I miss 2008!!

The year 2008 has been the best year for me. Some of the most important things happened this year. Though I am dying to face my future, I miss this one. The year started for me at The Leela Palace, where the new year party was arranged by my dad's office. The same night, we met with an accident, so bad that it took around a fortnight to get our car back to normal. It was around 1.30 am. The roads were filled with drunkards and there was so much noise everywhere that it was impossible for my dad to concentrate and we hit a bike which seated 3 people. Our luck started there. None of us were injured, not even those 3 in the bike. Our vehicles were completely damaged though.. Again, the policemen were luckily near the site, else, the drunkards on the road could have pelted stones at our car. The police took over the case and it was discharged smoothly..
My 5th sem exams were actually going on at that time. We still had 3 subjects to complete. I could have missed them if there was any sort of injury. Academically too, the year was great. I faced 2 VTU exams this year, and both the times, I got a distinction. The first being the 5th sem exam, I got 72% and in the 6th sem, I got 78%, and was the second topper in our class..
I got placed through Campus Interviews in Infosys and Oracle Financial Services in this year only.. Both offering a good pay for a fresher. I am actually planning to join Oracle because they are likely to post us in Bangalore.
My dad got promoted as an Associate Vice President of the Corporate Legal Dept in his work place, GMR group of Companies. He was so excited, he finally started giving me a respectable pocket money. He always gave me money whenever I asked him, whatever may be the amount. But, I insisted I have some pocket money, so that I can manage my accounts in a better way. Well, that has not stopped me from asking him extra money though..
After much persuasion and convincing for about 10-15 years, my mom finally quit her job. Initially, she did not want to leave her job as she had no problem with it. She had worked for 22 years in BSNL and did not want to leave it as she had no clue how a housewife spends her time. Though she was working, she always had time for me and never left me uncared for. I have heard a lot about working women not having enough time for their kids. But my mom had managed it so well. I did not want her to work as she deserved some rest as her office was getting more crowded. She is actually a lot more busier now.
Our house got a completely new look this year. It had been 8 years since we shifted to this house. We wanted to change a few things about it. It looks more homely and comfortable now..
A lot other small and petty things happened this year which made my year great. It maybe my cousin's marriage or my trip to Goa with college and other things which are too much personal and cannot be mentioned here... ;)

Food v/s Money???

I don't understand how I got the courage to write this post at this time of my semester. By using the word 'courage' I mean my externals are going on. I wrote my first paper yesterday. I just could not resist sharing an incident which took place while I was on my way to college. 

I saw a man in rags in the dumping grounds near Bangalore University. It is a highway and passing that road in the peak hours is a nightmare. The traffic moves at a snail pace and one has to stand on feet until some of the vehicles move. I was standing there when I saw this man. He seemed mentally unstable. He was picking up some papers from the dump and was making a small bonfire nearby. When there was enough heat, he picked up a dead rat and started roasting it. I was shocked !! I could not see a man eating a dead rat. I turned around. I was even more shocked to see the people around me. Some saw him and made faces as though they were disgusted, some were laughing at him and some were indifferent. That man eating a dead rat made no impact on anyone.

The traffic began to move. I had to act fast to stop him from eating that rat. I was a bit scared to talk to him. May be because of his appearance. But still I did not want to leave him like that. I opened my wallet and took out a 50 rupees note and put it in front of him. I left the place with my vehicle and stood at a distance to check whether the man took the note. He came near the note and looked at me. I forcibly smiled and left for my college. As I told you I had my exams and forgot all about this.

While coming back, I remembered the incident and thought of checking whether he had not eaten the rat. I didn't see him anywhere, took a U turn and came to the place where he was previously there. I was shocked again as I saw some leftovers.. probably of the rat and a charred 50 rupees note!!  He had used the money I gave him as a fuel to his bonfire!! I was disappointed but that gave me some sense. I realised it was food that was more important to him than money. Everyone knows the value of hunger. As I told you before he was mentally unstable. Probably I should have thought of it at the time of giving him the money. I am not disappointed that he made a wrong use of my money but I am disappointed that the money I gave him did not help him with his food the way I wanted it to help.. 

Bangalore will surely develop!!!

I was on my way to college around 11.30 in the morning as I was attending only the second internals today. Near Rajarajeshwarinagar, I happened to see an accident. There were no threats to life but it was a Road roller which had crashed into two electric poles. The electric poles were damaged and the whole road was blocked. I cursed the driver as I had to take a very long route while trying to avoid this road. I made a mental note not to take this way for another 2-3 days before they repair the whole thing. It took me an extra 5 minutes and I reached the college to attend my internals. 

I had forgotten all about the accident in college, as I was more concerned about doing the internals well as I had to get a 25 in order to make my average 25.. I did it well and spoke for some half an hour with my friends and started towards my home. It was around 3.30. When I reached the same road, I remembered about the accident and I hated myself for forgetting it all this while. I could have taken a whole new route from college and reached home faster. I was imagining about the road block, the traffic jam, the hot sun, the way I had struggled in the morning amidst the cars and made my way out.. Suddenly, I realised that I had passed that road completely. Not even a slightest hint of the accident. 

I was afraid I had hallucinations about the accident and had been imagining things. I went back to the place of the accident and noticed that they had repaired the electric poles so well that there was not a single flaw in the pole. I have never heard a good opinion about BESCOM for years. I started to leave. All the way home I was happy to see their efficiency as they had managed a lot of damage with expertise and perfection in such a short span. Bangalore will definitely develop if people take more interest in making things work faster and more efficiently.

Superstitions

Superstition is said to be a belief in certain extra ordinary or singular events, or magic, omens, prognostics and other things like that. It is said to be believed from a long time back right from our great grandparents and theirs.. But have you ever wondered what they actually mean.. Cut out the scientific reasons. I wont be giving you the scientific reasons behind them like today's parents. Just the funny part of it.. But take it a bit seriously guys...

A glutton who called himself a family friend had come to visit my place for Diwali. He managed to eat the whole of a sweet box which was meant for the whole family. I was actually gaping at him.. My grandma hushed me saying it is bad on my part to gape at what others eat... They will suffer a bad stomach the next day. I thought, obviously he has to suffer if he eats so much.. Whether I stare at him or not..

There was a crow cawing at the top of my house. My grandma started preparing some good dishes that day saying there will be some guests coming home as the crow was cawing at the top of its voice. The dishes were so yummy but we were not allowed to touch any as they were meant for some unexpected guests. Well there were no one that day and it actually belonged to us. From that day we started putting some grains on the terrace so that in attracts some crows and my grandma starts preparing tasty dishes again..

My dad was leaving for the airport early in the morning in a cab. The cab driver seemed to be in his early twenties and was a very rash driver.. [ He may have given Karthikeyan a tough competition I guess.. ] He had put loud music what my dad hates and had covered the whole of his head with a monkey cap.. Suddenly a black cat crossed his path.. He screeched the cab to a halt and was completely blank.. My dad did not want to be late to the airport and asked him to continue. He hesitated to move further but my dad insisted [ He doesn't believe these things].. The driver was a changed man.. He put on a devotional song and did not speed up more than 40kmph the whole of the journey.. The black cat was good for my dad and there was nothing bad for the whole of the journey..

I heard someone say that 3 people cannot leave the home at the same time and go to any auspicious places or marriages.. I have also seen some people carrying a stone with them if they are 3 and it can't be avoided.. Does the stone mean a person??? Well.. I think its better to have a stone with them as the auto drivers in Bangalore charge extra if there are more than 3.. We are 3 in our family and we don't carry stones whenever we go out.. In the age of nuclear families you just can't help being 3.. 

I have seen a lot of people not starting anything good on a Tuesday.. I was wondering why was Tuesday named as Mangalwaar by our ancestors instead of Amangalwaar. I saw a person not attending an exam as it started on a Tuesday.. He was confident he will make through the supplement exams without even knowing about the main exam.. I was surprised when I found out his mother had asked him not to attend the exam.. It is definitely bad for his future if he doesn't attend his exam on a Tuesday.

Well this exactly is not a superstition.. but it is a popular belief in India that some people can predict a person's future by reading the lines on the palm.. This was an incident which took place with me..

I had been to a marriage. I saw many people crowding a person at one corner of the hall. Being a girl, I had to be curious. I made my way through it with great difficulty and found out it was a palmist. Everyone circled him to find out what the lines on their palms meant. I was about to show my palm to him when my eyes fell on a little boy who did not have his right hand. I felt strange. I stood there staring at him. He smiled and called me. When I went there he was laughing at those people flocking near the palmist and told me Didi.. mera haath nahi hai tho mera future bhi nahi hai kya?? Yeh sab bakwaas hai.. Mat maano.. I hugged and kissed him.. He was an eye opener. That was the last day I worried about my future..  

Yaadein Yaad Aati Hai...

I got a call at around 5 in the morning. I woke up with a start and found out it was from my friend. He had called me to wish me on my birthday. I was half asleep but still managed to respond politely. We spoke for around 15 minutes and I lied down on my bed realising I was getting older.. I am 21.. I couldn't sleep after that nor could I get out of my bed. I started thinking how much of my childhood can I recollect.. I hardly remember 50-60 days of my life.. That's roughly 2 days per year.. To kill the time, I thought I will just make a list of the days I remember in every year of my life.. The good and the bad days.. I came up with this list..

1. I literally don't remember anything in the first year

2. I remember walking on my grandpa's neatly ironed shirt and my grandpa scolding me with a wide grin on his face.. [ That is the only incident of my grandpa I remember.. ]

3. I had complained about the woman who used to pick me up from home to the Montessori that she had made me walk all the way instead of carrying me. My dad scolded me instead not to complain about silly things.

4. My first day at school. I still remember the way everyone were screaming at the top of their voices and I didn't know what to do. I don't remember my reaction..

5. My birthday at Holiday Home. I was 5 years old and I had asked my dad to get me some food before cutting the cake. I was famished.. But still.. I feel so embarrassed now..

6. The parent teacher meeting. My class teacher Mrs. Jayshree was telling my parents that I used to return my answer sheets within 15-20 minutes yet I used to score great marks. I started crying thinking she was scolding me. She consoled me saying I was her best student.

7. I had eaten a mango in the class. The teacher had called my parents to tell that.. That was the last day I ever ate anything when classes are going on.. [I am doing my B.E. yet I don't have the courage to face that incident again in my life]

8. I had asked one of my teachers Mrs. Kiran Gupta why she had the name of a man. She smiled and tried to convince me that names like Kiran are used for girls in the northern parts of India.. I was not convinced until I saw the movie Darr.

9. I had got a 100/100 in two of my subjects Science and Social Science but still got a second place.. So I am confused whether this is a good memory or bad.

10. I had fallen down while playing at the school grounds and hurt my lips so badly that I looked like SRK in the last scene of DDLJ..

11. The last day of my exams when my friend and I had walked all the way from our school to home.. A roughly 6 km stretch and our legs were aching like hell for the next 2 days.

12. My science experiment demonstration.. We had demonstrated an artificial volcanic eruption using ammonium salts and magnesium wire. We had got the first place as it got through beautifully. I had done the presentation of the experiment and I was beaming with joy when I came to know we had got full marks for presentation alone..

13. My annual day at school. I had taken part in a Sanskrit play where I was a thief from the olden days but still the protagonist. I was looking weird with a false moustache and a false mole that many people could not recognize me.

14. My most favorite teacher Mrs. Alka Bokil had praised me a lot for my Science project and wrote a long note to my dad about it in my diary. 

15. The day I was announced the School Captain. I was happier when I found out it was decided by polling and the result was unanimous.

16. My chemistry lab when I had broken a burette during a titration. I was totally freaked as I thought the punishment will be bad but was relieved when I found out I simply had to pay for it.

17. My college trip to Goa and Jog Falls. We had left Bangalore on the night of my birthday and one my lecturers G.Sreenivas had sung all night long in the bus. He had dedicated a few songs for me too..

18. My first day at the engineering college. It was similar to the first day at my school.. All new faces.. But they were smiling at each other eager to make new friends..

19. My trip to Mumbai. It was the first time I boarded a flight that too on a Kingfisher Airlines one. The same day, I was standing outside Hrithik's building for about half an hour in Mumbai.

20. The new year party at The Leela Palace which was arranged by my dad's office. It was a great experience. It was the first time I had the opportunity to get into the Grand Ball Room of Leela Palace.

21. The days I got placed in Infosys and iflex.. I can't forget both the days for sure. My 21st year has been the greatest year as of date in my life..

PJs...

My dad cracks a lot of PJs. He tries to make me laugh as much as possible because I turn out to be very serious at times. But as I am in a good mood today, I would like to share some of our chats with you.. Its a treat to me when he is at home thinking of some unique things which can make me laugh.. smile at least.. because I hardly smile. There are some times when he cracks jokes on me making me foolish in front of others. Even though they are great, I control myself from laughing. It is very difficult not to laugh but still I have to.

These are 3 of my favorite ones...

1. This is for the ones who know kannada

It was the day of Kannada Rajyotsava. My dad and I had challenged that whoever speaks in other languages except kannada should accept defeat and prepare coffee in the morning next day [both of us hate it.. so mom came up with this idea...]. I was down with fever but that din't stop the competition. I had high temperature and was just lying down. My dad hates to see me like that and came up with his suggestions..

Dad: Kaage paapa thogo.. sari hogaththe..

Me: wha...? enu? [controlled myself from saying what??]

Dad: Kaage paapa... adanna thogo.. mai bisi hogaththe..

Me: sumne nan thale thinbeda... maryaade inda enu antha helu..

Dad: neenu naale beligge kari kashaaya[coffee] maadtheeni antha opkondre heltheeni..

I could not accept defeat but still he was unbearable.. I could not even think what he was trying to tell.. I gave up and accepted.

Dad: Crocin thogo sari hogaththe..

Those who din't get it.. he meant Crow sin

2.The next day, I had been to the doctor and he gave me some antibiotics. I came home and was about to have the first dose when the tablet slipped from my hands and fell on the floor. I went for the other tablet when my dad asked me to take the fallen tablet only. I refused.

Me: I am not taking it.. Its fallen down..

Dad: So what if it has fallen down.. No probs.. take it.

Me: What's wrong with you? There maybe bacteria on the floor. First of all I have fever. U want me to lose my classes for some more days?

Dad: I think this is an antibiotic.. What do antibiotics do?

Me:It gives resistance to the body by destroying bacteria..

As I finished the sentence, I had come to know what he actually meant.. He was quicker..

Dad: So.. it will destroy the bacteria present on it's surface too....

And he winked at me..

3. Again for the ones who can understand kannada..

I had started driving car. We used to go on drives every sundays.. That is the only day when I get the car to myself. My dad was next to me and we had been to the BDA complex near my home. The parking was full and we went to the next road.

Me: Elli park maadli? [ Searching for a place to park]

Dad: Yaake park maadthya?

Me: Yaake andre.. I have to get down and go to the complex. I have not come here to sit in the car of course..

Dad: Adakku park maadakku en sambandha? 

Me: Ninninda nange eegale high BP baro chance ide.. U test my patience a lot.

Dad: Eh.. Come on.. BDA avaru aagale park maadidaare.. Y do u want to make a park??

[he said pointing to the BDA park next to me]

and he again winked at me leaving me laughing.. I could not control this time..

Two faces of a Rs.50 note

My mom's office is a place of fun for me. She is working as a cashier in one of the BSNL customer care centres. The place is always crowded as it is situated in the heart of south Bangalore. It is a place consisting of a few middle aged women who always chat about their children, the way TVs and the movies are "ruining" their children and also why bosky and prianca fought( hey they also watch the repeat episodes of Splitsvilla when we are not around). They keep scolding people if they come to pay the bill even at 7:30 p.m. even though the counter closes at 8:00 p.m. Whenever I go there, I wonder what BSNL gains by keeping these women for work when their competitors like Airtel and Reliance have better girls on the counters.

There was a strange incident when I had been there. A fellow from a shop in DVG Road had come to pay his bill. He may have been nearly 60 years old. A thin lean man with some crooked features ofcourse due to his age. He paid the bill of 650 with a Rs.1000 note. My mom gave back the change and he too went. After a few minutes, he came back with a 50 rupee note saying his master asked him to return the money as it was exceeding the change. My mom is usually good at handling cash but she had a bad headache that day and was not able to concentrate much on her work and also because it was more crowded than the usual days. We were shocked to see the man. There were many reasons why we were..
The first thing was that he himself could have noticed the extra change and could have pocketed it without telling the master.
The second thing was that the master could not have sent back the cash because there was no receipt for this cash.
Next is that even when the master asked him to return the cash, that fellow could have taken it as the master would not have enquired with the BSNL people.
None of this happened. Instead, the old man, who looked poor enough, came all the way back to the office to return a mere 50 rupees. My mom gave him the money from her own pocket due to his honesty. Ofcourse he refused it but she insisted him to have it and he left the office showering my mom with blessings for that 50 rupees.

Another incident, coincidentially happened on the same day this happened. A smart man came to the office with his MNC company's ID card hanging on his neck and a huge laptop bag on his shoulder. He appeared to be in his late twenties. He had to pay his bill of Rs.2450 and gave my mom 3 Rs.1000 notes. She took the cash and gave back the change and turned for the next customer. He saw the change, gave my mom a silent stare and was moving away. My mom suddenly called for him as though something struck her. She asked him to show the change she had given him. He said he had already kept it in his wallet and it had mixed with his money. She insisted him to show it as she was sure something was wrong. When he opened it, there were 2 Rs.500 notes and around 5-6 Rs.100 notes and some Rs.10 notes but there were no Rs.50 notes. My mom had mistakenly given him a 500 and a 100 rupees note. He was caught red handed for lying. The people present in the queue scolded him so much and made him return the amount. Again it was the same, Rs.50.

I wonder how that happened on the same day. The two people, so different from each other had behaved in a way completely different to themselves.
A man who was working for his daily wages in a shop had come all the way back to return Rs.50 which would have meant so much to him if he had kept it for himself and a man who would be earning in lakhs but still was not willing to part with the same Rs.50 which did not belong to him.

STRANGE!!!

Love or friendship???

Pictures speak a thousand words. I came across such a picture in the net that I wanted to share it with everyone. I dont know whether this is real or just a work in the Photoshop. Even if it is the latter I think its a great job..

New kid on my block

I was so excited in the morning. There was a new kid coming home who does not have anybody to look after. Many belonging to the kid's race are being killed. When I just remembered him again a smile lit up my face and I was already foreseeing the future MAN.

It was two days back that I saw him in the nursery, along with so many children but this one caught my attention. He was a bit black with mud all over and wrapped in plastics. It was a dreadful sight. But I simply could not take my eyes off him. He was just so smart even with all the dirt around him. As I moved along the place there were so many other babies more beautiful than him and more CLEAN but I still could not take him out of my mind. My dad and I left the place after that, my mind still fixed on him. On the way home I just told my dad that I want to get the baby home and look after him. My dad was shocked. He never imagined me to be so senstitve towards these kind of things. He, at first did not like the idea of getting him home. Not that he is insensitive but because there is no time for any of us to look after him. I insisted I will look after him and also I am ready to pay for him from my allowance and then came the green signal. Well the outcome of this is that he is coming home . My dad is getting him home.

I have arranged a place for him. A nice, airy and well ventilated place so that he can never feel bored or out of place. He is so weak now. But I strongly believe that he will definitely be strong and sturdy.
I already have a lot of plans for him. I always want the young people to be doctors. I want him to be a doctor one day. I believe he is a born doctor. The people belonging to his race are always doctors in someway or the other. Most of them, ayurvedic as they belong to the tribes in the forest who are not CIVILISED as people of the city. He can also be a dentist or a skin specialist or any other field because his family is always an expert when it comes to medicine...
At first I thought he may be a nuisance to my neighbours but hey.. it is my place as well and he is going to be in my place. I dont care what others say about him. HE IS MY CHILD.....!!!
Many of them just dont care about his ancestors. He has got such a royal lineage and his ancestors have been here from so many years but nowadays nobody just cares about him and that hurts me a lot.
Whenever I see people of his race being killed ruthlessly an instinct in me tells to sue them to the court. But then I come back as they already have got a notice from the court to kill them. MERCILESSLY. Not many of them adopt him or are willing to give him a place to live in their homes or atleast in their colonies. One such child per colony can do lots more than the colony's children. Ah! Now it just flashed to me about the colony's children. Oh god! The mischievous lot. I just don't know how they will treat him. I don't want them to hurt him or treat him badly or let their dogs on him. Afterall, he is also a kid.

Hey.. here comes my dad.. with him. Oh he is so beautiful. Fresh in the morning sun. And his blackish complexion has gone. He looks more greener and brighter. He smells so good. He is smiling at me. I hope some day he grows up big and strong inspite of all the constraints and I can proudly tell that

HE IS MY NEEM TREE
I HAVE ADOPTED HIM