Super Purple Patch

Yessss...Thats the word to describe love, pyaar, mohabbat, ishq, kaadal so on and so forth. I was somehow never able to conjure up the ideal description. It seemed world over the dictionary was filled with words that could describe the "undescribable" feeling. No No..I am surely not in love..

Here is the story - I have a brother (big deal).. The point is that he is an exact carbon copy of me. Except he has better looks. The difference in looks however is difficult to discern. Its only when I have been extremely critical of how I look is how I have managed to arrive at this conclusion. Like most madrasis he was good at school, decent at college and thats about it. He did dabble a bit with GMAT and all, but then when he finally landed up in a good job, the thoughts kind of evaporated.

Arvind is a very very nice guy. Like the one on which I have a blog entry. Every kudi seem to mistake him for his friend when he so wants to be her lover. And since he is inching to the 30s (Deepak what bullshit, He is going to be just 28 this dec), his parents decided to put him on the "E-bay of marriage" - Tamilmatrimony.com. And so my brother was on sale. Like most foolish day dreamer he wanted to fall in love and then get married. I told him, "Boss, This doesnt happen. Give and take here and there, zero in on a decent girl and close it...that is if you want to get married." He understood where I was coming for. But my bro wanted to be the knight in shining armour - all draped in an iron dress, riding on a white horse, with a bouquet in his hand. Barring the last, I do not think he is adept at doing the rest. His parents, especially my Atte, is obsessed with dhoomketus & toote taare. So, each time she would get any response from the site she would run pillar to post with jadagams (horoscope or kundli) to brahmins who would analyse like Equity analyst & finally certify whether the proposed stock on offer was worth the investment of life or not. More often than not the proposals would get rejected at this level itself. The lucky ones who did manage down the first stage could not clear the all important stage of the boy's assent. And eventually my brother ended with many ladki dostiyan.

So, along came polly. I mean one day Arvind gets this arbid mail from a girl who liked his profile. So, they got talking, chatting, emailing. Over time it became addicting. Just when they were beginning to find each other's company interesting, kahani me twist aaya. Like a triangle a new hero emerged. This guy had earlier rejected the girl(The details are irrrelevant) and was remorseful. The girl was confused. And so were we. Ab kya? Now what? Though my brother denied it, but I could clearly notice his desperation for the girl. They had never met, but the attraction was palpable. I told him, "Dekh Bhai. Tell her not to put everybody in a state of needless confusion. Ask her to make up her mind - Ya is paar ya us paar." Though my bro was not in love, I told him to lie to the girl so that she gets the assurance. But both of us are basically from the very old school. He was of the view, "I think she needs time. Let me give her the space she needs." Cool.

So, today when my bro called up, he was upbeat. The girl in fact had decided to be with him. Ab uske din ki neend aur raaton ka chen chala gaya tha (Did I just manage to replace the phrase). Pyaar me sab jaayaz hai. He made some key observations.

a) I am in Love
b) Both of us are in Love (He and the girl stupids)
c) I am glad that I gave the space she needed to decide
d) Deepak, I am thankful I did not listen to you (Excuseeeee me)

Then he used this phrase - "You know Deepak, I am in this absolutely Super Purple Patch." I love literary jugglery. I instantly said, "Wah wah wah wah". His plans are that he is going to meet the girl at 6 am in the morning when he lands up in Chennai sometime soon. Teach her to fly kite on Marina Beach. I have personally assured him that the third guy can be dumped off anytime he wants. He said ,"Thank you very much." Fine by me. He advised me to "sow the seeds" to reap the benefits later. Meaning either register myself to that site or meet as many girls as possible, 'cause he believes it takes time to find the "right one". Hello I am no Morpheus searching for "Neo". I just had one answer, "Hmmmm.." Thats a common reply when I feel the other guy is bullshitting. He got it immediately , "Do whatever you want."

I didnt give it too much thought as I was too engrossed in the dead rubber between India-England. As I am writing this, I am still clueless about it. I just hope that Arvind ko uska pyaar mil jaaye. Kuchh to exciting ho life me, meri nahi to kisi aur ki hi sahi...

Joshi's love story and horrorscope

Saurabh Joshi was quite a character in college. Hyper to say the least. On hindsight, I feel he used to dope and come to college. When making presentation, he used to be so excited that he would spit on professors and the front benchers. But nobody ever complained. Anyways, today he called up to invite for his marriage. During the talks it came out that he had had a filmy love story.

He met the girl at the airport. He was about to miss a flight and he fought with the flight attendant. Such was his fierceness of his fight, that the flight attendant called upon the airport manager to sort out the issue. He was close to getting jailed. And then he apologised and sorted things out amicably. After that Mr. Joshi gave his card to the girl. And the lady gave him her number (this part of the story was hard to digest). So, Mr. Joshi forgot all about the lady, until she called upon him (Was she mad???). And they hit off well. And now they are getting married. I was quite impressed. These filmy things never seem to happen to me, though I keep my imagine runs wild. And I really regret it. I mean, really.....It doesnt make sense... I am a stupid dreamer..thats it....

When I was a teenager I used to read the daily horoscope for "Geminis" on the supplement by Shamshir Luthra. But I would never seem to fit into any of those predictions.

Keep a check on finances - I was not on any pocket money
Problems in family - Barring the lights off at ten, I did not have anything to complain
Good day to start a new venture - Like what??
Career will be on track - Probably the next test, assignment of exams
You will find love - When? Where? With whom? How could I be biased?( I was and in love with all the females of the world)

Then I thought, may be like driving license, voting rights or the minimum age limit for liquor consumption, may be these predictions could be valid for me after 18 or 21 or 23. But till now, they never seem to talk that applies to me. Now they are about -

Big contracts will fructify - Really??
Relations with relatives will be strained - Its been over three years since I have attended a family gathering
Health of children will improve - No comments

Though I still read them, trying to figure out who are those people for whom these predictions are meant.

Let me end here...I mean this blog....

Dostana and Nice guys

Like most of my blogs, I will not start this one with a "So....". But I am so addicted to the word "So..", So pardon my readers (Off, here I go again). So, my friend resigned from his job. Since graduating from PG, he has changed 4 jobs. Apparently, he is not willing to go through the sales grind of sales targets, Danda and Gaali galoch. What is more appalling is that he is married now. We as a group are more worried about his career than him.

But after downing a couple of Beer Mugs, we zeroed in on our lives. In this unsafe world where three single guys are meeting over a drink, laughing and joking can be easily construed as Homosexuals, we began the discussion that most single men do - Women.

Shagun: Its been fucking 3 years & I dont have a girl with me as yet
Me: Its been fucking 26 years & I dont have a girl with me as yet
Atanu: Its been fucking 30 years & I dont have a girl with me as yet

(We all look at each other...blink...and down our drinks...bring on round two)

Shagun: Deepak, lets go to Bangkok. Its the sex capital of the world.
Me: And do what?
Atanu(giggles) : We will play cricket
Me: I dont think they have cricket grounds, besides its too expensive.
Shagun(petrified): Are you crazy? A 3 night and two day stay will be about 20 grand. Inclusive of massages, and the masti it will cost just about 50 ground. It will be much cheaper than going to Goa.
Atanu(We call him the "truck driver" for his ability to finish a bottle of whisky without a wink): I think its a good idea
Me: Will have to think about it. I have a marriage coming up in south, so I might just utilize my LTA there and you know...
Shagun: What an ass? Madrasi, kabhi to socha kar. ( A girl with scantily dressed passes by. We all stare her and bare her). See, do something beyond the letching.
(We again stare at each other......blink...and down our drinks......bring on round three)

We all come out. There was still time for the movie. It was the same all the way. We were in south delhi and the crowd there is a treat to the eyes. And your senses go haywire there. Mouths speaking, Stare elsewhere and mind god knows. In my argument with my friends on our favorite topic - "Love and Lust", I am the lone guy batting for "Love". And I was losing this one.....again....

Shagun: All guys are earning money to have sex with the best girl. The more money, the more sexier woman you get to screw.
Me: APJ Abdul Kalam.
Shagun: Did he have money?
Me: How do you know?
Shagun: What if he was doing his maid?
Atanu: he he he he. Disgusting. Shaggy c'mon...
Me: Give me "Google" and I....
Shagun: Sab bakwaas hai...trust me.....
Me: Ok Ok point taken. So, its all about screwing is it?
Shagun: Yo baby!
Me: You know Shagun, Its all sounds very simple to you dude. But I have a very complicated opinion on it.
Shagun: I know gyaani baba. Emotions wagerah...
Atanu: he he he he.....Both of us are yet to open our accounts.
(All laugh....and the entire crowd stops for a second to take a look at the miscreants)
Me: There is no shame in admission than screwing around with every fucking girl you meet.
Shagun: I never said that. But bhai, you must do the "Dew".
Me: Bad One. Though as a view point, I guess for me its fairly fine. But it just doesn't sink in well. I tend to confuse "Sexuality" with "Morality". I know its archaic. I feel like a "Terminator" sent to the future than back in time.
Shagun & Atanu: This joke is equally bad
Shagun: I read that Nice guy article you sent me. You are straight out of that one.
Me: I think its time for the movie.
Shagun (stubbs his smoke....giggles): Kuchh kar saale.....

We had a great time at the movie. "Dostana" is a nice time pass & worth a watch. The whole concept of "homosexuality" has been handled really well. It never comes cross as cheap. I think for once Abhishek redeemed himself after giving a pathetic performance in "Drona". When the movie ended, all three of us were sharing a smoke......An old lady passes by and started to giggle. Atanu is a gentle giant but suddenly he exploded, "Hum teeno ko koi problem nahi hai. Kya zamana hai 3 ladke chain se sutta bhi nahi maar sakte. Ghor kalyug!!!"...

I guess that just sort of summarizes the fact. Some of us are single by choice but mostly are by chance. There is internal commotion to which category I belong to. More than that its just that I belong to a rare breed that still has some semblance of respect left for the fairer sex. I think they are an intelligent breed that has far more to offer than merely satisfaction of sexual fantasies of guys.

What say ladies???

Yeh hai "Youngistan" meri jaan!!!

I turned 26 last month. I still find it hard to believe. I guess most people feel the way I do. I kept wondering if I was really that old. Though I might like to brush aside my receding hairline as one of nature's anomaly, but the kids in my colony tend to certify the anomaly as a reality by addressing me as "Uncle" each time we bump into each other. The feeling is exemplified when I visit public place & observe the "Youth" around me who are forever in pursuit of attention (The latest is the shaving off the head , courtesy Aamir Khan's Ghajini look). There are certain facts of life which you always tend to overlook, I guess thats what fantasy is all about. Like I still believe my self to be not more than 18 years old. But I am a good 8 years older.

So, my sudden ill health has invited interest from possibly every nook and corner of the world. Sympathy, I always feel tends to aggravate than subside the agony. But such is human nature. Anyways, so my cousin decided to pay me a visit. I do not know, But I have this issue with relatives. Since, I started interacting more closely with creatures outside my family circles, I have found my "relatives" belonging to a different planet together. I can literally count on my fingers the cousins with whom I get along fairly well. In nut shell, "this blast from the past" was an uninvited guest. Even as I made faces to my mother, she announced with great galore that my cousin was coming.

When he arrived, I was watching Uma Thurman train in the second part of "Kill Bill". But the training session was interrupted as his cell phone beeped. I guess it was some rock music and he started to shout in the middle of the room. Talk about manners. After he kept the phone down, we exchanged greetings. It was so cold, I could possibly feel the chill surrounding our presence in the room. I realised we hardly had anything to discuss. Let me give a brief description of his. His hair was unruly and he looked straight out from the "Tarzan Family". A jeans and a T-shirt that was apt for an unclean cloth for a "Surf Excel" advertisement. He had an unclean look to him, which prompted me to ask my next question. "Is that how unclean you remain in college as well". He replied, "No bhaiyya, only on Sundays I dont take bath. But today was an exception". I was left speechless. But for one brief moment, I felt "Old".

As he kept fiddling with his mobile phone and with that device kept beeping announcing the receipt of some message or the other. I wondered, who could possibly be messaging him all the time. It struck me then, "Boss, Deepak he could be popular or may be he had a girlfriend. Hey, I was famous, but then I did not have a girlfriend. Oh, yes I did not have a cell phone." I felt so relieved to have solved the mystery of my sudden "Inferiority complex".

He glanced at my medicines. My mother acted worried. He looked at my reports & gave the customary , "hmm" of a doctor. He made the same observations that any physician would make. I listened intently. I then asked him, "So, how are you going back?". With unknown audacity he answers, "Flight bhaiyya". I asked, "Kyon, Why not train?" He retorts back, "Its convenient". I inquire, "But dost isn't it expensive also". He gave me the look that he would probably give to his parents. Thankfully the uneasy silence was broken by my mother.

So, the next morning when he was leaving. I made a gesture of giving him some money. And in seconds he took out Rs. 1,000 from my hand. But it seems that he thought that it was Rs. 500 and he makes a comment , "Kya Bhaiyya, people keep giving me these Rs. 500 notes. I dont know how to manage them". I watch what I donate, so I immediately spat like a snake, " Buddy, that is Rs. 1,000 that I have given you!!!!" And then..........he just walked away........I wondered if I missed the "Thank you" or the diffidence that he should have showed while accepting the gift from me.

You know, each time I see Ranbir Kapoor on the Pepsi ad of Youngistan, I wonder if this generation could be so dumb or so callous sometimes(drunken driving cases, smoking on the rise, a generation equally conscious of both brand and sex than the Indian culture). But when I bump into these samples, I am forced to believe that our "Generationext" has indeed paved way for the "Youngistan".

Dil, Dosti Etc.

So, When Gupta told me that "uska kat gaya", I deciphered that his tryst with destiny had finally come to an end. Gupta is a close friend & we have seen together many crests & troughs in life. In college we were inseparable. Those were the days when guys could be close friends without being mistaken for being "Gays".

Gupta was a complete contrarion to me. If I was thin & dark, Gupta was plump & fair. If I was an iconoclast, he was a traditionalist. If I was agnostic about religion, he was a devout Hindu. If I was having a humble upbringing, Gupta was born with a silver spoon. If I lacked total sense of dressing, then Gupta was all style & panache. But I think the one thing that connected us more than anything else was our great ability to fall for females at the drop of a hat.

It was in December 2000, that we were stuck with a grave problem. At 10:00 pm in the night, both of us realised that we had no idea of how to value ESOPS. After much debate it was decided to call upon for help Ms. X. Ms. X was the topper of the class & of course the "bomb shell" of the class. There was an intense debate between us on who will call her. Many pillows & bedsheets were sacrificed in the ten minute pillow fight. Until Gupta finally confessed, "Srini, I am in love with her." At the point of being called upon to sacrifice my infatuation for a friend, I gleefully offered it. Having failed to resist the temptation I ended up making frequent passes at the girl in question without the knowledge of Gupta. Though I never gave it a real shot, on hindsight I think I did manage to accomplish the unsaid objective of impressing her. Gupta on the other hand, tried everything he could from writing poetry to her to sending flowers to her residence that said "Guess who" (She never guessed it & when Gupta confessed he got a dressing down he will never forget. Yours truly was an accomplice to the crime). But she was beyond his reach anyways. So, when Gupta finally threw his hands up in the air, I was there for him. For days together, we discussed on where he (we) went wrong. Why couldn't the hottest girl in the class be his? Gupta never found an answer, but he did find a girl. (P.S. years later, I cleared the air with Gupta & confessed on my clandestine attempts on Ms. X. For the crime, Gupta gave me a friendly box in the ear & to date my mother complains that something is wrong with my hearing)

This Girl Miss Y was possibly the reason why Me & Gupta grew apart in the second year of college. Gupta became very recluse after the Miss X fiasco. Though, we were involved in the organization of our college's seminar, I could clearly sense a distance between us. Gupta also started to bunk classes. I was told that he was calling sick for college. But soon after Gupta appeared cheerful. His zest for life returned and it was heartening to see him smile & crack senseless jokes. We were all very surprised & concerned. As the second year came to an end, Gupta was again found remorseful. The day our seminar concluded, all of us were so overwhelmed at having brought to life a thought, we had tears in our eyes. But Gupta for some reason was crying profusely. Soon, we started smiling but Gupta couldnt hold on to his tears. After much suasion, gupta confessed that he had broken off with his girlfriend. "GIRLFRIEND", I shouted. And then he told us the whole story. He had met her on chat, then they became friends "aur phir kab pyaar ho gaya pata hi nahi chala". In his own words. Just when the involvement was becoming too difficult to handle, they broke off because they thought that EVENTUALLY it may not work out. Very thoughtful but very stupid. (Many years later, I will repeat the same mistake).

That was the start of the test of our friendship. I became busy with my preparation for MBA entrance & so did Gupta. In the general confusion that happens in a campus, both of us found new and interesting friends. We did manage to spend time with each other, but it was more a formality than anything else - exchange of notes, lift back home, discussion on MBA colleges & many other mundane things. Somewhere both of us lost touch with each other's pulse & we never felt it. Both of us never felt entirely comfortable with the kind of friends we were hanging out with but none had the guts or felt the urge to point it out. Th funny thing was that we would catch up on each other's life from common friends.

In the last semester, things turned around suddenly. At the start of the semester all of us knew our MBA colleges, so the tenseion had eased out considerably. One day, while waiting for my bus, Gupta stopped his car near the bus stop. "Why the hell do you waste two hours of your time commuting in buses?" Gupta shouted from his car. I shouted back, "Because I have a Rs. 30 bus pass which is valid in buses only." Gupta responded, "You know Srini, being a baniya I have more sense of money than you. I think time is more valuable than money." While driving back Gupta broached the idea of "Car Pool". I thought, for a second, and then readily agreed. The last semester was great fun as we indulged ourselves in many a long drives, endless discussions on life, universe and everything and of course the nearly daily outings for bhel puri at Kamla Nagar market. Both of us started to understand each other much better. The hiatus proved to be a much needed glue to our friendship. We were so happy discussing othe irrelevant things than lamenting about lost love.

When I was leaving for my MBA, Gupta came to see me off. It was touching to say the least. After my second trimester ended, I made a brief visit home. The night before I was to leave, Gupta came home at 11 pm in the night. We drove at a nearby tea stall. The elaichi flavored tea was just the right boost in the nail biting winter. Hesitantly he told me, "I am in love". I was at complete loss of words. Though, there could have been many words that I could have used at that moment, but the one word that kept knocking the door of my lips were , "AGAIN...". Gupta continued, "I met her at my brother's marriage. She is from Mumbai. If all goes well, we might get married in the next couple of months." The hot sip floating in my mouth finally found an exit with a gulp. I could have said many things, asked many questions, but I just wanted to make him feel good & confident about the whole thing. I just said, "Let me know the date of the marriage, I will have a lot to manage to make it to your wedding.". We hugged & Gupta had tears in his eyes.

Back at my MBA, as my turbulent first year came to an end, on the first day of my summer training, I got a call from Gupta. I kept saying hello with no response on the other side. Here was I, terribly nervous on my first corporate exposure & on top of that Gupta was not speaking. He cut the phone without saying a word. I was worried. After concluding my first day, I called him from an STD booth. "Hey, what happned? Are you ok?". Gupta gave a very cold reply. After a pause he said, "She is getting married next month." Now, I was the one who was at complete loss of words. Though he didnt cry on the phone that time, but I could feel the pain in his voice as he narrated to me the chain of events. The girl was just deriving some sense of sadistic pleasure by keeping him involved. I was like WTF. But then such are people. For months together after that Gupta kept the pain inside him & emersed himself in his work. He was so involved that he rarely found time to call.

The change that happened after that was quite apparant. Gupta was no longer the emotional kind. Everything in life was now measureable & quantifiable. Everything in Life was a Profit & Loss account. "What is in it for me?" became the attitude of Gupta. Gupta also had a physical makeover. From the plumpy & baby faced Gupta, he turned into a lean six-packed macho. Our talks are now centered around Stocks, money, his business and my job. It lacks the humane touch that I so long from Gupta. Gupta, meanwhile, finally resigned to the fate of arranged marriage. He met numerous girls. Some friends say that the figure is pegged at nearly 50, spread over 4 years, but I dont acknowledge it. His parameters of judging his life partner are quite stringent - Beautiful, slim, well educated, not working, housewife, family oriented and what not. I never questioned any of these things as I have never done it in the past. He was patient & he finally found one that is pretty close to what he is looking for.

So, when Gupta announced that he was getting married, it seemed that life has indeed taken a full circle. From the days of being a reluctant lover to being a focussed life-partner seeker, I have seen him change. After all the trials & tribulations he went through in his love life, I wish him all the very luck in his married life. Will love find its way though the maze of Gupta's expectations? I think it will........

Toast for Nice Guys

This is not my original entry, so I will definitely not take credit for it. I got this as a forward & feel that its relevant to enlighten the world about yours truly. I could not gather the original write to this piece. But I enjoyed it so much that thought that it was worth a post on my blog. So, here's a toast for Mr. Srinivas - The Nice Guy -

"....This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores.

This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/ beautiful/ smart/ funny/

sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl's every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.

This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they're at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don't end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.

This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn't worry about it. This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree you'd ever orchestrated in GTA3 to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor. This is also for that time she didn't have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing "serious" between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: "oh, but we're just friends!" And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you're nice like that.

The nice guys don't often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don't seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can't. From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as "oh, he's too nice to date" or "he would be a good boyfriend but he's not for me" or "he already puts up with so much from me, I couldn't possibly ask him out!" or the most frustrating of all: "no, it would ruin our friendship." Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks. Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I can't figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I'm going to sleep with this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn't last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.

So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know you're sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming....."

For a long time, I wanted to pen this kind of thought. But found myself wanting for words on several occasions. I hope you enjoyed reading this one.

A day when nothing went right

So, on the eve of Diwali I realized that I had a string of holidays coming up. But the worst part was that I was unprepared for it. The point was that my holidays were coming when the rest of the world had already had its share. Multiple discussions with friends proved futile. So, I decided to live by each day.

First two days, I tried to help out mother with the household chores. Since I have returned, my mother has the complaint that I treat the home as a hostel. Which is an incomplete truth. So, the day was an ideal opportunity for me to earn some brownie points. But even after doing those chores, I had time in abundance with me. I watched Raj Kapoor's "Awaara". No comments on this one. Then some time was wasted watching the dead rubber of India-Australia test match.

But the worst was yesterday. It was just one of the days when everything did not go right. The day started with my Insurance adviser seeking the appointment. It was to be coupled with a date. The date apparently was getting a CT scan done. So, when I called her to confirm the time, she said her health permitting will meet up. I advised her to take rest (Like most nice guys do)& canceled it. I then decided to finish at least the insurance work. That was the only part of the day which went unhindered. Again before leaving to meet the insurance guy, we (me & my mother) had a heated argument -

Mother: What is the need for additional insurance?
Me: I dont think I am adequately insured?
Mother: What is that supposed to mean?
Me: Meaning if I happen to die.....
Mother: Sai Rammm...
Me: What?
Mother: What kind of thought is that?
Me: Isnt that a reality?
Mother: Doesnt mean it has to be spelt out?
Me: The whole idea is that I can be at peace in my afterlife, If I am sure that I left sufficient for my family.
Mother : And if you are not around, what are we supposed to do with that money you idiot....Anyways what kind of return are you getting?
Me: Its not an endowment policy, its a term plan. You get money only if I die else you dont.
Mother: What is the use of such a policy if there is no return?
Me: You just have to kill me then.
Mother: I dont understand, do whatever you want. Go to hell!!
Me: Definitely, but not before leaving you with loads on money.
Mother: You better get lost before I throw you out of the house.

Me and mother are like that only. We have always been at swords since my teenage days. Its like good and evil. Each is indispensable without the other. Its anybody's guess who the evil is. :-) This gives me a strange comforting feeling that my spouse might actually end up on the same side as my mother. War strategist will agree that one front is more easier to handle than two.

So, I met the Insurance Adviser. Just as I was signing the documents & we were discussing the nuances of what will happen in the event if my death, my head swung a little as I tried to imagine life without me. Sure, it will not make a difference to the world. But what about my family? All the Metlife, Tata AIG, HDFC & LIC advertisements started playing on my mind - "Zindagi ke saath bhi, Zindagi ke baad bhi." My perennially depressed friend Akash always says, "Trust me death is the only panacea to all depression. Zindagi hai tabhi dost,biwi,maa,baap hain. Maut ke baad to sab khatm hai dost!!" And I always snub him.

I called upon a friend to CP. As I was waiting for him, I was reminded of my days as an undergraduate running around CP. One of the most exhilarating fact was the discovery of the 12 pillars on "barakhamba road". Many people do not know that there are actually 12 pillars on which the road is named after. So, my friend arrived.

Mr. Ashwin Subramanium - An idealist to the core. Batchmate from Symbi. A hardcore environmentalist. Currently disillusioned with the whole concept of Carbon credits - his area of expertise these days. In one of my earlier blogs, I have clearly mentioned that this whole carbon thing is just a financially jugglery. If not contained today, it will burst in our face like the recent credit crisis. But am damn sure the fiasco will happen.

Sipping on a Cold chocolate, Ashwin suggested that we go to some Monument. The ones that he listed were all Mughal monuments. I dont know what went through my mind when I mentioned it to him. I rejected the idea & then we finally zeroed in on the idea of watching a play/ theatre. We had about 2 hours to while away before the play started. Over umpteen cups of tea and coffee both of us were unabashed in our criticism towards MBAs. But somehow throughout the discussion I was lost.

We reached the play well in time. But the play turned out to be one from amateurs. I am no expert on theatre, but given my limited exposure I can easily identify the follies. Even Ashwin could do it. That the play started one hour late only aggravated the agony. And on top of that we were being tormented by "play sympathizers", who clapped & laughed at anything that was not even remotely exciting. And so, in typical Gandhian way of non-violent protest we staged a "walk out". Nobody stopped us.

As we stepped out, the "Night crawler" called up. Night crawler is Mr. Shagun Somani. A workaholic & an alcoholic. He booked the tickets to the movie "Fashion". It had been a terrible day so far. Though it was a late night show, in the hope that the movie might redeem the day in some way, I gave it a go ahead. My mother gave me her peace of mind when I told her that I will be late.

Near the movie hall, we searched for a pub to catch a couple of beers. What we found was an ultra expensive restaurant. Desperation was the need of the hour for the company. Forced to gulp down an expensive foreign beer just made the whole experience of liquor quite distasteful.

The movie turned out to be another icing on the cake to an already depressing day. "Fashion" is a movie about "Sex and Gays". Terribly disappointing. I think what made the movie a drab was that the plot was fairly predictable & one-track. There was no attempt made to explore the sub plots within the fashion industry. There was the usual sleazy jokes on gays. And of course who could have ignored the skin show & the sex. Given the film maker's credentials, it was big let down. I prayed for the movie to end. But the climax never came. I waited and waited and waited...By the time the movie ended it was 2 am.

Now, The whole idea of driving back 30 kms was weighing down. I started my car & for some wierd reason, my car refused to be driven slowly. I had to speed. Each time I would slow it down, it would start to sputter & jerk. I kept thinking, if I die in a road accident today, I would curse myself in my afterlife for not having finished with the insurance formalities earlier. Though I was no Batman rushing to save the world from the "Joker", the speeding served my purpose of reaching home early. I reached home in half an hour. After the usual exchange of pleasenteries with my mother on coming late, I headed to my room.

As I retired to my bed, I thought back on the day. I thanked God for having created the night as a backup in case the day turned sour. As it did today, the night sleep was blissful.