As far as I can remember....

2 year old monster!

2009-12-14T23:07:00.013+05:30

Rivat Hanss @ blogspot.com is celebrating its 2nd birthday today. Coincidently, this is also the 50th post in this blog. Inspired by seeing blogs of college friends I, one fine day, decided to try it and I have been hooked ever since. The journey has been wonderful so far. It has given me the freedom to express curious stuff I come across in a confident and open manner and also to a wider audience as compared to any other medium. It has also in a way helped me keep in touch with some of my friends. Also, unwittingly, my command over English has drastically improved over the years thanks to this! (Some say they need a dictionary to understand my blogs fully: I tell them I intended it that way by using complex words so that I learn them too!)

It all started by coining a pseudonym for myself, an anagram which I am trying to publicize every day. My initial posts were more on myself, incidents of my life that is. Slowly, I began to realize that people want to read general stuff more than someone's personal life. So my attitude towards the topics I choose began to change. And now I see that I have written 20 stories (40%) but only 18 posts on my life. Stories have been the hit amongst people and I proclaim to write interesting ones. Stories are also the challenging ones because I'll have to invent the incidents plus I should maintain some suspense and give twists in the end in order to make them a hit.

50 posts in 2 years show that my frequency has been low (around once in 2 weeks!) but there have been other commitments like job which haven't given me that amount of time that I used to have in college. Writing a blog post takes easily 2 hours especially if it is a story. Also, I get maximum readers during May and December so I prefer to write more in period. Naturally I have neglected the blog for some months and I feel sorry I did. Last one week or so, I have again found the time and interest and must admit it's exciting to write again! I promise to all my regular readers that I'll make sure to update it once a fortnight at least however busy I am. Hopefully, the next 50 should take half the time! I also understand that blogging is no longer the buzz word in the tweet-land. But not everything can be expressed in 140 characters or multiples of it. I surely feel blogging is here to stay and that I will stick to this.

Like I have seen people do, I would like to link some of my 'best' blog posts here on this 50th one. I like each entry I post but some of them are special either because they turn the way I intended it to or because people loved them. I hereby give 11 posts that every reader of my blog should read. Cherish them and do come back often to see the monster growing infinitely!

Stories:

Live another day!!! : my personal favorite!
The Phoenix's rebirth!! : good emotions and a strong message..
The way of life.. : a nice refreshing read, one I cherish..
All is fair in business... : another way to look at God and business!
Everyday banter : all for that last line!

My life:

How it all happened!! : can NEVER EVER forget this day!
WE ARE HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN ANNA : I just love this incident..
Memoirs of my college life.. : nostalgic as always..
Me and my firsts! : the start to this amazing journey..

General:

The new Ten Commandments : reader's favorite!
Instantly recognize! : something professional..

To end this, I thank all my readers for supporting, encouraging and criticizing my posts! Thanks!

DNA mismatch!

2009-12-12T05:59:00.002+05:30

I am Govind. I am a lawyer. Civil and family affairs. At least I call myself that. I could have handled criminal ones too. But I was found too soft and humanitarian to be one. More than that I was told that I lacked fortitude. Nonsense I say. The fact is, I have never ever spoken in a court before. The need was always obviated as I felt it was a waste of time. I didn’t study law just to be garrulous in front of old jerks. I will talk when there is a need. Naturally no one knows about my mental strength and capabilities. The ramification? No clients. And what do I do for money? Well I got married off to a good father-in law. I mean to a girl with a good father-in law. No sorry I meant my father-in law is good. Got it right! Yes I always do. Wait a minute. I think I have a customer in office now!

She came weeping into my office which actually is one of my father-in law’s properties. “Sir, I am Smritha. I want you to help me. My husband has filed for divorce. I am cash stripped. I had given all to him. Please help me. I love my husband and want to be with him. I heard you are the best around here!” she cried. I gave a faint smile. It must have been the clerk working in the court. I give him monthly tips just to suggest my name as the best. Marketing strategy I say. “Oh I see” I faked the contemplation. “Money won’t be a problem” I am still married I wanted to add. “Can you tell me the reason for application of divorce?” I asked. She started her story “We are married for just 18 months now. I delivered a baby recently. It was more than wheatish in complexion. He is fair and you can see me being one too. Ever since, he has been accusing me of infidelity. It got out of control yesterday and I slapped him. And then he filed a case. I don’t know what to do. Please help me!” I raised my left eyebrow to show I was interested. At last a case worthy of me handling it. At last a case where I can finally speak! So I started my investigations immediately. “Oh ok. I will take it up. Trivial stuff. Let me start then. Ok Mrs. Smritha, I expect honesty from all my clients. I have rejected cases where I felt the client was bluffing. Now tell me, did you practice infidelity?” I don’t remember when I completed that statement as I felt a soft hand trashing my left cheek. She slapped me!

After having got a forceful answer to my only question, I asked her to come to court the next day. Meanwhile I inquired and got to know that the husband guy asked for a DNA test on the baby and the court accepted it. That’s enough work for the day I thought. But wait it was the only case at hand and sometimes it hurts my ego doing nothing. Only sometimes though. Today was one of those days. I procured the birth certificate of the girl child and made a trip to the hospital. Then I went to their residence and had a chat with all the neighbors about the couple. I also called up my client’s parents to enquire about any dowry being exchanged 18 months ago. Finally before I hit the bed, I checked up all the data I gathered that day. I surprised myself. I did a great job. The case is in our hands…

The sun rose in the East. Or was it North West? It didn’t matter. Day light hit the earth. I got ready for work. I adorned my body with the neatly pressed suit as always. The outlook matters in court. Even if you don’t speak, people evaluate you always. It was going to be a remarkable day when everyone in the court will gasp at my wonderful case solving. And it will be a befitting answer to all my critics, the paper boys that is who keep insulting me in the tea shop outside the court. I was going to open my mouth for something other than yawning for the first time in court. I looked myself in the mirror and admired the look I gave. Regal I say. With all my books, papers, pens, paan, cigars, tiffin box, mobile phone, MP3 player and what not, I started my journey to the court in my bicycle. Yes I cycle to office every day. I tell people it’s for maintaining fitness. But the real reason? My father-in law didn’t give me anything else…

The old jerk of a Judge sat. And then we all did. I kicked myself for not bringing hankies today. I was sweating. Profusely. After all every dog sweats on its day. I texted my client saying “Things under controlled. I, the Knight, will save the you, Queen. Worry the dont ;)” She sat just beside me but some messages are better conveyed in text. “Your honor” I started confidently. “Th Thi This is This is not a valid vase sorry case not a valid case actually. But the couple might be happy to know that the truth is real and that facts are facts” Everyone’s eyes were fixed on me. I was making a revelation that people are unheard of. “My client is pristine. Her hands are soft and clean” I wondered why I included soft. “Upon my extensive inquiry extending to days, I have found that the girl baby is actually a girl baby but it was not the couple’s girl baby but someone else’s! The girl baby was swapped with another girl baby by a nurse who was once a girl baby, now a woman that is, unwittingly. I have the nurse here in court today to explain it clearly. The case is solved. Your wife remains your wife” I made the last statement while pointing to my client’s husband. I expected the crowd to clap as it always happens in movies when the lawyer conjures an unimaginable rabbit to close a case. That didn’t happen. But there was a load murmur which, though an oxymoron, suited the scene best. My client looked shocked so did her husband. It will take time to sink in I assumed. I was going to be a hero I say…

The nurse gave her statement and the case was about to be closed. Just at that moment, the DNA result of the girl child came in. The judge wanted it to be read in court. Formality I say. It won’t match with both my client and her husband. Waste of time. So I didn’t open my mouth to talk. The reader read. “According to the report, it is proved beyond doubt that the girl who is in question doesn’t have DNA matching exactly one parent” What the hell? Did I hear it right? I glanced over to my client and wanted to ask “How did you give birth to two girl childs with different fathers at the same time?” But I didn’t because that’s not my business to ask. But it meant she lied to me! I was about to stand up and say I wanted to withdraw. I didn’t because the reader was still reading. “The girl’s DNA matches with the reported father but not with the reported mother”.

It stunned the audience. So my client didn’t lie after all! It was her husband who was promiscuous! I knew it was my day to double up my heroism. I stood up and spoke “Your Honor, as you can see my client is clean. It was her husband all the way. I may suggest you necessitate appropriate action on …” I was not allowed to complete the statement as I felt the soft hand playing with my cheeks again. “How dare you question my husband?” she rebuked. “Your Honor, this child is ours and we want to live happily again. I hope he will withdraw his case. I am not filing any” saying this, she went and hugged him with all her might. Girls I say. I was made a laughing stock again by the paper boys in the tea stall that evening. I had to pay the clerk at the court double the tip to keep him from divulging this fiasco of an encounter to anyone. Reputation matters I say. Money doesn’t...

What defines you?

2009-12-10T03:02:00.001+05:30

So you end up being on a social get together with your companion. And then there is always this certain friend of your companion who comes to say ‘Hi’. Invariably, you get introduced and how? This is so and so, working in such and such company. You get to know the same from the other side. That’s a typical introduction in today’s world. And at the end of the day when you hit the bed, all you remember about the person was where he worked. What was his name? Did he actually mention that?

This is a sample case of how the society defines people. And classifies them. Life is a rat race where each rat thinks it’s better than the rest but still feels the need to socialize to get added advantages. It is here that definition of a person takes its prime position. Unless you are ‘defined’, you are no body in this world. It helps in reaching out and leads eventually to mutual exchange of favours. What it also does, without being obvious, is to classify people into strata of definitions. Hence it becomes important to shape up a definition that portrays you in the best possible way.

So what constitutes the definition of a human being? There is a varied perspective on this but according to popular thought, what defines a man best is the best work he has done. It needn’t always be related to the profession that one takes up. Imagine somebody introducing Gandhi to school children as “Gandhi was a good lawyer who walked across this Earth”. Justice done? You can be sure Gandhi wouldn’t have minded such a definition. But society has its own way of doing things and not necessarily it should match with what the individual thinks he is. For example, how many of us can introduce ourselves as “I am so and so and I am an honest human being” and get on with it? Many sets of eyes will pop the question “And what do you do?” Every phase of a person’s life is encapsulated in this necessity. A child says “I study in 4th standard in so and so school”, then he replaces the school with college and his branch and then to the company that has hired him and so on. Peculiarly, this definition is always having the ‘present’ context in it. Past is least preferred and is often obviated unless you decide to set on the laurels of the work done in the past.

In this context, it is of paramount importance for every individual to define himself. How you see yourself is often how others connect with you. Don’t accept standards set by others but don’t go overboard too. Ask questions to yourselves. Am I what I am because I am working in this company? If you think yes, then you might be limiting your potential. Yes you have the most coveted job but still organizations can’t define what an individual is. If you think they do, then you are indirectly accepting that all people in your office are ‘defined’ the same and therefore you are not entitled to be the ‘Outstanding performer’ or any other recognition. Acceptable?

How does one define himself then? Without going against the societal norms, there needs to be a balance between reality and chimerical thoughts. Understand that your progress depends on how discontented you are with your present ‘definition’ that the people around give you. You are a man of potential and your achievements shouldn’t be trapped inside a well. A small change of attitude can indeed do the trick. So the next time you introduce yourself, instead of “I am so and so working for so and so”, try tweaking it and say “I am so and so and I choose to work for so and so”. See the subconscious appreciation that flows from the eyes of others…

The mobile anecdote

2009-12-08T01:59:00.002+05:30

There was something fishy about this customer who came to get his mobile repaired. Generally I don’t dwell into the details of my customers but this one got me puzzled with each passing day. Not only was he furtive with his behavior but also his speech was incoherent. He looked like a hired servant with his stained clothes and a filthy beard. He has been a regular to my shop for the past 2 months or so. What got me thinking was how he came in with the same issue every time but on different mobile phones and that too costly ones. There must be something that is covered up and I intended to find out what…

I own a mobile shop as you might have guessed. I sell the latest mobile phones at nominal rates and also do quick repair on any model. It is highly fortuitous that I ended up setting up my own shop. I was rather dampened by the lack of placements in my college albeit a local, not so popular one. Worries of wasted years of engineering in Electronics and Communication started engulfing me. It was then that my uncle offered me 2 lakhs to setup my business. Yes I don’t do something that normal engineers do but unlike many, I am happy doing this. I earn sufficiently for myself and my parents and that’s all I cared for…

2 months back, one fine day, this customer visited my shop and asked if I could make his mobile work. He appeared to be in some kind of duress and was desperate to get it fixed. Generally I promise quick repair but this one was tricky. Everything appeared normal but it wasn’t working. I tried reloading the software, checking the antenna, tried different operators etc. For a research orientind mind, this was even more intriguing. I had professed in-depth and complete knowledge about the working of mobiles and I wasn’t going to give up just yet. After some deep analysis, I figured out that the IMEI number i.e International Mobile Equipment Entity number was not returning the check digit as 0(zero). A check digit is a form of redundancy check used for error detection. It consists of a single digit computed from the other digits in the message. There is an algorithm which will return the check digit for an IMEI number. Generally manufacturers take care of this check though it needn’t return 0 always to work. Somehow it was not working fine for this mobile. I modified the last digit of the IMEI to make the check digit as 0 and the mobile worked fine. I also noticed that the printed IMEI sticker behind the battery was missing. Oblivious to this, I returned the mobile phone and got richly paid for. Rs.200…

Suspicion grew when this guy returned a week later with another mobile and the same problem. I fixed that issue in 10 minutes flat and got the same 200. He returned time and again with the same issue and I was happy on one hand to be getting such quick money but curious on the other on what exactly was happening. I decided to use the Wikipedia to read more on the IMEI. It was clear that the IMEI was being modified by that person or his boss which meant it was a crime. The software that they were using to do it was not giving correct IMEI numbers and as a result the mobile didn’t work. And I was helping them in a way. Suddenly I felt some chillness in my body. These mobiles must have been stolen from people. I was also aware of terrorists using such practices and I knew what it portended if I was proved to be helping them. I decided to investigate it myself…

It was 2 days before he came in again. He brought in the latest Nokia N97 and I repaired it without a fuss. As soon as he paid the money and left the shop, I discreetly tried to follow him while asking my neighbor chaiwala to take care of my shop. He turned and looked in all directions frequently to make sure no one was observing him. I had to hide in rather awkward places to avoid being confronted. He stopped at the door of a small independent house which looked deserted from the outside. I waited for some 2-3 minutes before I headed to the window which was, through someone’s half-wit, kept open. They were talking. The boss, as I could make out, was subjugating this servant to words that marked derision as he sequestered the umpteen mobiles that he must have stolen according to their makes. I quickly took out the pen which I had devised as a part of my final year project in college. It had a small VGA camera with voice recorder. I recorded the scene as quickly and elaborately as I could and headed directly to the local police station…

Next day, I was the local hero. Everyone got to know when the police announced one lakh prize amount for helping them capture an enigmatic and dangerous group of miscreants in the locality. I was glad to know that there was no alleged connection to any terrorists. It was going to be a fine day in my life. One lakh meant I could expand and improve my business though the Rs.200 I used to get would be sorely missed. With the air redolent of happiness and triumph of good over evil, I entered my shop. All I could see was a broken lock, vandalized mobile phones and shattered glass pieces. It was not going to be a fine day after all…

Conjuring up the ‘Rose’y love

2009-12-06T19:58:00.001+05:30

I loved her. She meant the world to me. She liked me too. But there was a problem. There was another guy in her life. Her thoughts were positioned midway about each. I opened up one fine day, kneeling in front of her with a fresh blood red rose asking for her hand. Tears started oozing out of her beautiful eyes. I was beginning to feel some excitement which got dampened when she suddenly took out another fresh blood red rose from her purse. I understood. It wasn’t going to easy. The other guy was bloody serious too. I had to fight. It worried me. I am never a good fighter. This was one fight I can’t possibly lose…

She called us both for a coffee. I was nervous. Had she already decided who it’ll be? He strode in to our table. I evaluated him. He is at best a fool and at worst an imbecile. If you can figure out the difference that is. I had evaluated myself too. I am at best sagacious and at worst savant. I knew she will prefer me any day. So she started speaking, “Both of you are dear and near to me. Both of you have proposed at the same time. My mind is facing its worst predicament. As my father has always taught me, when in doubt I will go with what my brain says. I am going to keep a contest between you two to decide the winner…” Your father was wise, I wanted to add. I may be emotionally a bit lacking but intelligence will enable me win any contest. My opponent was all heart and no mind. She continued, “I will give you each a rose sapling now. The person who can grow the maximum roses possible in a month will be the winner. Today is December 1st. We shall meet again on New Year’s eve…” She gave us each a sapling and left. I saw her walking towards the door then I turned to see the guy who was looking puzzled to say the least and then I felt the sapling in my hand. I was a clear winner…

It was a hectic month. I googled on how best to grow a sapling and make it flower. I went around the city trying to get the best manure for rose saplings. I spent as much as I could to give proper environment, water, manure, protection etc. I was an engineer so I knew how best to tackle day to day crisis. 10 days passed by. The plant seemed to have increased its height but I saw no flower bud coming up. It will come, I assured myself. I went to the nearby villages and enquired with the farmers themselves. They all said it takes about 20 days for flowers to bloom. So I waited patiently. I bunked office the whole month. This was more important than anything else in my life. It was December 20th and I started to feel a bit jittery. There was no sign of any buds still. On 25th night, a week before the deadline, I decided to spy on my opponent’s progress. I jumped the wall into his house. I looked in through the window trying to search for his sapling. He was boozing with his friends. Christmas celebrations apparently. He was a loser, I told myself sporting a bright smile. And then I saw it. I saw the sapling in the dustbin near the window. It was crushed. I was extremely overjoyed. So he has given up. All I needed to do now was to make one flower bud appear and she had me for life…

It wasn’t going to be easy. There were still no signs of any flower bud and it was the night of 30th December. Tomorrow was the D-day. One of us will hold her hands and dance merrily when New Year strikes. But how can I win? If both of us fail to show the flower, whom will she pick? I wished I had the brains then to ask what happens when there is a draw or tie. My mind was racing. I can’t lose her. Maybe I can explain it to her how I cared and how he didn’t. Suddenly I got a message in my mobile. It was from her. It said, “Tomo s d Dday. I hope u figured out dat d sapling cant flower. All the best dear :) ”. So that’s why! The sapling can’t flower. That’s the trick. Oh she is so brainy! And she loves me clearly. She wants me to win! Ha ha. Let that bastard guy come tomorrow. I will win my bride…

All is set. I can’t hide the smile in my face. It feels great when you know you can’t lose. And there she is. Her walk is always heavenly and she looked mine today. And there he comes. Loser that is. She came in with a smile on her face and started talking immediately, “Hi guys. Hope you had a good month. It’s time to choose a winner. Though I would feel happy for the winner and myself, I will be deeply pained for the loser too. But always remember, you both are good friends. So please show me how many roses you were able to cultivate for me this month” Before my hand could reach the sapling, he took out one rose from his pocket and showed her gleefully. I got shocked and cried out loud “Liar!”. She laughed out loud and asked me to show mine. Now is the chance for me to prove my love. I took out the sapling and said to my opponent “Pal, this sapling can’t flower. You have lied. So obviously I have won. Always remember. Honesty is the best policy” As soon as I said that, she came close to me. As my heartbeat started increasing, she slapped me…

“Idiot! When did I say that you have to bring me flowers grown from this sapling? I have been following both of you secretly. He was able to figure out that the sapling can’t grow within a week and he got a new one all by himself and cultivated this rose. You on your part couldn’t even decipher that until I gave you a hint yesterday night! Honestly, I wanted you to win. But you have been so dumb! He is the winner!”, she barked as I covered the left side of my face with my hand to alleviate the pain, both from the slap and from the outcome of me losing her to that imbecile. As they walked away hand in hand, I cried to myself, “Girls are dumb!”…

Customer trapped!!

2009-06-06T22:01:00.002+05:30

To put it straight--> I detest wearing headphones while watching a movie or listening to a song. The itchy sweat that piles up around the ears never fails to irk me. The awareness of health issues combined with the interlocking wires they come attached with didn’t help me love them a bit. But I was forced to do exactly that when my laptop’s speakers went dumb. The acerbic feeling of sporting a rebarbative on the ears made me take a decision against my stingy nature, after enough rumination though. I decided it was time to buy an accessory pair of speakers. There embarked a journey which gave me a lot of insight into mindsets of people and how businessmen deal/ need to deal with their customers.

I am never quite fussy when it comes to buying things. I keep it simple. I check the cheapest first and if impressed go with it. I never want branded or most sought after items. All I want is to get hold of things which satisfy my need. So here I went to an electronics shop one early morning (read 11am) which is out of way from my office. And quickly I enquired the prices of speaker units they had. The first learning came here. Shopkeepers generally describe and show the most sophisticated and costlier units first. Blankly, I asked for the most inexpensive one. He showed me one for Rs300. Zebronics brand. Having seen products of this brand before (probably there are many like-minded people around me!), I was impressed immediately. But 300 was a bit high on first thought. So I left the shop thinking I could check out other places.

After some enquires with people in office, I realized that 300 could be the lowest reliable speaker unit. I made up my mind reminding myself how much I earn and 300 seemed a pittance. And maybe I will be successful in negotiating the price further down. So I reentered the shop in the evening and the shopkeeper seemed to recognize me. I took the unit from the shelf and told him I wanted it. The second learning: he said it cost Rs350 much to the shock of the jolted me. I had to argue and remind him that it was quoted as 300 some hours back and finally he agreed. No more negotiation. He had won it. I was mildly happy when I came home and ripped off the headphone from the computer pin. The ‘joy’ was curiously short lived.

One of the speakers didn’t work properly! Damn! I immediately rushed to the shop only to find it closed. Knowing that it wouldn’t be open during the weekend, I had to wait till Monday. It easily spoiled my plans of watching one or two movies. It’s more frustrating to pay for it and not enjoy. Lesson three: always test your purchase especially electronic products. Monday arrived and I went to the shop early morning as usual. The shopkeeper was very accommodative of the fact that it didn’t work (maybe its normal!) and immediately replaced another. I insisted that it needs to be tested and we found that, for a change, both the speakers not working! He gave me an embarrassed look and requested me to come in the evening to collect a working one. I was relieved that he agreed to change it at least.

I couldn’t go back to the shop for the next 3 days thanks to my hectic workplace. But when I finally did, there was a smile in the shopkeeper’s face as he ushered me to the shelf to take a new piece. While he opened the speaker box for testing, some chaiwala came with cups of chai. The shopkeeper asked me to sit, relax and have chai. I thought it was a formality so I said its fine and stood there. But he insisted me to do the same and said he will test and give a good piece. The first piece that he tested was working fine I thought so I stood up and went to collect it. But he asked me to wait since he could sense something shaking inside one speaker and he went to take another piece for testing. Lesson four: even shopkeepers want to ensure quality. Finally he gave me a piece that worked fine and while giving, with an honest face he said ‘sorry sir’. I was totally moved. He needn’t have taken all efforts to ensure I was happy. I wasn’t a regular or a major customer. Probably he earned 20 bucks from me. Upon enquiring, he said he will return all defective pieces back to the manufacturer. I came home happy and satisfied. Being a person who always looks at the management side of things, I realized that things can go wrong. The strength lies in how you accept it and repair the image. That’s the biggest learning I got. He got his customer trapped in the end. Emotionally. Trapped forever…

The Phoenix's rebirth!!

2009-05-19T01:14:00.001+05:30

New Year’s Day today. The air is redolent of exhilaration and joy as people throng the streets to celebrate and absorb the unknown energy, generated from vacuum, which unites even strangers. I wish I could join them. But today I have taken a risk. To keep my shop open even after 11pm. I fetch the maximum on these occasions. I own a pan shop. CLASSIC PAN SHOP. People call me (and probably my entire community) “The Panwala”. Ironically, I earn more by selling myriad branded cigarettes than by selling pan. In India somehow traditional names cling on to shops that no longer associate importance to them. I am so used to phrases like ‘bhaiya dho kings’ ‘ek pack mints’ etc that I call them clichés now. I like customers who ask differently. Like ‘wo paach rupee wala dena’ ‘mujhe apni dosth se mila le bhaiya’ or even ‘wo dena jo mujhe swarg ko bejthi hai’. I never exactly realized what the last phrase meant. Until today…

A unique noise seemed to divert the joyous mood. A noise that freaks me every time my eardrums vibrate due to it. The siren of an ambulance it was. And rather shockingly it was going to the flat whose occupant I knew very dearly. He was my most valued customer and a good friend moreover. He worked in the IT industry. I am not good at stats but I guess every other customer of mine works in the IT industry. Money brings with it the need to find an alternative way to relax and ease the tension. They are good people generally. But everyday, every night in fact, when they return from their workplace, there will be a sudden rudeness in their tired, lifeless eyes. They always seem to have something wrong to say about their bosses when they crush the butts of the 5-minute wonders they just relished. They are my target segment. They are my feeders. They are my friends. And one of them, I perceive, was in some danger tonight…

Big danger! I thought, looking at my friend who was taken inside the ambulance rather quickly. His clothes were wet with blood and his eyes told a sad story. I saw a glimpse of his silhouette from within the ambulance and I started wondering. Wondering how chubby he used to be; full of energy and exuberance; obviously happy with his first job as he moved over to my locality. It all started with curiosity about why people smoke. That was his first question to me. I told him that I compared it to a phoenix which periodically burns itself to death and emerges from the ashes in another form to service its master. He eventually tried one and never gave up. He used to tell me how things are in his office and how he used to be careless till college. The occasional 2 minute conversations I have with my customers makes me kill time in an otherwise boring job. But this guy had some charisma around him. Anyone would instantly like him. But of late he started reducing the talks and used to buy the 5-min wonder in bulks. Maybe something was bothering him I had assumed. But I was not bothered as long as I was benefited…

I peeped into the house, now vacant. I saw blood covering the floors of the hall. He vomited blood! No, he slashed his wrists! It’s a suicide attempt! , many gossiped. Maybe it was. He last told me that his life was in disarray as his job was becoming unsafe due to recession and that his girlfriend had ditched him for some reason. These are stories I hear often nowadays so it didn’t mean much to me then. I looked around the house. Butts! The house was replete with sporadic colonies of cigarette butts. This was the moment that struck me hard. I felt responsible in some way. Maybe some might argue (even I used to) that it satiates the tired soul. But as I have always heard, it takes the individual into deeper depression. I believed that now. As I walked back to my shop, I made a decision. I took a marker and modified my shop banner. It now read “CLASSIC PAN (only) SHOP”. And I collected all the cigarette packets I had and made a bonfire out of it in front of his house. The wind started blowing hard and swept away the lump of ash that was being formed. For you my friend! I shouted at the top of my voice. Maybe he will hear it somehow. Maybe he was not even alive till then. I never got to know…

Hairy Seeker and the Dreamer's Stone

2009-02-14T00:54:00.001+05:30

He looked at the path ahead. He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure where he was heading. He wasn't sure why he was going there. He wasn't sure what prize awaited him. He looked at the seemingly endless path ahead. Dusty and barren. He knew he was following the right path, though a longer one. Short cuts failed to please him. He was aware of his nefarious competitors who were precocious and truculent. They mocked at his imbecility to follow this route but his unfeigned devotion to the adventure shielded his mind from being debauched. He was behind, what people call, the Dreamer's stone.

The stone, precious they say, was the treasure everyone sought. He wasn't aware how it looked and why it was precious. But he knew he had to find it. He started taking the path that lay ahead. Soon he realized that it wasn't going to be easy. He often had mirages of the stone lying just ahead but the excitement was short-lived always. He heard voices inside him asking him to give up as this journey was created without an end. His body was seeking to end its allegiance to him as every cell inside him got enervated. It was then that he saw the monotonous road leading him to a small cave.

With high hopes and sudden burst of energy created from the air, which was redolent of something royal and priceless, he entered the cave. It was dark. He wondered how the precious stone could lie in an area devoid of any light. Only when he lit the candle he carried did he realize the truth. He realized the hard truth. One of his competitors had taken away the stone. He felt cheated for he followed the righteous path but the one who emerged victorious was the one who was manipulative and spurious. He quelled the only source of light in the cave and sat down accepting defeat. He stared into the darkness that was asphyxiating him slowly. But his preordained destiny had something else in store for him.

He lay there and lost all account of time. He felt his life had no purpose anymore. He couldn't return without the trophy he had sought for but the Dreamer's stone belonged to someone else now. With despair and ignominy of defeat, he started to head back. In frustration, he threw all his belongings one by one into different parts of the cave. Suddenly he heard a metallic sound, a sound suggestive of something else existing inside the cave. With new hopes, he lit the candle again and he strode into that direction of the cave and found himself facing a gate.

Being adept at solving AND or NAND gates, it didn't take much time for him to open this one as he entered a room which contained nothing except a small lump of mud in one corner. He had a prescient feeling that something was lying inside it, needing to be freed. 'Go! Dharma will protect you!' he was being cheered by someone he didn't know and couldn't see. Without losing any time, he started digging into the lump with his bare hands. He was digging into the deep sands when he hit upon a pot. The pot was covered with ash. Ash that never missed the eye after the first look. He cleared the ash with his dress and lifted the pot with both his hands. Something was wrong. His one hand was burning and other was freezing. Ice and fire on two halves made him drop the pot. It fell apart conspicuously revealing its contents. The sweetie fluid that flowed from it was encapsulating something. Something immaculately designed. A piece of rock. Or was it? As soon as he touched it, he knew it belonged to him. That it was waiting to belong to him. There was a sudden revelation. A sudden light emerged from the rock he held. It was transforming itself slowly as it left his hand and pierced into his skin in the middle of his chest. He felt no pain. In fact he was relishing the feeling of it penetrating his body. With a happy and satisfied mind, he started his journey back. The journey till death meets him, with his only companion, his only partner and his only belonging.

A year on, he looked back at everything. It was all worth it. The rock had got itself attached to his beating heart while the transformation that started in the cave ended. The rock was not a mere rock after all. Little did people know that inside his chest, there was a precious stone, more valuable than the Dreamer's stone. He himself didn't know what he had inside his heart but he knew he was happy. Happier than he had ever dreamed to be. The stone vouched to stay with him till his heart stopped, feeding him with enough pulses of energy every second. The stone is better known as a diamond today. He calls it cRyStAl, his cRyStAl…

All is fair in business...

2008-12-29T11:28:00.004+05:30

Today is the last day of the month. A day I wait for every month. Today is the day I would be clearing all my debts. With God. People use cheat, cunning, shrewd, heartless, foxy and similar adjectives to address me. I call myself a businessman. That's what I do. Business. I accept my business isn't confined to legal boundaries only. But I also bribe many officials to keep running in this rat race. 'All is fair in business' is the mantra I use. So far I have been successful. For the past 20 years that is...

For the past 20 years it has been a practice of mine to total up all my profits in a month and 'gift' 5℅ of it to God. People call it donation. I call it bribe. Yes. Even the Almighty needs to be bribed. So that the next month is more profitable and the risks would be taken care off. Today is the day I would visit the temple again. I hate debts. That's why I look forward to this day. My profits this year have been showing a negative trend. Last month it was 2.6 crores but this month they add up to 2 crores only. Damn this global recession. 2009 should be a better year. Hopefully. So here I head to the temple...

My bribes are always in ten rupee notes. That's my identity. People get astonished whenever I bring bags and bags of notes to donate. Today, if my calculations are correct, I should be giving God some 1000 ten rupee bundles, 300 less than last time. And I hate beggars. Why should they come in between two dealers, God and I? Usually I walk past totally oblivious to their existence. But this guy stuck me today. When I was walking past, he sang my favorite song with consummate ease and asked for alms as he proclaimed to be blind and handicapped in legs. It is generally tough to move my heart. But today it was moved. I took out a ten rupee note from one bundle and gave it to him. And I went straight to the place where God has stoned himself...

I admire him. God. Totally. All he does is keep sitting in one place and he gets all the money he wants. That takes some business sense. But today I was going to castigate him.
'Hey God!! You promised me more this month! You took 1300 bundles last month for what? Be truthful to the partnership! Adhere to the business ethics! I am disappointed with you. Atleast make sure that in 2009 you remain loyal to your partner. Anyways. You got 1000 this month. That's all. And ya I took off a ten rupee note to give that beggar. Your fine for disappointing me! Chalo. See you next month then. Happy new year to you! Bye'

God and I are more like friends. We have always been. I need him and he needs me. So everything was done. I have cleared all my debts successfully. I was walking with my head held high when I saw the beggar walking past me. Walking!!
The thing with beggars is that you can't really differentiate one from another. But this time I was sure because he was humming the same tune. The tune I love. And he was walking without any support. Didn't he say he was blind? I followed him wanting to take back the ten rupees and stopped short to listen to his conversation with my friend, God.
'Hey God! You have been generous to me today. Some gentleman donated ten to me just now. I know I cheat. But you have made me this way. Today totally I got 20 rupees. As I have promised, I will give half of it to you. Here is the ten'
I saw him giving God the same ten I had given him. The ten that God should have got in the first place. I turned and walked back to my car. I learnt a lot today. God has many friends, so he can't always satisfy, take care of every customer. I need to be patient with him. God creates cheaters. So that he can make a living. And God is an amazing businessman! Look how he got back the ten which I fined him!!! All is fair in business...

Live another day!!!

2008-12-25T01:53:00.003+05:30

Blood! He saw blood in his hands. And he knew he was going to die this time. He knew he had no time for the things he had planned for. He wanted to live. At least another day. He ran towards his house…

It all started when he was a year old. He slashed his hands with a sharp knife by accident and his mom tried doing everything she could but the bleeding didn’t stop. He was taken to a hospital nearby and that was the first time of many more that he was admitted in the ICU. Upon analysis, his parents were told that he was facing a rare genetic disorder. Haemophilia. That’s the first word he learnt in English. And the first definition “Haemophilia is a blood disorder where an essential clotting factor is missing, either partly or completely”. After that day, everyday of his life has been eventful and everything he did was monitored by his poor parents, literally.

He never had the freedom to do things the way other kids did them, he was always under supervision. Why should one word gulp up my whole life?, he often used to wonder. But over time, he had to accept it. His parents told him that he was special and one in million who get this dreadful deficiency. But he didn’t want to be special. He wanted to be normal. He didn’t like the way people treated him. He hated being shown pity. He was not going to let anyone think he was a patient. He wanted to fight. He wanted to show to this world which does nothing but show pity that he was capable of great things. He was going to leave an inedible mark…

He underwent all the known methods of treatment. From the painful injections time to time, the various exercises, the different herbs suggested, to the acts of self-hypnotism, he tried everything. It made no difference to anything. He wasn’t allowed to shave his ugly beard also. What if you get hurt?, he was asked. But I want to shave and look smart!, he cried to himself. He decided he would do something about this. He joined biology course in his higher secondary. And it was then that he felt his life was meaningful. He started believing that it was no fault of his that he is facing this deficiency. He did his under-graduate in Biotechnology. Soon he got tired of all the theory he was reading. He started a local laboratory on his own, with full support from his parents. He knew that they can’t support him forever, that he needed to earn money on his own now. He started working for a newspaper company to earn his living. He worked hard in his lab late nights to develop something that would save his peers all over the world. He knew it was far fetched. But he wanted to die fighting…

Today was that fateful day when his hand got jammed into the printing machine and he was bleeding. Oh shit! Wish I had completed the experiment yesterday! He had developed something but he couldn’t test unless he had medical support in case it failed. He waited for Sunday to test it as it would be an off day for work. He ran hard with blood flowing all over his body. His parents were shocked to see him coming back to home liked that. But he had no time to explain it to them. Unmindful of them, he ran straight to his lab. He had five more minutes. He mixed the final two solutions and drank the resulting liquid as fast as he could. And that was the last thing he remembered…

A week later:
The local newspaper company had lost one of its employees this week. He was hardworking, the boss was thinking. There was a new boy now replacing the dedicated employee. The new boy was looking at the headlines.

A SCIENTIFIC MIRACLE!!

A young scientist from India has miraculously discovered the cure to a long known genetic disorder……

He was reading the same headline. He has suddenly become world famous. And once in the limelight, money comes uninvited. He returned to his lab to start work again. To develop a cheap, affordable cure for the same…

Note: This post is dedicated to all the people who face similar disorders and to that special person whom I have come across having the disorder discussed above.

Happy Birthday!! -to me :)

2008-12-14T20:34:00.004+05:30

Hi all! Please wish me a very happy birthday! (Yes I am known to be open with requests). Never thought I would grow up so soon and face you people with confidence and reassurance that you will all come back to me again. Life so far has been interesting. There have been ups and downs, fun and dull moments, good and bad comments on me but I have lived up to everything I was expected to, I think. That’s what my master also thinks! He has been good to me. In fact AMAZING! He is the best master I could have ever got (that’s an irony actually because there couldn’t have been any other master for me). Though I thought he had totally forgotten me for some months, he has come back to me with the same flair and love now. He treats me dearly and affectionately. He has to, I guess. I am his publicity in charge of sorts and he pays rich visits to my place every now and then. He is my soul, or is it vice versa? Have to ask him that! I know a lot of about him. Must admit, he tells a lot of good stories to me. Now why am I talking about him on MY birthday? People say that I am a lot mature for my age. Yes I don’t follow the usual route to maturity. But I found the going tough at first. No one knew about me and I didn’t have many friends then. But now I have so many friends! I have all of you as my good friends. I store every comment or rating I got from each one of you in my memory. I take it as a privilege if any of you comment on me actually (regardless of bad or good). If in this journey of mine (which will end only when my master’s end), I have hurt you unknowingly someday, please pardon me. After all I am just ONE YEAR OLD! Thanks to all of you again for being my friend and providing the much needed support. Before I sign off, I remind you again to wish me for my birthday!!

Thanks,
With Love,
rivat-hanss@blogspot.com :)

Boomerang!

2008-12-11T23:48:00.003+05:30

“Up and atom……… atom… ant” sounds familiar? Sounds like a tune you used to repeat after every one hour seeing the television? Still wondering? Life has moved on. But sometimes we get comfort in remembering things that always evoke an unintended smile from us. Let us recollect. Recollect a few things we have relished throughout our childhood but seem trivial to us now. The subject I hit upon today is the all entertaining and bewitching cartoons.

Recently when I was browsing through some videos in YouTube, I came across the video named “The Jetsons meet The Flintstones” Part 1-13. Out of curiosity I opened the first and well, the next 2 hours saw me hooked to the cartoon while my work in office was being compromised! It was interesting and engaging. The concept of future and past was so finely documented and each of the present day gadgets were transformed to suit the daily needs of a human. Looking at it from a matured angle, I saw innovation. Innovation in everything from the idea to the screenplay and the story. Considering that these cartoons were made as sketches first made me wonder about the amount of time and artistic labor put into each of those episodes. But that is just the ‘mature’ angle of it.

As a child I loved cartoons. From the thought-provoking Captain Planet, the funky Johnny Bravo, the innovative Dexter, the love-hate Tom-Jerry to the cute PowerPuff Girls, I liked them all. I could see why I liked them so much now. It’s about the unadulterated world it takes you to and the enjoyable often overlooked aspects of life it deals with. The end is always known and predictable. The good always conquers the bad. But isn’t that the message we try to give to every child nowadays? The vicarious happiness a child gets by seeing his superhero conquer all evils is something unparalleled in that phase of his life. Cartoons are known to provide an unimaginable relief to humankind. And the message it intends to convey reach the audience instantly. And it’s attracting. That is probably why we see many epics being made as cartoon movies nowadays. And that is why we have seen the increase in the number of cartoon channels from the one and only Cartoon Network to myriad types of channels catering to the local needs as well.

So why have we come out of that wonderful world now? Grown up? Is that a reason valid enough to forget these wonderful creatures who were our best friends, our role models for long? I don’t think so. So make sure that the next time you log in to YouTube or the next time you see your siblings or nephews catching in on some cartoon, stay tuned to the nostalgic episodes and get yourself surprised when you start recollecting the upcoming scenes as if you had watched them yesterday!!!

"Fighting crime trying to save the day,
Here they come just in time,
The PowerPuff Girls.. PowerPuff.."

Everyone has a 'Job' to do..

2008-12-08T23:49:00.004+05:30

“I am sorry” he said to his boss. “I called by mistake. I was sleeping then. Keypad was unlocked”. His boss was eyeing him with the same big round diabolical eyes. Oh my god! I am going to be fired today! He had unintentionally called him yesterday night at around 3am.
“Hmmm. That’s fine. Your project ends today I believe? Where is the report?”
His face became blank. Oh not so early! “I haven’t completed the report. Can you give me another day?”
His boss’ face started becoming red. “But I thought I had given you extra time already?”
“It got delayed. Please excuse me this time alone”
“But that’s what you said last time?”
He couldn’t react. He was always late. I can’t handle this. And I can’t quit! I need the money!
“Show me your mobile. I need to check if last night’s call was really unintentional or you played a prank!” his boss suddenly got excited as if some brilliant idea had stuck him.
How would you check that?, he wanted to ask. But he managed “Sure. Here it is” and handed his mobile to him.
“I am unhappy with your work. Do you realize that people have been handed out pink slips in our company for under-performance? You are always late. And your reports doesn’t seem like you are putting 100% into it. Vague and unclear. That’s not what I am known to tolerate”, his boss was making these statements casually as he was exploring the mobile.
He was silent. This is not what he expected from his job. He thought he would be able to enjoy all the money he gets. But here it was all different. Work your ass out and still get scolded! No time for any enjoyment! This sucks!
“So I see that you have stored my name as Mr.Hell?” his boss asked without looking up.
Whatever you ask, I won’t answer Mr.Hell!
“Err… sorry. Friends had kept the name as a joke. Sorry”
“Your life is going to be a joke mister!” suddenly getting serious. “I will give you an ultimatum now. Either complete this and your next report within a week or you might as well say hi to your parents again for money”
No! I can’t go back to them now!
“But the next report will by itself take me two weeks! Be reasonable please!”
“Do it within this week or good bye! You may leave now!” the boss’ verdict was always final.
He had to leave the room. He felt cheated. He indeed worked hard. But the expectations were too high. Show the middle finger and leave!, his conscience told him. But what will I do without a job? NO! I won’t complete the work! I’ll see how he can fire me! Suddenly he remembered. He had left his mobile with his boss. He returned to his boss’ room and stopped short at the door as he heard his boss speak to someone over phone…
“No dear. It was that subordinate again. I don’t know what is wrong with him. He is really smart and intelligent. I always believed that he would go places with his talent. Guess something is disturbing him. I felt bad scolding him today. I always do. I have given him some tough work today. I am sure he’ll complete it on time. He is capable…”
He was listening to every word of it. How wrong I was about him?! He returned to his workdesk and started working instantly.

A week later:
“Here are the reports you asked for” he submitted them to his boss. “Sorry for the delay last time. There won’t be any delay from now on”
“That’s good” was his boss’ reply.
His boss saw him walk out of the room. He was laughing. He recollected how smartly he had collected his subordinate’s mobile and asked him to go out, only sure that he would return and how smartly he enacted a phone conversation knowing fully that he was listening. He looked at the reports lying in the table and couldn’t control his laughter…

X CHANGE X --> REVERT!!

2008-12-04T23:30:00.010+05:30

CHANGE. It’s the most popular and inspirational word in English now. The person who is associated with the sudden popularity brought in some ‘change’ to this world. Or did he? It's so easy for him to say 'change' but let’s ponder over things and decide if we really want to change and if so what should change.

Let’s start with a few examples. Can we tolerate snowfall in South India? Is that a change worth considering? Or instead of going to a human doctor, we have robots to examine us and give us medicines. Will that suit fine? Let’s get more basic. Whatever we do, can we change the inherent feeling that our respective moms were the best cooks we ever encountered? Or there is a more fundamental change that we can face? Suppose the whole of mankind is not allowed to mate naturally and only artificial insemination exists? Would that be imaginable? Can we change the urge to go get wet in the rain inspite of the sophisticated showers in our bathrooms? Or say that noone is allowed to walk on their feet, they move around in chairs everywhere? Can we change any of the above and then say we are happy with our lives? The answer, I guess, would be NO to each of these questions.

Then why change things? The basic human needs and urges always remain the same. Those can never be compromised. People are never happy when something is changed. We always look back at things in the past and yearn to get those moments back. Why is that every survey taken about the happiness index tells us that people were happier ten years back? Why is it that people still remember Mahatma Gandhi everytime there is an attack on the democracy and peace surrounding us? Lot of things have changed in the past 60 years haven’t they? Why do we follow religious practices that have been defined thousands of years back?

There is only one justification to all this. We have tried to change things in our past and have realised that they have always ushered in more unhappiness and disorderliness to our lives. That is why we want everything to be reverted back to its original shape. Perhaps the most ordered and stable state ever was ‘existent’ just before Big Bang occurred. Everything has gone awry and will keep on doing so. Practically, what we need to do now is REVERT back things. To get back the world that had no problems like global warming, terrorism, energy shortage etc. We face all of these now because someone changed the orderliness. So next time someone promises ‘change’ shouldn't we say no to them rather than welcoming him with hope? Irony that the person who proclaims the ‘change’ won the famous election because he had shown the grit and determination to keep fighting till the end, something that is basic to human nature, and not because he had an African origin or because he was a ‘changed’ human being.

So the buzz word should be changed from ‘change’ to ‘revert’. Yes, resist changes in your life and revert back to the things that you always missed. Don’t stick to things just because your status demands them or because they are ‘trendy’. Do things because you always liked doing them and see the happiness flowing in your lives. See the happiness that you once enjoyed…

Run for your money!

2008-12-02T23:49:00.003+05:30

He was running hard. He was pushing himself as hard as his physical makeup allowed him to. A quick glance at his watch disturbed him. He had five minutes to save his life and that’s all he had. Thoughts started surrounding him. If only…If only I hadn’t met him in the first place? If only I hadn’t believed what he said? If only I had listened to my parents? If only I had more time now? If only… He was getting desperate. Time was running away. He had to catch up with it somehow. He was running… He was thinking…

He was a normal working professional who had aspirations and who enjoyed life by the minute. It was all normal until he met one of his distant cousins on that fated occasion. Luck never favored me! I should have known when it all started on Friday the 13th! He was offered a partner role in a new establishment and he had to pool in a lot of money for it. His excitement had no parallels at the beginning. I was dumb!! He considered the possibility of owning a company and he was thrilled at the development. Yes he had to invest huge amounts of money, something that would take him five years in his current job to cumulate. Now I have only five minutes! But his partner assured him that profits will be triple the pooled in money. He knew he was always a born leader. Born loser! He was destined to succeed…

The company seemed to do well at the start. But, being heavily dependent on foreign exchange, it had succumbed to the global recession. Things started going awry and he had to face the investors who demanded their money back. Money was in circulation and noone was willing to return a single paise. The troubles started there. His partner had not invested any capital but he had leased out one of his properties for the company office. I was a fool to accept that! So his partner was insulated from the losses of the company though morally he owed 50% of the losses. That bastard has got no morals! Things were looking dangerous and his partner kept on promising him that all will be alright. The bubble burst the previous day when the investors stromed into the company demanding money and asking him to face legal action if he failed to do so. They can’t do this to me! I did nothing wrong! He and his partner couldn’t think of anything. They remained silent. Today…

He got the shock of his lifetime. His partner didn’t turn up to the office. He started suspecting some foul play since his partner had switched off this mobile too. It was afternoon already. Never have they both been late to office without informing the other. He was getting apprehensive. He always admired the cunning nature of his partner. His partner was smart and daring; that had helped in the business. He was too smart for me! But he knew his partner can’t escape since the office was standing in his partner’s apartment now. So somewhere he was assured that nothing would go wrong. Suddenly, two men came into the office and started looking around. On enquiry, they told him that they had bought the apartment an hour ago from his partner. His world sank. His partner had cheated him. His partner had sold his apartment and ran away. Forever…

He was running… He had to catch his partner. He learnt that his partner boarded a taxi to the railway station after getting the money. That sonofa bitch would be killed today! He had no money with him to catch an autorickshaw also. He ran to the station with all his might. Two minutes to the departure of the only train that hour. He was pushing himself. His face had suddenly got the look of a fierce murderer. The train had started by the time he reached the station. He ran hard towards it but was stopped by the railway manager asking him to show his pass or to get a ticket. By the time he got the ticket from the counter, the train had left…

He started crying. He had lost all this money. He had noone to support him now. He was better dead. He started contemplating about suicide when suddenly a hand tapped his shoulder. “Hi buddy! Why you looking worried and lifeless? We are safe now. I sold my apartment and gave that money to the investors who just left by train. I have rented the same apartment from them and we’ll continue our business with the rest of the money I have. And I have also insured the company this time so we needn’t worry about big losses again! All is for good. We are gonna rock again! Let’s celebrate the new beginning tonight with booze what say?” He was short of words when he heard his partner speak. With tears falling and with all the energy he could possibly amass, he hugged him. I was dumb indeed!!!

I AM BACK!!!

2008-12-01T12:54:00.005+05:30

It was dark. And it was pouring down. The road was devoid of any homo sapiens. She looked at it with a blank face from the window. Suddenly she cried ''No!! This is unfair!!'' Everything seemed to conspire against her. She wished dawn would arrive soon and take away the darkness surrounding her. She was left without a company, without a person to cry to. She was all by herself in this moment of truth. Truth which she thought was surreal. She prayed that this would be a bad dream after all and all would be fine when she wakes up. That she would be as normal and cheerful as ever. But somewhere she knew that this was real and imminent…

She had two options. She dreaded them both. There was a war. And she was the reason behind its genesis. She loved both the sides. But she was asked to choose one. She felt miserable. Why can’t there be a compromise? Why either this or that? Why not an option which suited both the sides and her too? She suddenly started hating the person who invented the binary system. She tried to maintain her poise and started to think deeply. Her brain favored one of the options and her heart went for the other, naturally. She knew she had to follow the brain and everything would be fine. Everyone will be happy except her and the other side. But if she followed her heart, she would be happy and he would be happy…

He would be happy. That made her heart to bargain more weightage to its decision. Where was he now? Why isn’t he there for her when it mattered the most? Why did he leave her defenseless to face such a critical development? How can she ever take a decision without consulting him? But how can she consult him when he formed one of the sides? Her brain and heart were about to burst, unable withstand the pressure applied onto them. She was helpless. She was in a jail. She was at her home…

He stepped into the inundated road that was being watched with a blank face by another mortal. It was dawn. He had come to save her from all the perils. He saw her eyes through the window. He immediately grasped the dilemma she was facing. He had to help her. He took out the folded letter from his pocket, tied it with a stone and threw it consummately in between the window rails. Instantly she seemed to have unearthed the long buried smiles from her body and she had plenty of them to give away as she read it aloud…

'follow thy heart for being bold is thy specialty
or follow thy brain for being logical is thy idiosyncrasy
but behold of any surreptitious malicious conspiracy
rejoice, cherish, sing and dance with ecstasy
cos thy heart has arrived safely, smartly and sharply
to show you love truly, deeply, madly, fiercely and incessantly'

charmingly,
your prince

On the reverse side of the paper, it was written in bold capital letters- I AM BACK!!!

AKSARS - The Phenomenon

2008-09-16T19:58:00.005+05:30

Yes its been long. I am very much alive and I am doing good. But job and other things doesn't allow me to write blogposts that often (often?!). I am extremely sorry to all of you who visited my blog again and again only to be disappointed. I promise you that once the month of December comes (why December??), the blog will have lots of new and interesting entries coming up. But I am not going to disappoint you altogether. Some of you might be wondering how the heading to this post is in anyway connected to the body. So here goes...

AKSARS-The Phenomenon is a space dedicated only for my love story. An elaborate account of what transpired and how it materialised, from both persons involved. It is an emotional remembrance of all the events and we thought we needed something like that to record the feelings and happenings which might be heartwarming to read later in life. It might be boring and unrelated to many but it is certainly my BEST writeup ever. So read it. Cherish it!

His Account is the post I have written. Comments are welcome on that blog site.

Note: The blog space has been removed due to unavoidable circumstances. Sorry for the inconvenience.

The way of life..

2008-07-04T18:59:00.006+05:30

The car jerked before it stopped. She looked at the gear handle. Gosh! Not again! She had wrongly put on the 4th gear instead of the 2nd. She suddenly panicked and looked up to see if there were any traffic police guys around. Then she realized she doesn’t have to worry as she had got her driving license recently. She started her journey again. The haunting thoughts came back. She needed to make a decision now. It was the most important decision she ever needed to take in her life. She was troubled by it clearly…

She was a workingwoman. She enjoyed her job and the 2 years in the company was the best time of her life. She has been noticed; she has friends and has an inspirational manager. She had everything going her way. From an apprehensive reticent personality that she somehow managed to be throughout her college life, she has transformed into a more vocal and confident smart pretty girl. She had so many guys behind, trying to flatter her. But she has been smart and focused enough not to get involved into any relationship when her career was just shaping up. But now…

She never believed in love marriage. She loved her parents very much and waited till they decided on her guy. They did. He was another software professional in her hometown. She got a chance to meet and interact with him. She liked him instantly. He was loving, caring and a perfect gentleman. There was not a single blemish in him and she felt she was very lucky indeed. They spoke about marriage, company, life, politics, everything they could think of. He told her he would take her to Switzerland for honeymoon and he also that he cared a damn about the population; he needed 16 kids. She liked his childish statements and she truly enjoyed his company. He made her smile like no one could for a very long time. She was thrilled…

He wanted her to quit her job. She knew she couldn’t. She couldn’t leave this happy life and the city that gave her a new life. She couldn’t leave her friends here, the people who have helped her improve her personality tremendously. Her company didn’t have an office in her hometown but his had one in her city. He wasn’t ready to shift to a new city though. She tried her best to convince him. She couldn’t…

The car reached her home. Her parents were inside. Waiting to get her nod for the marriage. She was thinking.
I am an independent confident woman. Shouldn’t I stop some guy who bosses me around before marriage? If he can’t even adjust this, how will he for the rest of our lives? Won’t I get a better guy in my life? Do I need someone better in the first place? Isn’t he the best guy I have ever seen?
She had to make a decision. Soon. She went inside the house…

Epilogue:
Three years later: He whispered to her in the hospital room, "2 down, 14 to go! Great going wife!!" She managed to convince him after all. Confident girls can do wonders. Men simply melt before them. He moved to the same city as hers. But guys can be smart too. He made sure she didn’t have to go to the office much. 2 pregnancies and well, she was in her hometown for most of the time. Their journey continued…

Things that matter!!

2008-07-01T20:20:00.006+05:30

“How much?” is a question we come across time and again in our everyday lives. Everything (almost) comes at a price. It is one of the most conspicuous P’s in any company’s marketing strategy (the others being place, product and promotion). Money is one entity that inevitably becomes a criterion in any of our choices. We are in a constant endeavor to minimize what we spend and to maximize what we get. The thrill in this endeavor is unparalleled. A lot of boasting comes tied up in this process. Whether it is getting a product for the cheapest available price or for showing off in a branded costly shirt, this is a platform to portray one’s prominence in the immediate society.

Why does this entity hold so much weight? Why do people who have this entity in abundance never seem to get satisfied? Why is the thirst for acquiring money never gets quenched for any individual? Why is power always associated with this entity and social prominence too? There are no satisfying answers for the above. There is always a relative angle applied to this mystifying concept. ‘Abundance’ is a relative word. Only when one makes a transition from lower class to middle class to upper class, does he realize what he thought would be ‘enough’, never was.

This entity becomes the tool for the creation of many undesirable turbulence between people and many have ended up losing their peace, thoughts and life overall in this endeavor. That it can trouble even the most trusted relationships give it an unbracketed ostentatious power. Any individual becomes modest captured within its limits. So should we allow ourselves to succumb to this omnipresent entity? Is there a way to detour the evils associated with this or if not how can one equip oneself to face it bravely?

Well there is certainly a way. To be satisfied with the things you possess and aspire for only those that lie within reach of your purchasing power. Easily said? There are small things we can ‘sacrifice’ of course. Why need a Wi-Fi enabled mobile when you can access Internet in your laptop? Why go for high-end cars when the medium ones with better efficiency will suit you fine? These are some desires of an individual can seem to be ‘greedy’ to others. Once some of these are controlled and withheld, we can actually see a lot of happiness flowing untroubled in our lives.

Note: The author himself is in a state of confusion. Known for his conservative approach towards spending money, he has been credited with some big amount of money as salary today. How is he going to spend or is he going to? Suggestions welcome. (don’t ask for treats though!)

What's next?

2008-06-25T19:31:00.012+05:30

He looked at the bunch of currency lying in the table ahead. It must be worth atleast Rs.50,000 he thought. And a smile spread across his rumpled face. His day was made. He looked into the mirror and saw a weak cadaveric face that showed no signs of any compunction. I am a thief! I should be ashamed! My dad would be ashamed of me!

Gone were the days when he used to be a normal middle class guy who had no issues in his life. But things have changed a lot since then. His father met up with an accident and they had to spend so much on surgery only to face his death in the end. All the money was consumed and he was left to find some way to earn money. With two younger sisters to support, he wasn’t doing well in the mechanic shop, the only place he could find a job. He needed atleast Rs.100 everyday to make ends meet. He started his ‘career’ when his boss left the shop with him for a day. He looted all the money he could and ran. Ran like a mad animal that had seen it’s only prey for the day. He ran…

Here he was. The journey has been smooth so far. He looted from petty shops, supermarkets, settled families, anywhere he could. But today’s was the biggest loot of all. This will solve all my problems! Atleast for now. Today’s was well planned. He knew from the hung banana trees and lights that the Kandar’s family was arranging some funtion. He hid himself behind the house at sunset. And waited for his chance. The bedroom light went off, for dinner probably. He silently climbed into the window of the room and looked around for the locker. To his luck, he found the money lying in the table only. It was his day…

He took the lump of money and put it into his pocket. Suddenly he heard some voices. It was more than a voice. Somebody was shouting. He swiflty hid himself behind the cupboard. Still he was able to hear the conversation.
“What nonsense? Already I have spent so much for this marriage! Why the hell is he wanting a bike all of a sudden?” a stern crisp loud voice of a male.
“Sssh. Please reduce the volume. He says he will marry Suhal only if we give him a new bike. And he is very adamant on that. Seems his friends have provoked him. We cant help it” a female voice probably Mrs.Kandar.
“But we have only 60,000 left! I had to borrow that amount also. We’ll be a doomed before this ends” Mr.Kandar almost in the state of breaking down.
“Please get him one. Our daughter’s wedding is more important. We had to search so long to find this groom. Don’t leave him. We’ll adjust somehow ” was the assuring reply.

Meanwhile the thief was looking at the lump in his pocket. So 60,000!! He then looked around the room. It wasn’t whitewashed for years and the furniture was pretty old too. The room clearly depicted the Kandar’s state of living. He made a decision. He took the money from his pocket, took out one hundred-rupee note and kept the rest in the table. The pen lying on the table was lifted and he wrote “Best wishes” on the note lying on top of the bunch. He jumped out of the room, and started running. Started running with all his might for he was happy today. He had shown that he too had a heart after all. He ran thinking which house next?

Note: This idea is entirely not mine. Have seen a similar scene in one of the Tamil movies.

On a Sunday morning...

2008-06-23T19:52:00.009+05:30

“How much to Begumpet?” I asked the autowala who was generous enough to stop for me. “This goes till Ameerpet only. Rs.15” was his quick reply.Having been brought up with autorickshaws as the main mode of transport in Chennai, Rs.15 for 7-8kms seemed incredulously low. This is Hyderabad, I told myself and these are shareautos as they call. I understood the meaning of ‘share’auto pretty soon. Stop after stop, people got in and suddenly there were as many as six passengers and one driver in the small space! Four poor souls (including myself) in the back and one on each side of the driver…

Traffic signal junctions are a curious spectacle in Hyderabad. The flow of traffic is not well regulated especially in the evenings. I have been a witness to ten minutes of a single line flowing when the other three lines pile on the queue. On a Sunday morning though the flow wasn’t a problem. Looking at the traffic policemen, I was wondering if they would catch my autowala for overloading. Only when I saw other autos in the same plight did I realize the norm here. I also couldn’t stop being amused by the stick like figures of the traffic police. It used to be belly type ones in Chennai, I recollected. It added to the terror then (I didn’t have the driving license till some two months back!). The journey continued…

Tall, new, stylish buildings one after the other clearly meant that we were passing through Hi-Tech city and its famous Cyber Towers. All the major software concerns have their offices somewhere around this place including my office. Though on the outskirts of the city, it is one of the costliest areas given the purchasing power of the people living nearby. Real Estate at its peaks, all major exclusive showrooms, plenty of pretty women around (some spotted with cigars in their hands!), quite a place is this Hi-Tech city. Two of them got down when the autorickshaw stopped. Relief! Not for long. The vehicle was filled soon. Only this time a nice young woman sat beside me. It was quite a journey…

There is a humble gentleman in every guy. But one can’t help when a pretty girl is sitting beside. You start getting highly conscious of yourselves and start to look in different directions, do different things. I for one took out my earphones, switched on the radio and started shaking my head slowly, ostentiously enjoying the song being played. The song? There is one truth I found out about Telugu songs. All of them (well most of them) are simply copied from Tamil cinema! From A.R.Rahman to S.A.Rajkumar, every arbit song is dubbed and the radio is generally full of known tunes. Another truth: I hardly notice people conversing in Telugu here. Hindi is more prominent in Hyderabad which is clearly not the case in Chennai.

The autorickshaw passed through Madhapur, Jubliee hills (the varying altitudes of the roads got the place the name?) finally reaching Ameerpet. The lady got down and walked without caring for the poor guy who tried his best to seem natural. After making the payment to the autowala, I went in search of another to take me to Begumpet. Seeing the crowded ones come by, I wondered if shareautos here should be called spareautos (spare the autos!!)

Instantly recognize!

2008-06-13T19:45:00.008+05:30

There are many basic human natures that inadvertently come out of every individual typifying their personality. One of them is the need for recognition. Everybody wants to get recognized at some point or the other. And there are no exceptions to the previous statement. What might change are the levels of recognition one wants and the group of people from whom they want the same.

It starts right from the time we are born. The baby needs attention always and the constant attention it gets from its mother is the recognition it desires. The youngster needs recognition from his peers and the teachers. The teenager tries all his might to get recognition from his opposite sex, however trivial may the matters be. Similarly the employee seeks it from his managers, the society etc. It’s a never-ending game, a game where satisfaction is never achieved.

What is recognition then? Is it something you desire when you do something out of the ordinary? Is it getting a genuine applause after a presentation? Is it valid for only big things or do small deeds need to be recognized? Depends. Depends on the individual. Depends on the various facades in one’s life. The same person has different needs as an employee, as a lover or a husband, as a member of the society while the levels of the needs vary according to where their hearts lie the most.

What is instant recognition then? Simply put, you do something and expect it to get acknowleged instantly. In a cricket match, as soon as the batsman scores a fifty or a century, the crowd applauses in union. But generally, instant recognition is for the small deeds. You do, get acknowleged and forget about it. It may be as simple as a ‘thanks’ one gets for opening the door to a lady. It is the only form of recognition everyone expects and gets daily. And the delight that one gets for such a trivial thing is so immense that it can keep a whole day going.

Ofcourse there are a few occasions that might be called ‘exceptions’. These pertain themselves to one of the facades of a person’s life. Only when this happens the word ‘humble’ has its meaning. Do ‘humble’ people in office remain the same at home? More often than not the answer lies in the negative. It’s an energy waiting to be released but only others can release it. Accumulation of it leads to stress and other complications. What can we do to help it? Give it to others! Give recognition to all the small things and the people who help you or make you happy, instantly. Give them the happiness even when not asked for and you’ll start receiving them more frequently. Give it to your parents (they never ask for it or need it, but surely a thanksgiving to your parents makes them happy!), give it to your lover (dare not to!), give it to your peers, give to a stranger on the road, give to everyone. In the end, you'll have some nagging feeling in your heart which makes you smile.

P.S: Always know that the author here doesn't expect you to comment everytime. But think. Does it make him happy?

Things you would remember...

2008-06-04T23:37:00.009+05:30

“Are you sure?” the tall stout guy asked him.
“According to the tip off we have received, it must be there only” he was given a prudent reply.
“But that’s far away! The travel takes one and half hours easily. Should we have to go?”
“Come what may I am going now. Coming or not?” the bespectacled guy asked.
“Anyone else to give company?”
“Doesn’t matter. Oh come on!”
“Why the fuck they have to choose such a far away place? And you have seen it already!”
“Me leaving. Bye.”
“Wait! Me game too!”

Eventually they found three more for company. Their journey started. They were getting late. The buses weren’t comfortable. It didn’t matter. For what is in store was something special. There was a big queue when they reached the place. Do they know too?
Suddenly everyone turned towards the road. There they came. Shouts all around and the people in the queue knew instantly that they chose the right movie to watch at the right time……

This is one experience of mine I’ll pleasantly take away from my college life. If you are still wondering, it was the night when all the girls from the college are taken to a special movie screening. It was in my second year. “Ghajini” was the movie in Srivenkatesa theatre, Trichy. It was a ‘privilege’ to share the show with them especially when it was a night show, something we could boast of in our hostels. Receiving the right tip off about the movie and the theatre was imperative. Thankfully I had my sources…

Now the experience is somewhat mixed. You know that all the so-called babes of your college are sitting behind you (well they get the top seats, we had to fight for the bottom ones) and still you couldn’t possibly do anything about it. I mean what can one do when all the security personnel from the college are also accompanying them not to mention the professors with their families (why family?! Using up college’s money! Bloody cheats!). And what can 5 guys do when a herd of the female species shout for anything and everything (Gosh! They shout loud!). The ‘outsiders’ or the normal audience had also taken note of it and it was funny seeing people making faces and dancing in front of the girls, probably the top beauties from Trichy, before the show began. We felt like telling them that they are OUR college girls. But how can we and what purpose does it serve?

The movie. Well having seen it already, the focus of our eyes lay behind our backs. Making note of the reactions they give for various scenes was indeed interesting (not to be elaborated!). Of course they made a note of us too. The interval was the time we could have had some serious fun. The girls weren’t allowed at first to the stalls. Being magnanimous, we offered ice cream to a few (via SMS) and got rejected bluntly. Some luck! The girls were let out later and we got to see a glimpse of the people we see and ‘admire’ everyday in college, yet again in bright light. The movie ended without any more frills. We desperately wanted to get into the college buses along with the girls for the return journey. That would have made our day. That was not offered too. In the end we had to catch the local buses (scanty services in the night) to reach our hostels. So what did we get out of everything? Nothing much. Except that we can proudly say that we had been there in that show even after some 3 years!!!!!!

Epilogue: There was another show “Unnale Unnale” in Cauvery theatre in my third year that we(myself and Kaushik Ram) managed to attend. Similar experience. The final year show was, to our utter disappointment, screened inside college itself on the day it happened.

Jab they met

2008-05-31T23:48:00.006+05:30

“Excuse me?” she said when she couldn’t go through the gang of people in front of her who were busy chatting on some trivial issue. It was then that she saw him amongst the group. Their eyes met…

“I love you! Do you?” he asked her. She needed some time. He kept asking her out. At last she agreed.

“Are you…?” he asked still not believing that it was her in front of him after all these years. With crisp cold serious eyes she replied, “Yes its me!”

“We are the best couple on earth!” he assured her. “Yes honey we surely are” she said with moist eyes. She was very happy whenever she was with him. He got her gifts, chocolates, flowers anything he could imagine of. They were happy.

“Errr… How are you?” he was shaking. She kept staring at him with her diabolical eyes that clearly had a tale to tell. “Errr… Sorry” was all he could manage then.

“You won’t ever leave me right?” she asked him while lying in his shoulders. “Oh come on! Never! Not till I die!” his reassurance was all she needed to be happy.

“Why did you?” she was choking when she asked. “Why did you cheat me?” “I can explain!” he tried holding her hand and got slapped in his face hard.

“I am leaving to Delhi tomorrow honey,” he told her over the phone. She cried instantly and incessantly. “Hey I’ll be back dear. Very soon. As soon as I could” he tried to console the soul over the phone. “Please don’t go! I can’t live without seeing you…”

“Get out of my sight!” she barked at him. “You are a cheat!”

“No!” he wanted to clarify. “I tried reaching you…” he got slapped again before he could finish that statement.

She waited to hear from him. He had given a landline number that was never attended. She had no other way of communicating him. She tried to reach his office only to find out that he was fired a month before. She waited for him to call her. She waited…

“I still love you,” he told her. “I am married now” was her instant reply.

He never called. She was getting anxious. Her parents had fixed up a groom for her. She needed him now. She needed him to come and take her away. She loved him more than anybody on this planet. She needed him…

She wanted to ask him a lot of questions whenever she got to meet him next. She wanted to ask him why he was so nice to her first and why he left her all of a sudden without any trace. She needed answers from him. Suddenly her mobile ringed. “Hey come over here fast! Me sitting here in this restaurant looking at the blank chair beside me!” her face suddenly brightened when her man called. Her new man. She managed an ‘excuse me’ and walked past him in a hurry. He kept looking at her thinking how much he missed a girl as lovely as her. He wanted to tell her how he was fired from his job. How he suffered in the city one from shortage of money and other by missing her. He didn't want to call her and tell her that her man was a loser. He wanted to settle down into a good career and then call her. When he finally did, he was told that she was getting married in a week. He kept the phone down, shocked and dejected. He vowed never to interfere in her life again…

One night @ the ball center: IPL

2008-05-23T01:07:00.003+05:30

I didn’t want to. Never thought I would. But it was so captivating that here I am writing a blog entry. May 21^st, 2008 it was. The match was between Chennai Super Kings and Bangalore Royal Challengers. Having got the tickets (Rs.200 ones) three days back, I was eagerly awaiting the change from the monotonic holidays that I was having. The day arrived. It got along with it some spells of moderate rain, enough to make any ticket holder anxious. Hoping to see some cricket, I proceeded to the stadium along with my cousin and few friends. The next six hours were one of the most action packed periods I have witnessed, so much so that the match became secondary to all of us.

Music was on air when we entered the stand. We took the first row quite close to the square boundary but with a grill fence in between. Ours was the only fully filled stand in the stadium, quite understandably. The music show had Tipu and Srileka Parthasarathy showing off their singing talents and the famous Tamil beats made the audience to dance to their tunes, including the author. The next one-hour invigorated our minds though all our energy were drained away. Meanwhile we were witnessing the ground staff drain away the water from the fields and few players take catching practice. The drizzles continued but that was forgotten when drummer Sivamani started his beats. Then came the real fun…

So much hue and cry were made about the cheer girls and their dress that one thought it must be an exaggeration. How can cheer girls glamorize cricket so much that the match itself takes a backseat? Well it did!! There they came and the whole stand started gaping at them. Especially the girls of team Bangalore (thankfully we choose this match to watch!). The short ‘Shorts’ and deep cut ‘Tops’ attire was sensual enough to make any dad sitting with his children feel embarrassed. Shouts of ‘I love you’ filled the air and for once everyone wanted Bangalore to hit some boundaries to see these girls in ‘action’. The height of excitement came when former SS Music VJ Lekha Washington walked passed us in strapless tops and low fit jeans.

The match was becoming predictable. Bangalore was struggling and there was no way they could possibly put up a fight. Chennai bowlers were too strong and Dravid fought a lone battle. The total of 126 in 20 overs, the least by any team that played full quota of overs in IPL, was in no way respectable. Chennai started confidently. 60 for 0 in 9 overs meant there was only one result that the match was heading to. We were disappointed, as after all we had paid to witness a good match in the first place. Especially the author, who wanted Bangalore to do well for more than one reason. Suddenly things changed. Kumble and Steyn got the Royal Challengers back into the match and some poor shot selection by Super Kings batsmen made them gift the match to the Royal Challengers. The Chennai crowd became furious and empty bottles were being thrown into the ground. The following few minutes saw some commotion; the cheer girls had to run away while the police personnel lathi-charged a few.

The fun ended there but the night was surely memorable. The music, the dance, the rain, the cheer girls, the crowd, the match, the company (and that certain mischievous friends of mine flicked burgers from stalls!), the atmosphere, everything made us have a ball in M.A.Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk. So much for Rs.200!!