2008 is gonna end. Bye bye.
2008 a year it was. Was it not? Well it has not yet ended I agree… but a few more hours only left in it. Did it not have more incidents packed into this 1 year?
Well there was the global melt down. You know it started with the sub-prime crisis last year. Did you have the faint idea that it had set its after effects last 31st December? Well I did not.
Well last 31st I was promising a friend of mine that we would celebrate the next 31st some-where outside India. Likely place Thailand. My friend well in time launched a plan to land up there. But I feel guilty to say I was the first person to turn it down. I had my reasons. At that point I was strong not to succumb. Not that I didn’t want to lose out & book the tickets but with strong mettle I subdued my strongest desire & watch the whole plan to go to blazes. I had not been able to call him up ask forgiveness or to even ask what is his final plans for the new-years eve. The reason is totally different though. [:-P] I am confident that he has made his plans deleting all the irrelevant stuff & heading somewhere grandiose. I simply would not like to be jealous. BTW I am already jealous by thinking that he had something better to do. AND am also jealous of all those friends / acquaintances of mine & also those who have no relation with me & having a blast at NEW YEARS EVE. Have fun folks.
I would now take the opportunity to share with you the year it has been.
I would let my mind ramble. I would give you snippets of my minds thoughts as & when in random they come to prominence.
The first one is about my brother. My maternal cousin in his blog has added my blog link. He has for his own reasons (which I have been dying to know) has named me as Shuvojit [The future is scary!]. I have 2 maternal brothers & I like both of them extremely & I would go on record that I expect great things from both of them. I would in the forth coming year like to have the opportunity ask him why he really things that my blogs (if I am not) is scary. Because letting my hyper-active wild mind alive over the internet exposed is a scary thought for myself. It is scary what else of my dark soul has he seen?
My other thought still in continuation is a question to my other maternal brother. What trick has he up in his sleeve? Does he have the gut feeling that he needs to bring out a spectacular show in the next year to survive the image he has. The image he has created himself even if he apparently may claim that he had no intention of creating but just happened.
Sorry to have completely deviated from the regular methodology of talking about a year. History is always told chronologically. I remember from my academic years. We should try to bring in some chronology in this post.
Like I had started last 31st I was with a very close friend of mine promising ….. Yes last 31st night those who remember/know I was at my HOMETOWN. We parted ways right before the stroke of midnight. Well right after that I spoke to the person who at that point of time was at-least far above my friends but just below the 2 persons of my life who would hold the top spot. My MOTHER & MY SISTER. Well it is the truth. I would give my right hand for those two persons. For my friends I would give my head away. For that person I had already given away…
I got back home. Had a talk with Ma, before going to sleep in a bed which gives me more comfort than any other bed. In the first moments of the Year 2008 I felt I was with the most important people in my life & the most secure place.
Woke up next morning to catch a flight to Hyderabad. There was a stoppage in my flat in between the arrival at Howrah station & departure from Netaji Shubhas Airport. Sadly for the taxi taking the route through Rajar-haat I missed the flight. A fine start to the year that was to come!
Well had I known that this incident would underline the year that was to come I would have refused to believe. I was perhaps living in a fool’s paradise. Or I might be compared to the ostrich
Anyway I caught the next day early morning flight to come back to Hyderabad. I get the news that Dean is planning me as the SPOC for the team. Who is Dean? Well Dean Charette is a guy from Canada. He completed his academics in US & joined UBS in perhaps Quantitive Research. He moved into the European Power & Gas Research Desk in mid 2007 as the lead structurer & was the person who had recruited me for UBS to help him in his work. He had been the person who was not only managing me & the rest of the team in Hyd but also setting up work for us which would enhance our career along with knowledge. Dean was the perfect gentleman who I would like to thank. He had in the brief time that he was with us had set high standards for us & explained if not proven to us why & how we can achieve them. It was very unfortunate that the month of January was filled with turmoil & when I was placed as the SPOC I had on the very 1st day on my new role had spoken crap without having any idea of what has been going around. It was sheer good fortune or the fact that Dean was too busy with his own life that I was not sacked then & there. The European Power & Gas desk got scrapped soon after with Dean moving back to US. Dean also got engaged. Congratulations to him & may he have a great life ahead. Also thank you Dean, for heaping so much praise on me that I got promoted.
In the 1st quarter of the year I was extremely busy. Traveling to & fro Kolkata. 3 of my close friends got married. 2 to each other. The frequent travels took a heavy toll on my credit card which I had to finally payoff later, but then I was on a roll. I had the world with me. The second quarter blew in the changes which I had refused to look in till then. Well actually I tried to fight the changes & had to surrender at the end of the 3rd quarter. Not that I relished it.
In-between the whole world watched in awe the effects of exceptional high inflation with setting recession with effects of financial meltdown. My country on the other hand was going totally crazy. There was flood. There was anarchy. There were fanatics creating mayhem everywhere. Maharashtra, Kashmir, Orissa, Karnataka… the list is endless. I was numbed with the utter chaos I was seeing everywhere. I had my own personal demons to kill aggravated with all that I was observing around. Not being able to tell it anyone led me to finally start writing this blog.
The Olympics came & went away. India got a few medals. The gold medal winner got tons of money for accomplishing to shoot straight. Not that I deny him a ounce of accolades but it hit me hard when it was announced that the martyrs of the Operation Tornado are to be given only a pittance.
I have to give kudos to those strategists in Pakistan. By a series of blasts & finally by the attack in Mumbai they have been able to shift all the pressure from them. The Taliban’s are now friends of the Pakistan army & the hogwash war can end. The great uniting factor SEIGH by India is on tracks again. When has India ever attacked a foreign land? We have failed to protect our own land again & again over centuries now. The latest show of navel-power near the shores of Sudan was a dud.
Barrack Obama got elected the 44th President of America. The country that many hates. Maybe because they can & others can-not. Maybe because they are apparent show-offs & the rest of the world must pay for it. Or maybe because it is still the land of opportunity & someplace where you can still dream to make it big. Whatever the reason you can’t but help it. What is bit confusing to me is why is someone elected on November 4th have to wait till January 20 to actually start getting his act together. I hope he actually does something significant & is remembered as a great world leader & not just the 1st non-white President of USA. Although I have little hopes that he would be able to solve the India-Pakistan issue. But I really hope he does a better job at more critical issues. The climatic changes & destruction of the world needs to be properly & correctly answered. The growing food problem needs to be sorted out. The Energy Crisis which is looming just on the horizon needs to be tackled correctly.
Coming back to the more personal front I had plans to go & “chill” in my hometown during the “Puja’s”. But as luck would have it I got to know on the 3rd day of the trip that UBS has exited the Commodities Business & hence our team has been scrapped. My then manager asked me to complete my holidays. I did spend the out the holidays but you can guess what state I was in. I couldn’t let my Ma know what was up nor most of my friends. Anyways I got back & after over a month of pure agony I finally landed up with a role in a team in the same company. What role what actions? Let’s scrap that part. In this complete freeze in the job-market I have had to take whatever came my way.
My Didi came down to India after 4 years. Met her after 2 years. It was great.
Things I have learnt this year. Many. Primarily it is only on yourself you can depend on at any point. There is a saying in bangla. “Jibone eshchi eka jete hobe eka”. You have to go through everything on your own. If you are lucky you will have the money power to drag you out. Also it is only the closest of the family from whom you can expect help. Another learning which has been hammered into me is that it does not matter what you think or what you intend. It is only what the other person perceives.
I have changed a lot. I have become more cynical. I have become angrier than before. I have become ruder. I have lost the romanticism I used to have. I have totally un-learnt to be carefree. I have lost the eye to see happiness. I have become a cribber. I don’t like what I have become. Unlike before I have got short-sighted & not being able to look beyond “I”. But above all I have given up caring
Goodbye 2008. Hello 2009
Wishing everyone Happy New Year.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
And Megha gets married
In a not so far city there was a finance off-shoring company. What is the name of the company? Would the name make any difference? The finance world is in a meltdown. Let us not go into the gritty details please. The company as in most out-sourcing companies in today’s world was filled with young men & women.
Imagine a fresh college pass-out, a twenty three year old lad. What is his name? What difference would it make? Let say his name is Wang. Didn’t like the name? Ok let his name be Abhi henceforth. Happy now? What now? You really want the name of the company. Ok then the company would be called ABC. Seriously dont know what would you do with that name. Planning to apply there? Ooh. Well most companies have a freeze on hiring.
Where was I? Oh yes I was introducing you to the lead female character Megha. Megha was another employee of ABC. Another twenty something fresh graduate who, unlike Abhi, had joined ABC just a couple of months back.
Abhi like millions of other males had not been able to get himself a girlfriend till then. What??!!!! Getting a GF is not difficult!!!! Man you must have been extremely lucky. Well for your information as per statistics there are only 913 females for every 1000 males (it is high time some thing is done about female infanticide). Hence 73 males must go single. And if you add those females who have not any contact with males other than immediate family or those who are not so eager to mingle freely with males & make a boyfriend you can realize the number wont be very small. But we are deviating from the main topic.
I know you must be wondering about Megha. Well not that she has not been with guys in college, but she never had a serious fling. Well she did nothing more than hang around with a very close circle of friends where males were nearly non-existent. Also she knew that her parents had a conservative view & would not accept her marrying someone outside their community. She took the safe way. Not getting involved with anyone & enjoy life as it is.
One fine morning Abhi & Megha found themselves in training together. They had seen each other a few times in the bay as well as the cafeteria. Ok there is a correction here. Abhi had noticed her in the 1st week she had joined. Megha was good looking & like all straight males Abhi was always on the lookout for good looking girls. Thank you Bird-watching is the word. Abhi had in couple of days figured out the best times to be in the cafeteria to watch the densest collection of “babes” (as he calls them).
Nothing special or significant happened during the training. Well Megha & Abhi got to know each others names. Megha realized that Abhi was a good speaker when he had something to say. Abhi realized that Megha had a really cute face with a good figure.
After the day long training got over Abhi & Megha both found themselves in the cafeteria. Neither of their regular colleagues was in the cafeteria at that moment. So they sat down together with a cup of coffee. The talk started with the training & as the cup emptied they realized that they had a lot in common. Both were new to the city. They did not have any friends at that place. Found it hard to spend spare time. Both were lonely. Etc etc etc…..
Over the next few days they would have their evening snacks together. They even plan to meet up outside office.
In the meantime Abhi’s childhood friends came to know about this. Like all guy friends they started advising him not to miss out on this chance. In a popular online site in their community they post stuff like “Megha is the one”, “Megha is clouding Abhi’s mind”. Why is it as soon as a male & a female start coming close people around would like them to take it beyond friendship or end it? Why can’t friends or families or acquaintances not just let them be?
Megha had a friend from college. Who was as workless as any other guy sitting on the “bench”. He one fine morning started googling with the names of his friends. Especially the females he had come across. When he typed the name “Megha” he came across the posts that Abhi’s friends had posted. He instantly called up Megha & asked “What is going on? You have a BF now & don’t let friends know” Megha was shocked. She checked out the posts herself. She was obviously unhappy/disappointed with the whole turn of events. She was hurt that Abhi has discussed her with his friends & his friends had made such posts. She immediately calls up Abhi & tells him to delete all the posts. Abhi asks his friends to delete them.
Next day they come face to face in the cafeteria. Abhi has Hi but Megha doesn’t respond. Megha just takes her coffee & sits in a table which is way off where she usually sits. Abhi is egoistic enough not to try & go talk with her. He also starts ignoring her. Few days pass & life moves on. Abhi makes new friends & Megha starts taking guitar lessons.
Few more months pass by & Abhi all of a sudden comes face to face to Megha. Megha is all dressed up. She has “mehendi” on her hands with lots of bangles. She has got married. Abhi says “Hi”. Megha smiles back & says “Hi” too. Abhi’s next statement is a question actually. “You got married?” Megha just gives a grin. Abhi then asks “Where are the sweets yaar?” Megha responds “Come to my desk”.
This post was inspired from the incidents which took place & I happen to know. I was wondering why a relation between a male & a female so complicated. Why is it that any friendship can’t begin & end as just a friendship? What really does a guy want from a female acquaintance & vice-versa? What does he/she want when the other person becomes a friend? What expectations are justified & what are fantasies?
I would also like to apologize on behalf of those friends. Friends who are far apart & can keep in touch only through some calls & through online desperately want to go back to those days when they had boundless fun together? Any reason to have harmless banter among them is not to be missed. It is a separate point that some banter among friends turn to harm someone else. But it is not intentional.
Finally I would like to congratulate Megha. May you have a fantastic married life & all the happiness.
Imagine a fresh college pass-out, a twenty three year old lad. What is his name? What difference would it make? Let say his name is Wang. Didn’t like the name? Ok let his name be Abhi henceforth. Happy now? What now? You really want the name of the company. Ok then the company would be called ABC. Seriously dont know what would you do with that name. Planning to apply there? Ooh. Well most companies have a freeze on hiring.
Where was I? Oh yes I was introducing you to the lead female character Megha. Megha was another employee of ABC. Another twenty something fresh graduate who, unlike Abhi, had joined ABC just a couple of months back.
Abhi like millions of other males had not been able to get himself a girlfriend till then. What??!!!! Getting a GF is not difficult!!!! Man you must have been extremely lucky. Well for your information as per statistics there are only 913 females for every 1000 males (it is high time some thing is done about female infanticide). Hence 73 males must go single. And if you add those females who have not any contact with males other than immediate family or those who are not so eager to mingle freely with males & make a boyfriend you can realize the number wont be very small. But we are deviating from the main topic.
I know you must be wondering about Megha. Well not that she has not been with guys in college, but she never had a serious fling. Well she did nothing more than hang around with a very close circle of friends where males were nearly non-existent. Also she knew that her parents had a conservative view & would not accept her marrying someone outside their community. She took the safe way. Not getting involved with anyone & enjoy life as it is.
One fine morning Abhi & Megha found themselves in training together. They had seen each other a few times in the bay as well as the cafeteria. Ok there is a correction here. Abhi had noticed her in the 1st week she had joined. Megha was good looking & like all straight males Abhi was always on the lookout for good looking girls. Thank you Bird-watching is the word. Abhi had in couple of days figured out the best times to be in the cafeteria to watch the densest collection of “babes” (as he calls them).
Nothing special or significant happened during the training. Well Megha & Abhi got to know each others names. Megha realized that Abhi was a good speaker when he had something to say. Abhi realized that Megha had a really cute face with a good figure.
After the day long training got over Abhi & Megha both found themselves in the cafeteria. Neither of their regular colleagues was in the cafeteria at that moment. So they sat down together with a cup of coffee. The talk started with the training & as the cup emptied they realized that they had a lot in common. Both were new to the city. They did not have any friends at that place. Found it hard to spend spare time. Both were lonely. Etc etc etc…..
Over the next few days they would have their evening snacks together. They even plan to meet up outside office.
In the meantime Abhi’s childhood friends came to know about this. Like all guy friends they started advising him not to miss out on this chance. In a popular online site in their community they post stuff like “Megha is the one”, “Megha is clouding Abhi’s mind”. Why is it as soon as a male & a female start coming close people around would like them to take it beyond friendship or end it? Why can’t friends or families or acquaintances not just let them be?
Megha had a friend from college. Who was as workless as any other guy sitting on the “bench”. He one fine morning started googling with the names of his friends. Especially the females he had come across. When he typed the name “Megha” he came across the posts that Abhi’s friends had posted. He instantly called up Megha & asked “What is going on? You have a BF now & don’t let friends know” Megha was shocked. She checked out the posts herself. She was obviously unhappy/disappointed with the whole turn of events. She was hurt that Abhi has discussed her with his friends & his friends had made such posts. She immediately calls up Abhi & tells him to delete all the posts. Abhi asks his friends to delete them.
Next day they come face to face in the cafeteria. Abhi has Hi but Megha doesn’t respond. Megha just takes her coffee & sits in a table which is way off where she usually sits. Abhi is egoistic enough not to try & go talk with her. He also starts ignoring her. Few days pass & life moves on. Abhi makes new friends & Megha starts taking guitar lessons.
Few more months pass by & Abhi all of a sudden comes face to face to Megha. Megha is all dressed up. She has “mehendi” on her hands with lots of bangles. She has got married. Abhi says “Hi”. Megha smiles back & says “Hi” too. Abhi’s next statement is a question actually. “You got married?” Megha just gives a grin. Abhi then asks “Where are the sweets yaar?” Megha responds “Come to my desk”.
This post was inspired from the incidents which took place & I happen to know. I was wondering why a relation between a male & a female so complicated. Why is it that any friendship can’t begin & end as just a friendship? What really does a guy want from a female acquaintance & vice-versa? What does he/she want when the other person becomes a friend? What expectations are justified & what are fantasies?
I would also like to apologize on behalf of those friends. Friends who are far apart & can keep in touch only through some calls & through online desperately want to go back to those days when they had boundless fun together? Any reason to have harmless banter among them is not to be missed. It is a separate point that some banter among friends turn to harm someone else. But it is not intentional.
Finally I would like to congratulate Megha. May you have a fantastic married life & all the happiness.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The Good Doctor
Today evening I went to a play. The name of the play was The Good Doctor. It was presented by Dramanon. Dramanon is a drama-troup which originated with young people from Manipal. The 2 act play containg 3 sets each, was set in Russia during the 19th century, written in Chekhovian style.
The independent acts were connected by an writer enacted by the director R K Shenoy. A multi-talented guy R K Shenoy had made a fan in the 1st 5 mins when he was introducing the audience to the concept of the play.
The 1st set was about a junior clerk who sneezes on the Minister during a play. How he makes a fool of himself trying to ask for forgiveness by being obsessed in making an apology was hilariously presented. And being true to Russian plays also in a set of dialogues displayed the socialism/communism divide.
The 2nd set was how an over-zealous father wanted to educate his 19 year old son to be a man. Actually he wanted his son to learn the intricacies of love making from a prostitute. The father literally forces the kid to almost go after he has bargained with the prostitute for a fair price. & then as a twist when he calls him back stating we can educate you next year & have an umbrella as a gift this year. The turning point was when the kid says “father I would go now your small son & come back a man”. Parents sometimes really would not like their kids to grow up. Or as many have said to a parent the child is always a child.
The final set of the act was about a Casanova. The Casanova shows us his tricks in hooking wives of people he knows. No I wont be sharing his technique. No I wont be trying to emulate them either. The ending was lovely. The wife is totally smitten in love with him & comes to meet him. But at the last moment reveals that she is intelligent enough to realize her status. She says she would not oppose any of his actions but she also points out that she is in a happy MEDIOCRE love life & would regret all her life to have made a has of the total love her husband has for her. She requests the Casanova to do the right thing. And if he leaves her she would be eternally grateful. The Casanova has a momentary urge to complete what he has started but finally succumbs to his self-righteousness & leaves. Ratika the female protagonist had awesome expressions.
The 2nd act started with a banker who is harassed by a lady. The lady demands that the bank pay some dues of her husband who is mentally ill. The bank is no way connected to the man but the lady by creating mayhem achieves what she had set out for. This set had the audience nearly rolling in laughter due to Madhu who was playing the very loud lady
The next set was completely different from what was being shown before. The mood suddenly became serious. The story was about a gent who was pushed into paying for an entertainment. The entertainment was in the form of a person who cant swim enacting a drowning man. The fact that pain is not welcome, as long as it is not inflicted on us, was well depicted. We don’t mind in getting enjoyment or more specifically get interested in watching people in pain. Does Reality Shows & TRPS ring a bell?
The final set of the evening was actually a question. An old widower meets an elderly widow in the park. They are lonely & welcome the company. They ask would it be wrong if they seek solace or company or whatever they miss out from life then. This is mainly expressed by a song sung by R K Shenoy & Sarah. Finally the male protagonist asks her out for a cup of tea on a chilly autumn evening. She says tomorrow.
I had a lovely evening. I must thank my apartment-mate in dragging me out tonight.
In the return trip we took an auto. The auto driver played two songs for us.
The 1st was
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Lagta nahin dil kahin bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Kaise kahoon bina tere zindagi ye kya hogi
Kaise kahoon bina tere zindagi ye kya hogi
Jaise koi saza koi badd-dua hogi
Jaise koi saza koi badd-dua hogi
Maine kiya hai ye faisla
Jeena nahin hai tere bina
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Lagta nahin dil kahin bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
The second was
Why did you break my heart?
Why did we fall in love?
Why did you go away, away, away, away?
(Dil mera churaaya kyoon
Jab yeh dil todna hi tha
Humse dil lagaaya kyoon
Humse munh modna hi tha) - 2
Why did you break my heart?
Why did we fall in love?
Why did you go away, away, away, away?
Ho, dil ko dhadakna tune sikhaaya
Dil ko tadapna tune sikhaaya
Aankhon mein aansu chhupe the kahin
Inko chhalakna tune sikhaaya
Seene mein basaaya kyoon
Dil se jab khelna hi tha
Humse dil lagaaya kyoon
Humse munh modna hi tha
Dil mera churaaya kyoon
Why did you break my heart?
Why did we fall in love?
Why did you go away, away, away, away?
Ho, milti thi nazrein jab bhi nazar se
Uthte the shole jaise jigar se
Saanson se nikla jaise dhuaan sa
Banta tha mujhse jeete na marte
Aag kyoon lagaayi jab
Bujhaaye dil chhodna hi tha
Humse dil lagaaya kyoon
Humse munh modna hi tha
Dil mera churaaya kyoon
Jab yeh dil todna hi tha
Humse dil lagaaya kyoon
Humse munh modna hi tha
Why did you break my heart?
Why did we fall in love?
Why did you go away, away, away, away?
The record had been played at-least a million times & the sound quality was truthfully pathetic. Yet I enjoyed those 2 songs. IRONIC? I guess few would understand. Also I don’t have a very definite choice in music or entertainment. I would listen to anything as long as it appeals to me. I was concentrating in the lyrics (for a change) & the tune than what was being played at that moment.
Should I ramble now? [:-)]
No I would not. I let you folks to come up with questions & I would be more than happy to answer them.
The independent acts were connected by an writer enacted by the director R K Shenoy. A multi-talented guy R K Shenoy had made a fan in the 1st 5 mins when he was introducing the audience to the concept of the play.
The 1st set was about a junior clerk who sneezes on the Minister during a play. How he makes a fool of himself trying to ask for forgiveness by being obsessed in making an apology was hilariously presented. And being true to Russian plays also in a set of dialogues displayed the socialism/communism divide.
The 2nd set was how an over-zealous father wanted to educate his 19 year old son to be a man. Actually he wanted his son to learn the intricacies of love making from a prostitute. The father literally forces the kid to almost go after he has bargained with the prostitute for a fair price. & then as a twist when he calls him back stating we can educate you next year & have an umbrella as a gift this year. The turning point was when the kid says “father I would go now your small son & come back a man”. Parents sometimes really would not like their kids to grow up. Or as many have said to a parent the child is always a child.
The final set of the act was about a Casanova. The Casanova shows us his tricks in hooking wives of people he knows. No I wont be sharing his technique. No I wont be trying to emulate them either. The ending was lovely. The wife is totally smitten in love with him & comes to meet him. But at the last moment reveals that she is intelligent enough to realize her status. She says she would not oppose any of his actions but she also points out that she is in a happy MEDIOCRE love life & would regret all her life to have made a has of the total love her husband has for her. She requests the Casanova to do the right thing. And if he leaves her she would be eternally grateful. The Casanova has a momentary urge to complete what he has started but finally succumbs to his self-righteousness & leaves. Ratika the female protagonist had awesome expressions.
The 2nd act started with a banker who is harassed by a lady. The lady demands that the bank pay some dues of her husband who is mentally ill. The bank is no way connected to the man but the lady by creating mayhem achieves what she had set out for. This set had the audience nearly rolling in laughter due to Madhu who was playing the very loud lady
The next set was completely different from what was being shown before. The mood suddenly became serious. The story was about a gent who was pushed into paying for an entertainment. The entertainment was in the form of a person who cant swim enacting a drowning man. The fact that pain is not welcome, as long as it is not inflicted on us, was well depicted. We don’t mind in getting enjoyment or more specifically get interested in watching people in pain. Does Reality Shows & TRPS ring a bell?
The final set of the evening was actually a question. An old widower meets an elderly widow in the park. They are lonely & welcome the company. They ask would it be wrong if they seek solace or company or whatever they miss out from life then. This is mainly expressed by a song sung by R K Shenoy & Sarah. Finally the male protagonist asks her out for a cup of tea on a chilly autumn evening. She says tomorrow.
I had a lovely evening. I must thank my apartment-mate in dragging me out tonight.
In the return trip we took an auto. The auto driver played two songs for us.
The 1st was
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Lagta nahin dil kahin bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Kaise kahoon bina tere zindagi ye kya hogi
Kaise kahoon bina tere zindagi ye kya hogi
Jaise koi saza koi badd-dua hogi
Jaise koi saza koi badd-dua hogi
Maine kiya hai ye faisla
Jeena nahin hai tere bina
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Lagta nahin dil kahin bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
Jeeyen to jeeyen kaise bin aapke
The second was
Why did you break my heart?
Why did we fall in love?
Why did you go away, away, away, away?
(Dil mera churaaya kyoon
Jab yeh dil todna hi tha
Humse dil lagaaya kyoon
Humse munh modna hi tha) - 2
Why did you break my heart?
Why did we fall in love?
Why did you go away, away, away, away?
Ho, dil ko dhadakna tune sikhaaya
Dil ko tadapna tune sikhaaya
Aankhon mein aansu chhupe the kahin
Inko chhalakna tune sikhaaya
Seene mein basaaya kyoon
Dil se jab khelna hi tha
Humse dil lagaaya kyoon
Humse munh modna hi tha
Dil mera churaaya kyoon
Why did you break my heart?
Why did we fall in love?
Why did you go away, away, away, away?
Ho, milti thi nazrein jab bhi nazar se
Uthte the shole jaise jigar se
Saanson se nikla jaise dhuaan sa
Banta tha mujhse jeete na marte
Aag kyoon lagaayi jab
Bujhaaye dil chhodna hi tha
Humse dil lagaaya kyoon
Humse munh modna hi tha
Dil mera churaaya kyoon
Jab yeh dil todna hi tha
Humse dil lagaaya kyoon
Humse munh modna hi tha
Why did you break my heart?
Why did we fall in love?
Why did you go away, away, away, away?
The record had been played at-least a million times & the sound quality was truthfully pathetic. Yet I enjoyed those 2 songs. IRONIC? I guess few would understand. Also I don’t have a very definite choice in music or entertainment. I would listen to anything as long as it appeals to me. I was concentrating in the lyrics (for a change) & the tune than what was being played at that moment.
Should I ramble now? [:-)]
No I would not. I let you folks to come up with questions & I would be more than happy to answer them.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Point of Change
Another friday arrived 2 days ago. Nothing was special about it. 6:10 in the evening the fire-alarm of our office goes off. I jump up to realize it was yet another drill. I lock my computer & join the whole office crowd piling through the stairways to the assembly point outside. At the exit of the stairwell there was an extra crowd. Actually it was drizzling outside & many people were refusing to get wet just for a drill. But the matrons insisted or rather demanded we assemble at the assembly point. Every time at the assembly point I get reminded of school. Well after 7 mins of drenching we were allowed to get back to our workstations. Drenched & the AC on I started feeling cold. It was irritating to be hauled out in the rain. Not that I mind getting drenched but....
Like every friday in the recent past, I came directly back to home from office. My apartment-mate would be returning late since he has 'B-Shift'. First time in my life I had brought back work. I needed to map a data. Obviously I had no intention of doing it on friday night but I ended up not doing much with it.
Saturday whizzed by. & it was Sunday morning. I & my apartment-mate woke up late at around 9:30. It was 10:30 when we realized we were hungry & not in a mood to cook. So we went out to eat. The eateries were either closed or not serving food which we were in a mood to have. We ended up in "More" the closest departmental store. This is the place where we shop for our groceries. Mostly Maggie & other ready to eat stuff. They used to stock Frozen Parathas & we decided we would buy that & have it. Sadly Parathas were out of stock. We picked up maggie & were heading towards the check-out-counter when we both decided we should check out the Reliance Fresh. We walked out empty handed & landed up in Reliance. Did our shopping & yes we did get Frozen-Alu-Paratha.
We landed up home & were having Parathas when the point of discussion was the necessity of a TV. My room-mate has been demanding a TV for a long time. I had not been able to support him for I believe TV would reduce the time I get to spend reading. I still harbour a desire for further studies in some dark corner of my heart. We were also discussing the necessity of a fridge in our life. I ended up commenting you buy the TV & I would buy the fridge that very day. It's not that we can’t afford to buy these electronic necessities but we had other priorities.
By the end of the brunch my room-mate had decided to buy the TV. He asked me to enquire for the satellite TV connection. By 2 o' clock we had done our research & we were ordering Tata-Sky connection. The conversation went like this
Rep: Thank You for calling Tata-Sky. This is Mohan. How may I help you
Me: I would like to purchase a Tata-Sky connection. But I need to get the connection today
Rep: Eh... Certainly sir. Which plan would you like to have.
Me: Which-ever. I just need sports, news, english movies & music
Rep: Sir sports is a separate basket. I suggest you go for the Gold Pack
Me: Ok fine whichever you say. Just get the installation done today. Also I want to avail the Festive offer.
Rep: That would be getting over today
Me: I know that is the reason why I am asking you to get the installation done today. Also there would not be any person at home in the weekdays
Rep: Not a problem sir. It takes 4 hours after ordering for the installation to get completed
Me: Great
The telephonic conversation continued for some more time where a good INR3999 got debited from my credit card (sigh) As the conversation was coming to a close....
Rep: Is there any other help I can be of sir
Me: Well we are planning to buy a TV. Can you suggest an electronics store close-by where we can get hold of a TV costing less than 7000
Rep: What.... Sorry sir I cannot give you this information
Me: Ok fine
My apartment-mate was giving me admonishing looks. "Why did you have to tell him that we still don’t have a TV" he asked. I responded "The guy coming for installation would be shocked it there is no TV"
We went out immediately landed up at a popular electronics store. They did not have a collection from which we were confident of choosing. Landed up in another. There we didn't like the TV but got full range of Godrej fridges. I have a soft corner for Godrej fridges simply because my family has used 2 Godrej fridges in the last 26+ years & we had never had any complaints. I refused to take the red coloured 5 star rated fridge & bought a steel coloured, single door, 4 star rated, 183 lts Godrej Pentacool. Btw single door fridges are the cheapest variety.
Next stop Sony World. The conversation went thus:
Sales Guy: Hello sir. What are you looking for
Us: 21 inch TV
Sales: Please follow me..... These are the 2 models we have
Us: The right one
It took us less time to decide which TV to buy than the sales guy to comprehend that he had made a sale. Actually the cost decided for us.
A call comes in my apartment-mate from Tata-sky asking when to send the installation. He said 30 mins later please. We looked at the sales-guy & asked him to get the TV to our house in 1 hour.
The TV came 1:30 later. The fridge 5 hrs later. As of now the Tata-Sky installation guy is yet to come
Have you been wondering what does change got to do with all this? Or which was the point?
Fact is I changed to not object to the TV.
The arrival of the fridge would be just the first step for more changes & to a lesser extent the TV would too
Like every friday in the recent past, I came directly back to home from office. My apartment-mate would be returning late since he has 'B-Shift'. First time in my life I had brought back work. I needed to map a data. Obviously I had no intention of doing it on friday night but I ended up not doing much with it.
Saturday whizzed by. & it was Sunday morning. I & my apartment-mate woke up late at around 9:30. It was 10:30 when we realized we were hungry & not in a mood to cook. So we went out to eat. The eateries were either closed or not serving food which we were in a mood to have. We ended up in "More" the closest departmental store. This is the place where we shop for our groceries. Mostly Maggie & other ready to eat stuff. They used to stock Frozen Parathas & we decided we would buy that & have it. Sadly Parathas were out of stock. We picked up maggie & were heading towards the check-out-counter when we both decided we should check out the Reliance Fresh. We walked out empty handed & landed up in Reliance. Did our shopping & yes we did get Frozen-Alu-Paratha.
We landed up home & were having Parathas when the point of discussion was the necessity of a TV. My room-mate has been demanding a TV for a long time. I had not been able to support him for I believe TV would reduce the time I get to spend reading. I still harbour a desire for further studies in some dark corner of my heart. We were also discussing the necessity of a fridge in our life. I ended up commenting you buy the TV & I would buy the fridge that very day. It's not that we can’t afford to buy these electronic necessities but we had other priorities.
By the end of the brunch my room-mate had decided to buy the TV. He asked me to enquire for the satellite TV connection. By 2 o' clock we had done our research & we were ordering Tata-Sky connection. The conversation went like this
Rep: Thank You for calling Tata-Sky. This is Mohan. How may I help you
Me: I would like to purchase a Tata-Sky connection. But I need to get the connection today
Rep: Eh... Certainly sir. Which plan would you like to have.
Me: Which-ever. I just need sports, news, english movies & music
Rep: Sir sports is a separate basket. I suggest you go for the Gold Pack
Me: Ok fine whichever you say. Just get the installation done today. Also I want to avail the Festive offer.
Rep: That would be getting over today
Me: I know that is the reason why I am asking you to get the installation done today. Also there would not be any person at home in the weekdays
Rep: Not a problem sir. It takes 4 hours after ordering for the installation to get completed
Me: Great
The telephonic conversation continued for some more time where a good INR3999 got debited from my credit card (sigh) As the conversation was coming to a close....
Rep: Is there any other help I can be of sir
Me: Well we are planning to buy a TV. Can you suggest an electronics store close-by where we can get hold of a TV costing less than 7000
Rep: What.... Sorry sir I cannot give you this information
Me: Ok fine
My apartment-mate was giving me admonishing looks. "Why did you have to tell him that we still don’t have a TV" he asked. I responded "The guy coming for installation would be shocked it there is no TV"
We went out immediately landed up at a popular electronics store. They did not have a collection from which we were confident of choosing. Landed up in another. There we didn't like the TV but got full range of Godrej fridges. I have a soft corner for Godrej fridges simply because my family has used 2 Godrej fridges in the last 26+ years & we had never had any complaints. I refused to take the red coloured 5 star rated fridge & bought a steel coloured, single door, 4 star rated, 183 lts Godrej Pentacool. Btw single door fridges are the cheapest variety.
Next stop Sony World. The conversation went thus:
Sales Guy: Hello sir. What are you looking for
Us: 21 inch TV
Sales: Please follow me..... These are the 2 models we have
Us: The right one
It took us less time to decide which TV to buy than the sales guy to comprehend that he had made a sale. Actually the cost decided for us.
A call comes in my apartment-mate from Tata-sky asking when to send the installation. He said 30 mins later please. We looked at the sales-guy & asked him to get the TV to our house in 1 hour.
The TV came 1:30 later. The fridge 5 hrs later. As of now the Tata-Sky installation guy is yet to come
Have you been wondering what does change got to do with all this? Or which was the point?
Fact is I changed to not object to the TV.
The arrival of the fridge would be just the first step for more changes & to a lesser extent the TV would too
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Phone Call
Our young protagonist is found at the best of his moods when he is eating. Who is our protagonist? Well he is young man. An extremely rich single male usually referred as 'Khoka'. It was of-course not the name that his father had given him. His father had the lion share of the diamond mine 'Khoni'. Khoka was just 21 years old when he became an orphan. His father's best friend venture capitalist 'Boro-Babu' took Khoka under his wings. Well he actually cut a deal with him. Khoka can stay at home. Surf the net as much as he wants. Play as many new versions of GTA as he wants. Order as many Pizzas as his hearts desire. All he needed to do for this was to give 50% of the cash he inherited to Boro-Babu. Khoni shares & some fixed investments would be his security. , while the returns from Boro-Babu would be credited in his expense account. Boro-Babu sweetened the deal by promising to transfer Khoka to a fully maintained furnished apartment right in the heart of the city. The icing was an official role for Khoka where he would be shifting through possible ventures. Khoka was dim-witted as per his late father but he was not a fool to miss-out this opportunity.
So one sunny afternoon we find Khoka munching on the last slice of the cheese burst pizza watching the MTV GPL, when he gets a phone call on his N85 mobile phone.
"Hello" he said gruffly bit astonished that he cannot recognize the number
"Good afternoon sir" responded a cute voice” I am ruby calling on behalf of XYZ Bank"
"Yes tell me"
"Sir, we really appreciate that you have maintained a fantastic balance in your account for the last few months. We would like to send a privilege credit card to you."
"Errr"
"Sir there is a lot of benefits for using our privilege card. You shall get 1 point for every 100 rupee you spend. & these points can be exchanged for special gifts at the end of the year. As a welcome gift to you, we would put up your name in the privilege lottery for this month. The winner of this lottery would get to go any domestic destination of his choose free of cost. We have partnership with a range of restaurants where you would a minimum of 10% discount on the bill. We have special fare for people buying tickets using this privilege card......"
Khoka wanted the phone conversation to end. His final piece of the pizza was getting cold & the cheese was on the verge of dropping off. & 10% discount in restaurants. That can not be bad.
"Ok send me the card"
The card arrives in less than a week. The courier guy actually arrived with the delivery boy from Dominos & hence had no problem in reaching the flat.
Slowly Khoka realized that he would get phone-calls at all possible times of the day, especially when he was eating.
He found really innovative methods while searching online at
http://wannabewodehouse.blogspot.com/2007/03/mother-of-all-strategies.html
He had great fun taking to task all the telemarketers who had unknowingly called him up
But this lasted for only a few days. Over-indulgence in junk food led to obesity & indigestion. The latter led to minor heart-burn which led to a minor heart-attack. Unfortunately he was alone (as he was at most points of time) & collapsed on the kitchen floor. He was found dead next day by the cleaner. Only his face bore any mark of the painful death.
BoroBabu took care of all the final rites. He had a deep pang of guilt & cursed himself for not taking sufficient care. But he was also busy with his life. He lamented to his friends "A sad family. Had everything... But none lived long enough to enjoy it to the full"
I have mentioned the inspiration of the story. Sadly I realized that I can-not write as good as "wannabe".
I had got reminded of a telemarketing phone call that an ex-colleague of mine had.
He had taken a lifetime pre-paid connection from Airtel. Vodafone calls him up to get him to take a new-connection. My ex-colleague responds that he is fully happy with his present connection (not sure now) & is not likely to change his plan till his current plan lasts.
Telemarketer: How long would you be in this plan Sir
Ex-Colleague: 20 years
Telemarketer: Ok Sir. I would call you after that
So one sunny afternoon we find Khoka munching on the last slice of the cheese burst pizza watching the MTV GPL, when he gets a phone call on his N85 mobile phone.
"Hello" he said gruffly bit astonished that he cannot recognize the number
"Good afternoon sir" responded a cute voice” I am ruby calling on behalf of XYZ Bank"
"Yes tell me"
"Sir, we really appreciate that you have maintained a fantastic balance in your account for the last few months. We would like to send a privilege credit card to you."
"Errr"
"Sir there is a lot of benefits for using our privilege card. You shall get 1 point for every 100 rupee you spend. & these points can be exchanged for special gifts at the end of the year. As a welcome gift to you, we would put up your name in the privilege lottery for this month. The winner of this lottery would get to go any domestic destination of his choose free of cost. We have partnership with a range of restaurants where you would a minimum of 10% discount on the bill. We have special fare for people buying tickets using this privilege card......"
Khoka wanted the phone conversation to end. His final piece of the pizza was getting cold & the cheese was on the verge of dropping off. & 10% discount in restaurants. That can not be bad.
"Ok send me the card"
The card arrives in less than a week. The courier guy actually arrived with the delivery boy from Dominos & hence had no problem in reaching the flat.
Slowly Khoka realized that he would get phone-calls at all possible times of the day, especially when he was eating.
He found really innovative methods while searching online at
http://wannabewodehouse.blogspot.com/2007/03/mother-of-all-strategies.html
He had great fun taking to task all the telemarketers who had unknowingly called him up
But this lasted for only a few days. Over-indulgence in junk food led to obesity & indigestion. The latter led to minor heart-burn which led to a minor heart-attack. Unfortunately he was alone (as he was at most points of time) & collapsed on the kitchen floor. He was found dead next day by the cleaner. Only his face bore any mark of the painful death.
BoroBabu took care of all the final rites. He had a deep pang of guilt & cursed himself for not taking sufficient care. But he was also busy with his life. He lamented to his friends "A sad family. Had everything... But none lived long enough to enjoy it to the full"
I have mentioned the inspiration of the story. Sadly I realized that I can-not write as good as "wannabe".
I had got reminded of a telemarketing phone call that an ex-colleague of mine had.
He had taken a lifetime pre-paid connection from Airtel. Vodafone calls him up to get him to take a new-connection. My ex-colleague responds that he is fully happy with his present connection (not sure now) & is not likely to change his plan till his current plan lasts.
Telemarketer: How long would you be in this plan Sir
Ex-Colleague: 20 years
Telemarketer: Ok Sir. I would call you after that
Monday, November 24, 2008
From Flurys to SouthCity
Is Life a journey? With many stops. Some beautiful & some ghastly.
Well i have come to believe that Life is actually a collection of journeys.
Some start with great plans & lofty views. Some just happen to begin.
The journey may pass through the desired places or it might take a turn to a destination which was not imagined in the wildest nightmares. But again some journeys takes you through such points where u r left gasping for breadth
Do the journeys follow one after another? No. They start at random points of time & end after running the course. At any given point of time one may be traveling in different journeys.
I would have loved to say that they are not co-related but the truth is contrary to that
The reason why i say that multiple journeys take place simultaneously is because the origin of the journey is so varied.
The end is often sweet. Sometimes it does not make any difference. Sometimes it leaves one with sorrow.
Well i have come to believe that Life is actually a collection of journeys.
Some start with great plans & lofty views. Some just happen to begin.
The journey may pass through the desired places or it might take a turn to a destination which was not imagined in the wildest nightmares. But again some journeys takes you through such points where u r left gasping for breadth
Do the journeys follow one after another? No. They start at random points of time & end after running the course. At any given point of time one may be traveling in different journeys.
I would have loved to say that they are not co-related but the truth is contrary to that
The reason why i say that multiple journeys take place simultaneously is because the origin of the journey is so varied.
The end is often sweet. Sometimes it does not make any difference. Sometimes it leaves one with sorrow.
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Princess & the pauper
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person alive or dead is purely coincidental.
Once upon a time in a not so far away kingdom there lived a Beautiful Princess.
She was the youngest child of the King & was the most pampered person of the family. Not that she did not deserve it. She was the sweetest, cutest, fun-loving girl you can imagine. A smile on her face was what everyone loved to see since it lighted up the whole room. And none allowed even a drop of tear to fall from her eyes.
The Princess was becoming an adult from the wild-eyed adolescent & wanted to see the world. The Queen allowed her to roam around the palace & in the market place. The Princess would wear simple clothes & try & meet people from different spheres of life hiding her true identity. She wished to really know the whole world. She also enjoyed meeting new people & having simple fun.
One evening while returning from a friends place on the other side of the river she realized she was totally alone on the road. The woods were on one side & the river on the other side. Strange & ferocious animals are said to be in the forest. All of a sudden a bloodcurdling sound came from the forest. The Princess horse panicked & throwing The Princess from its back it raced away in the twilight. The Princess was completely frozen in fear & had no idea what to do. She suddenly notices a young lad trotting from the direction her horse had run away. He was also leading her horse back. When the young man comes nearby The Princess notices that he is from the Guard of the Roads. The young lad politely helps the The Princess on her horse & offers to accompany her to her house. The Princess is obviously shaken from the incident & the young man tries to divert her mind from it. He starts pointing out the stars which had just started blinking & showing her the patterns they form. He points out the far-off hillocks & describes them as sleeping giants. Slowly The Princess forgets her ordeal & smiles. She is at the young mans cordiality & the ease with which he was talking. She tries to find out more about him. He tells her that he is the son of a poor ironmonger. His mother had died at child-birth & his father had tried to raise him. As his father was not a very healthy man, the young man had started helping his father early on. Working at the shop had made him strong & a local noble had taken him under his care when he had turned 16. His father still ran his shop but the young man augments with his earnings by guarding the roads. Since he is not afraid of the forest & the infamous animals he is usually posted on this part of the road.
By this time they were entering the residential area just before the palace & The Royal Guards ran up to them. They said that her mother was anxious because she was late. The Princess & the young man parted there especially since the young man realized that the she must be some-one special or else Royal Guards would not know her. Just as they were parting The Princess said "I would be traveling by that road again next week. I hope you would be there to protect me if necessary".
The week went by in a flurry. There was an attempted robbery & the young lad had fought valiantly with three robbers to thwart it. The traveling party had praised the young man at every inn they stopped. The Guard of the Roads gave him a stronger horse to patrol & the noble who had first spotted him got him better arms & protection. He was looking good when he was spotted on the road or at the edge of the bridge. People were comforted seeing him on the road & the those who had heard his story were glad to meet him. Often kids would run behind his horse. Ladies would offer him a sip of water or food. Men would talk with him as man. The young lad was humble enough to not let any of this to get to his head. Not that he was not enjoying the attention he was getting.
In all this he was looking forward to meet the beautiful lady he had met once. He could not believe that he would actually come across her again or that she would recognize him. One evening while standing near the bridge he notices The Princess crossing the bridge. His heart missed a beat because she was looking even more beautiful than before. But he is also frightened that she would not recognize him. As The Princess nears the his end of the bridge she exclaims "Aah my valiant rescuer. I hope you are going to accompany me till the town". The young man is exhilarated & replies "I have been waiting all week to do so". They ride side by side in silence for sometime & then The Princess stared asking him more of his life. He was overjoyed with the attention from her. He started opening up to her as he had never opened to anyone before.
Over time The Princess & the young man started meeting regularly. The Princess would invite him for her rides through the country-side. They would talk on varied stuff. More they started having good time together the more they started coming closer. They even started sharing their innermost secrets. It was only then did the young man know that his new friend was The Princess & wished to rule the country after her father.
Full 6 months passed before either were sure of their feelings for the other. They enjoyed the friendship & the ease with which they could be with each other. Neither accepted the fact that they have grown from acquaintances to friends to perhaps something even more.
The Queen was bit concerned with The Princess spending so much time with a Guard of the Roads alone though he was a "good boy" as per the reports. When she asked The Princess, she replied that they are good friends. Also since he is a good guy when she thinks of marriage she might give him a thought. Later The Princess shared this with the young man as she shared every thing with him. The young man was thrilled. He had never hoped that The Princess would consider him more than a mere friend. He resolved that he must grow in stature to be in a position to ask her hand. He knew that no-one would oppose if The Princess decided to marry him, but he wanted to rise on his own caliber. He wanted to proof that he was worth more than just a simple Guard of the Road
One morning the young man noticed an announcement at the village inn. The Royal Army was planning an expedition. They were looking for some able young men. He jumped on his horse & cantered to the Royal Army Office. He was inducted in the mission because the officers of the Royal Army had heard of his heroics. He went back home to tell his father that he would be leaving the country soon. His father was bit disheartened to know that his son would be away & a bit frightened for what might happen to the young man. But he hid all his emotions & supported him because he had not seen his son so enthusiastic in any thing before.
The young man next went to The Princess. The Princess was sad because she would no longer have a trusted friend. She asked softly "Must you go?" The young man was burning with desire to prove his mettle & replied "I need to complete this". They parted promising to write to each other regularly.
The 1st letter was from the young man. He described how they were training hard. The reply from The Princess was giving him courage & confidence. He described the beautiful lands they were traveling through. The lush green fields, the starry night sky. She described her life. Slowly they realized how much they missed each others company.
Couple of months after the brigade of Royal Army started training they went out of their kingdom. They were attacking some kingdoms on the south. The southern kingdoms had always been a problem for their kingdom & they wanted to deal a fast & furious blow to them. They did not know that the southern kingdom already knew of their plans & were ready. What should have been a fast & short attack ended being a long drawn war. The young man was too busy fighting just to stay alive. He had fought in his childhood & also against robbers. But her was not mentally ready to to fight in the war. He just could not align himself with the concept of killing to just stay alive. When he had some free time he would try & comfort some of his comrades. He could not sit down to write about all these to The Princess. The Princess complained in her letters that he was not writing enough. The young man wrote back that he was not articulate enough to express what he was going through. But he insisted that The Princess keep writing. The letters which he carried right over his heart was the only thing that kept him going.
The Princess met the son of a noble in the annual archery competition. He was in the top 5 & definitely the best among the gentry. This Guy had studied under the best teachers in the kingdom. He was smart as well a good orator. The Princess found him interesting & a great person to be with. When The Guy invited invited her to a fox-hunt she was not sure if she should go. She in her letters asked what should she do. The young man suggested that since she is getting bored she should go.
The Princess had a very good time in the fox-hunt. She started looking forward to spend further time with The Guy. The letters from The Princess were filled with excited writings on what they had done. The young man could not but help feel pangs of jealousy & sorrow. Jealousy because he was not in a position where he could be with The Princess. Sorrow because he can never achieve what The Guy has already achieved.
The war entered a very terrible phase. For every inch of land to proceed or retreat there would be scores of rotten bodies. The young man was totally deranged at seeing the blood-bath around. His sporadic letters were the only place where he could vent out his emotions. But they were as dark & unhappy as the environment he was in. The Princess did not like those letters & made it a point to state that in hers. Her frequency of writing also got reduced. She was too busy to reply to the young mans letters
Here I would stop.
I would not end this story. Simple reason it is up to the reader to decide what ending he/she wants.
You are welcome to have a romantic ending or a dark gory one. You can also have Ulysses-Penelope ending or a practical ending. The choice is yours.
REQUEST: I would be really overjoyed if you could post your version of the ending as a comment
Once upon a time in a not so far away kingdom there lived a Beautiful Princess.
She was the youngest child of the King & was the most pampered person of the family. Not that she did not deserve it. She was the sweetest, cutest, fun-loving girl you can imagine. A smile on her face was what everyone loved to see since it lighted up the whole room. And none allowed even a drop of tear to fall from her eyes.
The Princess was becoming an adult from the wild-eyed adolescent & wanted to see the world. The Queen allowed her to roam around the palace & in the market place. The Princess would wear simple clothes & try & meet people from different spheres of life hiding her true identity. She wished to really know the whole world. She also enjoyed meeting new people & having simple fun.
One evening while returning from a friends place on the other side of the river she realized she was totally alone on the road. The woods were on one side & the river on the other side. Strange & ferocious animals are said to be in the forest. All of a sudden a bloodcurdling sound came from the forest. The Princess horse panicked & throwing The Princess from its back it raced away in the twilight. The Princess was completely frozen in fear & had no idea what to do. She suddenly notices a young lad trotting from the direction her horse had run away. He was also leading her horse back. When the young man comes nearby The Princess notices that he is from the Guard of the Roads. The young lad politely helps the The Princess on her horse & offers to accompany her to her house. The Princess is obviously shaken from the incident & the young man tries to divert her mind from it. He starts pointing out the stars which had just started blinking & showing her the patterns they form. He points out the far-off hillocks & describes them as sleeping giants. Slowly The Princess forgets her ordeal & smiles. She is at the young mans cordiality & the ease with which he was talking. She tries to find out more about him. He tells her that he is the son of a poor ironmonger. His mother had died at child-birth & his father had tried to raise him. As his father was not a very healthy man, the young man had started helping his father early on. Working at the shop had made him strong & a local noble had taken him under his care when he had turned 16. His father still ran his shop but the young man augments with his earnings by guarding the roads. Since he is not afraid of the forest & the infamous animals he is usually posted on this part of the road.
By this time they were entering the residential area just before the palace & The Royal Guards ran up to them. They said that her mother was anxious because she was late. The Princess & the young man parted there especially since the young man realized that the she must be some-one special or else Royal Guards would not know her. Just as they were parting The Princess said "I would be traveling by that road again next week. I hope you would be there to protect me if necessary".
The week went by in a flurry. There was an attempted robbery & the young lad had fought valiantly with three robbers to thwart it. The traveling party had praised the young man at every inn they stopped. The Guard of the Roads gave him a stronger horse to patrol & the noble who had first spotted him got him better arms & protection. He was looking good when he was spotted on the road or at the edge of the bridge. People were comforted seeing him on the road & the those who had heard his story were glad to meet him. Often kids would run behind his horse. Ladies would offer him a sip of water or food. Men would talk with him as man. The young lad was humble enough to not let any of this to get to his head. Not that he was not enjoying the attention he was getting.
In all this he was looking forward to meet the beautiful lady he had met once. He could not believe that he would actually come across her again or that she would recognize him. One evening while standing near the bridge he notices The Princess crossing the bridge. His heart missed a beat because she was looking even more beautiful than before. But he is also frightened that she would not recognize him. As The Princess nears the his end of the bridge she exclaims "Aah my valiant rescuer. I hope you are going to accompany me till the town". The young man is exhilarated & replies "I have been waiting all week to do so". They ride side by side in silence for sometime & then The Princess stared asking him more of his life. He was overjoyed with the attention from her. He started opening up to her as he had never opened to anyone before.
Over time The Princess & the young man started meeting regularly. The Princess would invite him for her rides through the country-side. They would talk on varied stuff. More they started having good time together the more they started coming closer. They even started sharing their innermost secrets. It was only then did the young man know that his new friend was The Princess & wished to rule the country after her father.
Full 6 months passed before either were sure of their feelings for the other. They enjoyed the friendship & the ease with which they could be with each other. Neither accepted the fact that they have grown from acquaintances to friends to perhaps something even more.
The Queen was bit concerned with The Princess spending so much time with a Guard of the Roads alone though he was a "good boy" as per the reports. When she asked The Princess, she replied that they are good friends. Also since he is a good guy when she thinks of marriage she might give him a thought. Later The Princess shared this with the young man as she shared every thing with him. The young man was thrilled. He had never hoped that The Princess would consider him more than a mere friend. He resolved that he must grow in stature to be in a position to ask her hand. He knew that no-one would oppose if The Princess decided to marry him, but he wanted to rise on his own caliber. He wanted to proof that he was worth more than just a simple Guard of the Road
One morning the young man noticed an announcement at the village inn. The Royal Army was planning an expedition. They were looking for some able young men. He jumped on his horse & cantered to the Royal Army Office. He was inducted in the mission because the officers of the Royal Army had heard of his heroics. He went back home to tell his father that he would be leaving the country soon. His father was bit disheartened to know that his son would be away & a bit frightened for what might happen to the young man. But he hid all his emotions & supported him because he had not seen his son so enthusiastic in any thing before.
The young man next went to The Princess. The Princess was sad because she would no longer have a trusted friend. She asked softly "Must you go?" The young man was burning with desire to prove his mettle & replied "I need to complete this". They parted promising to write to each other regularly.
The 1st letter was from the young man. He described how they were training hard. The reply from The Princess was giving him courage & confidence. He described the beautiful lands they were traveling through. The lush green fields, the starry night sky. She described her life. Slowly they realized how much they missed each others company.
Couple of months after the brigade of Royal Army started training they went out of their kingdom. They were attacking some kingdoms on the south. The southern kingdoms had always been a problem for their kingdom & they wanted to deal a fast & furious blow to them. They did not know that the southern kingdom already knew of their plans & were ready. What should have been a fast & short attack ended being a long drawn war. The young man was too busy fighting just to stay alive. He had fought in his childhood & also against robbers. But her was not mentally ready to to fight in the war. He just could not align himself with the concept of killing to just stay alive. When he had some free time he would try & comfort some of his comrades. He could not sit down to write about all these to The Princess. The Princess complained in her letters that he was not writing enough. The young man wrote back that he was not articulate enough to express what he was going through. But he insisted that The Princess keep writing. The letters which he carried right over his heart was the only thing that kept him going.
The Princess met the son of a noble in the annual archery competition. He was in the top 5 & definitely the best among the gentry. This Guy had studied under the best teachers in the kingdom. He was smart as well a good orator. The Princess found him interesting & a great person to be with. When The Guy invited invited her to a fox-hunt she was not sure if she should go. She in her letters asked what should she do. The young man suggested that since she is getting bored she should go.
The Princess had a very good time in the fox-hunt. She started looking forward to spend further time with The Guy. The letters from The Princess were filled with excited writings on what they had done. The young man could not but help feel pangs of jealousy & sorrow. Jealousy because he was not in a position where he could be with The Princess. Sorrow because he can never achieve what The Guy has already achieved.
The war entered a very terrible phase. For every inch of land to proceed or retreat there would be scores of rotten bodies. The young man was totally deranged at seeing the blood-bath around. His sporadic letters were the only place where he could vent out his emotions. But they were as dark & unhappy as the environment he was in. The Princess did not like those letters & made it a point to state that in hers. Her frequency of writing also got reduced. She was too busy to reply to the young mans letters
Here I would stop.
I would not end this story. Simple reason it is up to the reader to decide what ending he/she wants.
You are welcome to have a romantic ending or a dark gory one. You can also have Ulysses-Penelope ending or a practical ending. The choice is yours.
REQUEST: I would be really overjoyed if you could post your version of the ending as a comment
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