Kashmir and Jammu fighting amongst themselves to carve out separate countries and Pakistan providing support to Kashmir, China supporting Aksai Chin and Ladakh and Delhi quietly watching where to poke its nose.
10.Karnataka – The land of superfast growth, this country would become a nemesis to many others due to the sharp brains of its technologically learned people, beautiful girls, rivers, natural resources, weather and everything else. Neighbours would be envious as to why Karnataka got everything and they didn’t.
11.Kerala – Hugo Chavez, Ahmedijenad and others of their ilk would be extending warm welcome to this country. One more Socialist nation, causing pain in the wrong places for Uncle Sam. Winning ‘Lonely Planet’s Best Backwater Destination’ year after year…Bush and party would be crying somewhere….
12.Madhya Pradesh – Supremely sympathetic to the ruling class of Delhi – the Nehruvian dynasty…this country would pawn itself off to them. With everything available, natural resources, tourist destinations, a wealthy ruling family…somehow they would find a way to bungle up everything and go bankrupt. And then put their foot in their mouth all the time…”do a Digvijay Singh” would become a common idiom for idiocy. This country would beat Ethiopia and Chad in malnutrition ratings for 5 years in a row!
13.Maharashtra – The powerhouse of the Indian continent…this country would be the business nerve center for entire Asia. (Pakistan would never attack Mumbai…its black money would be stashed Amcha Mumbai Bank) Mumbai would be the entertainment, financial, business, real estate….oh and I can’t remember more…but it would be bigger than New York, Tokyo and London combined. Every country would want to be on good terms with Maharashtra...after all they would be the source of business for every one. And Maharashtra would be having its own Chechnya (Vidhardha fighting for independence)
14.Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram –Like the three Baltic states, these would be three conjoined triplets. Each country would depend on tourism as the primary source of income and yes…Cherrapunji and Mawsynram would still be winning the ‘highest rainfall award’. I don’t know much about them…why bother the keyboard then?
15.Sikkim and Nagaland – The Finland and Norway and Sweden of Indian continent. Numerous Grammy, VH1, MTV, TRL and Kerrang award winning rock bands would keep emerging and rocking the world every year. (Finland and Norway have produced some of the best bands, house DJs in the world – Rasmus, Poets of the Fall, Europe, Apocalyptica, Children of Bodom, Darude, Night wish(check out Tarja Turunen), ABBA, A-Teens, Yngwie Malmsteem and many many others) Oh and yes…the silk route (not the band, the trade route)would be open and functioning.
16.Orissa – Even after beaches, temples, cyclones, floods and everything in between…people would never forget Biju Patnaik and the highest civilian award would be the Aviator Award. And Orissa would be the first country in the world to make fully waterproof, floating houses anchored to the ground and that would be patented as the ‘Anchor-House’(What with so many hurricanes every year)
17.Punjab – The country winning the Miss Universe, Miss World and any other pageant worth its salt every year. And also the bread basket of Asia award. And also an honorary ‘No Visa Required’ program with Canada (written as Kann-e-ddaa in Punjabi)
18.Rajasthan – Asia’s East Europe (minus the poverty and post Bosnian-war destruction). With beautiful castles, forts and rich cultural heritage this place would be UN’s favorite for its heritage sites. And they’d surely need all the tourism and then a little more to pay for food imports (deserts…you see)
19.Tamil Nadu – Silk.Gold.Rajnikanth. Enough said. And yes… A. Raja :P
20.Tripura – Not bothered. Next Please.
21.Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand– Agriculture, Tourism, Hills, Plains, Mineral Wealth, Hydro Electric Power, Corruption, Gang-lands, acute poverty (Purvanchal, Bundelkhand), Lawless-ness(Noida, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Baraut, Mawana, Gr. Noida) and ultimate a sliver of economic and educational boom (Noida). This would be my little India.
22.West Bengal – Still Communist, listening to Rabindra Sangeet (sorry folks…but its painful to hear and the same songs since 1918AD…or maybe 1918BC), cheering Brazil’s football team while sitting in muddy fields in slippers, and fishing in the Hooghly. Rest I don’t want to rant about.
I think this is a pretty scary picture and I’m thankful to God that even with all his flaws, Jawahar Lal Nehru did one thing right…giving full authority to Sardar Patel to unify the country by hook or crook. Today we have a throbbing, vibrant country where the good balances the bad, and we are changing the world order inch by inch…
Imagine where we would be if this country won’t be in existence.I don’t know about others but I’d be fishing in (East Pakistan) Bangladesh, ruled over by Pakistan with little hope for a better future.
So people who think the unification of the country was wrong, that ideological, territorial and other forms of integrity were taken away from the princely states...TAKE A HIKE to PAKISTAN!
I believe in India.Anyday.Everyday.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Chance Encounters
How often it happens that you do something totally out of the ordinary, something straight out of a movie or a novel and later reminisce what it could have been all about?
August 11, 2010
Raipur, Chattisgarh
I had to catch a flight from Raipur to New Delhi. Having nothing much to do in the city; I decided to go to the airport early and park myself there. Raipur Airport is a small airport with few flights but on that day there was only flight out of Raipur in the evening. Just a Kingfisher flight, just the dead looking Kingfisher baggage handlers and ticketing staff and equally weary travelers. What a boring airport, I thought to myself.
Curiosity will always kill the cat…I gave my bags for X-ray checking and went on the other side to see the x-ray images. Just then a ground officer from Kingfisher comes along and asks, “Sir, did you get your boarding pass”? I replied without looking back, “I will once I get this bag checked”. She said,”very well sir, but what are you looking at?” And then I told her I was looking at the X-ray display and wondering how could the airline personnel make out the difference between things. To me they were blotches of blue, green and orange colors. I could see a lot of stuff but how do they find minute things hidden between sheets of cloth or in a zip pouch?
She laughed. And it was an unusual laugh for an airline employee. It wasn’t the forced smile or the smirk-laden laugh that the profession taught her. And it was then when I saw her properly for the first time.
Tall, dusky, hazel-brown eyes, crisp Kingfisher uniform with a pearl necklace and a pony tail. She was by far the best airline operative I had met. She told how they were trained to spot the differences and how it becomes second nature to them.
Since I had time on my hands before the flight and even she didn’t have much work to do as the airport was almost empty, we sat down and started talking. She asked me what I was doing in Raipur and where was I going next. I told her about how I got fed up of my job and was going home after resigning. She started ranting about her job, how she’s stuck at this lousy airport and how she’d love to operate out of a bigger airport.
I couldn’t stop my from commenting, “But J(her name), you look really very good…you should be a flight stewardess. Isn’t that what you actually trained in aviation school?” She was taken aback and asked, “How do you know my name?” I replied, “Ms. J R…your ID tag says it all.”I had read her ID while talking to her.
She told me how her height is a little more than required and how she might skip this company to work for some other airline as a ground staff.
We talked about a variety of stuff related to airlines, thanks to my habit of picking up stupid knowledge from all over the world we discussed on CAT – III ILS, training, rowdy passengers, eve teasing, life of a flight attendant and that of a ground crew, job satisfaction in the industry and then our generation as a whole.
Soon it was time for my flight; I got up to go…
I wanted to keep her contact number or something, but then it dawned on me that this was just a chance encounter, nothing more nothing less. I gave her my face book and orkut ID and asked her to get in touch is she felt like and left for the departure lounge and finally to the boarding gate. While I was going, a couple of Kingfisher ground crew and ticketing staff looked at me with a mixed feeling of contempt and awe (I don’t know the reason whatsoever) and finally when I was at the gate...the lady said, “Sir, J said Bye…”
And that was it…a chance encounter.
August mid month, 2010.
I had to get my NSR (National Skills Registry) done so I went to Noida to get the thing sorted out. It is a pretty simple procedure wherein you apply online and then go along with the application number to any NSDL center and get your biometric information uploaded and you get your IT PIN generated.
It was a routine day at the NSDL center in Sec 18, Noida. Lots of people getting their PAN, GIR, NSR and other stuff done. There was this cute looking girl who was getting down fingerprints from people for their NSR. Finally my turn came and we started from my left hand. She had taken only maybe two fingerprints when an elderly man in his 60s came barging in and started shouting on the girl…you don’t have the manners to call up your clients when something goes amiss…you don’t know how to behave with a retired person…I’ll complain about you and all sort of harsh words.
The girl was stunned and finally managed to utter the words…”I will surely get your job done. Please don’t shout at me.” The man left in a huff and puff and everyone went back to their work. She started taking finger prints again but she just couldn’t get my finger on the right spot on the scanner. I looked at her and saw these big lakes of tears welling up in her eyes. Without thinking much, I asked her,”mere baad aur kitne logo ka NSR banana hai aapko? (After me, how many more NSRs do you have to make?)” She lookd beyond me and said, “abhi koi nahi hai line mei”. I asked her would she like to talk about the old man scolding her. And she said…”nahi, aapse baat karna thik nahi lagega. (It won’t be professional to talk to you)”
I said,”aap waise bhi abhi apna kaam thik se nahi kar pa rahi hain. Bahar chaliye, thoda man halka kijiye fir kaam. (In anycase, you can’t do your job properly right now. Come outside, relax a bit then work)”I took her out for an Ice-Tea(my favorite cold beverage) at McD’s and there I tried explaining to her how she shouldn’t take such things too seriously. That old man was a customer and customers shout. But there’s no need to take it personally as he is shouting at the position not you as a person. She told me how every other day some customer or the other would misbehave and she has to endure as they are customers but today she just felt really bad. “Mai unki poti ki umr ki hogi.Aise koi apni bacchi ko daantega?(I must be his grand-daughter’s age, does someone scold his grandchild like this?)”, she asked.
I said, “yeh kyo nahi samajhti ki har din ek aise customer jhelne se aapka test ho raha hai. Aur aap accha kar rahi hain.(Why don’t you think this way that everyday you are giving a test and faring well in the test)”
Soon she was smiling again and I felt now it was time to go back and get the work done. We went back, she happily took my fingerprints and my biometric information was entered in no time. As I rose up to leave, I saw a speck of tear on her cheek. Instinctively, I moved forward and wiped clean her cheek with my hand. She smiled again. And I left without saying anything…
I could have asked for her name, I could have asked for her number, maybe she might have given her contact as well. She might go home happy, thinking that she met a nice person and might as well tell this story to her friends. But asking her number would reduce the whole serendipity of the event to a normal incidence. Guy helping girl, getting her number and then the same story continues…
I felt this way, it would stay in memory longer…helping an unknown person without any motive and feeling nice about it…it was a chance encounter…
August 11, 2010
Raipur, Chattisgarh
I had to catch a flight from Raipur to New Delhi. Having nothing much to do in the city; I decided to go to the airport early and park myself there. Raipur Airport is a small airport with few flights but on that day there was only flight out of Raipur in the evening. Just a Kingfisher flight, just the dead looking Kingfisher baggage handlers and ticketing staff and equally weary travelers. What a boring airport, I thought to myself.
Curiosity will always kill the cat…I gave my bags for X-ray checking and went on the other side to see the x-ray images. Just then a ground officer from Kingfisher comes along and asks, “Sir, did you get your boarding pass”? I replied without looking back, “I will once I get this bag checked”. She said,”very well sir, but what are you looking at?” And then I told her I was looking at the X-ray display and wondering how could the airline personnel make out the difference between things. To me they were blotches of blue, green and orange colors. I could see a lot of stuff but how do they find minute things hidden between sheets of cloth or in a zip pouch?
She laughed. And it was an unusual laugh for an airline employee. It wasn’t the forced smile or the smirk-laden laugh that the profession taught her. And it was then when I saw her properly for the first time.
Tall, dusky, hazel-brown eyes, crisp Kingfisher uniform with a pearl necklace and a pony tail. She was by far the best airline operative I had met. She told how they were trained to spot the differences and how it becomes second nature to them.
Since I had time on my hands before the flight and even she didn’t have much work to do as the airport was almost empty, we sat down and started talking. She asked me what I was doing in Raipur and where was I going next. I told her about how I got fed up of my job and was going home after resigning. She started ranting about her job, how she’s stuck at this lousy airport and how she’d love to operate out of a bigger airport.
I couldn’t stop my from commenting, “But J(her name), you look really very good…you should be a flight stewardess. Isn’t that what you actually trained in aviation school?” She was taken aback and asked, “How do you know my name?” I replied, “Ms. J R…your ID tag says it all.”I had read her ID while talking to her.
She told me how her height is a little more than required and how she might skip this company to work for some other airline as a ground staff.
We talked about a variety of stuff related to airlines, thanks to my habit of picking up stupid knowledge from all over the world we discussed on CAT – III ILS, training, rowdy passengers, eve teasing, life of a flight attendant and that of a ground crew, job satisfaction in the industry and then our generation as a whole.
Soon it was time for my flight; I got up to go…
I wanted to keep her contact number or something, but then it dawned on me that this was just a chance encounter, nothing more nothing less. I gave her my face book and orkut ID and asked her to get in touch is she felt like and left for the departure lounge and finally to the boarding gate. While I was going, a couple of Kingfisher ground crew and ticketing staff looked at me with a mixed feeling of contempt and awe (I don’t know the reason whatsoever) and finally when I was at the gate...the lady said, “Sir, J said Bye…”
And that was it…a chance encounter.
August mid month, 2010.
I had to get my NSR (National Skills Registry) done so I went to Noida to get the thing sorted out. It is a pretty simple procedure wherein you apply online and then go along with the application number to any NSDL center and get your biometric information uploaded and you get your IT PIN generated.
It was a routine day at the NSDL center in Sec 18, Noida. Lots of people getting their PAN, GIR, NSR and other stuff done. There was this cute looking girl who was getting down fingerprints from people for their NSR. Finally my turn came and we started from my left hand. She had taken only maybe two fingerprints when an elderly man in his 60s came barging in and started shouting on the girl…you don’t have the manners to call up your clients when something goes amiss…you don’t know how to behave with a retired person…I’ll complain about you and all sort of harsh words.
The girl was stunned and finally managed to utter the words…”I will surely get your job done. Please don’t shout at me.” The man left in a huff and puff and everyone went back to their work. She started taking finger prints again but she just couldn’t get my finger on the right spot on the scanner. I looked at her and saw these big lakes of tears welling up in her eyes. Without thinking much, I asked her,”mere baad aur kitne logo ka NSR banana hai aapko? (After me, how many more NSRs do you have to make?)” She lookd beyond me and said, “abhi koi nahi hai line mei”. I asked her would she like to talk about the old man scolding her. And she said…”nahi, aapse baat karna thik nahi lagega. (It won’t be professional to talk to you)”
I said,”aap waise bhi abhi apna kaam thik se nahi kar pa rahi hain. Bahar chaliye, thoda man halka kijiye fir kaam. (In anycase, you can’t do your job properly right now. Come outside, relax a bit then work)”I took her out for an Ice-Tea(my favorite cold beverage) at McD’s and there I tried explaining to her how she shouldn’t take such things too seriously. That old man was a customer and customers shout. But there’s no need to take it personally as he is shouting at the position not you as a person. She told me how every other day some customer or the other would misbehave and she has to endure as they are customers but today she just felt really bad. “Mai unki poti ki umr ki hogi.Aise koi apni bacchi ko daantega?(I must be his grand-daughter’s age, does someone scold his grandchild like this?)”, she asked.
I said, “yeh kyo nahi samajhti ki har din ek aise customer jhelne se aapka test ho raha hai. Aur aap accha kar rahi hain.(Why don’t you think this way that everyday you are giving a test and faring well in the test)”
Soon she was smiling again and I felt now it was time to go back and get the work done. We went back, she happily took my fingerprints and my biometric information was entered in no time. As I rose up to leave, I saw a speck of tear on her cheek. Instinctively, I moved forward and wiped clean her cheek with my hand. She smiled again. And I left without saying anything…
I could have asked for her name, I could have asked for her number, maybe she might have given her contact as well. She might go home happy, thinking that she met a nice person and might as well tell this story to her friends. But asking her number would reduce the whole serendipity of the event to a normal incidence. Guy helping girl, getting her number and then the same story continues…
I felt this way, it would stay in memory longer…helping an unknown person without any motive and feeling nice about it…it was a chance encounter…
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Elevator
Why is the elevator one of the most un-social of the places even when so many people ride in an elevator together at any given point of time? Why does it so happen that people are talking amongst themselves but as they enter the elevator, they stop talking and stare out of the contraption if its glass or just look towards the ceiling never once speaking until they reach their destination?
With these random thoughts going through the head of Wayne, he got into the lift to take him to his floor in the huge building. As the lift doors were just about to close, a hand stopped the doors and one more guy hopped in. And the doors closed…the lift started moving. It was raining outside and the raindrops were making patterns on the plate glass walls of the lift. Both guys casually looked at each other and both looked at each others IDs which were just hanging from the belt clip re-tractors. (That’s a fashion statement these days I guess)
Just then the lift came to a halt! It was a mechanical failure perhaps as the lights went off and the only light came into the lift through the glass walls. The orange-ish hues of the street light were painted across both men in the lift. Still the same escalator silence. Neither spoke a word. Finally after a tense minute the emergency phone buzzed. Wayne picked up the phone and on the other side was the lift technician, “sir, there is a mechanical failure and we are working on it. But it will take some time to fix.” To this Wayne replied, “Umm…Ok…but at least have the lights on and try getting the fan to work too.”
So now with not much choice left, Wayne was looking out of the glass walls while the other guy was fiddling with his mobile phone, typing away messages (most probably assuring loved ones that he’d be a little late but would come home). I think God was in a mischievous mood as the cell signals dropped and other guy exclaimed, “just perfect, shit!”
This was the first time any of them had spoken in the lift. Sound is also like gravity, once it gets a push….from then on its just rolling motion. He looked at Wayne and asked, “So you new to the organization”? To which Wayne replied, “Yes, just came here. What about you?” The other guy replied, “I’m Dr. Simon, a little old here”.
Looking at the ID Dr. Simon asked Wayne if they knew each other.”Your name sounds familiar, as if I have heard about you or something”, Dr. Simon commented. Wayne shot back,”Dr. Simon I too think I know about you”.
“So where you from”, questioned Dr. Simon to which Wayne retorted, “actually from nowhere, been traveling a lot so no one place can be associated with me”. “So what department you working for here”, Dr. Simon’s questions were beginning to irritate Wayne and it was evident from his face that he wasn’t enjoying the attention. Now it was time for Dr. Simon to feel some heat. “I work in Sales department, how’s your Project Ark going”, Wayne said.
Dr. Simon was taken aback for a second and then he asked, “How’d you know I am working on this project? There are only 5 people who are working on this and”…before he could complete Wayne remarked, “And I know one more person who works with you. Dr. Simon, the world’s a small place and our actions are directed by the grand designer, the almighty himself”
Getting uneasy Dr. Simon mumbled under his breath, “So now I’m stuck in this lift with a psycho stalker who knows about me and my work, great!”
“You shouldn’t get too agitated Dr. Simon, is that a bead of sweat on your forehead”, Wayne said as he was chuckling inside. Just then Dr. Simon finally realized who Wayne was…and it was uncomfortable out rightly. “I have heard stories about you Wayne, but last I heard you went off the grid and stopped contact with people. What made you come back?” Dr. Simon poked.
“Oh so I am a popular guy I guess”, Wayne said to which Dr. Simon curtly replied, “Popular or not, but certainly in the news for all the wrong reasons”. “Dr. Simon…you shouldn’t be saying that…the same set of people don’t have a very high opinion of you either. So you tell me, why did you do it? I won’t bite”, Wayne said in one breath.
“I don’t need to define my actions to you and everyone knows it was your fault and not mine”, Dr. Simon shot back. To this Wayne calmly replied, “Fault or no fault, that can be subjective from a higher ground, but I lost something which you are in possession of. So either I can take it back or I can let you have it, and walk out of this lift as the door opens. But then, that won’t be fun right”?
“What do you mean by that…are you threatening me”, Dr. Simon sneered at Wayne. “Wrong words Dr. Simon, I’m not here just to threaten you…just to let you know that what you did will not be forgotten and tomorrow you’ll be more famous than you could ever imagine.” With these words, Wayne took out a piano wire and in one swift motion made a loop around Dr. Simon’s neck and before Dr. Simon knew what was happening he was flat on his stomach and Wayne had firmly planted his knee on his back to stifle his movement. Feeling totally helpless in the dimly lit, small glass box suspended on cables…Dr. Simon was desperately trying to shout for help but the wire was slowly cutting into his flesh and he could feel his neck getting wet with his own blood. He didn’t have much time...he was a doctor by training and knew what was coming for him. Soon, his eyes would bulge out of his eye sockets, lack of oxygen to his brain would first make the world around go dizzy, he’d feel claustrophobic, vision would be impaired and due to lack of oxygen, the neural transmitters would slow down further reducing his muscular movement which could be his last chance to fight off this skilled adversary. And he was right…the same happened…a very slow, painful death by strangulation for Dr. Simon, head of the Life Sciences department’s top secret project “Project Ark”.
When all that left of Dr. Simon was a lifeless body, Wayne carefully checked his pulse to make sure he’d done his job. He then flicked on a switch and the lift started moving again. He could now see what he done in full light…Dr. Simon’s eyes had bulged out so much that one of the eyes was almost dangling out, his face was contorted and there was a streak of blood on his light blue shirt collar. But then he deserved it, thought Wayne.
As the lift came to a halt, Wayne calmly walked out the door and sent the lift back to the ground floor where Dr. Simon’s body would be found next morning. Wayne could see the newspaper headlines for tomorrow – “Renowned scientist killed brutally in his own office building”, “Severe blow for Arkin Industries” and “Was Dr. Simon close to finding something big?”
Wayne went down the stairs to the security station where a guard lay slumped on the monitor, with similar streak of blood on his collar. Wayne really liked the piano wire, it was clean and it was brutal. He removed the answering machine he had installed along with the voice of the lift technician (he was good at making up voices), removed the security footage of the lift and got into another set of clothes, walking away whistling into the night with Frank Sinatra’s ‘This Town…is a lonely town’ playing on his iPod.
When he finally crossed the main gate of the building, as a symbol of completion of his task…he took out his fake ID (which was actually stolen from another employee) and kept it on the road and drove away…
Who was Wayne? Why did he kill Dr. Simon? How’d he know what Dr. Simon was working on? What was Project Ark? What had Wayne lost for which Dr. Simon had to pay with his life? And a thousand such questions…..
With these random thoughts going through the head of Wayne, he got into the lift to take him to his floor in the huge building. As the lift doors were just about to close, a hand stopped the doors and one more guy hopped in. And the doors closed…the lift started moving. It was raining outside and the raindrops were making patterns on the plate glass walls of the lift. Both guys casually looked at each other and both looked at each others IDs which were just hanging from the belt clip re-tractors. (That’s a fashion statement these days I guess)
Just then the lift came to a halt! It was a mechanical failure perhaps as the lights went off and the only light came into the lift through the glass walls. The orange-ish hues of the street light were painted across both men in the lift. Still the same escalator silence. Neither spoke a word. Finally after a tense minute the emergency phone buzzed. Wayne picked up the phone and on the other side was the lift technician, “sir, there is a mechanical failure and we are working on it. But it will take some time to fix.” To this Wayne replied, “Umm…Ok…but at least have the lights on and try getting the fan to work too.”
So now with not much choice left, Wayne was looking out of the glass walls while the other guy was fiddling with his mobile phone, typing away messages (most probably assuring loved ones that he’d be a little late but would come home). I think God was in a mischievous mood as the cell signals dropped and other guy exclaimed, “just perfect, shit!”
This was the first time any of them had spoken in the lift. Sound is also like gravity, once it gets a push….from then on its just rolling motion. He looked at Wayne and asked, “So you new to the organization”? To which Wayne replied, “Yes, just came here. What about you?” The other guy replied, “I’m Dr. Simon, a little old here”.
Looking at the ID Dr. Simon asked Wayne if they knew each other.”Your name sounds familiar, as if I have heard about you or something”, Dr. Simon commented. Wayne shot back,”Dr. Simon I too think I know about you”.
“So where you from”, questioned Dr. Simon to which Wayne retorted, “actually from nowhere, been traveling a lot so no one place can be associated with me”. “So what department you working for here”, Dr. Simon’s questions were beginning to irritate Wayne and it was evident from his face that he wasn’t enjoying the attention. Now it was time for Dr. Simon to feel some heat. “I work in Sales department, how’s your Project Ark going”, Wayne said.
Dr. Simon was taken aback for a second and then he asked, “How’d you know I am working on this project? There are only 5 people who are working on this and”…before he could complete Wayne remarked, “And I know one more person who works with you. Dr. Simon, the world’s a small place and our actions are directed by the grand designer, the almighty himself”
Getting uneasy Dr. Simon mumbled under his breath, “So now I’m stuck in this lift with a psycho stalker who knows about me and my work, great!”
“You shouldn’t get too agitated Dr. Simon, is that a bead of sweat on your forehead”, Wayne said as he was chuckling inside. Just then Dr. Simon finally realized who Wayne was…and it was uncomfortable out rightly. “I have heard stories about you Wayne, but last I heard you went off the grid and stopped contact with people. What made you come back?” Dr. Simon poked.
“Oh so I am a popular guy I guess”, Wayne said to which Dr. Simon curtly replied, “Popular or not, but certainly in the news for all the wrong reasons”. “Dr. Simon…you shouldn’t be saying that…the same set of people don’t have a very high opinion of you either. So you tell me, why did you do it? I won’t bite”, Wayne said in one breath.
“I don’t need to define my actions to you and everyone knows it was your fault and not mine”, Dr. Simon shot back. To this Wayne calmly replied, “Fault or no fault, that can be subjective from a higher ground, but I lost something which you are in possession of. So either I can take it back or I can let you have it, and walk out of this lift as the door opens. But then, that won’t be fun right”?
“What do you mean by that…are you threatening me”, Dr. Simon sneered at Wayne. “Wrong words Dr. Simon, I’m not here just to threaten you…just to let you know that what you did will not be forgotten and tomorrow you’ll be more famous than you could ever imagine.” With these words, Wayne took out a piano wire and in one swift motion made a loop around Dr. Simon’s neck and before Dr. Simon knew what was happening he was flat on his stomach and Wayne had firmly planted his knee on his back to stifle his movement. Feeling totally helpless in the dimly lit, small glass box suspended on cables…Dr. Simon was desperately trying to shout for help but the wire was slowly cutting into his flesh and he could feel his neck getting wet with his own blood. He didn’t have much time...he was a doctor by training and knew what was coming for him. Soon, his eyes would bulge out of his eye sockets, lack of oxygen to his brain would first make the world around go dizzy, he’d feel claustrophobic, vision would be impaired and due to lack of oxygen, the neural transmitters would slow down further reducing his muscular movement which could be his last chance to fight off this skilled adversary. And he was right…the same happened…a very slow, painful death by strangulation for Dr. Simon, head of the Life Sciences department’s top secret project “Project Ark”.
When all that left of Dr. Simon was a lifeless body, Wayne carefully checked his pulse to make sure he’d done his job. He then flicked on a switch and the lift started moving again. He could now see what he done in full light…Dr. Simon’s eyes had bulged out so much that one of the eyes was almost dangling out, his face was contorted and there was a streak of blood on his light blue shirt collar. But then he deserved it, thought Wayne.
As the lift came to a halt, Wayne calmly walked out the door and sent the lift back to the ground floor where Dr. Simon’s body would be found next morning. Wayne could see the newspaper headlines for tomorrow – “Renowned scientist killed brutally in his own office building”, “Severe blow for Arkin Industries” and “Was Dr. Simon close to finding something big?”
Wayne went down the stairs to the security station where a guard lay slumped on the monitor, with similar streak of blood on his collar. Wayne really liked the piano wire, it was clean and it was brutal. He removed the answering machine he had installed along with the voice of the lift technician (he was good at making up voices), removed the security footage of the lift and got into another set of clothes, walking away whistling into the night with Frank Sinatra’s ‘This Town…is a lonely town’ playing on his iPod.
When he finally crossed the main gate of the building, as a symbol of completion of his task…he took out his fake ID (which was actually stolen from another employee) and kept it on the road and drove away…
Who was Wayne? Why did he kill Dr. Simon? How’d he know what Dr. Simon was working on? What was Project Ark? What had Wayne lost for which Dr. Simon had to pay with his life? And a thousand such questions…..
Sunday, July 18, 2010
ANDAMAN!
Sorry guys, been really late in publishing this trip plan. I had lost the piece of paper where I had written it down, now I have found it and it is going online.
Trip Duration: 11 days (2 days transit – 9 days action)
To Andaman: Train from Goa – Bangalore – Chennai. Flight from Chennai – Port Blair.
Return: Flight from Port Blair – Chennai. Train from Chennai – Goa.
Within Andaman: Hire a cab. And where required – Cruise Ship.
Day 1: March 11, 2010
1.Cellular Jail – The symbol of British tyranny and the undying Indian Freedom Movement spirit. Huge structure, cut off from mainland India by more than 150 nautical miles. Standing in the center you’ll surely get an eerie feel of our forefathers still being there. A definite must is to visit VIR SAVARKAR’s prison cell where he was kept for 10 years. It is a pilgrimage for any one who thinks he/she is an Indian.
2.Followed up by a Light and Sound show which is narrated by the solitary Peepal Tree standing tall in the compound for over a century. ( the original tree was uprooted in the tsunami recently but it has been restored and replanted)
3.And round up the day with a sumptuous dinner courtesy our great tour planner – Nitiksh Srivastava.
Day 2 & 3: March 12 & March 13, 2010
1.Havelock Island – India’s best beaches can be found there. Pristine blue waters, so clear that you can see the ocean floor. Just like a swimming pool. Very low salinity in the water so eyes also don’t pain.
a.Radhangar Beach – Adjudged the world’s 2nd best beach. And it is almost deserted…very few tourists do it doubles up as a private beach. Great sunset.
2.Elephant Beach – Was wrecked by the tsunami but what was left behind, dead tree stumps…those add to the beauty of the beach. Snorkelling there is a must…the most beautiful corals you’ll ever see.
3.Barefoot Lunch – A pizza place run by a German lady. Amazing ambience, with a lot of coloruful posters dating back to 1930s Coca Cola posters. The DIAVOLO Pizza is my personal favorite there.
And let me add that we celebrated Pooja’s birthday at midnight on March 12. She was celebrating her B’Day in the Eastern Most part of the country. Nice way to surprise someone who’d never expect a celebration so far away.
Day 4: March 14, 2010
1.Water Sports at the Naval Complex – We had a guided tour of Indian Navy warships and then had a free run at the water sports facility in the Naval Complex. Had I and Nitiksh not been MBA grads, we would have got an Olympic Gold for India in Kayaking. For our kayaking exploits…ask the others on the trip.
2.Ross Island – Seat of British power in Andaman Islands. Overlooking the Cellular Jail but separated by a sea in between. What irony – on one side they tortured Indian Freedom Fighters and then came home to the other side and had a luxurious life. Today Ross Island is a national heritage island and is home to a large population of deer.
3.Chidiya Tapu – Close by to Port Blair is the Chidiya Tapu, another beach famous for sunsets and also a lot of bird sightings. But you have to be patient to see the birds ( We didn’t see any)
Day 5 & 6: March 15 & March 16, 2010
1.Baratang – Following the Jarwa Tribal trail, we took a 120 kms ride through a protected reserve where the last of aboriginal tribes are surviving in their natural habitats.
2.Mud Volcano – This is something you’ll rarely see anywhere. But yes, mud volcanoes do exist and they spew out…mud! Just like lava, they spew out mud and are hot..not as much as lava but yes, the mud bubbles.
3.Parrot Island – Ah, beautiful. Waiting in the middle of nowhere for parrots to flock to an island…known as the parrot island. We were thinking we were duped by the boatman but in just about half an hour easily 1400-1500 parrots descended on one island! It was cacophonous!
4.Limestone Caves – Wow! Saw Stalagmites and Stalactites in geography books only. Now saw them first hand and it was amazing. The caves remain closed during the rains as they get flooded and when the water recedes then the stalagmites and stalactites grow.
5.Mt. Harriet – Highest peak in Andaman Islands. Check out the Rs. 20 note. The picture at the back shows a lighthouse. That picture is shot from Mt. Harriet. It is a national reserve and has a variety of flora.
Day 7: March 17, 2010
1.Jollybouy – Another good place for snorkeling, the beach is okayish. But for me it is special as Lisa taught me how to float in water...both face up and face down. So now I know, I won’t drown…just need to learn to swim.
2.Wandoor Beach – Great place for photography. But was saddened by the chopping off of so many trees simply because a helipad had to be constructed for Mrs President!Duh!
Day 8 & 9: March 18 & March 19, 2010
1.Chennai
a.Marina Beach – India’s longest beach. Take a morning jog or a run there.
b.Dakshin Chitra – amazing place! A collective display of the culture and arts of the four southern states. A them park based on culture. Great place for bangle shopping, artifacts and a lot of activities too…like pottery making, silk weaving etc.
This has been the best trip till date for me as I went to an unknown, mystical place (at least for me it was) and had an amazing time. Some of the most beautiful memories are connected to this trip and I will never forget this trip.
P.S. This is just what we did and where we went…there are many more places to go but we chose to leave out some places to cover as much as we could in a short span of time. Else any one planning for Andaman should also include Neil Island in the trip.
Trip Duration: 11 days (2 days transit – 9 days action)
To Andaman: Train from Goa – Bangalore – Chennai. Flight from Chennai – Port Blair.
Return: Flight from Port Blair – Chennai. Train from Chennai – Goa.
Within Andaman: Hire a cab. And where required – Cruise Ship.
Day 1: March 11, 2010
1.Cellular Jail – The symbol of British tyranny and the undying Indian Freedom Movement spirit. Huge structure, cut off from mainland India by more than 150 nautical miles. Standing in the center you’ll surely get an eerie feel of our forefathers still being there. A definite must is to visit VIR SAVARKAR’s prison cell where he was kept for 10 years. It is a pilgrimage for any one who thinks he/she is an Indian.
2.Followed up by a Light and Sound show which is narrated by the solitary Peepal Tree standing tall in the compound for over a century. ( the original tree was uprooted in the tsunami recently but it has been restored and replanted)
3.And round up the day with a sumptuous dinner courtesy our great tour planner – Nitiksh Srivastava.
Day 2 & 3: March 12 & March 13, 2010
1.Havelock Island – India’s best beaches can be found there. Pristine blue waters, so clear that you can see the ocean floor. Just like a swimming pool. Very low salinity in the water so eyes also don’t pain.
a.Radhangar Beach – Adjudged the world’s 2nd best beach. And it is almost deserted…very few tourists do it doubles up as a private beach. Great sunset.
2.Elephant Beach – Was wrecked by the tsunami but what was left behind, dead tree stumps…those add to the beauty of the beach. Snorkelling there is a must…the most beautiful corals you’ll ever see.
3.Barefoot Lunch – A pizza place run by a German lady. Amazing ambience, with a lot of coloruful posters dating back to 1930s Coca Cola posters. The DIAVOLO Pizza is my personal favorite there.
And let me add that we celebrated Pooja’s birthday at midnight on March 12. She was celebrating her B’Day in the Eastern Most part of the country. Nice way to surprise someone who’d never expect a celebration so far away.
Day 4: March 14, 2010
1.Water Sports at the Naval Complex – We had a guided tour of Indian Navy warships and then had a free run at the water sports facility in the Naval Complex. Had I and Nitiksh not been MBA grads, we would have got an Olympic Gold for India in Kayaking. For our kayaking exploits…ask the others on the trip.
2.Ross Island – Seat of British power in Andaman Islands. Overlooking the Cellular Jail but separated by a sea in between. What irony – on one side they tortured Indian Freedom Fighters and then came home to the other side and had a luxurious life. Today Ross Island is a national heritage island and is home to a large population of deer.
3.Chidiya Tapu – Close by to Port Blair is the Chidiya Tapu, another beach famous for sunsets and also a lot of bird sightings. But you have to be patient to see the birds ( We didn’t see any)
Day 5 & 6: March 15 & March 16, 2010
1.Baratang – Following the Jarwa Tribal trail, we took a 120 kms ride through a protected reserve where the last of aboriginal tribes are surviving in their natural habitats.
2.Mud Volcano – This is something you’ll rarely see anywhere. But yes, mud volcanoes do exist and they spew out…mud! Just like lava, they spew out mud and are hot..not as much as lava but yes, the mud bubbles.
3.Parrot Island – Ah, beautiful. Waiting in the middle of nowhere for parrots to flock to an island…known as the parrot island. We were thinking we were duped by the boatman but in just about half an hour easily 1400-1500 parrots descended on one island! It was cacophonous!
4.Limestone Caves – Wow! Saw Stalagmites and Stalactites in geography books only. Now saw them first hand and it was amazing. The caves remain closed during the rains as they get flooded and when the water recedes then the stalagmites and stalactites grow.
5.Mt. Harriet – Highest peak in Andaman Islands. Check out the Rs. 20 note. The picture at the back shows a lighthouse. That picture is shot from Mt. Harriet. It is a national reserve and has a variety of flora.
Day 7: March 17, 2010
1.Jollybouy – Another good place for snorkeling, the beach is okayish. But for me it is special as Lisa taught me how to float in water...both face up and face down. So now I know, I won’t drown…just need to learn to swim.
2.Wandoor Beach – Great place for photography. But was saddened by the chopping off of so many trees simply because a helipad had to be constructed for Mrs President!Duh!
Day 8 & 9: March 18 & March 19, 2010
1.Chennai
a.Marina Beach – India’s longest beach. Take a morning jog or a run there.
b.Dakshin Chitra – amazing place! A collective display of the culture and arts of the four southern states. A them park based on culture. Great place for bangle shopping, artifacts and a lot of activities too…like pottery making, silk weaving etc.
This has been the best trip till date for me as I went to an unknown, mystical place (at least for me it was) and had an amazing time. Some of the most beautiful memories are connected to this trip and I will never forget this trip.
P.S. This is just what we did and where we went…there are many more places to go but we chose to leave out some places to cover as much as we could in a short span of time. Else any one planning for Andaman should also include Neil Island in the trip.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Maybe goodness hasn’t died as of yet
It’s strange. Sometimes things happen which make you take a step back and wonder – was that for real? In today’s fact paced world where people don’t have time for themselves, leave alone anyone else – how can someone come around to help you and not ask for anything in return?
It has happened twice till the time of writing this piece and I’m still amazed.
I was going to my office (Wipro Depot) from Durgapur and it was a slightly overcast day. As I got into the bus, it started raining but I thought that’s ok as the journey was 2.5 hours so the rains would subside by then. I reached Kolkata and from there took a second bus to Majerhat (where the depot is situated). From there on it is a small walk to the depot but as I got down, I saw the whole road submerged in water. Actually there is no road, it is a dirt track which was now muddy with water and people were wading through the water with shoes in one hand and trousers rolled up to the knees. I stood there standing, not able decide should I also do the same or should I do something else?
I decided to take a rickshaw across the water but couldn’t find any. I saw a car approaching and asked to take me across the water but to no avail. I tried flagging off a number of vehicles but none obliged.
Then a man crossed the water with his bicycle and turned around and asked me, “dada, oi side jaabe?” (You want to go that side?). And I hopped on to the bicycle and crossed the water logged track with ease. Once we were on the other side, I asked him how much. And he said, not a problem - just help someone when he asks for help. With this the man went back and I was left standing there, wondering if people still help strangers without anything in return.
The second time it happened recently when I was in Bhubaneswar and wanted to call my friend, but my phone balance was running low so I came out to find a pay phone. It was late in the night and no pay phone shop was open. I was just thinking what to do when a man asked what my problem was. I told him I was searching an STD booth and he said you won’t find any one open at this hour. He offered his phone to me and I was taken aback. How do people get so friendly? I used his phone to make an eight minute STD call and when I asked him how much should I give him, he just said – “koi na, kabhi hum Bangalore aaye to jagah ghuma dena”. (No worries, if I come to Bangalore sometimes, just give me a tour of the city). I was again dumb struck with the simplicity and geniality of the person.
These incidents show that no matter how cynical we become, how much profit centered our lives become, deep down inside each one of us is still the good human which God created in his own image and if we all can bring out that good human outside a little more, this planet would be a much better place to live on.
It has happened twice till the time of writing this piece and I’m still amazed.
I was going to my office (Wipro Depot) from Durgapur and it was a slightly overcast day. As I got into the bus, it started raining but I thought that’s ok as the journey was 2.5 hours so the rains would subside by then. I reached Kolkata and from there took a second bus to Majerhat (where the depot is situated). From there on it is a small walk to the depot but as I got down, I saw the whole road submerged in water. Actually there is no road, it is a dirt track which was now muddy with water and people were wading through the water with shoes in one hand and trousers rolled up to the knees. I stood there standing, not able decide should I also do the same or should I do something else?
I decided to take a rickshaw across the water but couldn’t find any. I saw a car approaching and asked to take me across the water but to no avail. I tried flagging off a number of vehicles but none obliged.
Then a man crossed the water with his bicycle and turned around and asked me, “dada, oi side jaabe?” (You want to go that side?). And I hopped on to the bicycle and crossed the water logged track with ease. Once we were on the other side, I asked him how much. And he said, not a problem - just help someone when he asks for help. With this the man went back and I was left standing there, wondering if people still help strangers without anything in return.
The second time it happened recently when I was in Bhubaneswar and wanted to call my friend, but my phone balance was running low so I came out to find a pay phone. It was late in the night and no pay phone shop was open. I was just thinking what to do when a man asked what my problem was. I told him I was searching an STD booth and he said you won’t find any one open at this hour. He offered his phone to me and I was taken aback. How do people get so friendly? I used his phone to make an eight minute STD call and when I asked him how much should I give him, he just said – “koi na, kabhi hum Bangalore aaye to jagah ghuma dena”. (No worries, if I come to Bangalore sometimes, just give me a tour of the city). I was again dumb struck with the simplicity and geniality of the person.
These incidents show that no matter how cynical we become, how much profit centered our lives become, deep down inside each one of us is still the good human which God created in his own image and if we all can bring out that good human outside a little more, this planet would be a much better place to live on.
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