Indian Hospitality

An early morning train travel is definitely not an enjoyable proposition. Making it to the station on time was my first challenge. I boarded the train and promptly fell asleep. After about an hour, a heavy elbow landed on my back and I awoke with a high-pitched scream! 'I am sooo soorrrrryyyy..!!' It was a deadly-white-coloured foreigner in red coloured near-tattered clothes...'I was trying to shove my bag up there..'she said....I glared at her..! Her books and bags occupied so much space that I found myself in an uncomfortale posture..! Minutes rolled by...Feeling slightly hungry and bored,I opened a pack of my favourite biscuits..I spotted her eyeing the biscuits..!Overcome by a sense of compassion(!!!), I offered her some..She dug her dirty hands deep into the cover and picked up a bunch of biscuits...I noticed the packet becoming less than half its original size...'Where are you from?' my curiosity got the better of me...'Germany...and my name is Christina..and you?'...That was just the beginning...For the next two hours I listened to all that she had heard about India...and how she was 'really very scared of Indian snakes..'! My mind was working on how to get rid of this chatterbox...'Masal Dosa..!!' shouted the guy from the pantry...'Have you tried that?' I asked her with feigned enthusiasm...'No..'she said...I bought just one..for her..'Oh..you arent having any?!''No..am not hungry..!' I said...
The masala dosa didn't look one bit inviting..! Memories of mess food flooded my mind..! She took nearly 45 minutes to nibble the dosa...'Can I have one more?' She asked, pulling out her purse...The pantry was close by and I went with her to buy one...She opened her purse and turned to me 'Oh...I am running short of Indian currency..would you mind paying..?! I'll repay once I land in Chennai!'..'No problem..'I said!
She ate the second with greater relish...!' For the next two to three hours, it was the turn of another chap to listen to her..!! Slowly, the train came to a halt..
'Is this Chennai Central?'..she couldn't hide her delight...'My friend is coming to pick me up...I'll repay what I owe you..!
We scanned the whole platform looking for her friend, who was nowhere to be seen...I spotted my mom, who had caught a glimpse of this dirty foreigner clinging on to me..!! Her glare said all that she wanted to..I turned to Christina and said..'Never mind, that's a treat! I have to leave now...' 'Hmm...talking with strangers..!! Did you give her your address and number too!?!' my mother asked 'Of course not..! am no 2 yr old..! I was just showing 'Indian' hospitality to a traveller..' the dosa story that continued, did not please my mother one bit!! All she had to say was...'Don't talk to strangers...'

What next?

Tired of trying to answer this question! I have never been able to come up with a convincing answer everytime the question was posed...I am of the opinion that people who ask me this question are either jobless or pondering on the same question themselves (they'd surely need 'hints'!)

The first time I found this question completely disturbing was when I was in 10th std. There were countless people who asked me 'What next? Science group or commerce..' Everyone felt the need to know the answer...even the newspaper-wala!

The next time it came back with many times the intensity was after 12th Std. It somehow feels like you are part of some sort of an experiment..everyone wants to know what you do next, so that they'll 'know better when their kids end up in 12th!' That goes down as the worst logic I've ever heard! I am not a sample of the huge Universe! There are sooo many other factors!

After a few years of apparent non-intrusion, the question finds its way back again.... 'What next..? job or higher studies...' The fact that whenever the question is posed it's followed by 2 choices never ceases to amuse me! The 2 are the oft-taken paths...ssttilllll.....

'What next?' seeps down to everything in life...Everyday I come to my office and it's 'what next?'...There is a meeting with the manager...One peculiar thing about these meetings is that it always begins AND ends with 'what next?' It's weekend and again it's 'what next?'. A little respite in the form of semester hols and again it's 'What next?'. And the cycle continues...

It's not that this question is always irritating...It becomes so only when it is asked while the answer is only a vague inchoate idea!! Once that idea crystallizes, what next?!

Malory Towers and an MNC

It was a cold Sunday evening in Pilani. A huge crowd had gathered before the placement notice board. The interview list of the database giant was due to be put up any moment. Someone who managed to find her way through the dense crowd spotted my name on the board and cried out "Rush..your interview is at 6!"...Things couldnt get worse...I had exactly 5 minutes..I rushed back to change into 'interview outfits' and raced to the guest house...(THE place for interviews!) I reached the place 5 minutes late..at exactly the time when my name was called.
The first round was s.i.m.p.l.e! I cudnt believe they were throwing 5 and a half lacs a year for these linked list and binary tree codes which could be found in ANY elementary data structures book...Some puzzles about hen and eggs and fruits and what-not, I met the man at the HR round! Having studied in the same college, aeons back, he spoke more about his life at college...Listening to this was.. painful!!!
A lightening struck and he started off...'Tell me about yourself...' and then the usual ones...'Oh..you did Bio in school?...'he was amused! 'Now where did he get a hint of that..!!' 'Yes'..I said..trying to not to sound very excited..I almost guessed the next question...'Why didn't you take up Medicine?'..and I wasnt wrong! 'Simple! I didn't make a great score in that entrance exam...'I wanted to tell him...Impulsively I said, 'My mom is a doctor..and I know how very tough it is to be one...I didn't enjoy the practical part of it...the burdensome fact that a life depends on your actions kind of scared me..' 'I understand...very tough indeed!' he retorted. Then came another one..'Why BITS?'...without giving it a moment's thought, I blurted out, 'Actually, I used to keep reading Malory Towers in primary school...and ever since I had always wanted to study in a residential institute! in that sense BITS has been a blessing!'...The spontaneity and the content of my answer stunned and amused him at the same time...He rocked his chair and laughed his heart out for a full minute..!!!
'Hobbies...?! apart from Malory Towers that is..' What did this man think?! that I read Malory Towers for a decade or so?! 'Malory Towers was only in class 4..I clarified....after that it's been lots of story writing, embroidery(God knows how this came to my mind!) and of course Classical Indian music..
'Why should I hire you?'...Wow! I KNEW what to say...this seemed like an extempore contest..All adjectives came to my mind and I lost no time in stringing them together to come up with what seemed like a well-thought out answer...!! 'Hmm...impressive...' he said...and asked me..'Any questions for me?'
'Am I going to be recruited?' I shot back! 'I wish I could answer that as quickly as you asked...but I need to consolidate other scores..!'
'Good Night..and Wish you good luck! Nice meeting you! by the way, my daughter reads Malory Towers too..!!!'