Stranger becomes friend or foe?

It was on one fine day, or one of those days when I missed my cab again. I got into a Volvo bus, standing, trying to finish my furity-breakfast doing the balancing act, when I over-heard the person standing next to me. He was a middle-aged man, early thirties I think, I’m not very good at guessing game. It was evident from his conversation that he was very much naïve to the city or atleast B’lore traffic. During the peak 10 o’clock office hour’s traffic, he was assuring someone on the phone, that he would reach Whitefield from Domlur in about 10minutes!! My heart leapt out to him and also the other person waiting for him and so I told him that it will not be feasible to reach that soon. He just enquired about the number of stops and roughly how long will it take and I answered his queries politely, all the while finishing the grapes by myself.
Later we just got into a typical introductory conversation of where from, what you do etc,. He was from Goa, not dressed in a bright flowery shirt or straw hat. Not an IT guy, for a change. He started asking me about my work, damn! My roller-coaster career with a shift from Biotechnology to IT industry, the dreadful question and then the job satisfaction part. I ponder over his questions, wondering how life has become, or I had let it happen to me.
Time flew by as we chatted for a little longer and then he popped the popular question of, “Are you on FB?” with my jaw dropped down, I blurt out frankly that I didn’t expect him to be on FB. I gave him my email id unaware of what it got me later. I reached my stop and we parted after exchanging pleasantries and not before providing him sufficient navigator information.
The day after, I see an email with a not so familiar name, but an eye-popping subject, “…from ITPL bus”. Now that was quick. After much dilemma I open the mail to see some phone number and about keeping in touch. Sigh! Bekitha? After having some internal conflicts, I sent a polite reply which doesn’t make a concrete promise of keeping in touch. But then I’m left with so many questions - too many to pen down, too many for me to handle. I feel like a kid refusing to grow up and wish I could go back to my cocoon sheltered by my parents.
But one of the many questions that still keep haunting me till date is - who else got my email id??

Travel hangover!!

Do you know what I’m talking about? I don’t even know if such a term exists, but I think this is what I’ve been facing since morning. Weekend trip to Hyderabad from Bangalore has made me sleep deprived for almost 3 days in a row now. People say it is just Hyderabad- Bangalore, overnight journey and that you can sleep through it. But then, it is otherwise, at least sometimes.
It all started on Friday evening, rushing from office to make it to the bus stand just in time, only to find myself lost amongst numerous buses. I was running from one end to the other looking for my 20:43 bus. There was 20:25 and 21:04 bus, but not mine. After frantically searching I finally got onto my bus, made all the calls and messages about safely boarding the bus and then I nestled on my seat making myself comfortable. After the tiring day and luggage tugging, I was ready to fall asleep at the drop of a hat in spite of the not-so-good comfort of a bus ride. But then, I was not very lucky as the girl seated next to me seemed to be on a marathon-talking competition. I wanted to politely point out to her that she was on the higher end of permissible decibel level of sound. But then the alien language was explicit enough to reveal her mixed feelings, the excitement of getting a visa and flying to a new place and the pain of parting from the loved ones’. So I chose to toss around for a while until I caught some sleep.
I woke up to the sun rise (if I had fallen asleep) which looked more like an hour glass to me with the sand sliding down faster than ever. One more sun rise in Hyderabad and the next in Bangalore again. Sigh! I’m reminded of the lines, “…..And miles to go before I sleep” (courtesy “Stopping by woods on a snowy evening” – Robert Frost). As the clock ticks away, I decide that sleep can wait, so am on my heels doing all the errands. I was looking forward for the eventful evening as it was my school’s annual day, the primary reason for my trip. It was a wonderful evening to see my teachers’ proud of what I am today and of course to catch up with old friends. Late in the night, I decided to go for a movie with my parents the next day. Though it meant incomplete sleep I chose the first show so that I’ll get done with it and my other plans will still remain undisturbed.
I was glad I had watched the movie with my parents in the big screens of IMAX, 3D. My parents too thoroughly enjoyed themselves. From there, it was the meet up with college friends followed by some souvenirs, Karachi bakery biscuits.
Later in the evening it was back-to-square-one, packing and rushing for the bus (it is genetic I suppose, making it in the last minute) .Boarding the bus again and thinking of the long journey ahead and the day ahead made me sleepy and tired. But insomnia continued to haunt me, in a different version this time. My blanket! I couldn’t believe that it was not enough for a person of a small stature like me too. It seemed more like a table cloth. When I couldn’t get a replacement, I had to dangle my feet out all through the night getting them cold. I was hoping not to fall sick and tried to catch some sleep with the speakers just above my head thumping some loud movie dialogues.
Monday morning blues, I say to myself and reach office hoping the day to pass. With the caffeine kicking and keeping me alive I wait for the sun set so that I can reach home and slip into a deep slumber. The trip has left me happy and contented though it meant going that extra mile.

Random thoughts…

I want to write, but don’t know about what. I feel writing will let out my thoughts, but of no use. I’ve too may thoughts going on in my mind hitting each other, like some meteorites in the space. I can’t pick which one’s to pen down. But thinking about them, makes me feel sad. I feel low, I feel bad, I feel guilty, I feel I’m at fault….I feel I’m the most terrible person. People around me don’t know the real ‘Me’. They would hate me forever if they dare know about me. To them, I’m the happy-go-lucky, cheerful person. But they fail to see that it is only a mask concealing the reality.

My eyes are moist but tears refuse to trickle down. I’ve lost my appetite. I wander about in the streets feeling lost. I’m angry with myself, my life. Why am I like this? I feel I’ve just been a burden so far.

But the positive me defends by saying, “Everything happens for a reason” and so I’m in search of the purpose of my existence…

IT Proposal :D

Wish I could 'ROLLBACK' certain things in my life's DataBase

and that I could 'COMMIT' at a point.

My DataBase does not ‘UPDATE’ by any 'INSERT' as the PRIMARY KEY constraint says, it can take only one value and i.e. "You"

My class neither IMPLEMENTS the interface family nor EXTENDS the class friends as it has been declared class ExtendedFamily FINAL and STATIC.

Happy :) Happier :) :) Happiest :) :) :)

I’m glad that I’m finally in Hyderabad, good old Hyderabad. This place brings back lots of memories, (obviously for a person like me, who has lived here until the past 6 months) and the people associated with them.
It is not like one of those weekend trips where I’m rushing for trains or buses half the time. So I’ve made a note about the people to catch up with and things to do. I see there are lots of people to catch up with and staying for one month gives me all the time, I thought. Now, it has been almost 2 weeks and not even half the list is ticked off.
I still remember the first day I was coming to office, like a kid returning after summer vacation, looking forward to a new class, books, friends etc. But for me, though the excitement was same I was meeting same friends and same place. On the way, I was happy that I could read the hoardings without struggling. Yes, it was all in Telugu, a language I can associate with. But then the harsh words of the people around me, made me sad. It surprised me, how in a minute I could feel so close yet want to be alienated from a language. And strangely I missed the Kannada FM!
Catching up with old friends, taking a trip down the memory lane, reliving those golden days, wishing this was forever! You are never bored of these people. Meeting them over and over only enriches my trip.
I see the roads, buses, people and everything around me are so familiar. It is home-coming for me! I’m nostalgic about everything around me and it gets better with every passing moment. I’m relishing every second being spent here.
P.S: Dedicated to all my friends here in Hyd!!

Calling…Calling…

It is such a wonderful feeling to wake up to the call from a loved one.
I think I had a dream after a long time and so was in deep slumber. It was about some old friends from school, never mind about the dream. It was then that my phone started ringing, the familiar ring tone. Thank god, the mobiles have an option of assigning a ring tone and makes you realise who is calling even without looking at the name. Without any hesitation, I reach out to my phone, my eyes still closed to listen to that chirpy voice. Had it been for anyone else, maybe I wouldn’t have answered the call and instead cursed for disturbing my dream. But this call was special and always welcome.
Just the thought of the person on the other end of the line brought a wide grin on my sleepy face. In his usual happy, cheerful tone he greeted me and I could feel the warmth in it though miles away. I returned the greeting with a mixture of excitement and astonishment, as the call was mostly returned and not voluntarily. I tried recollecting if last night I had given a missed call and he was returning the call now, as was the usual habit. But no, it was not that. I asked him unable to hold back my thoughts anymore and he said that he had called to say that he loved the previous day’s article. Wow!! I was super-excited now and wide awake. I checked the time on an impulse, wondering what was he up to and I realised that I’m running late again.
He is surprised that I’m still sleeping and enquires if I don’t have to be at work today and I find myself already thanking him for giving the wake-up call. He laughs it off saying, at least he’s spared from reading another article today, but I don’t think he’s that lucky. Wink. He goes on to compliment a little more on my article saying how he couldn’t stop mid-way and went on to finish it before starting his day. That was the best compliment I ever received I think, to stop someone’s work and get them engrossed in your reading. You get the attention without even asking for it.
I think my articles about the typical day-to-day life in India get the NRIs nostalgic. I am forced to end the call as my day starts and his ends. On the two extreme ends of this world, poles apart we continue our lives, eagerly waiting for THE day when our souls will meet. Though miles away, yet so close to my heart, forever and ever. On this note I fondly recollect the words once told by him to me-
For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul..

I’m glad I missed my cab today

It would have been like any other day had it not been for missing my cab. And why I’m glad about it, hopefully you will understand towards the end.
The Monday morning blues has crept into my Tuesday morning too and forced me out of the bed. I was hoping for a message from one of my cab mates, saying the cab would be late, but alas no such message. But instead I get a call saying the cab would be reaching in the next 5mintues!! I gasped thinking that it couldn’t be reaching 15minutes earlier all of a sudden and that too on this very day. I cursed my over-sleeping followed by my laziness. Pushing away these thoughts, I gauged my probability of making it to the road on time. Had I stepped out of the house at that very moment and constantly kept running like in a marathon race, maybe I would have just made it in time. But neither was I in a mood to jog at 9:00 AM nor was I ready to leave the house half dressed. I gave up the thought of going by the cab which was then followed by the fact that I need to take a BMTC bus all the way at this peak hours of traffic. Sigh!
Left with no better option, I walk up to the bus stop, still with a faint hope of getting into a different cab which would not be my regular one. But then the drivers would not stop for some random person considering the pains to shift the lanes from one extreme to another extreme. Sadly, I withdrew my attempts of flashing my ID card at every other cab which had symptoms of my office cab.
One glance at my watch, says I’m already running late to office. So I wait patiently for a BMTC bus. There was one bus, a Volvo, then another Volvo followed by another. I gave it all a miss. I didn’t want to stand in a jam-packed AC bus all through the 2hrs journey that too after burning a hole in my pocket. Not worth it at all. I waited for some more time thinking of the excuses I can make at work for being late. Actually not an excuse, recalling the truth that I missed the cab which was well before the scheduled time brought a smile on my face for the first time since morning. I was pleased with the thought that people would easily fall for it considering the traffic and that if am lucky can gain the sympathy of one or two souls to have travelled by a local bus.
And then, out of nowhere appears this rickety bus and I approach it gingerly wondering if it will take me to my destination. I was given a nod which seemed more than welcoming. The moment I entered the bus I saw a varied group of people unlike the routine IT professionals with a dangling ID card around their necks. The bus was not crowded and luckily I found a window seat for myself. It was nothing close to the plush, comfortable high seating of a Volvo bus and even the so-called cushion was worn out baring the nuts and bolts. But the thought of keeping the window open and letting the fresh air hit my face pleased my senses. I felt alive and kicking. A little later the bus took a turn getting the sun on my side, which means I can feel the warm sunshine. Any other person would have complained of sunburns but not me, and I completely soaked in the morning sun rays.
Lost in experiencing the nature, I suddenly remembered that I was carrying a book to pass the time on the bus ride. I opened my book reluctantly and started reading few lines when my thoughts were interrupted by the cries of a baby. I turned around to look at a whole group of villagers with loads of luggage. Amongst few gunny bags, a colourful metal box, locally known as trunk petti, laid the mucus oozing child clinging tightly to its mom’s saree. There were people clad in white Dhotis and turbans and the ladies were all dressed in vibrant colours.
I returned to my book, but I couldn’t get to read any more so I closed it and put it away. Then I started noticing the people around me, the common man (Aam janta/Mango people). Some of them were few elderly women clad in sarees with scented flowers adorning their hair, a typical maami. They looked so religious and pious that one was sure that they were on a visit to a temple to offer their prayers and pour out their heart to the lord, with a PFA sheet of wishes and seeking blessings. This brought a smile on my face involuntarily. May be it reminded me of my mom, who might also be visiting some temples at that moment praying for my well-being and happiness in a far of place.
And then there were some school going kids clad in uniforms and plaited oily hair carrying the burden of childhood called, school bags. For a moment, I was travelling back in time, with black and white pictures of my childhood school days flashing across. I was brought back to reality when the bus screeched to a halt at one of the stops. I peered out of the window to see a swarm of people hurrying noisily towards the entrance. The two-way traffic through the narrow, dingy stairs gave the driver a break and he utilized the time to relax his tiring muscles with a crack or two which was obviously lost in the commotion. Interestingly, the thoughts of both the parties at the stair-case are the same, that of not missing – those would not want to miss the bus while the others who would not want to miss their stop. In all this and more, I hear a teenage girl yelling at someone on the phone. I hope it’s not her mother. And I think it’s not, as she gets down the bus onto the pavement making her way by pushing all others, her eyes immediately start searching and scanning the crowd. May be she is looking for the same person as on the phone.
A little later when the bus stopped again, the villagers’ group got down along with their luggage. The conductor lends a helping hand with a broad smile. The villagers whole-heartedly thanked him for getting them to their destination safely in the alien city. The next time I looked out of the window, I was engulfed by a thick black cloud which my science knowledge tells was the smoke emitted by a diesel driven vehicle. I would have been shielded from this had it been the Volvo AC bus. But I was glad that it made me realise that my senses were still working.
My journey continues for a little longer until I reach my stop. With a heavy heart, I descend the bus but left with lots of memories and thoughts racing across my mind. I’m smiling, more to myself feeling happy and contented. At this moment I fondly recollect one of my favourite poems
WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare? — (Leisure by W.H.Davies)
I thank my over-sleeping and\or laziness which made me miss the cab today. I don’t know the reason why that baby on the bus started crying, but I’m thankful for it made me witness simple things in the journey called life. Truly, A thing of beauty is a joy forever. And so to treasure these memories I pen them down.