DAY THAT WAS (JAN 8, 2008)

After a harrowing days work & pain in incisors, I managed to get out of my cubicle early yesterday (Read it as 5:15 pm). Dentist was calling & I was in happy mood, despite the pain. For, I managed to start from the god-forsaken place (Read it as Mahindra World City).

Little did I know about the defamation that I was going to face that evening .My visit to the dentist was smooth & he told with a smile that I need to undergo an another RCT (This will be my 3^rd one J ). This wasn’t a bad news as I was expecting it & smiled to show the ceramic teeth which he fixed 3 months back. Having come back early, I thought I will do some of my personal works which remained pending for a long time.

Little did I care about my appearance while going out to nearby photocopy shop. My hair was unkempt. I didn’t bother to shave my beard, as my Gillette Mach 3 just arrived from Bangalore the day (PS: I am little absent minded & left it in my uncle’s house last month. So, it was a good reason to reduce my shaving frequency to once a week) I was dressed in a decent T shirt (Indigo nation Infosys T shirt, presented by my lovely friends as a parting gift, while I started from Mysore after my training). To keep it short, I had an emasculated rugged appearance.

The shop keeper took my documents & went to another room for photocopying. In the mean time, a lady came to shop & asked me to give her a gel pen quickly. I was shocked. “Am I looking like a shop keeper boy “?? To be frank, I was looking like Himesh Reshmiya without make up or hair dressing. Despite the fact that it did irreparable damage to my persona & tarnished my image in front of couple of other customer’s .I wasn’t in a mood for an altercation & decided to maintain my composure. In fact there was a clear demarcation between the customer & shop keeper side & I was standing in the customer’s side. She realized the fact that I wasn’t the one who is looking after the shop & quickly apologized to me. This abated my anger & was waiting to collect my photocopies

Just then, another boy came running towards me & told “Five copies of Xerox”

“Give me a break” I was shouting these words to myself

There was a mercurial rise of my blood pressure. The kid was so short that even i could trash him hands down.

I lost my temper. I gave a really cold stare for a minute at that boy so that he realized the fact.

After a series of embarrassing incidents, I drove directly to super market to get the Mach 3 razors. The first thing I realized while I was shaving was that it’s wasn’t due to my beard I was looking stupid. The culprit was t-shirt. A polo t shirt is what a sales person would wear & I was wearing one of them (Maroon & white stripes). I narrated the incident to my friend over phone & she reconfirmed my apprehensions about that T shirt. I was brooding over these facts during my shaving &managed some aberrations in my epidermis**. I was Scratched & wounded physically & mentally but the warrior in me wasn’t ready to give up. I managed to complete my shave & catch up some good sleep.

The first thing, I did today morning, before I brushed my teeth, was to spend five minutes to select the dress I wear so that I don’t put myself in embarrassing situation again.

I take this opportunity to thank my lovely friends, who made shop quickly & helped me in getting a salesman T-Shirt

(PS: I shall not disclose the TRUTH of who picked me that T-shirt... The Truth shall be a secret)

** It is sometimes embarrassing to say that you managed to cut your skin while you were shaving. The statement was not meant to be bombastic.

Sojourn

Never in me dreams had i thought that i would be traveling 100 kilometers per day. Well, you must call it fate. My life is bounded within 37 seats of the last first class coach towards chengalpet.For a person like me, who cannot get up from his bed before 7, there is hardly any choice. I have heard about third world countries but i am getting a glimpse of that :)

Thus, the only way to beat a monotonous journey to my work place at "WORLD CITY" is to sit near different people (As a matter of fact, the 30 odd passengers are a static group. I can know judge a station by looking at who is getting in or out of my compartment) It so happened that i met an interesting fellow passenger in train couple of weeks ago.
Looking at his ID card, i came to know that he works for SRMU tambaram.

He started a conversation with me by asking time. (Generally, the coach in which I travel has a set of tired IT folks who prefer listening to their music gadgets instead of starting a conversation with their co passenger. I also belong to this category)

I could sense that he was perturbed for some reason. He was searching through his telephone directory for a particular number. After a successful search hit, he asked me “Can I use your phone? I need to make an urgent call”

I have been in situations where my mobile was down & had to make urgent calls. So I dialed the number for him.
A kid took it. The man had called his grandchild. I could see a million dollar smile in his face. Barriers are broken when people talk. Airtel really connects people :)

The kid hung up & he gave back my phone. He didn’t convey what he wanted to tell. I offered him my mobile & asked him to call again. This time, he was able to convey the message that he is going to their grandchildren’s place. He spoke for a couple of minutes & hung up.

He was talking to me after that. He is working @ SRMU, Tambaram and his house is near avadi. (He also travels the same distance I travel to work) He was telling that he is going to meet his grand children & give them new clothes for pongal. He was pretty much happy. This fellow also sponsors for those kid’s transport to school. With pride, he told that all his grandchildren are in studying in convent.

It was at that time I started introspecting the access of quality education to each & every Indian. In affluent families, it becomes the fundamental right of the children to have access to quality education. But, it’s not the situation everywhere. This person gives a part of his earning to his grandchildren so that their conveyance is smooth. He is happy with that.

I started comparing myself with that person. I also travel the same distance but am not doing happily.
While we were nearing tambaram, he showed me his office. He is sort of proud about his organization.(any worker in his organization would be proud as they help in millions people to have a safe commute) He was telling about the land hazels that railways face due to encroachments.

I never bother to reveal the organization to anyone as long as they ask. It is because I don’t feel that satisfied with what I do. If I turn back over the last 5 months & ask what I did, I have done nothing but a stupid data migration for a client, whom I haven’t seen.

There is a purpose for which that old person, whom I met in the train, is working for. Well, I don’t have any such responsibilities . My dad can still take care of me. I wonder why I am still working :(

Musings shall continue