nanagu kannada gothappa :)

Those recent immigrants to Bangalore, oops sorry sorry sorry, Bengalooru, should be able to identify with this little tit bit :)
To all others who can understand Kannada: Its my pleasure if you had a hearty laugh! :)

The first word that you learn when you set your foot in the garden city: Gothilla (meaning 'I dont Know')
2 weeks: Kannada Gothilla pa!

After about 2 to 3 months your vocabulary to the Auto Man builds:

Left hogi
Right hogi
Stop madi

6 months? Its high time you started correlating words to your own language and start picking up the meanings. This applies to even food items that you get in the Special 'Sagar' hotels.

For example, I learnt that 'bisi' means 'hot', while having 'Bisi Bele Bath'

Karnataka is famous for its 'bath' items in the menu card.
My resident friends or the typical bengaloorian friends told me that 'Vaangi Bath' was rice made out of 'Brinjal'

Comparing, 'bisi bele bath' and 'vaangi bath' on a similar basis, i have come to the conclusion that 'Vaangi' is Kannada for 'Brinjal'.

I decided to experiment my new learnt vegetable name in the vegetable shop. Sadly, i had a 'Bengaloorian friend' with me.

Me: 'Ardha kg vaangi'
Translation according to me: 'Half Kg Brinjal'
Bang friend: 'What?'

I gave the analogies (GRE'ian me? sil vous plait pardon moi) that I had derived.

Laughters.
Me: Blank!!!

My friend came back to senses after the peals of loud laughter!

Bang Friend: Brinjal is 'Badhanae Kaai'! and not VAANGI!!!

The next level of innocence:

Day 1:

Me: Teach me some bad words in Kannada na?
Blr Friend: What do you want to know?
Me: I will hit you with my slippers?
Blr: Chaplili hoduthini

Day 2:

B friend: Hey remeber the word i taught you yesterday?
Me: (finding it difficult to recollect) chaplilllll.... oh yes... chaplil haduthini!!!!!!!!1
Bravo!!
B friend: Bursts of Laughters....
Me: Baffled
B friend: haduthini is to sing!!!

Derrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......

Heights:

Went to a Sagar Hotel and asked for 'Bajji'.
Was imagining the spicy mirchi bajjis that you get in the beaches of Chennai! My mouth was watering already!
Waiter: Bajji
So saying, he placed 2 round ball shaped brown colored items.
Me: Hey meinae bajji order kiya. Bonda kaadhu!!
(Somehow, every language other than kannada will come into your mouth. Not English or my mother tongue(Tamil), but, Hindi and Telegu!! Irony is my Hindi and Telugu are definitely no better than the Kannada i know. And yet, the language that i need will not come into my mouth when i am desperate)
Waiter: Idhae Bajji
Friend: Hey dont fight. This is Bajji only. Its the Mangalorian Bajji.
So, saying he went rolling into laughter.

Well, Karnataka is the only place where you get Bondas when you ask for Bajjis, and its my fault for not knowing that Bonda was Bajji and not Bonda!

Some translations:

Sambhar = sweet tamarind brown colored liquid
Parota = Kerala Parota (as if we dont get in TN?) made of Maida
Paratha = stuffed parathas made in Wheat

Ever heard of these fat Dosas?
Kaali Dosa (Durga matha save us)
Cucumber Dosa (Where is Cucumber in it?)
Set Dosa
Wheat Dosa


Today, after 2 and half years of hard work:

Me to Auto man: BTM hogbekku
Auto: Aivathu rupai aagathae
Me: Meter aakki (in a loud commanding fierce tone)
Auto guy continues with something in Kannada that i understand. I want to blast him back for his attrocity. Me: Minimum 12 rs aagathae. Aenappa aivathu rupaya?? (In a more 'am ready to fight you' tone!)
Auto guy continues. I get the gist: If you want, come. Else leave (not get lost).
But then thats all the Kannada I know. So i decide to take another auto that stops right next to me.

Me: Right thogolli bhaiyaa
Me: Illae stop maadi

Office Canteen:

Me: Bajji eshtu
Waiter: Hanniradu
Me: Blank!
Waiter:(with a smile) 12
Me: (sheepish Smile) :D

Some easy words to learn:
Anything that starts with 'Pa' in Tamil, will start with 'Ha' in Kannada.

For Example:

Milk in English= Palu in Tamil = Halu in Kannada
Sing in English= Padu in Tamil = Hadu in Kannada
Flower in English = Poovu in Tamil = Hoovu in kannada?
Go in English = Poga in Tamil = Hogu in kannada

How i wish all words in Tamil started with 'Pa'? :)

Unpredictable tomorrows!!

Its a pity we never realise that life can take new paths. What is important today may become silly a few months later. Your best chum who once understood your feelings, emotions, whom you had considered your soul mate, in whose eyes you saw your reflection, may some day become a stranger you recognised with voice, when you happened to meet in a shopping mall- by chance or fate, whatever you may call it. Once a soulmate! Now a stranger!
People change. Jobs change. Ideas change. Values change. Friends change. Family(ies) change.
If anything at all, i can see only CHANGE is permanent. And we adapt and mould and move along. In this material world, if you can find joy and have a hearty laugh, call up an old friend and have a peaceful chit chat - I d say your the luckiest.
Take a break from your schedule. Have a cup of coffee. And just sit and ponder. Sans tension. Just those pleasant careless laughter sounds will remain. And all your pains and miseries and problems will seem like void all of a sudden.
Miss you all :) Miss those fun moments in college- cutting class, making noise, getting punished and grounded by HOD, group study, laughter sounds amidst exam tension- those precious 4 years. But to relive those carefree years in your mind- simply a bliss!

Thank your friend - for having given me these pleasant memories. Thanks for having been a part of my life. It is a pleasure that our paths have crossed. Thanks to time. And cheers to fond memories!

Is raath ki subah nahin? Part 2

I had written about one of the most pleasant memorable night outs here before...

This was something different. One night that saw - a proposal for one.. denial for another.. bachelor party for one.. and jail bars for another..

It was the bachelor party for Priya's marraige. Dreams in her eyes, mehndi, bangles, chains, saree, she looked the bride and all set for marriage, melting away in the arms of her man!!

It was the night when finally Diya had met the man of her dreams..

It was the night when Rathish's dream of marrying Pavithra had been crushed like a castle built in the air..

With mixed feelings all friends set out for a walk, to get fresh air at 1.15 am in the night. It was a 5 min walk. But a walk to remember!! A walk that set marks on everyone of their lives forever!!

Priya, Preethi, Diya, Rathish and Ranjan were singing songs and walking away in bliss.
Music!! The ruffling sounds of leaves against the gentle wind!! Moonlight!! Empty roads!! Street lights!! Stray dogs sleeping by the side of the road!!!

Nothing could have been better!!!

Fate it seems, had better plans for them !!

A jeep came by and stopped in front of them. 10 police officers got down from the jeep and started questioning as to why they were all out. They got nasty cursing the parents for bringing up such irresponsible spoilt brats.

The peaceful night had become a night of terror.

All that was left was.. Panic!!! Fear!!! The seriousness of such a simple act dawned upon them!!

They took away Ranjan into custody. They asked all of them to come to station the next day with their identity cards. And the jeep just disappeared.

If the intentions of the police had really been the safety of the girls, one of them should come till their homes to drop them back. Instead they were asked to report the next day??

The entire world turned topsy turvy and scary in a matter of 2 minutes!!!

Silence.

They walked back home unsure of what to do. All they had done was to go for a walk. In free India.

The great poet Subramania Bharathi said that it was free India only when a girl can walk the roads on the midnight with no fear.

Well, 3 girls walked. With no fear. Was that free India? And an arrest for walking on the roads??

Silence. Injustice. Frustration. Helplessness.

Is raath ki subah nahin??

P.S: Ranjan was released with a fine of Rs.600 and kicks from every boot of the officers who crossed him.

Celebrations :D

Celebration means......

Four friends.
Bahar barsaat.
Four glasses of beer.

Celebration means......

One birthday night
All old friends
One conference call.

Celebration means......

Hundred bucks of petrol.
A rusty old bike.
And an open road.

Celebration means......

Maggi noodles.
A hostel room.
4.25 a.m.

Celebration means......

3 old friends.
3 separate cities.
3 coffee mugs.
1 internet messenger.

Celebration means......

Rain on a hot tin roof.
Pakoras deep-frying.
Neighbours dropping in.
A party.

Celebration means......

You and mom.
A summer night.
A bottle of coconut oil.
A head massage.

Celebration means......

Friday evening
Work Deadline
"What the hell" mood
Tea talks
One Blog :)

Celebration means......

6 old friends
one night out
college time gossips

Celebration means......

Credit Card bills
Nil Bank Balance.
Mailer: Hike in salary

Celebration means......

4 fun friends
walk on the road
pani poori
1 hot chick to sight

Celebration means......

4 greatest pals
1 soulmate
Money to burn NOW
Rocking Life!!

Was Ilayaraja inspired by Jazz?

Have you ever sipped a cup of capacino in a full-fledged bar. Uhuh. Thats sounds just like me :)

Saturday Night. Java City (a bar near brigade road where they play live jazz music)

I saw some artisans and music lovers enjoy the live Jazz.

Most of the girls there were boozing and fagging.

I watched with silence. Observed everyone around me. And enjoyed my cup of coffee.

Stranger in the night. Beethoven. Jazz. Jazz.. and more Jazz.

The guitar and piano was so Ilayaraja's music. I wonder if his music was "inspired" by Jazz of the 70's.

Here is the interesting proof: www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Yi6ITZtHg
The first song is so much like Mouna Ragam Title track, dont you think?


Watch this space for more!!!

Ironic.. The Alanis Morissette way :)

I have had crushes on very few men. I like humourous guys who wear their attitude the right way.

I met this guy accidentally in Mysore. He had everything that i would ever want in a guy and more.
Smart.
Intelligent.
Enthusiast.
Humourous.
Well-dressed.
Dolce and Gabbana perfume!!
Superb conversationalist.
Great dancer.
Yet modest.
Fan of Linkin Park and Metallica and GNR and what not.
He wanted to learn Tango and did not get a good tutor (How sad i thought)
He had the 'live this moment-dont waste it' look all over him.
Tennis player. Not a cricket fan!!!! (How rare to get these days??)

Exactly what i wanted in a guy.

I spent 2 solid hours with him. And walked away not even knowing his number or mail id. I was totally mesmerised in him that i forgot the rest of it.

I dreamt of him an entire week. Kept telling all my friends and even my mother, what a lovely guy he had been.

I thought i will never get to see him or know him again.
But fate it seems had other plans for me !!

My friends sent me his orkut profile this morning. And that was when my heart broke.
His profile said he was already COMMITTED :(( My energy sank :((

And i heard Alanis sing her 'Ironic' song in my playlist: 'Its meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife!!! And isnt it ironic?'

I wonder if i have this luck or something, any guy i like or even have a crush on is already engaged/married/or having a girl friend. Sad :((

I was numb. For 2 minutes. (What did you expect? After all a crush. He had to be sad not me!!)

A second mailer came from my friend.
Hey check out this guy's profile. He is a friend from school. One helluvan enthusiast. He got 99.23% in CAT. And lots of attitude!!!

I opened the link to orkut hopefully.

His pic smiled at me and it looked so energetic!!!! :D


My playlist was singing "i ll be there for you i swear" :) Hope never gives up on people :))

Tagged

I had to read a couple of other blogs to make sure what tagging is. (Am new to blogging world) But the sad part is i dont know other bloggers to continue the tagging. Nevertheless.. here goes the sad/boring/huge questionaire answering (i d rather call it this).

I was tagged by Gayathri.

Favorite Color: Bright and colorful - Red representative of confidence, blue -saneeswaran's color. never the mind :D, and pink - hello even i like to be girly at times.

Favorite Food: vatha kuzhambu with suta/poricha apalam combo, mor kuzhambu + parupu usili combo, nama oor(TN) sambhar (naan sambhar ilingo :o)

Favorite Month: October. for a lot of reasons - Rains, Diwali and most of all, presents!!! (my birthday yaar)

Favorite Songs: Mostly melodies(romantic) or kuthu or fast nos. No sogams at all.

Current favs:
Hindi:
Crazy kiya re - choreography makes aish look so cute.
latest craze: sunidhi and shreya.

Tamil:
hey hey ena aachu unaku from kathal virus. (that is what i am listening to now)

English:
All the people in the world ( i guess Safri Duo's. love the drums)

Favorite Movie: Kal Ho Na ho, Thomas Crown Affair, After the sunset, One fine day, its a huge list babes.

Favorite Sport: Swimming (No laughs. And swear the area where i swim did not get flooded)

Favorite Season: Rains. Of course. Also the winter(maargazhi), when the warm jacket makes you wish you had someone to hug and walk along with.

Favorite Day Of the week: Friday :) (because tomorrow is Saturday!!!)

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: DBC (death by chocolate - black forest + vanilla + chocolate ice creams + topped with hot chocolate and nuts- its so chocolatty you will die eating it!!)

Favorite Time of Day: Evenings - my energy levels are really high at this time.

8 CURRENTS

Current Mood: Blank. Not sure if am exhausted from trying to get work done out of an A** or if am in the 'done for the day. wanna leave' mood.

Current Taste: Bland again.

Current Clothes: Bright Red and black kurtha with all bright accessories. i needed a change of mood!!

Current Desktop: a naked guy (dont believe it?? see it for yourself. :D what did you think pervert??)

Current Toenail Color: I dont like nail colors.

Current Time:18.10 IST

Current Surroundings: My office desk. A sticky paper on my CPU saying "you forgot this on my desk!!YUCK" ;), a couple of woody cups, a chinese fan, a wooden window like whatever - just a few decorations to keep it lively.

Current Thoughts: Should i continue working after am done with this? Or should i go and SWIM??

6 FIRSTS

First Best Friend: Mani. Lots of others who followed. But right now to be mentioned - Viji (chelli, miss you da). and my sweetheart nits kuli :)

First Screen Name: !!!Derr..

First Pet: In my dreams? A pocket pomeranian that i hope not to kill by sitting on it. (of course by mistake)

First Piercing: Ears.

First Album: Spice Girls 'if you want to be'

First Movie: It seems My dear kutti chatan, when i was 6 months old. Anyways dont remember it, so does it make a difference to you?

6 LASTS

Last Cigarette: Sorry. you got the wrong number.

Last Drink: Last night. What is your problem??

Last Car Ride: GO-Carting in Hyderabad :D loved it man.

Last Movie Seen: Scream. last night on my new DVD player :D

Last Phone Call: With a bugging Credit card agent :(

Last Book Read: The Zahir (paulo coelho). i read it for about a month. It was the longest time i took for a boring book. Well another record to it is, it was the last book i ever read!! (It was so damn boring i lost interest in reading books. I stopped sometime 2005 i guess)

Have You Ever Broken the Law: Well technically- NO.

Have You Ever Been Arrested: Abachaaram!abachaaram!!!

Have You Ever Been on TV: Yes. The last time i was on air was continuously for 6 weeks. Poor audience who had to listen to me braying (sing) in Sun TV. I represented my college.

Have You Ever Lied: Well, i will call myself chronic :D

Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: NO WAY

5 THINGS

Thing You're Wearing: Asked already i think. just another kurtha yaar.

Thing You've Done Today: Absolutely nothing. Today was another 'deadline day' i did not meet.

Thing You Can Hear Right Now: my manager zipping her bag to leave. THis is really tempting ok?

Thing You Can't Live Without: MUSIC and friends. The only things that can change my mood instantly.

Thing You Do When You're Bored: Music. Better still i go around chat with people, crack some jokes and make everyone laugh.

4 PLACES YOU'VE BEEN TODAY
Office, Sukh sagar, the roads of course, and hmmm..... the LOO!!

3 PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TO
I used to be loyal to my friends before. Nowadays i dont have much to share. So i give a damn.

2 CHOICES

1. Black or White: Black. ( i prefer bright colors that will blind you though)

2. Hot or Cold: Cold (esp the cold water in the nights when i swim. God. Its heaven)

1 THING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE
Thats a huge list you dont wanna know. After all this boring read you have done, you still dare to read further or what?


Ok before you all hit me with spoilt tomatoes and eggs ( i think you would already have thrown it if i were around you :D ) i shall take leave of you.. and for the day.

Me leaving.

Tata :D (was this the line that made you the happiest of all??)

Fw: Coloured

This poem was the nominated poem of 2005.

Written by an African kid, amazing thought:

"When I born, I Black, When I grow up, I Black, When I go in Sun, I Black, When I scared, I Black When I sick, I Black, And when I die, I still black ... And you White fellow, When you born, you pink, When you grow up, you White, When you go in Sun, you Red, When you cold, you blue, When you scared, you yellow, When you sick, you Green, And when you die, you Gray ...
And you call me colored??? ......... "

Water tank!!

I had to go to an area called BTM water tank. One of a famous landmark in Bangalore.

There was no crowd in the bus this time. But the seats available were in the very end. I had to travel only for 3 stops and i decided to stand.

The conductor whistled and came to me.

Conductor(C): enga maa poganum?

me: water tank 1 ticket.

He took the change and gave me a ticket.

C: adhaan idam irukula. poi ukaarunga.

I looked at him and showed a face as if it was ok that i was standing. He continued to get money from the others who were seated. I was the only one standing in the bus.

He finished his collection and came back to me.

C: poi ukaarungama.. water tank'u.

He probably thought i did not know the language and was trying to tell me that it was a few stops away and that i could sit down till then. But incidentally he had just called me a "WATER TANK!!" I was happy my friends were not around. Else they would have used that for name to call me!! How embaraassing?

C: water tank'u. erangama..

!!!! -> this was the expression on my face. I got down and thanked the stars that i was alone that day!!

A victorious smile..

It was another rush day in the bus. I hate men falling onto the girls calling it the rush-hour.
The banglorean bus transport has this facility that girls get a seat in the front and the men are supposed to sit only in the back. I was sitting in the 4th and the last row of women's seat and a guy, almost my age sat right next to me.

The bus was overly crowded and the girls who were standing in front could probably not see that a guy was sitting beside me. Or they were tolerant/generous enough to let a mannerless guy to sit in the women's seat.

I got a call from a friend and i spoke in my mother-tongue, Tamil. The conversation was a very short one.

And then surprisingly this chap sitting next to me started a conversation. For the first time, i liked having a conversation with a stranger!!

the guy (G): Are you a tamilian?

me: (now you want to talk to me?) yes. (so saying, i turned my head. to make him understand that i was not interested in talking to him)

G: your working for CTS is it?

I gave him a quizzical look. Then he showed me my tag. I smiled and turned my head away again.

G: even i work for CTS. (and a huge smile from him as if it was an accomplishment to be working for the company or working in the same company as me - am not sure)

He kept nudging and sitting closer. The crowd was getting to be unbearable. Not much of air to breathe either. I opened the window a little bit more.

G: unga sondha oor edhu?

me: thanjavur.

G: apadiya? naan thiruchi dhaan. enga padicheenga?

me: shunmugha.

At this he moved a little bit away from me. I was surprised at his reaction.

G: which year passout??

me: 2005 batch.

He moved a little further away from me.

G: do you know priya?

me: from which dept?

G: Cse.

me: (with a smile on my face) We are a gang of 10. She is one of my good friends.

G: Oh.

(Now he turned his face away from me)

me: Are you Priya's cousin brother?

G: Yes. I will ask Priya about you.

me: Sure. (the smile was still persistent on my face this time) You are Bharath right?

G: Yes. How do you know? ( He was totally shocked when i said his name out aloud. He had withdrawn from me slowly because i knew his sister!!! Only now i understood his reaction :D I felt it to be funny.)

me: You are from Bombay right. You joined CTS a year back. You work for the CSSBU under Mr.Mehtha?

G: (an unbelievable look on his face now) You seem to be knowing my entire history!!

me: Well, Priya is that close to me.

G: I will tell Priya about you surely.

me: Tell her it was vg. She ll know me better by that name.

I smiled. A victorious smile. I had made him feel sorry for his constant nudging - one of a usual mannerless act by the men. I guess that will be the last time he ever did that to any girl.
This was even more funny to me. He invited a girl to sit in his seat!! What a loser?

Fw: Ant and Grasshopper..

Somehow i liked this a lot. it was WELL SAID!!!

OLD VERSION... The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

MODERN VERSION The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house.
Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other grasshoppers demanding that grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter.
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper.
The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).
Opposition MP's stage a walkout.Left parties call for "Bharat Bandh" in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.
CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among ants and grasshoppers. Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'. Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA]", with effect from the beginning of the winter.

Arjun Singh makes Special Reservation for Grass Hopper in educational Institutions & in Govt Services. The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it "a triumph of justice". Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice'.
CPM calls it the 'revolutionary resurgence of the downtrodden'
Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.

Many years later...The ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi billion dollar company in silicon valley.100s of grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India...

An easy 10 minute interview!! Phew!!

I had a real tiring day at office. I had just begun to work on Linux for the past 3 days. Everything was totally new to me. And i was expected to start execution from Day 4. Well, what can i say. That is IT industry to you. You just barely fight, struggle and manage to survive.

I left office at 7.30 pm. I was showing my handbag for security check, when the call came!!

"Hello is this Archana", said the voice. The voice sounded so unsure and new to me.

Intrigued by who this new acquaintence could be, i answered "Yes. May i know who this is?"

"This is Harish here. I am a HR in X. You are working for Y technologies right? Will you be interested in working for us?" asked the voice.

I thought, 'that was quick!'. I had sent my resume to one of my friends in company X. I did not expect to get a call so soon.

I had committed to my manager in Y technologies that i would work at least for 6 months. In fact, i wanted to shift only after 2 years of experience and i had 6 months more. Shall i refuse the offer and hang up? What the hell, after all an interview. Let me give it a shot. What can happen at the most. If it was a good offer, why should i lose it?

I started walking away from the office, towards the main road, concentrating on the phone conversation.

"Yes, Harish. I am interested. But how did you get my number?" i asked cautiously.

"It must have been referred by someone here" he said.
Fair enough, i thought.

"May i know what kind of job profile i can expect" i asked.

"It will be on Unix internals and some Shell scripting" he answered.

Screwed man. I was just beginning to learn Unix for the past 3 days. and he wants me to work on Unix Internals and Shell scripting? That is sad.

"Unix internals yes. I am pretty good at it (Archana what are you saying. you have just learnt what 'ls' command is, i thought on the inside). But i have not worked on scripting. Not yet."

A car just crossed by. I had to cross the road. Wrong timing to be having this conversation.

"you have never worked on scripting is it? good at unix internals hmm? can you tell me what an inode is?" he asked.

Damn. Dont start the interview now. i could read Unix tonight and answer the questions fresh tomorrow. Of course inode is an easy question. why is he asking me such a stupid question? May be he is starting from the fundamentals. What if he starts questioning too technically. I need time to think and answer. Else i will make a fool out of myself. At least not while am crossing the road.

"Harish. May be i can call you up tomorrow sometime say 11? May be we could have the interview then. Because, right now, am on the road. And this is not the right time for me. Could you give me your mobile number? You could give me a missed call? So i can call you back?" I asked.

"I cant give you a missed call now. Please note it down." he said.

why the hell cant he give a missed call. this mobile is pretty difficult to operate when am talking. Ok. As you play it Mr.

"Ok. I will note it down. Just a second." Did i have a choice, i thought.

Clear button, options, phone book, add contact. vats his name? vat ever. i typed A for his name.

"Yes tell me the number?"

"9886078899"

"I repeat. 9886078899? ok i will give you a call tomorrow" i wanted to just hang up. But the caller continued.

"Are you a very talkative person archana?" he asked.

what is your problem in life if i am talkative or not? ok may be he is trying to judge me? he said he was a HR right?

"Yup. you can call me that."

"Why are you so talkative" he asked.

what a dumb question? what do you expect me to answer fella? i love to talk because i am good at it. and you are not so good to keep the converstaion going. So, i talk and you listen. You have a problem with that?

"sorry?" i could say only so much. to re-confirm or make him at least rephrase his question.

"where do you live?" he asked.

Is this a crank call. Is he fooling me? why would he want to know where i live? ok, as if he could find out my address and create problems. even if he does, i can manage. No issues.

"hmm. BTM" i said cautiously.

"our office is in CV Raman nagar. will you be ok working this far?" he asked.

OK so thats why you wanted to know. Of course it would be far for me. are you going to construct a new office for me near my home. looser?

"Thats totally fine with me. No problem" i said.

"Are you very good in maths archana?" he asked.

Is he determined to be asking all ridiculous questions. why would he need me to know maths now. of course i am good at it. probably the project has got something to do with math?? how can math and unix go together. you never know.

"Oh i am very good at maths. Its my favourite." i said. and It was true :)

"are you good in geography?" he asked.

that is a tricky one. and is it a coincidence or what? only day before yesterday, i had arguements with my friends about Tropic of cancer and capricorn, the euqator, the position of india, which hemisphere it was in etc. guess what, my brilliant friends kept saying that India was in the southern hemisphere. They were playing a prank on me. And i kept arguing with them. It is surprising that even this chap has to be asking about geography. is it a coincidence?

"hmm. Am just ok with it." i answered. I did not want to be promising and get caught.

"Where is India? Is it in the northern or southern hemisphere?" he asked me with a chuckle in his voice. This question rang a bell.

"Santhosh. Is that you?" i asked.

Laughter on the other side of the phone.

S***. My friend had made a fool of me. I was standing on the road. In the traffic. Answering his dumb questions. That is why he would not give me a missed call, because i will know its him. His name will get displayed on my mobile! How thoughtful! That is why he asked me about inode, because he himself does not know much. And why would a HR guy be asking technical questions anyways. I should have thought about it. damn. i thought he was a fool. But actually I had volunteered to become his Bhakra that day. I should have thought it was wierd to be getting a call at this hour. Screw him. Gosh, if he tells everyone about it, they will tease me.

"santosh idiot. how dare you play a prank on me" i asked a bit angry this time. But could not avoid the hearty laugh at being fooled.

"What can i say. you would not let me finish the conversation at all." he answered, still laughing at his victory.

It was the most embarassing interview i ever had. But i cant blame him!! it was worth the fun. Good one santosh!!
But trust me, you will pay for this some day.

The next day i got a group mail from Santosh.
It read as follows:
"Hey guys, have you heard. archana just got an offer from X technologies. Ask her how much is the pay"

Damn him. I will pay you back for this Santhosh!! truely!!