Updates..

It's been 11 days since last post. Well, yeah.. that was not exactly a post. It was just a forward. But for the time being, let's consider that as a post. So, it's been just 11 days since last post. But I have quite a lot to write about what I did in last 11 days, quite opposite to any other 11 days when I am in delhi and when I spend most of my time in office.
We had two days off for Dushehra in office - 11th and 12th, thanks to the large number of people from Bengal and nearby areas in Mentor. I took monday off and went home for 5 days for the much needed break from this hectic schedule. I was to go in Rewa Express since I was, as usual, late for getting a berth in Shram-shakti express which is THE best train to travel between New Delhi and Kanpur. But probably that was for better. I met Prateek and Ravi on the platform. It had been more than 2 years since Prateek & I had not met and that when Noida is his home town and Mohali is not very far away! It was good to see that he is also growing wide and bald just like most of those in software industry :-P. Unfortunately, these two guys didn't have confirm ticket and that meant, without any discussions, that all 3 of us were going to travel on one berth. It was an interesting journey :-), not only because of Prateek and Ravi but also because of an incident that was eye-opener for me. I don't wish to write about that now....may write about that in future. For now, let me just write that I and Prateek had a blast. It was so much fun. Those who already know about the incident, must be able to understand :-).
I landed in Kanpur on 8th, reached home around 8am and after not more than one hour, I was on the way to my village (paternal village, to be precise) with my mom on TVS Victor. It is not a bad bike. In fact, it is really good for anyone who drives in Kanpur. But I had tough time riding it. Reason - gears are exactly opposite in my beloved Honda Unicorn and Victor! I had to be extremely cautious while driving it. And in spite of all the caution, three times I went down on gears when I wanted to go up! :-(. Another problem was those monsoon plants on both sides of the road. Those were 7-8 feet high and the road was not straight for more than 100 mts at any place! It took us around 2 hours to reach there and it was more than enough to miss the 'mundan' (shaving off all the hairs of head) ceremony of my seven month old cousin, considering the fact that we started off approx one hour late from home :-(. But the good part about this trip was that I could meet all of my aunts (3 'bua's and 3 'chachi's .. yes, we are a large family!). Ever since I am working, I could hardly find time to meet them and they have been asking me for that. I had real good time. I, being the oldest of my cousins (& for some other better reasons :-D ), am very dear to most of my elders. Being pampered by so many people is always a good feeling. I didn't have to move even for getting water to drink! :-D. I mean before I could start off for anything, I was asked what I wanted. And despite me saying that I shall do that myself, I was not allowed to :-).
Then, I had couple of interesting discussions with my second cousins (who are almost my age. In fact, couple of months older) about farming. The problems & difficulties they have to face & the solutions that they have found for some of those problems. Can you believe that the interest rate for the loan to buy a tractor is around 12-19% for farmers while that for car loan is around 6-8% for people who earn a lot more!! So much of research is being done for farming but no one cares if the results of these research is actually reaching the root level. Apart from that, I overheard (i.e. I was there but was not a part of) a few discussions, one of which was really disheartening. I feel terribly bad about it because it relates to my dearest cousin sister & I can't do anything about it.
I came back to Kanpur on 9th evening, Spent next 3 days meeting friends and relatives. A discussion with one of my old friends was really funny. He had deduced that the sun actually rises from north-east!! Also that you will get closer to sun and hence feel more hot, if you move towards east. I wonder how he had passed 10+2 exams and, for that matter, all the other exams :-) :-). But then, he has always been deducing 'facts' from incorrect basis. No disrespect for him intended, but I had a good time discussing these issues and convincing him that he was wrong.
Chats with Rani bhabhi are generally very interesting. She likes to talk a lot and she does not give me any chance to get bored. I get to know about a lot of stories about so many people everytime I visit her. Generally, I don't like to listen about the stuff that has no relation with me. But she knows the art of telling those stories! Although this time, I had thought that it would be different because she has just gone through an operation. But she defied my expectations and she was in such a jovial mood that I can't explain.
I also met couple of other relatives but with them it is more of a formal talk. I also get to meet my friend Shweta . And man!! Irrespective of what she writes in her blog, she sure likes Cal for that was apparent from her appearance. :-P
I came back to Delhi on 13th. Return journey was, unfortunately, not as peaceful as it normally is, thanks to those snoring people around me. Those who know me, would understand that if I had problems with their snoring how loud it would have been!
Apart from this trip home, there was this sad incident. My flatmate CV fell ill. He suffered with typhoid and had to be admitted to hospital. Good news is that he is in sound health now except the weakness. In fact, he came to office today.
In other updates - On 15th, our cricket team had a cricket match with KPMG team and we lost. I was not part of team. So, most of the time I and Partha were practising on nets. And because of that my left elbow and right shoulder are still stiff. I guess I should be more regular with sports now that 'Diamond/Veloce' project is over and I am not that busy.
Enough for today, I think. There are some more updates. I Shall come back with those and those I already promised next time, probably :-).
-gauraw

That night it rained

I got this forward couple of days back. I don't know who the writer is. But I vaguely remember that I have seen it one of the blogs. It deals with complicacies of friendship between a boy and a girl. Not 'really' well dealt. But anyway, here it is -
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"Lets go for a walk", said Rahul.

"Yippee. Lets go", said Swetha, almost jumping out of her seat.

It was yet another boring day in the Mysore training institute. Dusk was breaking in. Swetha had already taken two breaks since lunch. Nevertheless, she had been anticipating Rahul's invitation for another break.

Rahul and Swetha had known each other for the last couple of months. They had been together since the training days. People knew them as the best of friends. Rahul, the regular T-D-H type, who spoke with a heavy Bengali accent, was a popular flirt in the DC. On the other hand, Swetha was a chubby sweet little girl, who was always on the lookout for sorrow souls. They enjoyed being in each other's company.

Swetha would disclose all her crushes to Rahul, and Rahul would always be seen taking classes from Swetha, on how to impress a girl in 24 hours. Rahul had helped Swetha to forget her 7-year-old single lane relationship and Swetha would see to it that Rahul would never be lonely. Most of the time, they were together. People admired, some even sneered with jealousy, the relation that these two shared.

The walk today was unusually long.

"This is gonna be one of our last walks", muttered Rahul in a low tone.

"I know", replied Swetha in a soft, almost inaudible voice.

Mysore DC had completed the long cycle training and the postings had been announced the previous day. Swetha was posted at Mysore base location, while Rahul would have to shift to Bangalore. Even though they both always knew that they had to separate one day... they did not expect it to happen so soon.

Swetha, who belonged to the sentimental group, looked at Rahul and managed to pass a disguised smile. "I tried my best for a swap. The HRC is stubborn. She is still holding on to 'EURP P.U. doesn't encourage swaps.' I cannot stay here alone Rahul."

"I swear, I am gonna miss you badly too dear" replied Rahul, again faking a smile.

"Hey don't worry sweetie, Mysore is just three hours from Bangalore. Just call me and I will be here." said Rahul, trying to cheer her up, though his words did not light up Swetha's face.

She just replied with a frown. "You will be busy with your new girl friends and your work. You will soon forget me"

"Hey come on!" said an offended Rahul. "You are my best friend. Can I ever forget you dear?"

"You just wait and see", came an almost sobbing reply.

"Don't start crying dear." Said Rahul with a gloomy face... "Oh... by the way... it's getting late... let's go back" he said, taking a U-turn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As destiny wanted......... the next week saw Rahul packing his bags for Bangalore, while Swetha moved out of her PG, to a rented apartment closer to her office. They parted with a few wet handkerchiefs. The bus started moving. Rahul looking through the Volvo glass was trying to say something to Swetha. His actions deciphered, as "I will call u when I reach there. Gonna miss you. Take care... Bye-Bye"

Swetha was comforted by her own tears. She felt very lonely, as if she had lost something. Something, very precious. Consoling herself, she went back to her room, shut the door, and started sobbing again. She had found a very good friend in Rahul, and he was her major support. She had no clue in the beginning that she would get so much attached and more important... too much dependent on him. She sobbed herself to sleep.

A couple of hours later, she heard her mobile ringing. One look at the tiny screen, which happened to display, "Rahul calling..." and she was overjoyed. She answered the call with a "Hey... You reached so soon? How was the trip?"

"Yo dear! Just reached. Bangalore seems to be bliss. The climate is almost like Mysore. It is wonderful... though Mysore was better.... Coz I miss you badly here..."

"I miss you too dear," said Swetha... trying to stop her tears. They talked on for almost an hour. Swetha was all the time advising him, on what to do and what not to do. And Rahul was responding with a "Yes dear" "Ofcourse I will" "Sure, I wont"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A couple of days had gone by. They used to call each other every day. They did not miss the good morning / good evening / how are you / I am fine ... SMS almost every hour. Thanks to the Airtel to Airtel free SMS scheme. Slowly the days went by. Two weeks had past since they parted.

That Saturday, Rahul called up Swetha in the morning and said... "Hey Swetha... you know what... I am gonna have a terrific weekend. We are going to check out Nandi hills today."

"We? What do you mean by we?" asked a puzzled Swetha.

"Oh Oh. I completely forgot to tell you about my new friend. She is so cute. We are in the same project. We both are going to the hill station. Just about to leave... So thought of calling you up and say a hi."

Somehow the "hi" was not so enticing for Swetha. Back there, she was finding it hard to talk to anyone after Rahul left, while on the other hand, someone had already taken her place in Rahul's life.

She managed to mumble out "That's great Rahul. Have a nice time... and enjoy yourself." She was kinda upset, but dint show it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Days went by and Swetha was feeling that the distance between her and Rahul was slowly increasing.

Then one day... the phone at her desktop rang.

"Swetha... you have to go to Bangalore for one week to gather the details of our APPLE project". It was the voice of her PM. Swetha could hardly believe her ears. "Wow! What luck! I can meet Rahul for a week," she said to herself.

She was very much happy and excited over this new twist. As luck would have it... it was Rahul's birthday next week. She thought of giving him a big surprise. Therefore, she hid the news from him. Next week, Swetha was in Bangalore. Thanks to the huge crowd of people, she managed to go unnoticed by anyone, especially Rahul, for the first day. It was evening. She had left office early. She went to the market and brought some beautiful flowers. She had been waiting for this day. Flowers have this magical way of pleasing people... and so she was choosy in selecting them. Rahul was her best friend, and she cared a lot about him.

Taking the flowers home, she had her dinner and was waiting for time to pass. She knew Rahul's address... she left the hotel at 11:30 and hired a taxi to reach Rahul's place. It was a short distance away, so she reached pretty soon. She groped around and found out his flat. The lights were still on. She frowned. She wanted this to be a magnificent surprise and hence had expected him to be sleeping.

Nevertheless, she timidly went to the door and rang the bell. The door opened in a few seconds... There was Rahul. "Happy birthday..." said Swetha. Rahul was stunned. He could not believe his eyes. Taking the flowers, he said. "Oh gosh! Thank you so much Swetha. I never expected you... come on... come inside..." Swetha removed her shoes and went in.

Little did she knew that there was a bigger surprise waiting for her inside. She saw that the room was decorated and there was a birthday cake, which had candles on it. There was a pretty girl standing there in blue denims and a red top.

"Err... Swetha let me introduce you to Neha. And Neha, this is my friend Swetha" The girls exchanged smiles and said Hi to each other.

Swetha felt uncomfortable. She wanted to be the first one to wish him on his birthday. But look here! It seemed that someone else had already done it. Still, controlling her feelings, she did not react. They sang the birthday song together, cut the cake, and had fun. The Party was over. Swetha said, "Rahul, it's getting late, I will leave now. Can you tell me where can I find a taxi?"

"Hey, are u nuts or what? It is very late. You don't need to go anywhere. Sleep here tonight. Even Neha has decided to stay back."

Swetha would never have accepted this, but the last line "Even Neha has decided to stay back" drove her to say, "Well, if you insist, I will stay back." The next day morning, once again Shweta wished Rahul and left for her hotel.

Work was hectic. She met Rahul for his dinner party in the evening. Neha was with him. She found this annoying, but as usual, did not utter a word.

The next day morning, she called Rahul and said... "You mean fellow, you haven't shown me around Bangalore. I am free today evening. Take me to the good places"

"Sure we will do that baby." Was his reply.

The day was boring for Swetha with not much work to do. She waited until five and then buzzed him on his cell. "Where are you Rahul? Come on... let's go!"

"Oh... I am so sorry Swetha; I have this telecon thing... I am gonna be late... just wait for some time... please dear"

"Sure I will wait dear, you finish your work. Tell me where are u, I will come there and cheer you up", said Swetha.

"Hey that's fine dear. No need to take any trouble... Besides, Neha is also here."

Swetha was surprised. She had not expected him to say this. This time, not knowing how to react... she was searching for words to reply... she struggled and said... "Well.. err ... Rahul.. I am.. err very tired.. I think I will go back... err.. Let us go tomorrow..."

Rahul replied "Wow, that's fine... no problem. We will surely go tomorrow okay, thanks a ton Swetha for understanding."

Unfortunately tomorrow never came. Rahul was busy with one thing or the other. She was feeling all the more lonely and desolate. The feeling that Neha had replaced her position sank her. A frustrated and irritated Swetha was waiting for her last day in Bangalore.

That day, she did not expect Rahul to call her. So to inform him that she is leaving, she called him in the evening and told him that she is leaving in an hour. She was shocked by Rahul's reply. "Oh I am so sorry dear; I won't be able to come to see you off. Today I have a very important meeting, I am really sorry yaar."

"Its okay Rahul", said Swetha, thinking at the back of her mind... what meeting could Rahul possible have after office hours.

Heartbroken by the crushing changes she found in her best friend, she left for the Majestic bus station and boarded her bus. She kept on looking outside as if she was expecting a miraculous surprise. But no one turned up. Resting her head on the slide seat, she closed her eyes. Memories of those wonderful times spent with Rahul were flashing in front of her eyes. She did not have any grudges that Rahul had replaced her, but what pricked her was how easily she was forgotten and forsaken. The journey was perhaps the dullest and saddest for Swetha.

Back in Mysore, and back to work, Shweta was trying to cope up with life. After a week, Rahul called her up. She did not want to create an issue, but just could not stand it. She blurted out everything. She asked him to give an explanation. His reply was "Look Swetha, you are a very good friend of mine. But now, there is someone more important in my life. Someone with more priority. Swetha... I am in love with Neha." The words were so cold that Swetha could feel its bite.

Gathering all the bits of her remaining calm, she sobbed and said. "I don't have any problem with that Rahul. But falling in love doesn't essentially mean that you have to forsake your old friends"

"You have never fallen in love. What will you know about love, Swetha?"

Rahul's words shattered her heart. She had never expected to hear this from the person she cared and loved the most. She quietly cut the phone. She shut her eyes tight and cried.

That night it rained.

How dare you ....

This is taken from a guest article on rediff. There is something funny about the way it is written. What do you say?

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How dare you kiss in Chennai?
Chennai, the city of auto majors Ford, Hyundai, BMW, Ashok Leyland. Chennai, the city of software majors TCS, Wipro, Infosys, Xansa.

Chennai, the city of several engineering colleges and thousands of engineering students.

Chennai, the city where the country's first six-lane information technology expressway is under construction.

Chennai, the city of the Big Brother.

Scene One

A park in Chennai. A young teenage boy and a girl are sitting on a bench munching peanuts. The distance between them slowly reduces, and the boy puts his hand on the girl's shoulder and draws her close to him. They are still talking and munching peanuts. No, they are not about to kiss, but their physical proximity is such that they can. That is, if Big Brother does not turn up. And he does.

The terrified kids jump up.

"What are you two doing here?" asks Big Brother.

"Nothing…" the boy stammers.

"Nothing? What nothing? You are doing something," Big Brother thunders.

"We were talking and eating peanuts," the boy's voice is barely audible.

"What? Can't you talk loudly?" Big Bother's voice is so loud that the two young things clasp hands in fright.

"Take your hands off her." Big Brother whacks the boy with his baton so hard that his eyes fill with tears. The girl has already started crying.

"No tears. No crying. Don't you know boys and girls are not supposed to sit so close to each other and hold hands in a public place?"

The boy wants to ask 'What's wrong in us sitting close and holding hands?'

"Don't say she's your girl friend?"

The boy nods.

"Girlfriend and boyfriend? What is this world coming to? Come on, get into the jeep. I am taking you two into custody."

Moral of the story: If you are in Chennai, never sit on a park bench with your girlfriend or boyfriend. And, most importantly, never hold hands. It is not part of the great Chennai Culture.

Scene 2

A party in the discotheque of a luxury hotel. Loud chatter, louder music. Couples dancing merrily on the floor. The music gets louder and the dancers more passionate. Bodies intertwine. Soon, some lips lock.

Enter Big Brother on the dance floor.

"Stop!" his voice booms, but the music is too loud. He keeps shouting, but no one can hear him. He rushes towards the DJ console and terrorises the DJ into stopping the music.

The romantic world of the couples shatters.

Big Brother jumps onto a chair and shouts, "What's this? What's going on here? Don't you have any respect for this great city, and its great culture?"

"What's he saying?" A woman whispers as she comes out of the trance.

"You people better listen to me. This is a great city..."

"How many times will he say that?" Another woman laughs.

"The culture of the city is so great that here, no woman and man should hug each other in public, nobody should dance like mad people. You should learn to dance Bharata Natyam. That's our culture, and not this. Here, no man and woman kiss each other in a public place."

"This is not a public place. This is a hotel, and this is a dance floor," an angry young man shouts back.

"I will arrest you for insulting our great culture. No man and woman should kiss in a hotel even if they are husband and wife. You will be arrested if you do that. Today, I, the Big Brother, forgive you," he jumps off the chair and walks away.

Moral of the story: In Chennai, you should not go to a dance party unless it is Bharata Natyam. You should not kiss your spouse even if you are dancing the Bharata Natyam. You should respect the great culture and traditions of the city.

Scene 3

An engineering college campus. Three students are summoned to the principal's room to appear before a panel of five teachers whose duty is to question 'immoral' students and punish them. The students' fault; they are wearing short, sleeveless tops and tight jeans, and they were caught talking to boys.

"What kind of dress are you wearing? Were you seducing the boys when we caught you? Don't come crying to us if you get raped. If you dress like this, anything can happen. Remember, this kind of indecent dress is not allowed in this city and in this college, understand? Now, go home and get Rs 500 as fine for wearing sleeveless top and tight jeans. If you want good jobs in good companies, you should learn to dress properly, and also learn not to flirt with boys," The teachers shout at the girls.

Once the girls are done with, five boys are called in. They also undergo a dressing down for 'wearing dark coloured shirts,' 'talking to girls' and 'flirting with them'.

"You people will never see even the gates of an IT company," the jury declares.

Moral of the story: If you are an engineering student in Chennai, you should dress 'decently' and never talk to the opposite sex. That is, if you want a good job in a good company.

Scene 4

Angry women demonstrating -- with brooms and flip flops -- in front of a movie actress' house. The women shout unprintable abuses, spit on the gate, burn her effigy.

In an interview, the actress had advised people of the city to have safe sex. She had pooh poohed the idea of pre-marital virginity as an essential virtue.

"You dirty woman, you insulted our great culture. How dare you live here? We will banish you to the Andamans," roars the mob.

Moral of the story: If you are a woman living in Chennai, a city that has Big Brothers who flaunt their several wives/mistresses as proof of their wealth and social status, never talk about sex, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, AIDS, condoms or virginity.

Scene 5

The bedroom of a newlywed couple. It is an unusually cool night, and passion is running high. As they are about to kiss, the voice of Big Brother booms.

"Stop!"

They stop in mid-kiss. "But why? We are husband and wife. We are not in a park. We are not on the dance floor of a hotel. We are in our bedroom. Can't we have some privacy in here too?"

"No, Big Brother is watching you. You should abstain from sex today."

"But why?" The couple dare to question the Big Brother.

"Today is Thursday, the day of abstinence." Big Brother announces.

"Can we have at least one kiss?" they plead.

"No kiss today. You can kiss on Mondays and Wednesdays and can have sex on Fridays and Sundays. This is Big Brother's order. Remember, Big Brother is watching."

****

No, this is not an adaptation of George Orwell's 1984. This is 2005, and the city is Chennai.

Yes, Chennai, the city that has blah blah blah.