She was standing there, a bit numb and yet her eyes were moving. She had come in, but she did not know what to do after. I had watched her tentatively make her way into the store. She had been walking very purposefully on the road, when she happened to notice this shop. She slowed, and then slowly turned towards the store and stopped. I could see her clutching some rupee notes in her hands. I realized that she was out for ‘ shopping ‘. Well the shopping is ‘ shopping ‘ because she was not a financially 'well-off' woman from any nearby residential colony. Rather she was a labourer, maybe a migrant who was in some very ordinary attire. Just a faded sari, thrown over her slim but strong body, a dash of sindur in her hair, a couple of bangles in her left arm and oh yes, she was bare footed.
This lady had just stepped into a supermarket. Now what is interesting here is that – Labourers do not shop in supermarkets !!!
Labourers generally go to these 'Mom & Pop Shops' across the street. They generally buy low-cost stuff and do not go for brands. Now this is obvious to anybody. There are also shopkeepers who thrive on catering to such migrant-class, who do not remain in that vicinity for a long period of time. The way in which these customers are handled is truly a sight to watch. In Gujarat where I grew up, I had seen such migrant labourers come to the flour mill to get their grains turned to flour. Generally they used to get daily wages and then with that daily earning, they would go and buy some grains ( wheat, bajra, jowar or something else) Then they would come to the flour mill and give it to be grinded into flour. While this took some time, they used to sit nearby somewhere and chit-chat or pick out the stones from the rice or the next day’s grains. The whole psyche of the shopkeepers who used to cater to these customers and also to middle class blokes like us, was a thrill to watch . They were quite rough & tought with those labourers, but were quite nice to people like us. This always amused me back in my childhood when I was treated like a King when i went to get our household flour and yet, a 45 year old labourer who was there to buy the same flour, was treated with indifference just because of the fact that his legs were exposed due to his knee length dhoti and he was emanating body odour.
Invariably all these poor people showed tremendous amounts of patience and reticence while all this was dished out to them. And its been universal. Some people had that inferiority complex and hence were quiet, while some people had a lot of realism running through their veins , that kept them from loosing their calm even under a barrage of abuses from all and sundry.
Well, to get back to our lady now - this was the first time I had seen some 'poor' step into a supermarket and this amazed me. Our lady took some tentative steps into the store and was bathed in the neon and bright lighting of the store. The brilliance of the woman’s countenance just brought a smile of my face. Even in this tentativeness, her face was showing tremendous calm and steel. Only her eyes betrayed her inner hesitance. She must have been thinking if she was right in coming to this fancy shop full of glittering shelves and racks, with a huge assortement of goods that she had never seen being sold together at the same time.
Now she waited for someone to approach her, so that she could buy whatever she had come there to buy. Usually in normal corner shops, the shopkeeper and their assistants fetch whatever is the goods asked for and then take the money. But supermarkets are self-help store , where one is supposed to pick our provisions and items in some basket and then bill it at the counter ( we all know that, but she didn’t !!!)
She stood there waiting… .waiting… waiting… neither did she go away discouraged, nor did she make her way past the square tile that she was standing on !!!
What did she want? Why is she waiting for more than ten minutes in a strange shop ? Why does not someone see her and help her out? Thoughts were just racing in my mind. And I stood there watching with my vegetables in one hand and the packet of rice in the other… but I stood there, enthralled like a kid watching another child eating an ice-cream !!
And then, there came a sales guy, asked her what she wanted. She replied, thrusting the note towards him. He just shrugged, went over to the freezer, took a packet of curd and gave it to her. She gave the money to him. He didn’t know what to do since he was not supposed to bill it. He asked her to stand in the queue and pay. I had a look and saw all well dressed, urban men and women standing there. Was our lady going to have the guts to stand there in the midst of these neo-rich, glossily dressed, people who were carrying kilos and kilos of junk food, cosmetics, utensils and God knows what and all !!!
I could see her face twitching, her eyebrows curling and her cheeks changing colour. That is when her eyes turned towards me… oh God … I froze…!! So she knew all the while that I was watching her !! oh god ! I fervently prayed that she does not misunderstand my reasons for observing her. But she had a puzzled look and her eyes seemed like talking to me. I could picturize a scene where in a hut, her kids are waiting near the cooking place while her husband was just outside smoking, waiting for his wife to arrive, so that they could have their meal. If she waited there in the queue, she would be late, and would have to face a lot of stares…. I dunno what I did next was the right thing to do or not… I just asked the sales guy to take her money. I stepped forward and said, I will pay that in the billing counter. I will explain to them”.
Then the sales guy surprisingly agreed and took the money. The lady left in a hurry, not even stopping to look at anything around and made her way towards her house.
The sales guy did not ask me to stand in the line, he said he will handle it.
We both took a moment out to reflect on what had just happened…. I smiled at him, he shrugged his shoulders and then I hauled my veggies and cereals and made my way out of the store.
Strange !! I walked back wondering if the lady will ever come back to the supermarket? If she did, then will she stand in the queue the next time? And the biggest question…. Was I wrong in assuming that she would have gone through the embarrassment of standing in the queue? Did I read her eyes wrongly? Are we assuming things that are not completely true? Were these not my pre-conceived notions about poverty and self confidence?
Was I wrong ?
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
:-)
I read about one man who called his wife from an airport pay phone. When he had used up all his coins, the operator interrupeted to say he had one minute left. The man hurriedly tried to finish his conversation with his wife, but before they could tell each other good-bye, the line went dead. With a sigh, the man hung up the phone and started to leave the little telephone cubicle. Just then the phone rang. Thinking it was the operator wantng more money, the man almost didtn't answer. But something told him to pick up the phone. And sure enough, it was theoperator. But she didnt't want more money. Instead she had a message from him.
" After you hung up, your wife said she loved you," the operator said. "I thought you'd want to know."
" After you hung up, your wife said she loved you," the operator said. "I thought you'd want to know."
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Where the motive is an afterthought !!!
There are certain times when you just do things that are sometimes beyond some people’s logical comprehension. There is one such thing that I do and boy it’s a real thrill !!!
And I recommend this to you all:
I go to the Airport road in Bangalore. There just after the Domlur fly-over, there is a stretch of the road, before the Leela Palace Hotel. Stand there near TGI Friday and watch the traffic. The next thing that you need to do is to slowly make your way to the median divider which separates the two-way traffic. Just stand there and watch the high speed traffic zip past you. You have to hang over one leg on that divider as there is no space to stand. So virtually your face will be brushing past the on-coming vehicles.
Once you have had enough churn inside your stomach, make your way to the middle of the road. And STAND THERE !!! yes, stand there, bang in the middle. Trust me the adrenaline rush that you feel up your spine is the best thing in the world. The drivers of the vehicles will be shouting and cursing you to no end… but just smile at them and maybe even close your eyes. H a! ha ! ha ! …
Do not spread you hands like Jack and Rose did in Titanic. The fun is in the air brushing your forearms and making your shirt sleeve flutter like a crazy old woman throwing a fit !
Stand there and feel the fear, the anxiety combined with the relaxed, carefree sensation enveloping your self. Each one of us will feel differently and so there is nothing that I can describe more about the experience that you would relate to.
Wait, its not over yet….you gotta go to the ‘ Corner House’ for a Black Forest cake with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce after this. Nothing better to calm your nerves after the pulsating encounter on the roads. I always wonder why fire or the wheel is considered to be Man’s best invention… My vote always goes for ice-cream.
You can try this in some high speed stretch near where you stay too. And now for the boring part … This is highly dangerous and my broken face and limbs are testimony to that fact. Although I was lucky enough to escape with minor injuries, yet there is a conspicuous threat to your life if you are performing this exercise. So only people who do not care much for their lives, ppl who think that the world will not lose much after your death, or those who think that your death would not matter much to anyone… only such ppl can try this. But the idea is to have sensational fun and yet be alive to come back and do it again. And of course to eat that heavenly ice cream in the best ice cream shop – The Corner House ( especially the Domlur one).
Its an impulse and it will remain that for me. There is not much thought that goes into this act. You just go out there and do it. Do it if you think that you were used by this world for its own gains but left you bereft of your own self. But this is the best way to get back at the world – do things that are unimaginable for normal ppl and stay alive to tell the tale ! Sick thinking na ? I know ..Lolz ! But we are digressing….
The bottomline is – Just go out there and do it if you do not care a bit about your well-being and the world also agrees to your this thinking ! :-)
And I recommend this to you all:
I go to the Airport road in Bangalore. There just after the Domlur fly-over, there is a stretch of the road, before the Leela Palace Hotel. Stand there near TGI Friday and watch the traffic. The next thing that you need to do is to slowly make your way to the median divider which separates the two-way traffic. Just stand there and watch the high speed traffic zip past you. You have to hang over one leg on that divider as there is no space to stand. So virtually your face will be brushing past the on-coming vehicles.
Once you have had enough churn inside your stomach, make your way to the middle of the road. And STAND THERE !!! yes, stand there, bang in the middle. Trust me the adrenaline rush that you feel up your spine is the best thing in the world. The drivers of the vehicles will be shouting and cursing you to no end… but just smile at them and maybe even close your eyes. H a! ha ! ha ! …
Do not spread you hands like Jack and Rose did in Titanic. The fun is in the air brushing your forearms and making your shirt sleeve flutter like a crazy old woman throwing a fit !
Stand there and feel the fear, the anxiety combined with the relaxed, carefree sensation enveloping your self. Each one of us will feel differently and so there is nothing that I can describe more about the experience that you would relate to.
Wait, its not over yet….you gotta go to the ‘ Corner House’ for a Black Forest cake with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce after this. Nothing better to calm your nerves after the pulsating encounter on the roads. I always wonder why fire or the wheel is considered to be Man’s best invention… My vote always goes for ice-cream.
You can try this in some high speed stretch near where you stay too. And now for the boring part … This is highly dangerous and my broken face and limbs are testimony to that fact. Although I was lucky enough to escape with minor injuries, yet there is a conspicuous threat to your life if you are performing this exercise. So only people who do not care much for their lives, ppl who think that the world will not lose much after your death, or those who think that your death would not matter much to anyone… only such ppl can try this. But the idea is to have sensational fun and yet be alive to come back and do it again. And of course to eat that heavenly ice cream in the best ice cream shop – The Corner House ( especially the Domlur one).
Its an impulse and it will remain that for me. There is not much thought that goes into this act. You just go out there and do it. Do it if you think that you were used by this world for its own gains but left you bereft of your own self. But this is the best way to get back at the world – do things that are unimaginable for normal ppl and stay alive to tell the tale ! Sick thinking na ? I know ..Lolz ! But we are digressing….
The bottomline is – Just go out there and do it if you do not care a bit about your well-being and the world also agrees to your this thinking ! :-)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The Slap on My Face ! ! !
On my way to office, I find a lot of pedestrians who stand on the roadside for their buses and autos. Since I go alone on my bike, it has become a routine for me to give lifts to these people. The majority number of times, its school kids who get on to my bike. Yesterday too I gave a lift to a school boy. He was about 15 years old I think. As soon as he got on to my bike, he started blabbering – a marked difference from all the other kids, who used to clamp up and not even utter their names properly when I used to ask them.
Arun, our hitch hiker’s name, was shooting questions after question, “Uncle, are you working?,Where are you working? Are you and engineer?” When I nodded my head,( didn’t want to complicate matters by explaining about my graduation), he just jumped with excitement. He said, “ Uncle my ambition is also to become an engineer. ! Uncle, where is you office” . “M G Road” I replied. “Uncle can you drop me at M G Road then? My school is near to M G Road” . Of course I didn’t mind. Now, it seems Arun was thinking for a long time and I to break the silence at a traffic signal asked him why he wanted to become an engineer.
I have personally never had an ambition to become anything other than an Army Officer. When that dream was shattered, I just moved along wherever life took me and never really dreamt of becoming anything. I know that when a kid says he wants to become something when he grows up, then its not his own thinking that says that, but its his parents and the family’s channel of thought. Of course Arun as expected by my said, “ I want to become an engineer because they get good jobs in good companies like Infosys, Wipro, HCL etc” . I shot back, “So you want a job and so you are becoming an engineer!?” Arun defended,” No, not just because of that. Also because … ummm…eeerrr” I again acted smart and asked, “ Who advised you to become an engineer? “ Arun said,” My mother wants me to become an engineer. Earlier I wanted to become a soldier. But amma said that she does not want me to go to the battle field and so asked me to become an engineer.” I tried to play the ace up my sleeve and very lovingly and in a gentle manner asked – “Arun, what do you like? Will you not become successful if you do what you like?” Arun decided to play his trump card at that moment, “ But I must fulfill my mother’s wishes also. I must listen to her too !”
At that moment I could see another Anup in that little boy Arun. I just smiled.
After that I told him about the life in the Army and how nice and honourable it is to be an army officer. Tried talking him into it. But then again to my chagrin and utter surprise he in between bouts of laughter said, “ Uncle, my mother and my grandmother want me to become an engineer because then I will be able to go abroad for higher studies or job. And if I go abroad to a developed country like US, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia,… then I will get a good girl to marry too !”
I was aghast at the kid talking of this point. Till then I knew it was the kid talking from his heart. But this was not the kid talking. Rather it was his family talking. I prodded him further because this is an issue that I have always felt strongly about. I asked, “ Arun, why are you thinking about marriage now itself? You are so young. And do you think you will get a good girl only if you study abroad and make good money? India is also fast growing Arun. That is old thinking. I do not think that is the right way to think Arun!”
To this he said, “ Uncle, I have an elder brother working for ICICI Bank. His girlfriend left him and married his friend. And when my brother asked for an explanation before her marriage, she didn’t reply to him. So my mother and brother went to the girl’s house two months before the marriage to convince her parents. At that time the girl’s parents insulted my mother and brother and made fun of him since he was working in an Indian company whereas the boy whom they had chosen had studied in a foreign country and was going to work there and also take the girl there. After coming back from that house, my mother cried, my brother cried and then she told my brother to go to foreign country. But he refused. So she wants me to go abroad, so that I can also get a good girl to marry and not be insulted. “
“ Arun, you stop has come. I think if you get down here, you will get a bus to your school. “ I informed.
“ Bye Uncle. Will you come tomorrow also at the same time ?” Arun asked
I sped off without replying , my head reeling under what a kid of 15 years had taught me. He had shown me the mirror and taught me reality !
Arun, our hitch hiker’s name, was shooting questions after question, “Uncle, are you working?,Where are you working? Are you and engineer?” When I nodded my head,( didn’t want to complicate matters by explaining about my graduation), he just jumped with excitement. He said, “ Uncle my ambition is also to become an engineer. ! Uncle, where is you office” . “M G Road” I replied. “Uncle can you drop me at M G Road then? My school is near to M G Road” . Of course I didn’t mind. Now, it seems Arun was thinking for a long time and I to break the silence at a traffic signal asked him why he wanted to become an engineer.
I have personally never had an ambition to become anything other than an Army Officer. When that dream was shattered, I just moved along wherever life took me and never really dreamt of becoming anything. I know that when a kid says he wants to become something when he grows up, then its not his own thinking that says that, but its his parents and the family’s channel of thought. Of course Arun as expected by my said, “ I want to become an engineer because they get good jobs in good companies like Infosys, Wipro, HCL etc” . I shot back, “So you want a job and so you are becoming an engineer!?” Arun defended,” No, not just because of that. Also because … ummm…eeerrr” I again acted smart and asked, “ Who advised you to become an engineer? “ Arun said,” My mother wants me to become an engineer. Earlier I wanted to become a soldier. But amma said that she does not want me to go to the battle field and so asked me to become an engineer.” I tried to play the ace up my sleeve and very lovingly and in a gentle manner asked – “Arun, what do you like? Will you not become successful if you do what you like?” Arun decided to play his trump card at that moment, “ But I must fulfill my mother’s wishes also. I must listen to her too !”
At that moment I could see another Anup in that little boy Arun. I just smiled.
After that I told him about the life in the Army and how nice and honourable it is to be an army officer. Tried talking him into it. But then again to my chagrin and utter surprise he in between bouts of laughter said, “ Uncle, my mother and my grandmother want me to become an engineer because then I will be able to go abroad for higher studies or job. And if I go abroad to a developed country like US, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia,… then I will get a good girl to marry too !”
I was aghast at the kid talking of this point. Till then I knew it was the kid talking from his heart. But this was not the kid talking. Rather it was his family talking. I prodded him further because this is an issue that I have always felt strongly about. I asked, “ Arun, why are you thinking about marriage now itself? You are so young. And do you think you will get a good girl only if you study abroad and make good money? India is also fast growing Arun. That is old thinking. I do not think that is the right way to think Arun!”
To this he said, “ Uncle, I have an elder brother working for ICICI Bank. His girlfriend left him and married his friend. And when my brother asked for an explanation before her marriage, she didn’t reply to him. So my mother and brother went to the girl’s house two months before the marriage to convince her parents. At that time the girl’s parents insulted my mother and brother and made fun of him since he was working in an Indian company whereas the boy whom they had chosen had studied in a foreign country and was going to work there and also take the girl there. After coming back from that house, my mother cried, my brother cried and then she told my brother to go to foreign country. But he refused. So she wants me to go abroad, so that I can also get a good girl to marry and not be insulted. “
“ Arun, you stop has come. I think if you get down here, you will get a bus to your school. “ I informed.
“ Bye Uncle. Will you come tomorrow also at the same time ?” Arun asked
I sped off without replying , my head reeling under what a kid of 15 years had taught me. He had shown me the mirror and taught me reality !
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Zinda hoon ! – Yes, I am still alive.
That fateful night of last Saturday, when I was supposed to be not even be present in Bangalore, but somewhere else, I ended up in IIM Bangalore. Now how, when and for what , did I go inside IIM B and that too without a valid entry pass – I will explain in another post. This is for a different purpose.
Now that night I got myself into the STRINGS concert at IIM B and boy oh boy, I don’t regret that decision. I was supposed to join my friends at the front row, but could not reach them due to the huge mass of young ppl thronging the concert grounds. So there I stood with some unknown guys and gals, all of them enjoying the scintillating music being played by one of the best acts in Hindi Music.
Now as you all must be knowing, at such concerts, everyone lip syncing with the performers is a common sight. And I was also no different . But then something happened for which I was not prepared for at all. The band started the “ Yeh hai meri kahani” song from the movie “Zinda”. Although the movie was not such a good one, still this particular song was noticed and loved all over for its lyrics, good composition and masterful vocals. I found myself transported into a totally different world as soon as the song started playing , as I have lots of fond memories watching this movie ( all the blood and the gore was welcome ;-)… lolz… no I am not a sadistic prick,,,,, but I have my reasons)
There is an interlude in the song, where John says a dialogue and I strangely though was also lip syncing these words as well. I was surprised as to how I could remember those lines, still!!!
Then the lead singer announced that he will gift a T-shirt to whoever repeats the words said by John in the song, completely. And immediately the girl standing next to me looked at me expectantly. She was a pretty girl with a very cheery disposition and she along with a couple of her friends were having a ball out there swaying and swooning at the band. They had noticed that I was not with my gang and hence had included me too in their swaying and swooning. We had had a good time holding arms high above our heads and swaying as asked to by the lead singer.
So when the lead singer announced that he would be giving out the T-shirt, she expectantly turned to me and said, “ go !” She knew that I knew the words, and so wanted me to give it a shot. But then she found me not budging an inch, she looked at me and saw the tears streaming down my cheeks. “Whats wrong “, she asked. “Nothing, ..eeerrrr…uuuummmm… (gulp), the song !!” I blurted. She laughed out so loudly, I froze .. “ Bad memories?” she asked trying hard to suppress her mocking laughter. “ Contrary, HAPPY MEMORIES” I shouted, joining in her laughter !
And then, I had one of the best three hours – wonderful concert. I highly recommend all.
Strange how music has the power to move you to tears and laughter at the same time.
By the way, have a look at the song if u can understand Urdu … its touching !
bajay pyaar ki shabnum mere gulistaan mein
baraste rehte hain har simt maut ke saye
siyahiyon se ulajh padti hain meri aankhein
koi nahi .. koi bhi nahi jo batlaye
kitni der ujalon ki raah dekhe
koi nahi hai koi bhi nahi
na pass na durr
yeh pyaar hai
dil ki dharkan
apni chahat ka jo ellan kiye jaati hai
zindagi hai jo jiye jaati hai
khoon k ghoont peay jaati hai
khwaab aankhon se siye jaati hai
God bless !!! This is so thrilling !
Now that night I got myself into the STRINGS concert at IIM B and boy oh boy, I don’t regret that decision. I was supposed to join my friends at the front row, but could not reach them due to the huge mass of young ppl thronging the concert grounds. So there I stood with some unknown guys and gals, all of them enjoying the scintillating music being played by one of the best acts in Hindi Music.
Now as you all must be knowing, at such concerts, everyone lip syncing with the performers is a common sight. And I was also no different . But then something happened for which I was not prepared for at all. The band started the “ Yeh hai meri kahani” song from the movie “Zinda”. Although the movie was not such a good one, still this particular song was noticed and loved all over for its lyrics, good composition and masterful vocals. I found myself transported into a totally different world as soon as the song started playing , as I have lots of fond memories watching this movie ( all the blood and the gore was welcome ;-)… lolz… no I am not a sadistic prick,,,,, but I have my reasons)
There is an interlude in the song, where John says a dialogue and I strangely though was also lip syncing these words as well. I was surprised as to how I could remember those lines, still!!!
Then the lead singer announced that he will gift a T-shirt to whoever repeats the words said by John in the song, completely. And immediately the girl standing next to me looked at me expectantly. She was a pretty girl with a very cheery disposition and she along with a couple of her friends were having a ball out there swaying and swooning at the band. They had noticed that I was not with my gang and hence had included me too in their swaying and swooning. We had had a good time holding arms high above our heads and swaying as asked to by the lead singer.
So when the lead singer announced that he would be giving out the T-shirt, she expectantly turned to me and said, “ go !” She knew that I knew the words, and so wanted me to give it a shot. But then she found me not budging an inch, she looked at me and saw the tears streaming down my cheeks. “Whats wrong “, she asked. “Nothing, ..eeerrrr…uuuummmm… (gulp), the song !!” I blurted. She laughed out so loudly, I froze .. “ Bad memories?” she asked trying hard to suppress her mocking laughter. “ Contrary, HAPPY MEMORIES” I shouted, joining in her laughter !
And then, I had one of the best three hours – wonderful concert. I highly recommend all.
Strange how music has the power to move you to tears and laughter at the same time.
By the way, have a look at the song if u can understand Urdu … its touching !
bajay pyaar ki shabnum mere gulistaan mein
baraste rehte hain har simt maut ke saye
siyahiyon se ulajh padti hain meri aankhein
koi nahi .. koi bhi nahi jo batlaye
kitni der ujalon ki raah dekhe
koi nahi hai koi bhi nahi
na pass na durr
yeh pyaar hai
dil ki dharkan
apni chahat ka jo ellan kiye jaati hai
zindagi hai jo jiye jaati hai
khoon k ghoont peay jaati hai
khwaab aankhon se siye jaati hai
God bless !!! This is so thrilling !
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