Just like tat!

The show has been shifted to www.thetrystwithlove.blogspot.com! sorry for the inconvenience... My Graphite dreams are dead!

Am I Mr Anti-Serious ???

Discovering something in life brings out a smile on the face… Whether it be a late discovery or wat evr… But not always…

In my case it was a late one… perhaps… I should have deadly discovered it years before and recovered…

I started thinking like I never did before when I discovered that people don’t take me seriously… Any time… Any how… hmm tat was something that kick started the Think Cells of my Brain!!!

Why ? was the first question… Well I am yet to find a convincing answer… A few points outstand others:

1. I mix my talks with humour - sarcastic or whatever my Humorous Brain Cells process out. Almost every time I open my mouth (to speak)… Like how I have formulated this non-serious line when I was propagating something seriously happening to me to the readers….
2. Im yet to figure out the second point.
3. I start the talk and end it up confusing whether I was correct at my first point. ( Well well well… wat worse can happen especially when u are in a debate..)
4. I smile when I watch a death scene over silver screen ( whoosh problems problems… )
5. I talk nonsense at wrong situations... and sense again at wrong situations…
6. I am in touch with most of my friends… I tell every thing I do… I tell every thing I failed to do ( 4^th mistake of my life after the first one)…hmm… that makes me too predictable and hence when something goes good or bad to me… Its not a surprise for them… and tats what they naturally expect from me… So no serious reflex emotions from nyone… which makes me say to myself “Wasn’t tat a great achievement ??”

Problem hai yaaar….

I am trying to figure out a solution… SERIOUSLY thinking about a CHANGE…!!!!!!!!!

The COPY CAT in me Got Wild, Got Caught and Got a...

Its not that my current life is boring, dragging or monotonously uneventful and tat I don’t have anything to write about my current life and I’m here, writing all about what happened 10 years or even 15 year back... Its just that I was lying in the first part of my previous line... ;-)

As someone commented on my previous write up: "A decade to realize some thing again in life is not a big interval" But its always heart tingling to think about all those small but really memorable moments from which we had a close escape from being cornered or stamped guilty... I had a real bad experience while I was doing my Vth Standard Schooling....

It was then, when the Copy Cat within me Got Wild, Got Caught and Got a "Second" Life... ;-)

I was into my second school and things were more over off my control, being in the transitional period to this new environment, with English speaking majority around and being a calm quiet kid I was struggling to balance my new life... New Syllabus… New Friends... New Teachers... New Uniform...

Though it was awesome to be in this new jovial environment... where I got to use my first Fountain Pen at school… But the child within me and for what I was at that particular timeframe of my Life was Afraid and was a coward though not in its worst case.

Maths was one of my favorite subjects though only second to my all time favorite: "Science"... But I was not naturally fit to fair in mathematics... I still mess up with the answers to 7X8 and 7X6... Still count 7 + 6 with my fingers... Now you could very well guess what my condition would have been if Our Maths teacher was to give a SURPRISE TEST!!.. (Remember TZP? )

I too was dumbstruck like several others in the class, when my Maths Teacher undusted the duster and peeped through her heavy glasses towards us with a vicious smile and announced "Stuuuuuuuuuuuuudents... take yuvar maths tessssst book.. Today youvaar going to haave a surrrrrrrrrrrrrprise test!!! ".

A fleet of birds flew away from my brain through my left ear... escaping.. making my brain empty... And as the saying goes.. Empty mind is devils workshop! Soon a few Devils were to appear..!!!!!!!!

I took my note book outside… flipped it open and stared at the black board... The Questions were on it way to the black board as the teacher picked a chalk piece and started it from the left end towards right... I wrote down each question one per page... assuming the space left per page would be sufficient to accommodate each Question's answer... Around 10 mins got spoiled writing down those questions... The next 30 mins I brainstormed (Actually the devils within it did) my brain.. Thinking about various strategies with which I would crack these five Questions... I was left with nothing but a few 'artificially' made up steps to the first question wondering how to answer the rest four, when a few top brains finished up their test and place their flipped open notebooks on the Teachers Table... "I would be humiliated infront of all my friends if I am to submit these answers" I thought.. And as every one got up to submit their answers, as per the Devils Order... COpying the answers from the guy sitting next to me was old fashion... So I slowly sank my notebook into my School bag and kept quiet for the whole day..... That was my strategy for the day...

Study Time At home: I slowly finished up my home works one after the other when my mom kept an eye on me, while busy at Kitchen. After all work was over I slowly took my Maths Note book out... That was my second task according to the Strategy I adopted! To have the Questions answered at home, at any cost... Copying… Help from Mom.. My ultimate aim was to have all of them answered... Mom came near me, as I was busy copying my first answer... "Hey... this looks like a test paper" She said.... "No Amma... this is homework, our maths teacher asked us to answer these before tomorrows class" I replied and got back to "work"!!

School, The next day: Went early to the class... kept my bag on my desk, took the Maths Note book out and with utmost skill placed it among the assignment books that was kept in the racks. The third task was successfully accomplished... The next was to hand it over to the Teacher...!! But how ???

The bell rang for the second period... The timetable showed MATHS! The teacher was IN... Everyone stood up to wish her... So did I!

Everyone settled down... She had a bundle of books with her.. The corrected Maths test paper!

She sat on her Chair.. There rose a loud noise.. It said: "VIJJEEEEESH !!! "

I stood up as if I was the most obedient, the most innocent student she would ever get... "I didn't see yovar book with these... I know you where in the Class.. Where is the BOOK then ??? " She shouted...

"Oh Ma'am... I had given it to... and had asked him to keep... didnt you get ??? " I replied... I knees knocked... "Oh is it ?? hmm... " She immediatly shot back... "Wait Ma'am let me check the racks.. if at any case it was misplaced" I slowly moved away from my seat towards racks in search of the book.. that I had hid among those, that morning....

"Here it is.... I got it..." I took the book and showed it to her... "Someone place it here... dont know who... " I muttered as I took steps to reach her table to place the book in front of her.... She took her red Rottomac pen and started correcting my answers.. Answer to the first question was jus perfect... she gave a big long tick with her pen (Lots of hard work had gone behind this.. I thought)... So was the second question.. the third.. fourth and the fifth... "All the answers are correct...." She said… and I smiled within... "But I know you took the book home and copied... So should I give you a '1' or a big Zero ??" She looked at my eyes and spoke.... My face was sunk in tension was almost Red like the pen she held.... "Should I call your parents ??" My face became reddened further... "Sorry Ma'am... " I said... "So tell me... Should I give a Zero ??" She repeated..... I didn’t have any answer for that... The devils had disappeared and I was all alone in front of my classmates... in front of the Teacher... I collected my book from her... and went back to my desk with my head faced down with guilt...!! I didn’t speak to any one that day... So was the case back home... I couldn't sleep that night.... and really never wanted to get back to school the next day… But I had to.........

The bell rang for the third period... The timetable showed up "MATHS"... I stared at my toes... The knees were ready to knock... Every one stood up as the teacher came in... I still didn’t raise my head... and sat back as every one settled…

"Good morning students..... Surprised ??? I am your new Maths Teacher.... My Name is...."

I raised my head to see a new teacher.... WOW!!!! Thaaaaaaank God... Whhooooooooosh... I took a deep breath.... The other teacher is gone...!!

I was really happy...Again those bright days are back...:) I thought… At least I would be saved from getting humiliated in the upcoming Parents Teachers Meeting...

That day marked the end to the “Dark Ages” that I had forecasted for the days to come…

>>> Later on I came to know that the other teacher had joined a school called ASSISI... So every time I see its school bus, I used to hide behind someone.... ;)

>>> I took a decision not to do such malpractices again... :) And even if I did I would be doing with a better Strategy, with a better plan ;-)

>>> At Parents Teachers Meeting... the new teacher told… "Your son is doing good... After all when I am the teacher they all will do good... " ;) So She was happy... My parents were happy... and I was Really Really Happy.... Coz....... After the Copy Cat in me Got Wild… and Got Caught..!!! ;-) This was really my Second Life…!!!!!! :)

After a decade's wait...

Its been a long time tat I scribbled something out here… Here goes another one… read on --->>>

This dramatic moment happened when I was in my early teens. When my family: dad, mom, bro and me set out for a trip to visit the famous temple of Thirupati. Visit to this temple was a yearly mandate to most of the families, but we hardly visited due to monetary illness that was prominent for years. The trip meant two things for me: To offer the coins into the Hundi (the holy offering box) that we (my bro and me) had collected over years in the small hand-made clay-made piggy bank treasured in our prayer hall and the second obviously to see new places, new people and of course to stay away from those boring classes that we had to attend back at school.

The train we traveled, crawled all the way crossing the Western Ghats, cutting the Deccan aiming at a small place in AP, from where we had to catch a bus that would take us all the way up to the hilltop where the temple was situated and the small town surrounding it dwelled.

As usual we were fighting for the Window side seat when the train brought itself to a controlled stop. I saw the chaye wala move at high speed from one side of the window to the other, opposite to the direction, the train moved. So did the tea shop, the khaki man holding the red flag, the weighing machine, the bookstall.... THE BOOK STALL!!! The train had just arrived an unknown station somewhere deep and lost in the Deccan. Why not get some magazines, a Balarama, the Chandamama of south, probably if it was available in this part of the country. Dad and myself got down and walked in the opposite direction to find the bookstall that passed by us a few minutes back.... Occasional Tea from the Chaye wala… Timely Parly-G biscuits… Stocked Jeera Water… New faces all around… With small such incidents Our trip was moving out to be an exciting one. When one part of my brain was busy processing the images that flashed behind the cross barred windows of the compartment, the other part was thinking about the destination that we where heading to.

It was pitch dark and late in the evening when my dad decided to take me out in the crowded temple town, where he could have his few puffs of smoke (if possible, but it was banned in the premises) and me some quick snacks. Mom and bro stayed back in the room that we rented for the days to come until we got ‘Darsan’.

The town was still crowded with its floating devotee population. The stalls were still open and the devotional songs still played at high volumes in huge Ahuja Speakers. We walked through the crowd, there were thousands of faces all around they never bothered about us and was moving all around like bees in a hive.

It was then that I first tried to notice HER. SHE was in a bright yellow sleeveless salwar with a silky dupatta that was wound around her tender neck protecting her from the cold wind that had started to blow. Though tired, her face was bright like a sunny day, her hair brisk like the winter breeze, her eyes twinkling like the brightest stars that studded the summer sky like diamonds. She too was with her dad holding his index finger. A cool breeze waved her unattended hair in the air as she walked. Her chubby cheeks, her rosy lips, her black beautiful sharp eyes…

I could see her dupatta fall like a feather all the way down her shoulder as she raised her hand and with her index finger pointed out to a shop that was steaming with VAPOURS. Her dad put his hands around her shoulders comforting her and both went towards the shop. She arranged her dupatta as she drank a glass full. A few drops trailed down her cheeks spoiling her salwar. She raised the glass up and waited for the last drop that fell like a bead… She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the richness of the last drop. Now that was really tempting… and there was a huge rush within me… I knew I will never forget this moment… the effect was beyond any sought of expression… First time I felt that I was LOST. Lost in an unknown crowd within the crowd in which we were on the move. With utmost desperation I raised my head, looked at my fathers face and raised my right arm and pointed to the Vapoured Shop……..

Now it’s been 10 Years after this incident. This very incident that skipped a few of my heart beats. I never got a chance thereafter until while I was at chennai...........

Born as an artist, Dreamt of being a Scientist, Trained to be an Electronics Engineer, Fated to be a Software Techie… I was here in the metropolitan city of Chennai with a family friend. Being just one among the million floating IT population of the city I stood with him at the temple streets of Mylapore, in search of a rented room, where I could stay, during my tenure at the IT firm, where I got placed one year back.

Being tired after our discontented, unsatisfied, unsuccessful search, we parked our two-wheeler near the pedestrian path and got down to decide on “What Next??”

I looked around. The street seemed too busy with beggars, stray dogs, coffee shops, pan wala, rocketing mopeds, ‘Hijadas’, flower marts, High class pure veg restaurants, Vapours! VAPOUR!!!!!!!!

The VAPOUR! It came from a huge tumbler hid over rich orange-yellow flames. There was a big beefy man sitting besides it and was busy collecting milk from the tumbler into small steel glasses. The shop sold milk rich with cream and butter. It looked like the same old Vapour filled shop I came across at the busy temple streets of Thirupati !!!!!

I could still remember each and every pico second that I experienced 10 Years back, when dad and me set off for a casual walk. I still remember how my salivary glands were stimulated, and how it gave out a rush as I saw the girl in yellow dress gulp down the last drop of milk from the steel glass she was holding… and how my mouth was watered with immense temptation to gulp down at least one glass, that would quench my thirst as well as the curiosity that was all lingered around the shop filled with Vapours and the milk it sold. I still remember my dad, nodding his head, giving out a “NO” when with utmost desperation, I raised my head, looking at my fathers eyes, raised my right arm to point the Vapoured Shop, the very moment when I felt LOST for the colossal temptation, for that one glass of milk, that had engulfed me on that day.

The yellow dressed girl sipping the hot cream-rich milk was still preserved like a Renaissance masterpiece deep within my memories. It just popped up with immediate effect as I saw the Vapoured Shop at the temple streets of Mylapore. The same Stimulation, the same rush… I was sure that this time I was not going to miss this Golden Opportunity. Or rather I couldn’t control my 10 Years of thirst for that cup of hot cream-rich milk. My friend and me went to the shop. Ordered two glasses. Within seconds it was in my hands. Steel glass filled with hot cream-rich butter-rich fat-rich milk that tasted like peda with lots of sugar in it. I slowly had my first sip. Yummy… A wave triggered its way from my toes all the way to the top making my body to quiver. Gorged it all down to my empty stomach within seconds. It was awesome. I closed my eyes as I raised the glass and tilted it, so as to channel the last drop into my mouth. I enjoyed the taste of the last drop and experienced it the same way the girl in yellow dress would have had 10 years back. My 10 Years long thirst over this one little glass of cream-rich milk from the “Vapoured Shop” was thus QUENCHED!!! ;-)

NB: This story is 100% Unadulterated and is 100% inspired by two different true life incidents that happened at two different time frames, 10 Years Gapped ;-)

IT is IIT dude…!!

I jus had a creepy experience down at IIT this afternoon!

Creepy?? Will get to know why… Read On ==>

Can you believe it I was in the midst of the Most Brainy Brains of India!!! I could feel the vibes on the chair I sat, on the trees I leaned, on the road I walked, the steps I climbed, in the breeze that chilled me…

We were searching for the entrance gate of IIT Madras on a 200CC bike and found it right there and was like an opening of a den. No buildings were visible, and only thing that opened door for our eyes were green lush trees that covered the entire campus. It was exactly as how our Insti Princi once said in his speech about this Institute he graduated from… It was a concrete forest but now there are huge trees and plants which hid these huge ‘brain go downs‘ from the crowd, pollution and ‘Ordinary People’ outside!!!

The pulsar roared its 200CC engine as it jumped the hump in front of the gate. A cool breeze freshened our face as we looked at an IITian Chick! Damn She Also!!!!! we both said together ( coz She was with a guy )!

The pulsar stopped in front of a check post.

I put pressure on where I rested my left foot and threw my right leg round over through the IITian air balancing my whole 70Kg on my left leg and kept in down on the left side of the bike on the IITian Road! My first Step in (I am just being specific out here… not ‘TO’ its ‘IN’ ) any IIT Campus!

Took the pass and aimed at our next destination. Mechanical Drawing Section! I was on the way to give CEED2K8! And I was like Ishaan of TZP carrying Acron paints and Graphite-Charcoal pencils in my bag. Off to an IIT to scribble, draw and paint on plain sheets of paper hoping my hands to do wonders when rest of the population in IIT does it with Brains! Well that’s all on the other side of the wall, lets now enjoy the current cool air, calm surroundings, trees, sparrows and the lonely road. Romantic environment and I wished kaash I had a GF! IITian Couples must be the most blessed ones, I thought…

I took the position allotted for me and sat down on the wooden stool, probably used by some great IIT graduate who must have come out with his own car design or probably a car company! Huge green board… IIT professors who invigilated the exam… Those fans hung on the ceiling that must have witnessed some great research work down here at the drawing lab.

I felt as if I was all-alone. Like a chicken lost in a paddle of ducks! Lost in unfathomable woods of brains. I saw professors rocketing their mopeds through the well-tarred road. Students carrying working models something which looked like an aircraft. Flocks of good-looking chicks that might have been daughters of professors like how it was in the bestseller 5 point someone!) It was CREEPY… Need to somehow get out of this place. I would have to dash 3km if I chose to run… Then I saw a crowd and they seemed like waiting for a bus. A bus to the Entrance Gate? Thought of getting it answered from some one out there probably an IITian!

There he was! a guy with a jacket, thick glasses looked like a 9 point someone! I slowly went near him cautiously as if going for a zoo visit to see lions. I asked him with a faltering voice. Is there a bus to the Gate? I couldn’t guess whether he was uttering… whether some complex thermodynamics equation or a “YES”! And in a few mins I boarded a bus and was out in no time.

I remember when I never knew the full form of IIT even after joining those competitive examination-coaching centre. And finally when I came to know and thought of giving the test it was too late. If we all were in Somalia and IIT where to be the sole Bread provider and we all queue up I would be standing in the 37.5Kth position! Hope you got what I meant. That was my IIT Prelims rank!

Decorating The Workplace : PART II : The Victors !!

Song of the Ocean… 3600 Artistic work hours… One Team…

Each square inch of the second floor was enriched with the Deep Ocean Effect.. The blue tinge all over added the realism to the “Under Water” experience… The Shark attacking the boat.. The wrecked ship with Jack Sparrow, the Pirate thrilled the viewers. These added more exclamations to the already dumb struck minds that took great enthusiasm to visit the realistic 3-D fishes, Octopuses, Jelly fishes floating through the Sea weeds and the planktons over the brown sea bed.

We had a ‘Sharky’ as well, but view was restricted only to the judges… We didn’t want to leave him swim near the viewers… He gets naughty at times… Angry too…

The presentations gave out Sparks to the viewers to think things for the good… The Behind the Scene video prepared by the artistic minds with humble heart emitted the Hard Team Work put up by the folks…

Finally the time arrived when the prize got announced! I held my breath for about an hour after which the final result was announced. Heart beat like it never did before… The Scream was heard from all around.. We knew that we will make it.. And finally the winners name was uttered… We made it the third consecutive time… We won the first prize.. !! It just gave in a small fire speck to the crackers that were desperately ready to burst out to enjoy the happiness they are to experience in the next couple of minutes… It ended me up with tiredness and thirst, on my desk that was decorated with sea weeds.. Small ‘Nemos’.. and Rock paper.. and hiding beneath it was my desktop which I uncovered to Blog my experience.…

The Prize was announced and there rose a bunch of Folks who were seated at the back seats.. It was my team.. It made me also to jump off the seat I occupied… I need to make the most of the happiness out of the next couple of minutes in my life.. I dashed towards the trophy on the stage.. Gripped my hands to it… Screamed…. Howled…. Shouted… gave out success signs… Posed for photos... Grabbed the trophy and kissed it… Danced… Ran all over the four floors… made train formations with my team members… Clapped like hell…. Danced again… Shook hands with all…. I put in all the energy I had out of me… I got tired and drank lots of water out of thirst… And to the final destination.. My Seat !

As it was said in one of the Oscar nominated movie…

“This part of my life... This small part of my Life, is called Happiness”

Jersey No: 23

I turned 23 today... A new jersey for the next 1 yr.. Jersey Number 23!

9 months in my mothers womb, 1.5 years of corporate! break through by mom.. 2 years in nursery, 2 years in kindergarten, 7 years in LP, 3 in HS, 2 in Plus two, 4 in Graduation, 1.5 Years at work... and counting....

Calls rushed into my cell phone like it never did before at the stroke of the midnight... Birthday wishes.. It was great when I cut my first birthday cake probably the first one ever after my first B'day celebration.. [ Still wondering when they got the gap to buy it.. as I was with them the whole day.. ].. It feels great to be a birthday baby...

But is it me who should be wished or the mom who gave birth to her first baby boy on this day ?? Who struggled to push me up to the heights I felt and am feeling right now... The Question perhaps could be the one, no one ever thought to think!