Scene 8
Day 2 1:00pm
As Linda was discussing the issue in detail with Perry, she advised me to send across a mail to all the users to let them know that we are working on the issue and also she would let me know once the issue has been resolved. Similar stance I had taken with Rajinder I thought and trudged back to my desk to send out the mail. As I sat my desk, Sukhi came to my cube, as he had heard from Linda about the problems we were having. Though he did not know much about the application, I explained to him the situation just to see if he could get some pointers. Though he too did not have any idea he gave me the news that Linda spoke with our Manager(Onsite) Vijay about how I am not resolving the issues at my end and running to her. This explained the smile when I had gone to her cube. It was just 5-10 minutes between the time I contacted her and reached her desk, but she had done enough in those 10 minutes to pull me down in front of my Manager. Though eventually she herself has not been able to resolve the issue, but I knew she would never mention that to Vijay. Sukhi wished me good luck and went back as I sat staring at the monitor thinking now what all would be the reactions of Vijay and Manas. Thats it, I decided, now this issue has been escalated enough and its time for me to resolve it and thus I started looking into the servers.
Scene 9
Day 2 3:00pm
I spent some 20 minutes checking the files and then opened the config file and removed the extra characters in the area where the parameters were defined. Then restarted the application and lo-behold the application was back up and running. I went up to Linda's desk and announced to her that the issue has been resolved. She could not believe and wanted to check the application once more from her side. Once she was satisfied she asked me for explanations and that's when I opened the old config file and showed the extra spaces. Her face went Red because as per the log before I had got to the file, it was modified by her login and guess she had inadvertently put the blank spaces in the file. She did not want to own up the mistake and kind of mentioned that somebody must have played around with the file. I too agreed with her statement and went about explaining the process on how in a systematic way I found out the error. She requested me to check with the customer so that the ticket could be closed, while she took up the task of letting Perry and the business team known the latest on the issue and my heroics.
Scene 2
Day 1 1:00pm
I was Linda's desk for the meeting but as usual she was not at her seat. This happens invariably whenever I have a meeting with her, so as usual I just stood outside her cube. As I was standing Bajrang's words were going through my mind and suddenly I noticed that Linda had not locked her computer and she was going through the config file for one of our applications. I started getting weird ideas which led to a small plan. I checked both the aisle's to make sure that Linda is not coming over and entered some spaces into the file. The plan would work only if Linda would save the file before closing it and I just prayed to God that this happens. The application usually restarts everyday at 11:00am and therefore nobody would know about it until tomorrow morning. My mind was thinking about the things to happen Linda arrived and apologized for being late and as she was explaining the reason of being late, she saved the file and closed. For those 20 secs I never heard the words spoken by Linda but my eyes were just making sure what she was doing with the file and once the file was closed I was relieved man. We continued with our discussion for which I was there and once done I went back hoping that my plan would click.
Scene 11
Day 2 11:30pm
Bajrang opened a can of beer while I had my usual Soda. Cheers and thus began a night of our enjoyment. Sukhi, Vishesh and Rajan too joined us and just as the party was brewing one of our's phones started ringing. Though I did not have any alcohol it took me couple of minutes to realize that it was my phone - may be success had gone to my head. It was a call from the Service desk and my party ended because now I had a new issue to deal with. :-(
Appreciate it!! Part 2
Scene 5
Day 2 11:15am
I returned to my desk and to my surprise saw 3 new chat windows with all of them pointing to the same issue. I acknowledged the 3 them and now had to start working on this new Gereprine ticket. As I was analyzing the contents of the ticket, Rajinder called back and he confirmed my thoughts that this was a new issue which we have not faced earlier. We both discussed and negated some of the common scenarios but still were not able to get a break through. I needed some time to work on the issue and hence ended the call with Rajinder promising him that I will let him know the details once I resolve the issue. Just as I started digging into the details, I was disturbed by another call - this time from the business user and she wanted to know what the issue was and why it happened. I had to explain her that I was just starting to look into the issue and will let her know as soon as I have an update. Meanwhile another 5 mails from some of my known customers came in saying that they are facing the same issue. This was getting insane because since the issue was reported I have been working on telling everybody that I know the issue and I am working on it rather than actually working on it. I was going through the log files to see if I could get some pointers when there was another phone call from unknown number. I thought Rajinder had found something and quickly picked the phone only to hear the deadly voice of Offshore manager Manas and he wanted to know why I had not filled my time-sheet for the last week. Though I was trying to tell him that I had already submitted the same, he was just going on rattling out the importance of time-sheet, something about the quality and quantity of the data, something about billing, blah blah...it went for the next 5 minutes. I had to literally shout back - "Manas I have already submitted the the time sheet for last week. If you still have any issues I will call you back in 20-30 minutes as I have a production issue". Somehow the word "production issue" cooled him down and he agreed to check at his end. Now as I was looking through the log files, I saw that the users were not able to connect to the database and when I checked with the DBA he confirmed that there was no issues with the database and everything seems to be fine. The only other thing I could think of was that probably the web server was not talking to the Database server, but on checking with concerned team they too gave a green light saying that there are no issues. I was kind of running out of ideas and decided to check with Linda if she would have some idea about the issue. After all I just had to waste time and then have Linda take a look as usual....or is it something unusual this time.
Scene 6
Day 2 12:00pm
Linda welcomed me to her cube with a cunning smile and as I sat down in her cube she started off with her theories on how you get to know the system only with time and that she has been working on the system for the past 5 years and knows the system in and out. This has happened many a times and I never understood whether she says this with genuine intentions or is it just to make me feel that I could not even solve this problem on my own. Anyways my main aim was to solve the issue and so just watched the steps she was following ignoring her theories. Most of the steps were the same Rajinder and myself had gone through and I was able to give her the results for them just to let her know that I too did the same analysis. After some 20 minutes Linda declared - this is something we will have to discuss with the vendor so lets call Perry and check with her. This meant another 20 minutes of call and going through the same steps again, however deep inside I was happy as at least this was something new and not some silly issue which Linda would have resolved in few minutes and once again bragged about I know the system...blah blah blah.Perry too could not find anything wrong and wanted some more time to check through her notes.
Scene 9
Day 2 4:00pm
"Yes the issue has been resolved at my end" - were the Golden words from the customer and with this I was able to close the Gereprine ticket and at last sent out a mail to all the users confirming that the issue has been resolved and they should be able to work in the application without any issues. I had resolved the issue for which Linda and Perry spent 3 hours in research and were not able to find anything. I had become a hero and then started the flow of Appreciation mails from all the Managers involved. Linda too was kind of impressed that I was able to solve the issue however I could see the question in her eyes - "How did he do that?".
Scene 10
Day 2 11:0pm
The appreciation mails had reached Manas and he looped in the whole of Offshore to let them all know my good work. I was reading through all the mails back at my home when Bajrang got back from his movie. He noticed the smile on my face and wanted to know what it was all about. I showed him the mails and he was surprised that to see so many appreciation mails. He started congratulating me and was really happy to see them. He wanted to know the complete story and when I explained to him the whole act he was shocked and surprised by the turn of events. Then all of a sudden he started laughing loudly and I joined him now with my own cunning smile.
Day 2 11:15am
I returned to my desk and to my surprise saw 3 new chat windows with all of them pointing to the same issue. I acknowledged the 3 them and now had to start working on this new Gereprine ticket. As I was analyzing the contents of the ticket, Rajinder called back and he confirmed my thoughts that this was a new issue which we have not faced earlier. We both discussed and negated some of the common scenarios but still were not able to get a break through. I needed some time to work on the issue and hence ended the call with Rajinder promising him that I will let him know the details once I resolve the issue. Just as I started digging into the details, I was disturbed by another call - this time from the business user and she wanted to know what the issue was and why it happened. I had to explain her that I was just starting to look into the issue and will let her know as soon as I have an update. Meanwhile another 5 mails from some of my known customers came in saying that they are facing the same issue. This was getting insane because since the issue was reported I have been working on telling everybody that I know the issue and I am working on it rather than actually working on it. I was going through the log files to see if I could get some pointers when there was another phone call from unknown number. I thought Rajinder had found something and quickly picked the phone only to hear the deadly voice of Offshore manager Manas and he wanted to know why I had not filled my time-sheet for the last week. Though I was trying to tell him that I had already submitted the same, he was just going on rattling out the importance of time-sheet, something about the quality and quantity of the data, something about billing, blah blah...it went for the next 5 minutes. I had to literally shout back - "Manas I have already submitted the the time sheet for last week. If you still have any issues I will call you back in 20-30 minutes as I have a production issue". Somehow the word "production issue" cooled him down and he agreed to check at his end. Now as I was looking through the log files, I saw that the users were not able to connect to the database and when I checked with the DBA he confirmed that there was no issues with the database and everything seems to be fine. The only other thing I could think of was that probably the web server was not talking to the Database server, but on checking with concerned team they too gave a green light saying that there are no issues. I was kind of running out of ideas and decided to check with Linda if she would have some idea about the issue. After all I just had to waste time and then have Linda take a look as usual....or is it something unusual this time.
Scene 6
Day 2 12:00pm
Linda welcomed me to her cube with a cunning smile and as I sat down in her cube she started off with her theories on how you get to know the system only with time and that she has been working on the system for the past 5 years and knows the system in and out. This has happened many a times and I never understood whether she says this with genuine intentions or is it just to make me feel that I could not even solve this problem on my own. Anyways my main aim was to solve the issue and so just watched the steps she was following ignoring her theories. Most of the steps were the same Rajinder and myself had gone through and I was able to give her the results for them just to let her know that I too did the same analysis. After some 20 minutes Linda declared - this is something we will have to discuss with the vendor so lets call Perry and check with her. This meant another 20 minutes of call and going through the same steps again, however deep inside I was happy as at least this was something new and not some silly issue which Linda would have resolved in few minutes and once again bragged about I know the system...blah blah blah.Perry too could not find anything wrong and wanted some more time to check through her notes.
Scene 9
Day 2 4:00pm
"Yes the issue has been resolved at my end" - were the Golden words from the customer and with this I was able to close the Gereprine ticket and at last sent out a mail to all the users confirming that the issue has been resolved and they should be able to work in the application without any issues. I had resolved the issue for which Linda and Perry spent 3 hours in research and were not able to find anything. I had become a hero and then started the flow of Appreciation mails from all the Managers involved. Linda too was kind of impressed that I was able to solve the issue however I could see the question in her eyes - "How did he do that?".
Scene 10
Day 2 11:0pm
The appreciation mails had reached Manas and he looped in the whole of Offshore to let them all know my good work. I was reading through all the mails back at my home when Bajrang got back from his movie. He noticed the smile on my face and wanted to know what it was all about. I showed him the mails and he was surprised that to see so many appreciation mails. He started congratulating me and was really happy to see them. He wanted to know the complete story and when I explained to him the whole act he was shocked and surprised by the turn of events. Then all of a sudden he started laughing loudly and I joined him now with my own cunning smile.
Appreciate it!! Part 1
The Story and all the characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Scene 1
Day 1 12:30pm
As Bajrang, Sukhi and I were having lunch we were discussing about how our project, though being production support, was never gaining enough visibility with respect to other projects in our area. Day in and day out there were appreciation mails for the other members of our team except for us 3 and the main reason for this was Linda - our team lead. She rarely appreciated out work and whatever we did she felt that we could improve. She never went in detail about the applications which we supported and whenever we faced some issues, we had to contact her and probably that is what she wanted - to be in control and not let us take over. As I had the last piece of Garden Burger I informed Bajrang and Sukhi about my meeting with Linda at 1:00pm and about how again it was another case of going to her with respect to a new issue. Bajrang lamented - "Unlucky souls we are - production support with a tough team lead. We are never going to get any recognition for the work we do."
Scene 3
Day 1 3:00pm
Bajrang just walked into the cube for a coffee break and as I accompanied him, asked him if he would be happy if at least one of us got an appreciation from Linda. He looked at me and said that's impossible and I reminded him impossible means I M possible :-). Its a great feeling to see the expression on the face of the person who does not have an idea of what you are upto. Initially I was planning to tell him but then decided it would be only after the everything went well.
Scene 4
Day 2 7:45am
Click....That was the end of a phone call I had with the offshore team. The screen showed 2H:03M:45S as I was ending the call, phew....have been working on the issue since 5:30am and now its almost time to get ready and go to office. Though its not the ideal way to start your day, at least I was satisfied that the issue was resolved. This is pretty usually for any IT professional working in production support. There are no defined times to work as issues are expected anytime and so you too are expected to be prepared for the same.As I glanced around my room mate Bajrang was still fast asleep unaware of my suffering since morning. Anyways I did not sleep well last night and was looking forward to the day in office :-)
Scene 5
Day 2 9:00am
As I started driving to office, my phone starts ringing again and with a doubt I pick up the phone hoping that it is not another issue. It was Linda, my Team Lead, on the phone to check the status of the issue. Somehow Leads and Manager's are like the Police officers in Indian movies who come into the scene once all the problems are solved. Anyways she was happy that issue was resolved and I continued with my drive to the office. Though I had been working since morning, never had the time to check my mails and just as Outlook connected to the network there were 35 emails waiting for me. Luckily most of them were pertaining to issues faced in the morning with the users, business team trying to find out what exactly happened in the morning. It took me another 30 minutes to reply to all them and let them know what exactly the issue and what we did to resolve the issue. Just as I sent across the last mail, the telephone light started blinking....."unknown number" read the screen and I knew it was the offshore team. "Hello Sai"....said a familiar sound from the other end. It was Ravinder and he wanted to discuss some of the existing Gereprine tickets before he could work on them. With the Offshore call over and nothing outstanding to be looked into, I was catching up with the latest around the world when at the bottom of my screen came the words "soda time?". It was Sukhi, my friend and team mate, and usually after settling into our offices we take this break to refresh ourselves and also share the interesting(of others life) and non-interesting(of our life) happenings in the last 24 hours. We are sometimes joined by Vishesh and Rajan too and by the end of the break we end throwing brick-bats at each other.
Scene 1
Day 1 12:30pm
As Bajrang, Sukhi and I were having lunch we were discussing about how our project, though being production support, was never gaining enough visibility with respect to other projects in our area. Day in and day out there were appreciation mails for the other members of our team except for us 3 and the main reason for this was Linda - our team lead. She rarely appreciated out work and whatever we did she felt that we could improve. She never went in detail about the applications which we supported and whenever we faced some issues, we had to contact her and probably that is what she wanted - to be in control and not let us take over. As I had the last piece of Garden Burger I informed Bajrang and Sukhi about my meeting with Linda at 1:00pm and about how again it was another case of going to her with respect to a new issue. Bajrang lamented - "Unlucky souls we are - production support with a tough team lead. We are never going to get any recognition for the work we do."
Scene 3
Day 1 3:00pm
Bajrang just walked into the cube for a coffee break and as I accompanied him, asked him if he would be happy if at least one of us got an appreciation from Linda. He looked at me and said that's impossible and I reminded him impossible means I M possible :-). Its a great feeling to see the expression on the face of the person who does not have an idea of what you are upto. Initially I was planning to tell him but then decided it would be only after the everything went well.
Scene 4
Day 2 7:45am
Click....That was the end of a phone call I had with the offshore team. The screen showed 2H:03M:45S as I was ending the call, phew....have been working on the issue since 5:30am and now its almost time to get ready and go to office. Though its not the ideal way to start your day, at least I was satisfied that the issue was resolved. This is pretty usually for any IT professional working in production support. There are no defined times to work as issues are expected anytime and so you too are expected to be prepared for the same.As I glanced around my room mate Bajrang was still fast asleep unaware of my suffering since morning. Anyways I did not sleep well last night and was looking forward to the day in office :-)
Scene 5
Day 2 9:00am
As I started driving to office, my phone starts ringing again and with a doubt I pick up the phone hoping that it is not another issue. It was Linda, my Team Lead, on the phone to check the status of the issue. Somehow Leads and Manager's are like the Police officers in Indian movies who come into the scene once all the problems are solved. Anyways she was happy that issue was resolved and I continued with my drive to the office. Though I had been working since morning, never had the time to check my mails and just as Outlook connected to the network there were 35 emails waiting for me. Luckily most of them were pertaining to issues faced in the morning with the users, business team trying to find out what exactly happened in the morning. It took me another 30 minutes to reply to all them and let them know what exactly the issue and what we did to resolve the issue. Just as I sent across the last mail, the telephone light started blinking....."unknown number" read the screen and I knew it was the offshore team. "Hello Sai"....said a familiar sound from the other end. It was Ravinder and he wanted to discuss some of the existing Gereprine tickets before he could work on them. With the Offshore call over and nothing outstanding to be looked into, I was catching up with the latest around the world when at the bottom of my screen came the words "soda time?". It was Sukhi, my friend and team mate, and usually after settling into our offices we take this break to refresh ourselves and also share the interesting(of others life) and non-interesting(of our life) happenings in the last 24 hours. We are sometimes joined by Vishesh and Rajan too and by the end of the break we end throwing brick-bats at each other.
Jayumon's Life
Welcome to Jayumon's Life. This is a place where I try and express myself through words. Please feel free to go through the articles and provide your valuable comments. Enjoy!!
The Suprise - Part 4
The reason for Anil's shock was - The Doctor from whom Latha had to collect the medicine was none other Latha. Her cousin who was a Medical representative had a small conference in the Chennai on Sunday. As she was going alone and was to return on Monday morning, Latha decided to accompany her. Sensing that this could be a chance to meet Anil, she deiced not to tell him about her visit and decided to use the decoy of getting him to the hospital to collect the medicines and surprise him with her presence. Alas the 2 lovers were again on opposite sides after so much travelling :-)
"Man proposes, God disposes" - were the words in Anil's mind as he was returning back to Chennai sitting on the wooden seat in the cabin, however he was Happy that he had found somebody who had ideas exactly like him and was looking forward to life with her.
"Man proposes, God disposes" - were the words in Anil's mind as he was returning back to Chennai sitting on the wooden seat in the cabin, however he was Happy that he had found somebody who had ideas exactly like him and was looking forward to life with her.
The Suprise - Part 3
Now Anil traded with Latha saying that as he was helping her out, she too should do something for him in return. Latha agreed and Anil requested her to reach Land Mark as one of his friend was there to meet her. Initially Latha was reluctant as she said it was really hot outside and she wanted to enjoy her Sunday indoors. Anil was adamant that she go and meet Vani - a fictitious friend who worked with Anil and was on a vacation in Coimbatore. After much persuasion Latha agreed that she would meet Vani at 4:00pm, but before that he should go an get the medicine from the hospital to which Anil agreed.
As per Latha, Anil was to reach the hospital and call up Latha, so that Latha could in turn check with the doctor direct Anil to his cabin. Anil had planned that he would spend sometime roaming and then call back Latha saying that he had picked up the medicine and so it was her turn to meet his friend and then once they meet he would explain and she would understand. At around 2:00pm he called up Latha, saying he was in the hospital. Latha asked for his exact location as the Doctor would come and meet him where ever he was and hand over the medicine. All hospitals have an Emergency ward, so Anil just rattled off the same. Latha said she would call the Doctor and then confirm back about the Doctors position. The only fear Anil had was if she would call and confirm with the Doctor about their meeting, however he had thought that when he calls back Latha he would tell her that the Doctor was going to go in for a major operation ans was happy to see Anil before the operation as had Anil come 5-10 minutes the meeting would not have been possible. He thought that this would discourage Latha from calling the doctor again. As he waited the phone ran again and it was Latha. She was checking which emergency ward and some details of the location where Anil was standing. Anil did his best to give satisfactory answers based on a hospital he had visited a few years back. She put Anil on hold and was talking to the Doctor, but obviously the Doctor was not able to find Anil. Anil was hoping that somehow she would disconnect the call and then he would call her saying that he has met the Doctor but Latha was on the call continuously.
At last out of frustration Latha asked, what color shirt Anil was wearing and this lead to a very tight situation. Anil was guilty that not only was he lying to Lata but taking the poor Doctor for a ride. At last he decided to tell her the truth, as soon as he confessed, there was a loud "Ohhhh" from Latha. Anil could not make out whether it was surprised, angry or confused reaction but just to make her feel better he mumbled sorry. After a small silence Latha started speaking and her reply left him dumbfounded.........
As per Latha, Anil was to reach the hospital and call up Latha, so that Latha could in turn check with the doctor direct Anil to his cabin. Anil had planned that he would spend sometime roaming and then call back Latha saying that he had picked up the medicine and so it was her turn to meet his friend and then once they meet he would explain and she would understand. At around 2:00pm he called up Latha, saying he was in the hospital. Latha asked for his exact location as the Doctor would come and meet him where ever he was and hand over the medicine. All hospitals have an Emergency ward, so Anil just rattled off the same. Latha said she would call the Doctor and then confirm back about the Doctors position. The only fear Anil had was if she would call and confirm with the Doctor about their meeting, however he had thought that when he calls back Latha he would tell her that the Doctor was going to go in for a major operation ans was happy to see Anil before the operation as had Anil come 5-10 minutes the meeting would not have been possible. He thought that this would discourage Latha from calling the doctor again. As he waited the phone ran again and it was Latha. She was checking which emergency ward and some details of the location where Anil was standing. Anil did his best to give satisfactory answers based on a hospital he had visited a few years back. She put Anil on hold and was talking to the Doctor, but obviously the Doctor was not able to find Anil. Anil was hoping that somehow she would disconnect the call and then he would call her saying that he has met the Doctor but Latha was on the call continuously.
At last out of frustration Latha asked, what color shirt Anil was wearing and this lead to a very tight situation. Anil was guilty that not only was he lying to Lata but taking the poor Doctor for a ride. At last he decided to tell her the truth, as soon as he confessed, there was a loud "Ohhhh" from Latha. Anil could not make out whether it was surprised, angry or confused reaction but just to make her feel better he mumbled sorry. After a small silence Latha started speaking and her reply left him dumbfounded.........
The Surprise - Part 2
The board read "Chennai 9:15" and so did Anil's ticket. He got into the bus and as he went through the aisle saw that his seat was in the last row. He had a bad day already and now this was the last straw. To compound matters, on that last row his seat was bang in the middle, forget the window he did not have anything to hold onto in front if him.
Suddenly he saw a fat person coming towards him. He was coming along with his friends and for some strange reason they were pointing at Anil. The fat guy had booked 5 tickets and his ticket showed the numbers of the seat in the last row. Now there were 2 tickets for the same seat and this really put Anil off. The guy demanded Anil to get off the seat as he and his friends had already booked and Anil was in no mood to relinquish his seat. Hearing the slight commotion the conductor walked in and checked both the tickets. To his horror Anil found that his ticket was a fake one and the conductor questioned him about the source of the ticket.
Anil had reached the bus stand late and by then all the buses to Chennai were completely packed. As Anil was contemplating of travelling by general compartment of a train, he noticed a guy trying to sell a ticket to Chennai. The guy looked pretty decent and so Anil approached him for the ticket. The guy was supposed to go to Chennai but due to some personal problems he had to stay back in Coimbatore and hence he was willing to give away the ticket and that too with a Rs.50 discount. Anil did not think much and went ahead with the deal as he was in need of a ticket and this was the only good thing that had happened to him through out the day.
Alas the guy was a fraud and now Anil was in trouble again. He lost his money too and now he was going to be chucked out of the bus. The conductor asked Anil to get off the seat and the bus and warned him that he was lucky not to incur a fine for trying to travel with a fake ticket. Anil slowly got off the seat and as he was walking along the aisle all the passengers in the bus stared at him and he was feeling miserable. The driver of the bus who was watching the whole incident from his seat, gave a last ray of hope. He asked Anil if he was willing to ride in the cabin by paying the cost of a ticket. Not sure if the driver felt pity or was just making use of the scenario to get some some, Anil decided to ride in the cabin.
Slowly the bus pulled out bus station and as the headlights of the upcoming vehicles flashed into his eyes, he slowly tried to close his eyes and think about the day. He asked -"Why God? Why did you have to do this to me?" Anil reached Coimbatore on time in the morning and straight away checked into a nearby lodge. He quickly had a bath, went out to a hotel for breakfast and then went searching for a gift shop. It was only 9:00am and there were not many shops open so went about searching frantically. At last by 9:30 he got into a shop and was able to buy a cute teddy bear. Now that he was all set he dialled Latha's number. His plan was to somehow ask her to come to Landmark and then he would surprise her by suddenly jumping in front of her. The phone rang but she did not pick up. She might be angry that they did not speak the last night thought Anil, so he tried sending a message. The heat was unbearable as he stood at a bus stop with his phone waiting for some sort of response from Latha.
As he wiping the perspiration from his forehead, the phone rang - it was Latha, at last, he thought and picked the phone up. After some initial romantic exchanges, Anil enquired where she was and pat came the reply, at home. First success for Anil as if she had been out somewhere else then it would have been difficult for him to get her to Landmark. Now for the next step - but before he could go ahead she requested him for favor. How could Anil ever say no - he was all ears and that's were the trouble started. Latha's Senior Doctor wanted some medicine from US and one of his friend's had got it from USA and handed it over to a common friend at one of the reputed hospitals in Chennai. As the common friend was very busy he had not been able to send the medicines across to Coimbatore and that's when Latha stepped in suggesting to her senior Doctor that her friend, Anil of course, would pick up the medicine and mail it across. The senior Doctor was very happy with the offer and now Latha wanted Anil to go and pick up the medicine.
Anil replied back saying he would do it tomorrow, but Latha felt that if he can go in today to the hospital to pick up the medicine and send it across today itself so as to receive it in 2 days, her senior Doctor would be impressed with her and may be it would help her to get her long due salary hike. Anil tried to spin a story about he having to go to office for some work and that he would be able to get the medicine tomorrow and if required send it by speed post, but for some reason Latha was not convinced and she wanted him to go today itself. At last Anil agreed as he thought she would understand his situation once he is in front of her at Landmark. With that problem out of the way now it was time for Anil to execute his plan.....
Suddenly he saw a fat person coming towards him. He was coming along with his friends and for some strange reason they were pointing at Anil. The fat guy had booked 5 tickets and his ticket showed the numbers of the seat in the last row. Now there were 2 tickets for the same seat and this really put Anil off. The guy demanded Anil to get off the seat as he and his friends had already booked and Anil was in no mood to relinquish his seat. Hearing the slight commotion the conductor walked in and checked both the tickets. To his horror Anil found that his ticket was a fake one and the conductor questioned him about the source of the ticket.
Anil had reached the bus stand late and by then all the buses to Chennai were completely packed. As Anil was contemplating of travelling by general compartment of a train, he noticed a guy trying to sell a ticket to Chennai. The guy looked pretty decent and so Anil approached him for the ticket. The guy was supposed to go to Chennai but due to some personal problems he had to stay back in Coimbatore and hence he was willing to give away the ticket and that too with a Rs.50 discount. Anil did not think much and went ahead with the deal as he was in need of a ticket and this was the only good thing that had happened to him through out the day.
Alas the guy was a fraud and now Anil was in trouble again. He lost his money too and now he was going to be chucked out of the bus. The conductor asked Anil to get off the seat and the bus and warned him that he was lucky not to incur a fine for trying to travel with a fake ticket. Anil slowly got off the seat and as he was walking along the aisle all the passengers in the bus stared at him and he was feeling miserable. The driver of the bus who was watching the whole incident from his seat, gave a last ray of hope. He asked Anil if he was willing to ride in the cabin by paying the cost of a ticket. Not sure if the driver felt pity or was just making use of the scenario to get some some, Anil decided to ride in the cabin.
Slowly the bus pulled out bus station and as the headlights of the upcoming vehicles flashed into his eyes, he slowly tried to close his eyes and think about the day. He asked -"Why God? Why did you have to do this to me?" Anil reached Coimbatore on time in the morning and straight away checked into a nearby lodge. He quickly had a bath, went out to a hotel for breakfast and then went searching for a gift shop. It was only 9:00am and there were not many shops open so went about searching frantically. At last by 9:30 he got into a shop and was able to buy a cute teddy bear. Now that he was all set he dialled Latha's number. His plan was to somehow ask her to come to Landmark and then he would surprise her by suddenly jumping in front of her. The phone rang but she did not pick up. She might be angry that they did not speak the last night thought Anil, so he tried sending a message. The heat was unbearable as he stood at a bus stop with his phone waiting for some sort of response from Latha.
As he wiping the perspiration from his forehead, the phone rang - it was Latha, at last, he thought and picked the phone up. After some initial romantic exchanges, Anil enquired where she was and pat came the reply, at home. First success for Anil as if she had been out somewhere else then it would have been difficult for him to get her to Landmark. Now for the next step - but before he could go ahead she requested him for favor. How could Anil ever say no - he was all ears and that's were the trouble started. Latha's Senior Doctor wanted some medicine from US and one of his friend's had got it from USA and handed it over to a common friend at one of the reputed hospitals in Chennai. As the common friend was very busy he had not been able to send the medicines across to Coimbatore and that's when Latha stepped in suggesting to her senior Doctor that her friend, Anil of course, would pick up the medicine and mail it across. The senior Doctor was very happy with the offer and now Latha wanted Anil to go and pick up the medicine.
Anil replied back saying he would do it tomorrow, but Latha felt that if he can go in today to the hospital to pick up the medicine and send it across today itself so as to receive it in 2 days, her senior Doctor would be impressed with her and may be it would help her to get her long due salary hike. Anil tried to spin a story about he having to go to office for some work and that he would be able to get the medicine tomorrow and if required send it by speed post, but for some reason Latha was not convinced and she wanted him to go today itself. At last Anil agreed as he thought she would understand his situation once he is in front of her at Landmark. With that problem out of the way now it was time for Anil to execute his plan.....
The Surprise - Part 1
"Coimbatore 9:15" read the board on the bus and exactly the same was printed on Anil's ticket. He got into the bus and swiftly moved to his seat which luckily was near the window. Anil could not sleep much while travelling and hence always preferred to have the window seat, as that would help him kill time by trying to see something through the window in the darkness. As all the passengers took their seat the bus slowly started pulling out of the bus station.
Anil was 27 years old and working in an IT company in Chennai with his parents settled in Bangalore. He was doing well in life - good job, decent pay, probable onsite opportunities, happy and surrounded by friends always. With life flowing smoothly his parents had decided that the time has come to get him married. Anil too felt that it was good time to start off with the proceedings, as he felt it would at least take 6 to 12 months to find a suitable match so better start off early than late. As with all parents, Anil's were also looking for a suitable bride from their own community and within a couple of weeks a good proposal came in through a common friend. The girl Lata was working as a supervisor at a hospital in Coimbatore and that is where Anil was headed for this weekend.
As the bus sped through the busy areas of the city Anil's thoughts were taken to the incidents that happened through the last week. Last weekend he was at home in Bangalore when for the first time he saw Lata's photo, which was sent by her father after the initial discussions between the parents. Instantly he felt that she is the one God has created for him and somehow felt this proposal would culminate in his marriage. Within a couple of hours he was able to get Lata's mobile number from her parents after he expressed his desire to speak with her. He dialled the number on Sunday evening before he left for Chennai. The phone rang for sometime and just as he was about to cut the line, somebody picked up the phone and said 'Hello'. Anil introduced himself and in turn Lata too. They hit it off instantly and went on talking over the phone for 20 minutes. Anil wanted to make sure that Lata was genuinely interested in him and was not under any parental pressure and to an extent Lata too wanted to make sure of the same. With the phone call done, Anil turned to his parents who could make out that the call went off smoothly. Now the next step was a formal meeting, but as Anil's father was going abroad for 3 weeks on an official trip, they decided to go to Coimbatore after that.
Anil left for Chennai that night fully satisfied with the planning. He was back at office on Monday, but somehow he was not able to concentrate on his work. He wanted to talk to Lata and get to know her more but was a bit hesitant. He then decided to send her a SMS enquiring enquiring how her day was going. She replied back instantly and that gave the confidence for Anil to call her up. Once the initial hiccup was overcome, they were constantly on phone and talking to each other for the next 2 days. With each and every moment passing by Anil was sure that Lata and he were made for each other as they liking and disliking were almost similar and their thoughts matched in all the topics they discussed under the sun. It was Thursday evening and Anil had enough of the telephone talks and he went ahead and booked a ticket to Coimbatore. He was going to meet her as he did not have the patience to wait for 2 more weeks. Lata had an off on Sunday and hence he planned to reach there and then call up Lata and give her a surprise. He did not get a return ticket on Sunday but that was the last thing on his mind and was sure he should be able to manage one after reaching Coimbatore or may be take the train.
With these thoughts Anil slept peacefully in his window seat......
Anil was 27 years old and working in an IT company in Chennai with his parents settled in Bangalore. He was doing well in life - good job, decent pay, probable onsite opportunities, happy and surrounded by friends always. With life flowing smoothly his parents had decided that the time has come to get him married. Anil too felt that it was good time to start off with the proceedings, as he felt it would at least take 6 to 12 months to find a suitable match so better start off early than late. As with all parents, Anil's were also looking for a suitable bride from their own community and within a couple of weeks a good proposal came in through a common friend. The girl Lata was working as a supervisor at a hospital in Coimbatore and that is where Anil was headed for this weekend.
As the bus sped through the busy areas of the city Anil's thoughts were taken to the incidents that happened through the last week. Last weekend he was at home in Bangalore when for the first time he saw Lata's photo, which was sent by her father after the initial discussions between the parents. Instantly he felt that she is the one God has created for him and somehow felt this proposal would culminate in his marriage. Within a couple of hours he was able to get Lata's mobile number from her parents after he expressed his desire to speak with her. He dialled the number on Sunday evening before he left for Chennai. The phone rang for sometime and just as he was about to cut the line, somebody picked up the phone and said 'Hello'. Anil introduced himself and in turn Lata too. They hit it off instantly and went on talking over the phone for 20 minutes. Anil wanted to make sure that Lata was genuinely interested in him and was not under any parental pressure and to an extent Lata too wanted to make sure of the same. With the phone call done, Anil turned to his parents who could make out that the call went off smoothly. Now the next step was a formal meeting, but as Anil's father was going abroad for 3 weeks on an official trip, they decided to go to Coimbatore after that.
Anil left for Chennai that night fully satisfied with the planning. He was back at office on Monday, but somehow he was not able to concentrate on his work. He wanted to talk to Lata and get to know her more but was a bit hesitant. He then decided to send her a SMS enquiring enquiring how her day was going. She replied back instantly and that gave the confidence for Anil to call her up. Once the initial hiccup was overcome, they were constantly on phone and talking to each other for the next 2 days. With each and every moment passing by Anil was sure that Lata and he were made for each other as they liking and disliking were almost similar and their thoughts matched in all the topics they discussed under the sun. It was Thursday evening and Anil had enough of the telephone talks and he went ahead and booked a ticket to Coimbatore. He was going to meet her as he did not have the patience to wait for 2 more weeks. Lata had an off on Sunday and hence he planned to reach there and then call up Lata and give her a surprise. He did not get a return ticket on Sunday but that was the last thing on his mind and was sure he should be able to manage one after reaching Coimbatore or may be take the train.
With these thoughts Anil slept peacefully in his window seat......
The Eelctricity Bill - Part III
I was woken up by a jolt from my sleep and everything would have been back to normal had this been a scene in a movie. Alas, this was life and voice shouting out my name belonged to my friend who had decided that he should have some water. Bad timing - I felt like jumping out and shutting his mouth but as fate would have it my mother moved towards the balcony. After casual questioning my mother got the required confirmation and seeing her face turn red my friend sought of got wind of the situation and ran back to the play ground.
30 minutes passed and I was in a corner of my room going through the various designs on my legs - yes they were due to the sound thrashing I received - when my mother came across with my lunch. I knew she was sad for what she did, but then when I told her that it was fine and I deserved it for lying to her she gave me a smile and then we had lunch together.
After that it was back to routine and I was back to the world of Mughal empire and in the back of my mind I decided never to lie to my parents. As I think now, all these years I have paid the electricity bill many times but the only one fresh in my memory is this one - why??
30 minutes passed and I was in a corner of my room going through the various designs on my legs - yes they were due to the sound thrashing I received - when my mother came across with my lunch. I knew she was sad for what she did, but then when I told her that it was fine and I deserved it for lying to her she gave me a smile and then we had lunch together.
After that it was back to routine and I was back to the world of Mughal empire and in the back of my mind I decided never to lie to my parents. As I think now, all these years I have paid the electricity bill many times but the only one fresh in my memory is this one - why??
The Electricity Bill - Part II
As with any other human being I was at a cross-road in my life with 1 path leading me to a higher percentage in Board exam and the other to some moments of pleasure. As I stood for a moment looking at the 2 roads my brain was working much quicker than any computer, in setting up scenarios and their solutions when I return back after a game of cricket. The delay factor could be attributed to a long line at the electricity office, the sweat could be attributed to standing in sun etc.
Everything looked perfect, the decision was made and I turned towards the ground. My friends were both surprised and happy to see me. I told them that I had got permission to play for sometime and therefore I would be playing only 1 match and would head back as soon as the match is over. Was not able to concentrate much on the cricket as my mind was full of thoughts - what would happen if my mom comes to know about this, is anybody from our building walking in the area, will I be able to successfully sell my points to mom. The game was over with our team being victorious. Now to the last and most important part of my plan - getting back home.
My friends were tired after the game and with my house being near they decided to have water from my house. This scenario was never in my mind and now I was in trouble. Luckily one of guys suggested that they should not waste time and start of with the next game, complete it and then get back home. The others agreed and I was once again on my cycle pedalling back home. I was thinking how lucky I am and now I was sure with this incident going my way the whole plan should come out well. I kept on rehearsing the dialogues to be told to mom as I was riding back.
I parked my cycle and went to the door and rang the bell. Mom opened the door and she had a frown on her face. My heart sank for a moment but somehow I mustered energy and got in without looking at her face. As I had imagined, she questioned me why I was late and the confident me was ready with the answers. However she did not seem to accept any of them. I tried to impress her by showing my frustration on the long line I saw and the lack of shade at the electricity office but somehow I was getting the feeling that I was speaking more to the wall or myself rather than my mother. Then she asked me a question - "Did you go to play?" That one really caught me off-gaurd but I recovered back to answer in negative. My answer woke up the CBI officer in my mother and the interrogation started. "Why are you sweating so much?", "Why is there so much dust on your shirt", "Why was there a coating of mud on my slippers" etc. My brain was churning out the best answers possible in that situation -"sweating due to heat", "there was a lot of traffic near the office and dust must have settled on my shirt", "slippers have been like this for quite sometime". The more her questions the more my confidence was sinking. Though I was satisfied with the answers I gave my mother was never and she was hell bent that I was playing. I was losing the battle but kept on with version of the story hoping that there should be some light at the end of the tunnel.
My mom then took her favorite wooden lantle and this spelt doom for me. I was now mentally preparing to get a thrashing, but still trying to convince her that I was at the electricity office and not at the playground. At this very moment I heard somebody calling 'Jairaj...Jairaj'......
continued Part III
Everything looked perfect, the decision was made and I turned towards the ground. My friends were both surprised and happy to see me. I told them that I had got permission to play for sometime and therefore I would be playing only 1 match and would head back as soon as the match is over. Was not able to concentrate much on the cricket as my mind was full of thoughts - what would happen if my mom comes to know about this, is anybody from our building walking in the area, will I be able to successfully sell my points to mom. The game was over with our team being victorious. Now to the last and most important part of my plan - getting back home.
My friends were tired after the game and with my house being near they decided to have water from my house. This scenario was never in my mind and now I was in trouble. Luckily one of guys suggested that they should not waste time and start of with the next game, complete it and then get back home. The others agreed and I was once again on my cycle pedalling back home. I was thinking how lucky I am and now I was sure with this incident going my way the whole plan should come out well. I kept on rehearsing the dialogues to be told to mom as I was riding back.
I parked my cycle and went to the door and rang the bell. Mom opened the door and she had a frown on her face. My heart sank for a moment but somehow I mustered energy and got in without looking at her face. As I had imagined, she questioned me why I was late and the confident me was ready with the answers. However she did not seem to accept any of them. I tried to impress her by showing my frustration on the long line I saw and the lack of shade at the electricity office but somehow I was getting the feeling that I was speaking more to the wall or myself rather than my mother. Then she asked me a question - "Did you go to play?" That one really caught me off-gaurd but I recovered back to answer in negative. My answer woke up the CBI officer in my mother and the interrogation started. "Why are you sweating so much?", "Why is there so much dust on your shirt", "Why was there a coating of mud on my slippers" etc. My brain was churning out the best answers possible in that situation -"sweating due to heat", "there was a lot of traffic near the office and dust must have settled on my shirt", "slippers have been like this for quite sometime". The more her questions the more my confidence was sinking. Though I was satisfied with the answers I gave my mother was never and she was hell bent that I was playing. I was losing the battle but kept on with version of the story hoping that there should be some light at the end of the tunnel.
My mom then took her favorite wooden lantle and this spelt doom for me. I was now mentally preparing to get a thrashing, but still trying to convince her that I was at the electricity office and not at the playground. At this very moment I heard somebody calling 'Jairaj...Jairaj'......
continued Part III
The Electricity Bill - Part I
The 10th standard board exams were round the corner and half of the study holiday's were over. I was tired of reading the same subjects all over again but did not have any other choice.
I had fixed timings to study and it was something like this,
Getup in the morning and complete my bath and breakfast by 9:00am
9:00am to 12:00pm - First Study session
12:00pm to 1:30pm - Lunch break
1:30pm to 4:00pm - Second study session
4:00pm to 6:00pm - Snack break
6:00pm to 8:00pm - Third study session
8:00pm to 10:00pm - Dinner and TV break
10:00pm to the time I sleep - Fourth Study session(Usually by 10:10 I would be yawning and giving signals to Mom)
Just 1/3rd of a day for studies should not be much of a pain, looking at it now, but during those days it was a real punishment for me. I was never able to concentrate on anything subject for more than an hour and usually after the initial period my concentration would wander off to the happengings around me like friends playing outside and programs running on TV. My classmates who were well off in studies used to play cricket now and then but I was never able to join them as my parents felt that I should concentrate completley on studies and should not be distracted by sports. Ofcourse I was against it, but then I did not have either the guts to fight back nor the marks to prove that I was good in studies.
It was a tuesday morning and as I was just completing by breakfast the phone rang. My classmates were planning to have a game of cricket at 9:00 at the ground behind my house and were checking if I would be joining them. My answer was a firm no as I knew my mother would never allow me to play with the board exams 20-25 days away. I went into my room and took my History book and as I was reading through the various battles that Babar and Akbar fought my mother called out to me. Any sort of break from studies was welcome and I ran to my mother. My father had forgotten to pay the electricity bill and as it was the last day she asked me if I could go and pay the bill. Had it been any other day she would have ordered me to go, but as I was studying she wanted to check if I would be free. For me too if this had been any other day I would have postponed it or thrown a fit to go out, but to escape from studies I was ready to do anything. Without a frown on my face I collected the bill and money from my mother and set out to pay the bill.
The electricity office was just 5 minutes away via a short-cut path through which I could have walked, but I took out my cycle and used the long route. I was expecting a huge line at the electricity office and was praying to God that the line be big enough so that I need to return back only by lunch. But as fate would have it there was not a single soul in the office and it was as if the electricity office was opened for me to go and pay the bill. Mom had given me the exact change so the whole transaction was over in 2 minutes and there I was standing with the receipt and my dreams shattered.
As I slowly started pedalling back home, I reached a junction with road splitting into 2 directions. The one to left would take me back home, while the one to the right would take me to the ground where my friends were playing.
continued in part II
I had fixed timings to study and it was something like this,
Getup in the morning and complete my bath and breakfast by 9:00am
9:00am to 12:00pm - First Study session
12:00pm to 1:30pm - Lunch break
1:30pm to 4:00pm - Second study session
4:00pm to 6:00pm - Snack break
6:00pm to 8:00pm - Third study session
8:00pm to 10:00pm - Dinner and TV break
10:00pm to the time I sleep - Fourth Study session(Usually by 10:10 I would be yawning and giving signals to Mom)
Just 1/3rd of a day for studies should not be much of a pain, looking at it now, but during those days it was a real punishment for me. I was never able to concentrate on anything subject for more than an hour and usually after the initial period my concentration would wander off to the happengings around me like friends playing outside and programs running on TV. My classmates who were well off in studies used to play cricket now and then but I was never able to join them as my parents felt that I should concentrate completley on studies and should not be distracted by sports. Ofcourse I was against it, but then I did not have either the guts to fight back nor the marks to prove that I was good in studies.
It was a tuesday morning and as I was just completing by breakfast the phone rang. My classmates were planning to have a game of cricket at 9:00 at the ground behind my house and were checking if I would be joining them. My answer was a firm no as I knew my mother would never allow me to play with the board exams 20-25 days away. I went into my room and took my History book and as I was reading through the various battles that Babar and Akbar fought my mother called out to me. Any sort of break from studies was welcome and I ran to my mother. My father had forgotten to pay the electricity bill and as it was the last day she asked me if I could go and pay the bill. Had it been any other day she would have ordered me to go, but as I was studying she wanted to check if I would be free. For me too if this had been any other day I would have postponed it or thrown a fit to go out, but to escape from studies I was ready to do anything. Without a frown on my face I collected the bill and money from my mother and set out to pay the bill.
The electricity office was just 5 minutes away via a short-cut path through which I could have walked, but I took out my cycle and used the long route. I was expecting a huge line at the electricity office and was praying to God that the line be big enough so that I need to return back only by lunch. But as fate would have it there was not a single soul in the office and it was as if the electricity office was opened for me to go and pay the bill. Mom had given me the exact change so the whole transaction was over in 2 minutes and there I was standing with the receipt and my dreams shattered.
As I slowly started pedalling back home, I reached a junction with road splitting into 2 directions. The one to left would take me back home, while the one to the right would take me to the ground where my friends were playing.
continued in part II
Jayumon
It was 5:29am in the morning and for some strange reason I was hanging upside down. I was not sure how I reached in that position, as just a few hours back I was nicely tucked in my bed after having my food. There was a total chaos in the room and my whole body felt a bit slimy. My body was shivering with cold and that's when I realised I have been pulled out of my house. I cried out loud but the people in the room went about their work as if I did not exist.
Then all of a sudden I was bought down to earth and was laid on a soft towel. Two sets of hands were all over me with one set checking my fingers, toes and nails while the other was using the towel to clean me off the slimy stuff. I was a bit relieved but at the same time confused as to why I was disturbed from my sleep and made to go through these tortures.
My routinue had been pretty simple from the time I remember - mostly it has been eat and sleep though occasionally when I was bored or did not get sleep I used to roll sideways on my bed or kick the walls. I was trying to think what could have gone wrong when all of a sudden a gush of warm water was poured over my shoulder. I screamed aloud again out of shock but this time around the hands took turn to scrub me and literally peal the skin out of my body. This continued for the next 2-3 minutes but for me, who was never been in such uncomfortable position before, it was like 200 years.
Though the whole act of pouring water was painful it did get rid off the slimy stuff and now I felt as if I have been purified. For the first time after being woken up from my sleep I was all alone in the room and used the oppurtunity to look around and find where I was. I could not move my legs or hands as I was bundled up in a cloth, but this, I did not mind because I was getting the warmth which I had been missing for sometime. As I was trying to make out the items in the room something was thrust onto my chest through the cloth. It was placed on various parts of my body and I had no idea what was happening. Were they trying to hurt me or extract something from my body. Was I being used as a specimen for some test or was this all just a bad dream.
Somebody then carried me over to a bed and placed me next to a woman. From her face I could tell that she too had undergone some painful experience recently but somehow there was a glow of happiness when she saw me. She carried me in her arms and it felt like I was back home. Something flashed across my mind and I remembered my last meeting with God. I had just won a game of chess with him and he was ready to fulfill one wish of mine. I thought a lot and said that I would like to stay with God in Heaven for sometime. He said that would not be possible but instead would send me to a very beautiful place called Earth where he would be with me in the form of my Mother and Father. As it would take me 9 months to reach earth he provided me with a home where I could sleep and eat well.
As the whole idea of being on earth dawned upon me, my mother kissed me on my forehead and slowly I fell asleep without any worries as I knew I was with GOD.
Then all of a sudden I was bought down to earth and was laid on a soft towel. Two sets of hands were all over me with one set checking my fingers, toes and nails while the other was using the towel to clean me off the slimy stuff. I was a bit relieved but at the same time confused as to why I was disturbed from my sleep and made to go through these tortures.
My routinue had been pretty simple from the time I remember - mostly it has been eat and sleep though occasionally when I was bored or did not get sleep I used to roll sideways on my bed or kick the walls. I was trying to think what could have gone wrong when all of a sudden a gush of warm water was poured over my shoulder. I screamed aloud again out of shock but this time around the hands took turn to scrub me and literally peal the skin out of my body. This continued for the next 2-3 minutes but for me, who was never been in such uncomfortable position before, it was like 200 years.
Though the whole act of pouring water was painful it did get rid off the slimy stuff and now I felt as if I have been purified. For the first time after being woken up from my sleep I was all alone in the room and used the oppurtunity to look around and find where I was. I could not move my legs or hands as I was bundled up in a cloth, but this, I did not mind because I was getting the warmth which I had been missing for sometime. As I was trying to make out the items in the room something was thrust onto my chest through the cloth. It was placed on various parts of my body and I had no idea what was happening. Were they trying to hurt me or extract something from my body. Was I being used as a specimen for some test or was this all just a bad dream.
Somebody then carried me over to a bed and placed me next to a woman. From her face I could tell that she too had undergone some painful experience recently but somehow there was a glow of happiness when she saw me. She carried me in her arms and it felt like I was back home. Something flashed across my mind and I remembered my last meeting with God. I had just won a game of chess with him and he was ready to fulfill one wish of mine. I thought a lot and said that I would like to stay with God in Heaven for sometime. He said that would not be possible but instead would send me to a very beautiful place called Earth where he would be with me in the form of my Mother and Father. As it would take me 9 months to reach earth he provided me with a home where I could sleep and eat well.
As the whole idea of being on earth dawned upon me, my mother kissed me on my forehead and slowly I fell asleep without any worries as I knew I was with GOD.
My Dear SHANTHI
She entered my life in 2007
Ever since I have been in Heaven.
She takes care of me like a mother
About her own life she never has a bother.
She is a Doctor by profession
But be it any field, she is never short of a suggestion.
She fulfills all my wishes
By preparing all of my favourite dishes.
She loves to eat ice-creams and Chocolates
Never without me for which I should give her accolades.
She walks with anger at the tip of her nose
But her smile always reminds me of a blooming rose.
She loves the colors of Rainbow
In front of all her paintings I take a bow.
She loves to take snaps
And even more, her afternoon siesta and naps.
She is the soul of my life
And with God's grace she is legally my wife.
Ever since I have been in Heaven.
She takes care of me like a mother
About her own life she never has a bother.
She is a Doctor by profession
But be it any field, she is never short of a suggestion.
She fulfills all my wishes
By preparing all of my favourite dishes.
She loves to eat ice-creams and Chocolates
Never without me for which I should give her accolades.
She walks with anger at the tip of her nose
But her smile always reminds me of a blooming rose.
She loves the colors of Rainbow
In front of all her paintings I take a bow.
She loves to take snaps
And even more, her afternoon siesta and naps.
She is the soul of my life
And with God's grace she is legally my wife.
The OS Open
Roger federer had just completed the unthinkable - Winning 5 US Opens on the trot and now I was on my way to the court to play in the OS Open.
Well to clear any doubts on if I am a professional tennis player - Old Shepherd is the name of the Apartments where I live and any game played on the court in the apartment complex comes under OS Open(sorry if it sounds similar to US Open).
I reached the court and found that there are already 2 teams fighting it out for supremacy on the hallow turf and resign to the fact that I will have to wait until the match is over. There is only 1 court to play and so you will have to wait for your turn, which on a given day, would be 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile I am joined by my partner Muki and we start discussing about the our day in office and vent out our frustrations.
Soon the players clear the court for the STARS and we start off with a 15 minute practise session. What I like about this session is whatever shot I try during this period comes out perfectly be it a drop, cross court shot, overhead smash or backhand slice. As any sports person would say - "I am in the Zone" during the practise sessions.
The day we are joined by other players, Muki and I forge together to form the Fed brothers team and then set a target score to defeat our opponents usually 6-0 or 6-1. There have been instances when we have achieved the target, however it is a big fight in most of the cases and we start changing the targets as the match proceeds(asin we loose games in the set). All those shots which would have made Federer proud during our practise start falling like nine pins. At times we do end up playing badminton wherein the ball is in air between the teams.
The condition is the same when we play singles, balls tend to catch the net or go out long. The only good thing about playing singles is you end up running a lot thereby burning a small amount of fat - which was our ultimate when we started playing tennis. Both of us are almost evenly matched with the set going to the last possible game and usually won by the person who is least tired at that moment. We try to play as many games as possible as it is not always that we get the court free.
Today's game was pretty good but unfortunately could not play the full length as the sprinklers in our apartment started off and instead of watering the lawns they were wetting the court. We did try our best to play with the water on court but then better sense prevailed lest we fall and get injured. We walked back home with our hopes for a new edition of the O.S Open to be played tomorrow after all unlike US open, which happens once a year, OS Open can be played daily.
Well to clear any doubts on if I am a professional tennis player - Old Shepherd is the name of the Apartments where I live and any game played on the court in the apartment complex comes under OS Open(sorry if it sounds similar to US Open).
I reached the court and found that there are already 2 teams fighting it out for supremacy on the hallow turf and resign to the fact that I will have to wait until the match is over. There is only 1 court to play and so you will have to wait for your turn, which on a given day, would be 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile I am joined by my partner Muki and we start discussing about the our day in office and vent out our frustrations.
Soon the players clear the court for the STARS and we start off with a 15 minute practise session. What I like about this session is whatever shot I try during this period comes out perfectly be it a drop, cross court shot, overhead smash or backhand slice. As any sports person would say - "I am in the Zone" during the practise sessions.
The day we are joined by other players, Muki and I forge together to form the Fed brothers team and then set a target score to defeat our opponents usually 6-0 or 6-1. There have been instances when we have achieved the target, however it is a big fight in most of the cases and we start changing the targets as the match proceeds(asin we loose games in the set). All those shots which would have made Federer proud during our practise start falling like nine pins. At times we do end up playing badminton wherein the ball is in air between the teams.
The condition is the same when we play singles, balls tend to catch the net or go out long. The only good thing about playing singles is you end up running a lot thereby burning a small amount of fat - which was our ultimate when we started playing tennis. Both of us are almost evenly matched with the set going to the last possible game and usually won by the person who is least tired at that moment. We try to play as many games as possible as it is not always that we get the court free.
Today's game was pretty good but unfortunately could not play the full length as the sprinklers in our apartment started off and instead of watering the lawns they were wetting the court. We did try our best to play with the water on court but then better sense prevailed lest we fall and get injured. We walked back home with our hopes for a new edition of the O.S Open to be played tomorrow after all unlike US open, which happens once a year, OS Open can be played daily.
A Day In My Life @ PLANO
"Arrey Oh Samba..." That's not the dialogue from the movie Sholay but my mobile alarm ringing at 7.30am in the morning. 3 more snoozes and it calls out again "Arrey Oh Samba. Yeh Phone kab se baj raha hain". 7.45am read the panel on the mobile and that's the last minute I can be on bed. I head straight out to the hall and search for my most precious possession - my Dell D610. With eyes half closed I log in into outlook to check if there any bombs that have exploded during my sound sleep and to check the meetings that I have for the day. Then a round of checking personal mails -> Gmail and Orkut -> with more time on Orkut to check the updates in other's profiles(Proves that I am still Indian at heart - more worried about what is happening in others life).
After completing the morning ablutions and having a lovely breakfast prepared by my wife I set off in my Camry listening to my current favorite song - "Pappu can't Dance sala". As I cross the different signals I cast my eye on the various gas stations checking out the price, as this is the only thing that keeps changing during my 6 mile drive from home to office and back.
After connecting my Laptop to the network and answering the important mails I search for the my red and blue card(secureID) to log in into my own official mailbox(that's the 3rd time I am checking my mail for the day). Luckily this one is easy, as mostly it is just a couple of general mails and a few entertaining forwards. Now that 3rd mailbox is over, it is back to issues and tickets for the day with a couple of breaks used to update my self with the latest news in sports world especially Formula one.
Lunch, usually is a ride back home to have some rice and special south Indian curry prepared by my Wife. This is going to be just for a few more days as she is going to join a college for her studies and I would have to start bringing a lunch box. After the sumptuous lunch its 20 minutes on Card sharks(An old show but somehow I like this game very much) on GSN and then back to office.
Post lunch the initial 30-60 minutes is the hardest part of the day as my eyes long to sleep but being in office I can't and to pass over this period I usually depend on some chatting with my cubicle mate or just try to read some interesting articles. Meanwhile the tickets, meetings and issues do keep coming in and the most interesting part is how they come. There are days when you are longing for some ticket or issue to come-up and then there are days when you wish you had not come to office. The best past of meetings is usually the main agenda of the meeting is discussed only for a 40-50% of the duration of the meeting and remainder is spent in some intereseting anecdotes from the people in the meeting.
Evenings at home begins with some snacks and a game of cards with my wife, with me winning most of the days(She is going to go RED when she reads this :-)) and then it is Bingo-Lingo hour on GSN. After that a round of Virtual tennis on my Xbox where I try to up the ranking of my player - JAYUMON - who is currently at World rank 71.
My wife and I have 2 (web cam) meetings on either side of the dinner. The first with my in-laws and the second with my parents. Usually its the updates of the day from both sides(sorry if it sounds similar to conference calls :-). After that its time to do some exercise - lazy to run around so just do 2 rounds of walking around the Apartment complex. Then comes the offshore call(kind of rare these days) after which I call it a day. With a brief rewind of the happenings in the day in my mind I go to sleep waiting for the call - "Arrey oh Samba...Yeh Phone kab se baj raha hain"
After completing the morning ablutions and having a lovely breakfast prepared by my wife I set off in my Camry listening to my current favorite song - "Pappu can't Dance sala". As I cross the different signals I cast my eye on the various gas stations checking out the price, as this is the only thing that keeps changing during my 6 mile drive from home to office and back.
After connecting my Laptop to the network and answering the important mails I search for the my red and blue card(secureID) to log in into my own official mailbox(that's the 3rd time I am checking my mail for the day). Luckily this one is easy, as mostly it is just a couple of general mails and a few entertaining forwards. Now that 3rd mailbox is over, it is back to issues and tickets for the day with a couple of breaks used to update my self with the latest news in sports world especially Formula one.
Lunch, usually is a ride back home to have some rice and special south Indian curry prepared by my Wife. This is going to be just for a few more days as she is going to join a college for her studies and I would have to start bringing a lunch box. After the sumptuous lunch its 20 minutes on Card sharks(An old show but somehow I like this game very much) on GSN and then back to office.
Post lunch the initial 30-60 minutes is the hardest part of the day as my eyes long to sleep but being in office I can't and to pass over this period I usually depend on some chatting with my cubicle mate or just try to read some interesting articles. Meanwhile the tickets, meetings and issues do keep coming in and the most interesting part is how they come. There are days when you are longing for some ticket or issue to come-up and then there are days when you wish you had not come to office. The best past of meetings is usually the main agenda of the meeting is discussed only for a 40-50% of the duration of the meeting and remainder is spent in some intereseting anecdotes from the people in the meeting.
Evenings at home begins with some snacks and a game of cards with my wife, with me winning most of the days(She is going to go RED when she reads this :-)) and then it is Bingo-Lingo hour on GSN. After that a round of Virtual tennis on my Xbox where I try to up the ranking of my player - JAYUMON - who is currently at World rank 71.
My wife and I have 2 (web cam) meetings on either side of the dinner. The first with my in-laws and the second with my parents. Usually its the updates of the day from both sides(sorry if it sounds similar to conference calls :-). After that its time to do some exercise - lazy to run around so just do 2 rounds of walking around the Apartment complex. Then comes the offshore call(kind of rare these days) after which I call it a day. With a brief rewind of the happenings in the day in my mind I go to sleep waiting for the call - "Arrey oh Samba...Yeh Phone kab se baj raha hain"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
