I was popular in college for having friends in almost all the branches… In fact I had friends from other colleges too whom I met in bus stop:).. Most times people knew me as the bubbly happy and easy going girl... I carried the same attire and attitude when I happened to visit my college recently, just to refresh my sweet memories.. It wasn’t a surprise to me to see few known faces as I had friends from the junior sections too :)..
I met a girl with a broad smile on my face... I said “Hi, How are u??” Quickly she responded “I am fine. How abt u?” I was happy that she too remembered me…still I could see a muddled look on her face… For a moment I thought she is unable to recollect my name, so I said “U don’t remember my name right?” She said NO!! I dint feel bad… I replied in kannada “Nanna hesru Prathima… Ninna senior… Nenpaitha?” (*Myself Prathima… Ur senior.. remember?)
What!! She was flabbergasted and said “Can u speak in English or Hindi”..
I again confirmed from her, if she doesn’t recognize me… She asked me, "Who are u?".. With a grin on my face I blasted her telling, “Jab meri practical record ya notes chahiye tha.. tab toh badi yaad aa rahi thi meri… U ppl are sick to the core!! Just shoo off from my way now!!”
Later I went to meet my HoD… On my way back from CS department, I again met that girl… This time I seriously had no mood to talk to her… But she interrupted me and asked “Tell me what’s my name” !!
I politely asked her with strong words – Lady… have u gone nuts?? Do u want me to confirm ur name with the HoD or the college register?
This time she pulled my hands and said “Tell me my name!!”
I was shocked at her reaction… I had no clue if she was a psychic patient or if she has escaped from the rehabilitation camp!! I just knew that she was one among my college juniors who wanted inputs to get selected in campus interview!! All thanks to the HoD who had popularized our names to the juniors... Back then I also enjoyed my status for being the person who had 3 companies offer letter:)
My HoD came to my rescue and said to her, “What are u doing here in the class hours!! Y aren’t u in class Archana?”
Archana!!!! Now that was the shock of my life… Is she not Reshma!! I had a sinking feeling for blasting her for no fault.. May be she bunked her class just to meet me again:( May be she really dint understand kannada:(
She dint speak anything much later… She dint dare to turn back also….. I quickly bid bye to my lecturer and went in search of her…
I had to confront my mistake… I finally found her in college canteen… She was sitting with her head bent down… It was my turn to console her and I just did that…. She was fine after sometime :) I dint want to buy anything in our canteen coz I am too skeptical abt the food there, so I took her to the lassi center opposite to our college… I took a lassi for myself and she preferred a chocolate milk shake…
She said me that she is from Assam and she doesn’t understand kannad.. (This is how she pronounced Kannada).. We spoke for sometime and then left from there…
I got a new friend that day:) It was Archana… After reaching home, I thought abt the whole incident for sometime and then finally fell asleep… Hope to meet her someday again and meet her as a friend and not as a stranger :)
It was 5.20 pm when I was in the bus after finishing the exam last Tuesday. Since the bus was from city market, it was fully loaded with ppl and goods… I saw a lady sitting in the 2nd seat.. The details I got to know just by looking at her were:
Name : Shobha
Name of the company where she is presently working : TCS
Blood group : O +ve
Marital Status : Married
Amount of gold she was wearing : More than 60 grams!!
Mother tongue : Telugu
Mobile model : Nokia N series
Wrist watch : Fastrack
Huhh!! Too much details.. isn’t it??!! Nope, I am not planning to kidnap her…:) I got to know so much abt her just by looking at her… Now, imagine how much more information I could have gathered incase I had spoken to her… She had wore her company id card and was flaunting it in the ordinary BMTC bus!! That too in a bus which starts from city market in which we can find all the categories of people.. (I am scared to wear even my Titan watch when I travel in that route) May be she wanted to proudly show off her id card and get noticed that she is from the one of the top IT company!! But showing off in front of ppl who are making their day and night one to lead their life, is bad:(.. Isn’t it??
College and school students in the bus were looking at her as though they are seeing a celebrity while others were getting jealous that she had a good job and all expensive items on her and were wondering, what on earth had gone wrong for not being like her!! :(
I had two thoughts in mind; firstly I can blog about her :) Secondly, shall I show her my id card to tell her that I am also from the same industry!! I stuck with my first opinion which was definitely better than the 2nd thought. :)
Wearing the id card tag in our company bus would hardly matter anyone but wearing it in ordinary bus or outside the company campus would prove risky.. Anyone with a keen eye can easily judge that she is from the IT industry!! Upon observation, one can even know her name, address and other details too!! Isn’t all this risky??
I have heard ppl blaming that this city is not safe, but if someone prompts to get looted, who can help!!
All I want to suggest is that – plz don’t wear id card tag outside the campus or flaunt with the mobile that ur wearing in public places like bus stop, chat corners, roads, pavements, shopping malls etc… We never know who is noticing us from distance.. Better be safe and simple in public places. Self safety should be given more priority than expecting the police to rush towards us when in panic..
Why everyone wants to go so fast?? Doesn’t anyone want to stay back and enjoy every bit of life??!!
I was on my way back home, yawning in the cab at 8 pm ( 12+ hrs at office had drained my energy!!) and I had tuned in the radio so that I don’t sleep off without realizing my stop!! Radio jockey, Pallavi was speaking so fast and the Radio1 punch line being - “94.3 radio one for the phatafat generation”.. This made me think for a while as to why everyone is in hurry!! Why are ppl expecting us to do or get things phatafat!!
Why can’t everything go on in optimum speed?? Ok, now I am not asking everything to go on slowly but at least at optimum speed can be expected right?
In the morning when we come to office, I see the private cars arranged in a row close to exit point.. I guess people who come early had parked it there…. But isn’t it that they have some time to park their vehicles a bit away from the exit, so that the latecomers who have less time can park it close to gate and rush in??
We often get to see hotels named with suffix as “fast food”.. Don’t we have time to even have breakfast/ lunch/ dinner? Earlier ppl used to work hard so that they would get a plate full of food and better shelter… But these days ppl are working so hard that they are not finding time to even peacefully have food.. Then why are we working so hard??
Our cab driver also drives very fast and at times breaks the traffic rules but no one in the cab complaints coz all of us are used to travel in office cabs… I am not blaming the cab drivers of our company coz it’s the case with all other company cab drivers too. They have a pressure to drop us at our stop in the least possible time, so they speed up… While we have spared to spend 12+ hrs at office, another 15 mins hardly matters.. Isn’t it?
The RJ in the radio stations speaks so desperately and land up misspelling words and sometimes jovially fights with the co radio jockey with almost all the slang in kannada, just to make sure their show keeps going, no matter what non sense they speak!!
The adds that they play in between the songs also sounds like tongue twisters at times, especially adds related to mutual funds are the most confusing one. Till date I have deciphered it only as “Mutual funds are subject to market risks..plz read the offer documents carefully before investing” Is this sentence said so that no one understands what is the warning all about??
All I want to say is that, let everything go on in optimum speed.. In the verge of going fast we are missing out something which we are searching for and we miss out to see many beautiful things around…
I was wrong… It was actually raining… Quickly I rushed inside and was looking out of the window to get the glimpse of the graceful rain… The direction of rain was changing continuously in the direction of wind…. I enjoyed watching rain :)
Soon there was a power cut, all thanks to the KEB for it!! They just wanted a chance to cut off the power in most of the areas in Bangalore…
I still enjoyed the weather coz the lightning was so bright that every time I saw the sky from the window, I felt as though the sky was taking my snap :) My neighbors had closed the doors and windows out of fear as they had never the lightning to this extent… But I had seen yet more powerful lightning in my native, Udupi… So, this dint matter me more…
The only moment I got scared was at around 10.30 pm when I heard a loud thunder… It lasted for 8 secs.. I almost felt that our window panes were vibrating while I was comfortably seated on the chair… I went closer to my mom… She sensed my fear and gently smiled…. After seeing her smile, I comforted myself that it was nothing when compared to the thunder sound in my native.. After 10 mins it again thundered and my heart started pounding again… this time I dint wait for mom to smile… I asked her, what incase the building collapse!! My question sounded weird to her as I had never questioned her this way… She said, nothing like that would happen… Still I asked her many questions about the disaster and death and finally her voice roared at me… Her tone was louder to my ears than the thunder… I kept my mouth shut and went inside the room.. Quickly the KEB board people showed mercy and the power was back…. All my fears vanished when I switched on the lights and turned on the music…
Still I must say that my experience with the lightning and thunder was memorable :)
Waiting for the next rain :) Hope mom will let me play in rain…
