Looking into the eyes!!!

Sometimes some people touch our hearts in a very special way. Some actions of some persons can be just a flicking moment to them. But to us it may be a memorable one for lifetime.

It was a usual busy day and I was off to office. The route was regular. The traffic was less. And the driver sped up. Just as it is in several places in India, the road had several crows and pigeons searching to make their tummy full. And that day too the road had a crow sitting in the midst of the lane picking up some food. My driver didn’t bother and I too didn’t. It’s very usual to see them like that and as they see some vehicle approaching their reflexes act so fast and we can see them fly high the next moment. But that day, I didn’t see it fly high, I heard it to just ‘pouf’ under my car’s wheel. A ‘pouf’. That’s it. I had killed it. I didn’t do it consciously, but it still bothers me from the back of my mind. I was hurt. Really deeply hurt. I made that bird that could have soared high in the sky to die flat under my car. I couldn’t digest that I was, by chance, though not deliberately, involved in the killing. The guilt was all over me. I thought about it whole day inspite of the heavy work.

That evening my close friend, rather my very very very very close friend came to meet me. He looked into my eyes and listened to what ever I poured out of my heart as we sipped our cup of coffee at CCD. He looked deep into my eyes. He listened to every word I spoke. He didn’t interrupt me even a moment. I poured my heart out. I looked into his eyes and I overcame the overwhelming guilt. Finally when I stopped, he looked deeper into my eyes and he asked me to ask my mom to perform some spiritual remedy. It’s not exactly the solution. But he had given me the solution as I spoke. He listened – looking deep into my eyes.

Today, I still feel the guilt. But it doesn’t overwhelm me anymore.

Recently 2 days back, one fine morning, I woke up, got ready and stepped out of my apartment into the road only to come face to face with a… a… a… Monkey. It’s strange to see it there. Though it was not a cosmopolitan concrete jungle, it was busy residential area of a well-to-do town. Not a single apartment was less than 5 floors high. And to witness a monkey in the centre of the road was strange. Or atleast I thought so. I jumped back into my apartment gate and saw it pass-by walking proudly in the centre of the road. With an absolute residential area where any vehicle cannot go beyond 15 kmph, it was not at a risk of being killed in traffic. But it had another issue. It was pregnant. I was worried about it. I thought it was lost that too pregnant. I wanted to do something. I was new to the town and didn’t know much about the place and had no idea of any animal organization there. It’s a small town and didn’t have a zoo too. I wanted to find someone to take care of it and take it back to wilderness.

The first person to strike my mind was a colleague. He was not even a friend. He was just a colleague. He has been in the town since childhood and knows the place well. Quite a knowledgeable person. An outgoing person. I do not know him personally though. But he was the person who I felt I could disturb early in the morning. Not an odd hour, it was 7.30 am. Not an even hour as well. I wouldn’t call my boss at that hour, to find a source to help that poor animal. This colleague picked the call and he informed that the town had no organization like that. The only options left were I could ask the police or govt hospital staff to help. I enquired the locals about it and they said it’s not a very strange phenomenon as I had assumed. But generally they come as 2 or 3 or 4, not as single like this one, and like once in 4-6 months. I pacified myself as it slipped out of sight.

That day evening at office, I had some work with him. After that I told him about the monkey. I said “Its not strange”, “It comes once in 4-6 months”, “Generally in groups”, “I was worried coz it was pregnant”, “Blah… blah… blah…”. I went on. As I kept telling, rather ‘Blah’ing, he kept listening. Did not interrupt even a moment. And kept looking deep into the eyes. Listened to my whole blah and finally said “Don’t worry. There are several groves nearby and it would have settled. Being a regular visitor, it wouldn’t have lost its path”. Of course, I didn’t worry ever since the locals said that they were regular visitors, since the morning. But then, he listened, making eye contact and he listened early in the morning when I disturbed his sleep.

For both my dearest friend and my colleague, to them it was my 2 minutes of nonchalant words, sentences, my life story. They said something at the end of my continuous speech. But what they said didn’t matter. But they gave a solution. They listened! They looked deep into my eyes when I spoke!!!

The Angel

This girl is an Angel. I call her so always and she always gets freaked out whenever I call her so. But its indeed true. Both in character and in appearance too. Fair skinned and beautiful, she would seriously put angels down if you makeover her with wings, tiara, magic wand and white gown.

She is my colleague who I met on the first day of my first job. Her cube was next to mine. With an accommodation given by office, we lived together in an apartment along with another colleague. And one the first day a friend had dropped by and we were having some time together and I did not talk to my colleagues so well. Next day my boss enquired her if I gelled well with them and she said ‘No’!!! Ask her today the same question - Today she says, ‘Please take me away from this pestering female’, when I remind her of this incident.

We shared the same room and in few days we became quite friendly and one fine day she took me to her home at a nearby village. A beautiful Eden that village was. I wrote a whole blog post on that village. Here it is. And a little bachelorhood mis-adventure led me to almost drown in a well and she pulled me out!!!

And then one fine day when our cook ditched us and stopped coming with just 1 week notice we were stranded. I as a typical she-bachelor (‘spinster’ sounds too serious for a hippie – person like me) simply started calculating the expenditure on hotel food until we find another cook. Reason – well, simple – I HATE cooking. Now she took things under control and started cooking FOR ALL. I helped her. Err… Ok.. Not a big deal. Just washing vessels, chopping veggies etc. Not a great help though. But for a cooking-ignorant person like me passing thru a period without a cook is nothing than a big marvel. With her, times were not so difficult.

She is the one I rely upon immediately when things are difficult. Being away from home and loved ones who are pillars when tides are rough, can be really difficult but it helps to find new friends. In my case, in this place, it was she. She is now more than mere colleague. She’s a great friend (though I call her ‘Akka’ which in Tamizh means Sis). May be she’s the Akka who is God -Sent to fill the gap of having no sis in blood-line.

And she is the one I turn upon when I need to know answers for silly but important questions – Is this Red lipstick suiting me.?, Shall I go for a hair make-over.?, What top do I wear with this skirt.? And she is the one who controls me when am bitten by the shopping spree insect.

Her wedding is on roll. May be in 6 or 7 months. Wishing her great luck. I know one thing for sure. Her hubby is the lucky one to find an adorable lady like her.

Tomorrow is her Birthday and this is a dedication to My Angel. Take care. Thanks for being a part of my life.

Serendipity - Fourth stranger

Fourth stranger:

A big Sorry for all the readers for such a delay. I was caught up with things here that’s why was not able to post any updates… here after I will be regular and that’s a promise.

And Mitr friend great work… I am continuing from what she wrote about her brother because I was in a similar situation but with a different person and different circumstances.

Well my fourth stranger is my Big B or say Big Brother…

I say as big b because this person is literally 6 feet tall… u know why I am mentioning his height because his height was his name when I didn’t know his real name…. hahahahha… it sounds funny but its true..

In my 12th I used to go to school by auto rickshaw and while passing by there was an house of a girl who was my mom’s student which I tend to watch as an habit. And every day at that time padma akka(my mom’s student) used to go to college accompanied by one tall anna (that was the name of my fourth stranger which I gave, and moreover anna means brother guys!!!! Hahahaha). In the evening I used to tell mom ‘amma I saw padma akka today with a tall anna’ and this became a routine. Then came my time of entering into college.

In our college there was separate buses for the first years alone to avoid ragging and also in the bus stop we first years use to stand in a corner to avoid ragging though I was not like mitr friend without any fear for the seniors.

I was afraid a bit, where I am going to mess up with the seniors. In our bus stop all the college buses used to halt to mostly at that time many students would be there and that was the time I saw my tall anna standing there with one of his friends. First I was surprised and decided he must be in a different college. One fine day I missed my bus and I was left with only one choice to get into seniors bus which I did with outmost fear and sat and all the seniors getting into the bus ant I saw my tall anna also getting into the bus. I was like is that true or am I dreaming. I felt very much relieved seeing him because I thought when I get a chance I will talk to him and tell I knew padma akka and I already dreamt about my tall anna helping me from all my seniors but reality was something different. I was too excited that day I came home and told my mom immediately stepping into home ‘amma that tall anna who used to go with padma akka is in my college’

But the next day turned out to be disastrous I was the only girl among five in my stop from first years and one of my senior called me and told that they want to talk to us in the evening so asked us to wait for them after getting down at the bus. Even after this very thunderous warning (heheheehe) I was pretty sure my tall anna gonna save the day. Still I was a bit apprehensive and asked one of classmates to come with me. From that day forward she always boarded the bus from my stop. That day we were not able to meet the seniors so the very next day my seniors are for the introduction and we did and one breaking thing I noticed was my good man tall anna was particularly very rude to us. My good man tall anna changed into bad boy tall anna.

He was way to rude talking and I really decided that day never even to look at his face. I really was afraid like they show in films they are gonna something worse from me but thank god they did not want to scare us of so asked for a simple treat in a restaurant near our place with all of my bus stop seniors hell around 25 people. We agreed but still my opinion of my tall anna did not change.

So fine we all first years collected money decided a day and invited our seniors for the treat. That day we all got down near the restaurant around 15 of us. The restaurant people were quite shocked seeing the crowd. Still we first were a bit reserved, tensed and also a bit frightened about are these people going to rag us infront of all the public crowd. We all sat down and our seniors made a formal introduction about themselves their name in which year they are studying with a very warm smile on their faces. I was shocked… I was like ‘what the hell these people bully us into giving a treat and then here they sit and talk as if we are like their own buddies’ And I also came to know about my tall anna’s real name and also he was studying in final year mechanical. Among them most of them where final year mechanical. I always had an impression not to mess up with mechanical people, but these guys proved me wrong. They were having fun and making us involved in all the fun. I never thought a ragging would be this much fun I also came to know my tall anna was not so bad they (seniors) were all putting a false mask to show that they were threatinig us. But they weren’t.

From that day forward we became friends. Can u imagine final years and first years were friends especially with us girls. They always treated us like baby sisters. My tall anna teached us helping out in our mechanical subjects we had. Even after he left college he maintained contact and came to my house once even then I introduced him to my mom as tall anna (hehhehehe). From that day forward he became a real brother who I was longing to have since I am the only child at my home. In every sense he was and still is my Big B… From that day forward there were many circumstances, hard ships which he had to face and I had to face but we faced together. He is my sweet, over protective brother on who’s shoulder I can sleep peacefully whenever I want.

Even till date he treats me like a porcelain doll thinking I would break for even a slight move, but to be frank I am not but still I like to be pampered by him. Now he is in Australia and I really miss him a lot.

I miss my pulsor bike rides. I miss my guide to tell where to board a bus and how to go to a specific place which I do not know. I miss watching Hindi movies with him. I miss me rambling to him or him rambling to me even in the midnight. I miss waking him in an ungodly hour and asking silly question.

Big B you are one of the few best things that happened in my life…

I Love you…

I miss you very badly… 

When Language Connects...

This guy a best friend of mine and recently he too told me that I am one of his very close best friends.

Well I met him during the last year of my college when I went to a brand to do my final internship. He was working there. And I was introduced to all the people in the dept in which I was supposed to work. And the introduction to him was very special. Why.? Lemme tell that. But before that, lemme tell about my beautiful country, India.

India is a diverse nation. Absolute ‘Unity in Diversity’ thingy. Mother India has 29 states and almost each and every state speaks a different language. India had 18 official languages! And if you include the several other languages spoken in India, it would very easily hit a century. And in every state that speaks the same language there are n number of slangs that completely different from one another. For eg. Hindi has Bhojpuri, Mythili etc. Tamizh has Thirunelveli, Madras etc. Telugu has Hyderabadi, Madras etc. Some words are so different within the language itself, among the slangs. The pronunciation is very very very much different.

Now, coming back to the intro. We both hailed from the same state and share the same mother tongue. So the intro was way too special. We spoke in our language and at once I felt ease to be in that office. Atleast one person is from my state and spoke my language. Though he was from a different part of the state and spoke a completely different slang.

His cube was in the ground floor and mine was in the first floor. So we didn’t get to speak much apart from the occasional Hi, Hello. We travel by the same route but in different timings. Many a times, we did catch up to go together in the evening.

While things were going on like this, I, who commutes by train everyday to reach office, on one fine day, fainted. Err… Well, almost fainted. I usually prefer to stand near the entrance to prevent rush and sweat and suffocation. On that particular day, by mistake I took a wrong side, where the sun shows all its might. With the summer’s scorching sun and heated up metallic train compartment, I blacked out. My ears were shut, vision got hazed and my mind went crazy. I somehow managed to get out of the train in the next station which was fortunately, the station that I had to get down. I bought a bottle of water and drank half of it and sat for half an hour before I could proceed. I was ok in half an hour. Still, I was not sure if I could manage to office all by myself. I called him to check if he had already crossed the station. And he had. I didn’t want to disturb him and after another half an hour rest I took a taxi to reach office. That noon, I informed him the reason for calling him in morning. He was taken aback first. Then, he yelled for not telling then and there. He was really worried. His expression said that. I was so happy to see someone worry for me so much. Till date, he yells for not telling him the reason on phone itself.

The project was 6 months long and I was back. Back in college another friend who interned in a nearby brand to mine, asked if there was a guy who spoke my language in my office. I shook my head in positive. She laughed and said, “U r such a poor soul”. I wondered why and asked her and pat came the reply “Don’t you know anything?”. I asked “What.?”. She said, “People in your dept were teasing that guy with you.”. I asked her how she came to know of it who didn’t even work in the same office. She said that my colleague’s rommie was her colleage. I was completely taken aback. I called him and asked what happened. Then came the shocking revelations. People in our dept. were continuously teasing him with me just coz we spoke the same language and hailed from the same state. I was like – Isn’t it ridiculous. He was even offered icebreaker convos by other colleagues. Thank God he didn’t tell me all this nonsense when I was working there. I would have lost my peace of mind. After all this happened and I had a hearty laugh and he was comfortable to see I laughed it off, we became closer friends.

It was not during when he was a co-worker but after that only we became closer.

Now he is one of my best pals. Whenever I was down or had a tiff with my special ones, I would by default turn to him. His smile and warmth and never ending funny & funky way of talking would take the hell outta my head.

U r a great friend dear, a best friend for lifetime. Never change your character coz that’s ur specialty. Miss u!