Thursday, August 31, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Embarrassment!
Giving a training, and finding that the training server is down!
- Mildly embarrassing.
Seaching for the right words in the middle of trying to give the perfect example.
- Also Mildly embarrassing.
Seeing people nod-off dozing away while you are training the folks.
- Slightly More than Mildly embarrassing.
Finding that your pant zipper has been unzipped all this time.
- HOLY CRAP! EMBARRASSING! BIG TIME!
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Nice quote
REAL MEN are KIND to animals!
This seen on John Abraham's shirt is even more good to see. If celebrities like him do more like this, it would go a long way to doing our bit for the creatures on this planet that can't voice out their opinion.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Four Little Animals
A teacher asked her class, "What do you want out of life?"
A little girl in the back row raised her hand and said "All I want out of life is four little animals, just like my mom always says ."
The teacher asked "Really and what four little animals would that be?"
The little girl said. "A mink on my back, a jaguar in the garage, a tiger in bed and a jackass to pay for it all."
The teacher fainted.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Can two wrongs make a right?
Yesterday, a person who is a rather prolific writer in various newsgroup maintained in our company, had posted a few pictures of a recent encounter he had had with a Cobra. Let's call him SM. He and his wife were out shopping, when they chanced upon a lady selling the said cobra.
It seems that this was his second encounter with the said lady, and that he had seen the same lady trying to sell the same snake a few days ago. And apparently, at that time, the snake was rather angry, hissing and striking at passers-by. There wasn't any problem of anybody getting poisoned if bitten by the hapless snake, because the lady had "defanged" the cobra.
On the day of the second encounter, the snake was looking rather weak, and wasn't hissing or striking at anybody. Upon asking the lady, she said that it was close to dying, and that even though she was feeding it milk, it was just regurgitating the milk. Such was the ignorance of the lady selling the snake.
Now, though SM got his chance to personally touch and feel a "live" snake, he was feeling rather morose about the pitiable state of such a magnificent creature. That, because of human greed, non-human life-forms have to suffer, be forcefully removed from their natural surroundings, brutally violated its way of life, and made use of for human greed and commercial gain.
SM was asking what can be done. At the time, I didn't fathom that he was asking that question "philosophically".
I happen to know the contact of a person who is the head of the local PFA (People For Animals) chapter. And I myself have been in touch with this PFA person quite a few times when I rescued a few creatures and called him up on what next to do.
I gave SM the contact details of the PFA person, and asked him to immediately contact the PFA person, so that the PFA person could immediately rush to the spot, and confiscate the hapless cobra, and take good care of both the poor creature and the wrong-doing lady.
It was then that SM raised the philosophical angle to his question. He was questioning what would the PFA person do? The cobra had been defanged, and would surely be a total misfit if once again re-released in the wild? To this, I said, the PFA person will, in most likelyhood, not be re-introducing the Cobra back into the wild, and that he would personally take care of the Cobra, and that the Cobra would be in good hands.
SM then asked - don't you think that by doing that, we are putting frogs and rats to more harm? In the normal course of action, all those rats and frogs wouldn't have been caught by the snake. Aren't we short-circuiting nature's way by now helping a Cobra, albeit helpless, in continuing its way of life?
I hadn't thought of the situation in this angle.
But then, I immediately told him - did anybody ask the Cobra whether it can be defanged so brutally, and be made use of commercally for human greed? Was the Cobra given a chance to take this decision?
By helping this "defanged" Cobra with "artificial" food - by way of rats and frogs - though we are just ensuring that the Cobra is more successful at getting its food, are we doing anything against nature's preset food-chain?
SM was initially sticking to "I feel we are not doing this the right way". But when I put forth the argument, he was like "Oh.. hmmmm... Yeah... That is also there..."
Are we doing anything that is not normal? Are we trying to make two wrongs a right?
Why is it that every other creature on this planet needs to be put to enormous strain and misery just to satisfy our human greed and need for commercialization?
I do not like to say this, and I feel rather demoralized and discouraged, but I feel well intentioned channels like Discovery and National Geographic are fighting a losing battle against Human Greed.
There is this quote that is regularly aired on Discovery:
Our world can satisfy our needs, but can't satisfy our greed! So please - use only what you need!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
The power of human expression
Two words can bring down a empire
One dream can change the world
One raised finger can break a billion hearts
And two can win a world war
One act of defiance can spark a revolution
One touch can instill faith
A single whisper can inspire hope
Some voices can move a nation
Yet some others can dissolve boundaries
A Thousand Candles can end a War
That's the power of Human Expression.
One dream can change the world
One raised finger can break a billion hearts
And two can win a world war
One act of defiance can spark a revolution
One touch can instill faith
A single whisper can inspire hope
Some voices can move a nation
Yet some others can dissolve boundaries
A Thousand Candles can end a War
That's the power of Human Expression.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Yet another Independence Day...
Yet another Indian Independence Day passes by. Nothing interesting to do. Just sit at home, gazing at the walls, doing nothing in general... *sigh*
BTW, I don't seem to understand what is the fixation with people wanting men also to look fair. Even my parents are pestering me into applying this cream, use that facial, go to this salon, try that pedicure. Why can't people accept me for who I am, and not what I look like?
Slogging it off at the gym seems soooooo much of an effort. Just sweating out 500 calories (as indicated by the digital meters on the various machines) feels like my entire chest is about to explode. And at the end of it, there is nothing to show for it. Not even a nono-gram loss. I think my body hates me for pestering it to lose weight. The more I pester it, the more it is adamant about not losing weight. I feel like this: 
It does not feel good to know that you've been rejected. It is a big blow, both psychologically, and mentally. Whatever you've been slogging off for seems to be of absolutely no use whatsoever.
Ok. Writer's Block big time. Till it clears up, ciao, and take care until then.
Oh, and BTW, in case it really does matter, HAPPY INDIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY! I know it means a lot to a lot of people, but then, its not easy to draw the line on what it actually means.
Live Life King Size! Hooyeah!
Life as a waiter...
I came across this blog recently. It is a very interesting read. Typical American type humor, yet provides good insights into what it is really like to be just an everyday guy slogging it off being a waiter.
Head to: Waiter Rant
Head to: Waiter Rant
Thursday, August 10, 2006
What a burden women carry...
I heard this in a serial being played out on a local channel:
How True... How True!
A woman can fail as a sister, she can fail as a wife, but she SHOULD NEVER EVER FAIL AS A MOTHER
How True... How True!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Tax Cuts - A Simple Lesson In Economics
Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner. The bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh $7.
The eighth $12.
The ninth $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20."
So, now dinner for the ten only cost $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So, the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six, the paying customers? How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share'?
The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being 'PAID' to eat their meal. So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings). The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings). The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings). The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings). The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings). The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. "I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man "but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D
Distinguished Professor of Economics
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh $7.
The eighth $12.
The ninth $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20."
So, now dinner for the ten only cost $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So, the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six, the paying customers? How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share'?
The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being 'PAID' to eat their meal. So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings). The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings). The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings). The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings). The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings). The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. "I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man "but he got $10!" "Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works.
The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up at the table anymore.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D
Distinguished Professor of Economics
Monday, August 07, 2006
Life is a journey. Whatever happens, just pick up your baggage and move on....
"Lets go for a walk", said Rahul.
"Yippee. Lets go", said Swetha, almost jumping out of her seat.
It was yet another boring day in the Mysore training institute. Dusk was breaking in. Swetha had already taken two breaks since lunch. Nevertheless, she had been anticipating Rahul's invitation for another break.
Rahul and Swetha had known each other for the last couple of months. They had been together since the training days. People knew them as the best of friends. Rahul, the regular T-D-H type, who spoke with a heavy Bengali accent, was a popular flirt in the DC. On the other hand, Swetha was a chubby sweet little girl, who was always on the lookout for sorrow souls. They enjoyed being in each other's company. Swetha would disclose all his crushes to Rahul, and Rahul would always be seen taking classes from Swetha, on how to impress a girl in 24 hours. Rahul had helped Swetha to forget her 7-year-old single lane relationship and Swetha would see to it that Rahul would never be lonely. Most of the time, they were together. People admired, some even sneered with jealousy, the relation that these two shared.
The walk today was unusually long.
"This is gonna be one of our last walks", muttered Rahul in a low tone. "I know", replied Swetha in a soft, almost inaudible voice.
Mysore DC had completed the long cycle training and the postings had been announced the previous day. Swetha was posted at Mysorebase location, while Rahul would have to shift to Bangalore. Even though they both always knew that they had to separate one day... only, they did not expect it to happen so soon.
Swetha, who belonged to the sentimental group, looked at Rahul and managed to pass a disguised smile. "I tried my best for a swap. The HRC is stubborn. She is still holding on to 'EURP P.U. doesn't encourage swaps.' I cannot stay here alone Rahul."
"I swear, I am gonna miss you badly too dear" replied Rahul, again faking a smile.
"Hey don't worry sweetie, Mysore is just three hours from Bangalore. Just call me and I will be here." said Rahul, trying to cheer her up, though his words did not light up Swetha's face.
She just replied with a frown. "You will be busy with your new girl friends and your work. You will soon forget me"
"Hey come on!" said an offended Rahul. "You are my best friend. Can I ever forget you dear?"
"You just wait and see", came an almost sobbing reply.
"Don't start crying dear." Said Rahul with a gloomy face... "Oh... by the way... it's getting late... let's go back" he said, taking a U-turn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As destiny wanted.....................the next week saw Rahul packing his bags for Bangalore, while Swetha moved out of her PG, to a rented apartment closer to her office. They parted with a few wet handkerchiefs.
The bus started moving. Rahul looking through the Volvo glass was trying to say something to Swetha. His actions deciphered, as "I will call u when I reach there. Gonna miss you. Take care... Bye-Bye"
Swetha was comforted by her own tears. She felt very lonely, as if she had lost something. Something, very precious. Consoling herself, she went back to her room, shut the door, and started sobbing again. She had found a very good friend in Rahul, and he was her major support.
She had no clue in the beginning that she would get so much... attached and more important... too much dependent on him. She sobbed herself to sleep.
A couple of hours later, she heard her mobile ringing. One look at the tiny screen, which happened to display, "Rahul calling..." and she was overjoyed. She answered the call with a "Hey... You reached so soon? How was the trip?"
"Yo dear! Just reached. Bangalore seems to be bliss. The climate is almost like Mysore. It is wonderful... though Mysore was better.... Coz I miss you badly here..."
"I miss you too dear," said Swetha... trying to stop her tears. They talked on for almost an hour. Swetha was all the time advising him, on what to do and what not to do. And Rahul was responding with a "Yes dear" "Ofcourse I will" "Sure, I wont"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A couple of days had gone by. They used to call each other every day. They did not miss the good morning / good evening / how are you / I am fine ... SMS almost every hour, thanks to the Airtel to Airtel free SMS scheme. Slowly the days went by.
Two weeks passed since they parted.
That Saturday, Rahul called up Swetha in the morning and said... "Hey Swetha... you know what... I am gonna have a terrific weekend. We are going to check out Nandi hills today."
"We? What do you mean by we?" asked a puzzled Swetha.
"Oh Oh. I completely forgot to tell you about my new friend. She is so cute. We are in the same project. We both are going to the hill station. Just about to leave... So thought of calling you up and say a hi."
Somehow the "hi" was not so enticing for Swetha. Back there, she was finding it hard to talk to anyone after Rahul left, while on the other hand, someone had already taken her place in Rahul's life.
She barely managed to mumble out "That's great Rahul. Have a nice time... and enjoy yourself." She was kinda upset, but did not show it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Days went by and Swetha was feeling that the distance between her and Rahul was slowly increasing.
Then one day... the phone at her desktop rang. "Swetha... you have to go to Bangalore for one week to gather the details of our APPLE project". It was the voice of her PM.
Swetha could hardly believe her ears. "Wow! What luck! I can meet Rahul for a week," she said to herself. She was very much happy and excited over this new twist. As luck would have it... it was Rahul's birthday next week.
She thought of giving him a big surprise. Therefore, she hid the news from him. Next week, Swetha was in Bangalore. Thanks to the huge crowd of people, she managed to go unnoticed by anyone, especially Rahul, for the first day. It was evening. She had left office early. She went to the market and brought some beautiful flowers. She had been waiting for this day. Flowers have this magical way of pleasing people... and so she was choosy in selecting them. Rahul was her best friend, and she cared a lot about him.
Taking the flowers home, she had her dinner and was waiting for time to pass. She knew Rahul's address... she left the hotel at 11:30 and hired a taxi to reach Rahul's place. It was a short distance away, so she reached pretty soon. She groped around and found out his flat. The lights were still on. She frowned. She wanted this to be a magnificent surprise and hence had expected him to be sleeping. Nevertheless, she timidly went to the door and rang the bell. The door opened in a few seconds... There was Rahul. "Happy birthday..." said Swetha.
Rahul was stunned. He could not believe his eyes. Taking the flowers, he said: "Oh gosh! Thank you so much Swetha. I never expected you... come on... come inside..."
Swetha removed her shoes and went in. Little did she knew that there was a bigger surprise waiting for her inside. She saw that the room was decorated and there was a birthday cake, which had candles on it. There was a pretty girl standing there in blue denims and a red top.
"Err... Swetha let me introduce you to Neha. And Neha, this is my friend Swetha"
The girls exchanged smiles and said Hi to each other.
Swetha felt uncomfortable. She wanted to be the first one to wish him on his birthday. But look here! It seemed that someone else had already done it. Still, controlling her feelings, she did not react.
They sang the birthday song together, cut the cake, and had fun. The Party was over. Swetha said, "Rahul, it's getting late, I will leave now. Can you tell me where can I find a taxi?"
"Hey, are u nuts or what? It is very late. You don't need to go anywhere. Sleep here tonight. Even Neha has decided to stay back."
Swetha would never have accepted this, but the last line "Even Neha has decided to stay back" drove her to say, "Well, if you insist, I will stay back."
The next day morning, once again Shweta wished Rahul and left for her hotel.
Work was hectic. She met Rahul for his dinner party in the evening.
Neha was with him. She found this annoying, but as usual, did not utter a word.
The next day morning, she called Rahul and said... "You mean fellow, you haven't shown me around Bangalore. I am free today evening. Take me to the good places"
"Sure we will do that baby." Was his reply.
The day was boring for Swetha with not much work to do. She waited until five and then buzzed him on his cell. "Where are you Rahul? Come on... let's go!"
"Oh... I am so sorry Swetha; I have this telecon thing... I am gonna be late... just wait for some time... please dear"
"Sure I will wait dear, you finish your work. Tell me where are u, I will come there and cheer you up", said Swetha.
"Hey that's fine dear. No need to take any trouble... Besides, Neha is also here."
Swetha was surprised. She had not expected him to say this. This time, not knowing how to react... she was searching for words to reply... She struggled and finally said... "Well.. err ... Rahul.. I am.. err .. very tired.. I think I will go back... err.. Let us go tomorrow..."
Rahul replied "Wow, that's fine... no problem. We will surely go tomorrow okay, thanks a ton Swetha for understanding."
Unfortunately tomorrow never came. Rahul was busy with one thing orthe other. She was feeling all the more lonely and desolate. The feeling that Neha had replaced her position sank her.
A frustrated and irritated Swetha was waiting for her last day in Bangalore.
That day, she did not expect Rahul to call her. So to inform him that she is leaving, she called him in the evening and told him that she is leaving in an hour.
She was shocked by Rahul's reply. "Oh I am so sorry dear; I won't be able to come to see you off. Today I have a very important meeting, I am really sorry yaar."
"Its okay Rahul", said Swetha, thinking at the back of her mind... what meeting could Rahul possible have after office hours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heartbroken by the crushing changes she found in her best friend, she left for the Majestic bus station and boarded her bus. She kept on looking outside as if she was expecting a miraculous surprise. But no one turned up. Resting her head on the slide seat, she closed her eyes. Memories of those wonderful times spent with Rahul were flashing in front of her eyes. Causing her so much pain and mental torture.
She did not have any grudges that Rahul had found his love, but what pricked her was how easily she was forgotten and forsaken.
The journey was perhaps the dullest and saddest for Swetha.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in Mysore, and back to work, Shweta was trying to cope up with life. After a week, Rahul called her up. She did not want to create an issue, but she just could not stand it. She blurted out everything. She asked him to give an explanation.
His reply was "Look Swetha, you are a very good friend of mine. But now, there is someone more important in my life. Someone with more priority."
Swetha... I am in love with Neha."
The words were so cold that Swetha could feel its bite.
Gathering all the bits of her remaining calm, she sobbed and said.
"I don't have any problem with that Rahul. But falling in love doesn't essentially mean that you have to forsake your old friends"
"You have never fallen in love. What will you know about love, Swetha?"
Rahul's words shattered her heart. She had never expected to hear this from the person she cared and loved the most. She quietly cut the phone. She shut her eyes tight and cried.
That night it rained.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This story is based on a true-life story. The names of the characters have been changed to protect their identities.
We should never forget our friends, coz it hurts. It hurts a lot, when you feel that you have been replaced......... when you have been forsaken....... and when you have been forgotten and when you are no longer wanted.
That is one side of the story. The other side faces the truth. Swetha today as embraced the changes in her relationship and is carrying on smoothly with her life. And, more importantly, she has learned an important lesson in life...
"Yippee. Lets go", said Swetha, almost jumping out of her seat.
It was yet another boring day in the Mysore training institute. Dusk was breaking in. Swetha had already taken two breaks since lunch. Nevertheless, she had been anticipating Rahul's invitation for another break.
Rahul and Swetha had known each other for the last couple of months. They had been together since the training days. People knew them as the best of friends. Rahul, the regular T-D-H type, who spoke with a heavy Bengali accent, was a popular flirt in the DC. On the other hand, Swetha was a chubby sweet little girl, who was always on the lookout for sorrow souls. They enjoyed being in each other's company. Swetha would disclose all his crushes to Rahul, and Rahul would always be seen taking classes from Swetha, on how to impress a girl in 24 hours. Rahul had helped Swetha to forget her 7-year-old single lane relationship and Swetha would see to it that Rahul would never be lonely. Most of the time, they were together. People admired, some even sneered with jealousy, the relation that these two shared.
The walk today was unusually long.
"This is gonna be one of our last walks", muttered Rahul in a low tone. "I know", replied Swetha in a soft, almost inaudible voice.
Mysore DC had completed the long cycle training and the postings had been announced the previous day. Swetha was posted at Mysorebase location, while Rahul would have to shift to Bangalore. Even though they both always knew that they had to separate one day... only, they did not expect it to happen so soon.
Swetha, who belonged to the sentimental group, looked at Rahul and managed to pass a disguised smile. "I tried my best for a swap. The HRC is stubborn. She is still holding on to 'EURP P.U. doesn't encourage swaps.' I cannot stay here alone Rahul."
"I swear, I am gonna miss you badly too dear" replied Rahul, again faking a smile.
"Hey don't worry sweetie, Mysore is just three hours from Bangalore. Just call me and I will be here." said Rahul, trying to cheer her up, though his words did not light up Swetha's face.
She just replied with a frown. "You will be busy with your new girl friends and your work. You will soon forget me"
"Hey come on!" said an offended Rahul. "You are my best friend. Can I ever forget you dear?"
"You just wait and see", came an almost sobbing reply.
"Don't start crying dear." Said Rahul with a gloomy face... "Oh... by the way... it's getting late... let's go back" he said, taking a U-turn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As destiny wanted.....................the next week saw Rahul packing his bags for Bangalore, while Swetha moved out of her PG, to a rented apartment closer to her office. They parted with a few wet handkerchiefs.
The bus started moving. Rahul looking through the Volvo glass was trying to say something to Swetha. His actions deciphered, as "I will call u when I reach there. Gonna miss you. Take care... Bye-Bye"
Swetha was comforted by her own tears. She felt very lonely, as if she had lost something. Something, very precious. Consoling herself, she went back to her room, shut the door, and started sobbing again. She had found a very good friend in Rahul, and he was her major support.
She had no clue in the beginning that she would get so much... attached and more important... too much dependent on him. She sobbed herself to sleep.
A couple of hours later, she heard her mobile ringing. One look at the tiny screen, which happened to display, "Rahul calling..." and she was overjoyed. She answered the call with a "Hey... You reached so soon? How was the trip?"
"Yo dear! Just reached. Bangalore seems to be bliss. The climate is almost like Mysore. It is wonderful... though Mysore was better.... Coz I miss you badly here..."
"I miss you too dear," said Swetha... trying to stop her tears. They talked on for almost an hour. Swetha was all the time advising him, on what to do and what not to do. And Rahul was responding with a "Yes dear" "Ofcourse I will" "Sure, I wont"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A couple of days had gone by. They used to call each other every day. They did not miss the good morning / good evening / how are you / I am fine ... SMS almost every hour, thanks to the Airtel to Airtel free SMS scheme. Slowly the days went by.
Two weeks passed since they parted.
That Saturday, Rahul called up Swetha in the morning and said... "Hey Swetha... you know what... I am gonna have a terrific weekend. We are going to check out Nandi hills today."
"We? What do you mean by we?" asked a puzzled Swetha.
"Oh Oh. I completely forgot to tell you about my new friend. She is so cute. We are in the same project. We both are going to the hill station. Just about to leave... So thought of calling you up and say a hi."
Somehow the "hi" was not so enticing for Swetha. Back there, she was finding it hard to talk to anyone after Rahul left, while on the other hand, someone had already taken her place in Rahul's life.
She barely managed to mumble out "That's great Rahul. Have a nice time... and enjoy yourself." She was kinda upset, but did not show it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Days went by and Swetha was feeling that the distance between her and Rahul was slowly increasing.
Then one day... the phone at her desktop rang. "Swetha... you have to go to Bangalore for one week to gather the details of our APPLE project". It was the voice of her PM.
Swetha could hardly believe her ears. "Wow! What luck! I can meet Rahul for a week," she said to herself. She was very much happy and excited over this new twist. As luck would have it... it was Rahul's birthday next week.
She thought of giving him a big surprise. Therefore, she hid the news from him. Next week, Swetha was in Bangalore. Thanks to the huge crowd of people, she managed to go unnoticed by anyone, especially Rahul, for the first day. It was evening. She had left office early. She went to the market and brought some beautiful flowers. She had been waiting for this day. Flowers have this magical way of pleasing people... and so she was choosy in selecting them. Rahul was her best friend, and she cared a lot about him.
Taking the flowers home, she had her dinner and was waiting for time to pass. She knew Rahul's address... she left the hotel at 11:30 and hired a taxi to reach Rahul's place. It was a short distance away, so she reached pretty soon. She groped around and found out his flat. The lights were still on. She frowned. She wanted this to be a magnificent surprise and hence had expected him to be sleeping. Nevertheless, she timidly went to the door and rang the bell. The door opened in a few seconds... There was Rahul. "Happy birthday..." said Swetha.
Rahul was stunned. He could not believe his eyes. Taking the flowers, he said: "Oh gosh! Thank you so much Swetha. I never expected you... come on... come inside..."
Swetha removed her shoes and went in. Little did she knew that there was a bigger surprise waiting for her inside. She saw that the room was decorated and there was a birthday cake, which had candles on it. There was a pretty girl standing there in blue denims and a red top.
"Err... Swetha let me introduce you to Neha. And Neha, this is my friend Swetha"
The girls exchanged smiles and said Hi to each other.
Swetha felt uncomfortable. She wanted to be the first one to wish him on his birthday. But look here! It seemed that someone else had already done it. Still, controlling her feelings, she did not react.
They sang the birthday song together, cut the cake, and had fun. The Party was over. Swetha said, "Rahul, it's getting late, I will leave now. Can you tell me where can I find a taxi?"
"Hey, are u nuts or what? It is very late. You don't need to go anywhere. Sleep here tonight. Even Neha has decided to stay back."
Swetha would never have accepted this, but the last line "Even Neha has decided to stay back" drove her to say, "Well, if you insist, I will stay back."
The next day morning, once again Shweta wished Rahul and left for her hotel.
Work was hectic. She met Rahul for his dinner party in the evening.
Neha was with him. She found this annoying, but as usual, did not utter a word.
The next day morning, she called Rahul and said... "You mean fellow, you haven't shown me around Bangalore. I am free today evening. Take me to the good places"
"Sure we will do that baby." Was his reply.
The day was boring for Swetha with not much work to do. She waited until five and then buzzed him on his cell. "Where are you Rahul? Come on... let's go!"
"Oh... I am so sorry Swetha; I have this telecon thing... I am gonna be late... just wait for some time... please dear"
"Sure I will wait dear, you finish your work. Tell me where are u, I will come there and cheer you up", said Swetha.
"Hey that's fine dear. No need to take any trouble... Besides, Neha is also here."
Swetha was surprised. She had not expected him to say this. This time, not knowing how to react... she was searching for words to reply... She struggled and finally said... "Well.. err ... Rahul.. I am.. err .. very tired.. I think I will go back... err.. Let us go tomorrow..."
Rahul replied "Wow, that's fine... no problem. We will surely go tomorrow okay, thanks a ton Swetha for understanding."
Unfortunately tomorrow never came. Rahul was busy with one thing orthe other. She was feeling all the more lonely and desolate. The feeling that Neha had replaced her position sank her.
A frustrated and irritated Swetha was waiting for her last day in Bangalore.
That day, she did not expect Rahul to call her. So to inform him that she is leaving, she called him in the evening and told him that she is leaving in an hour.
She was shocked by Rahul's reply. "Oh I am so sorry dear; I won't be able to come to see you off. Today I have a very important meeting, I am really sorry yaar."
"Its okay Rahul", said Swetha, thinking at the back of her mind... what meeting could Rahul possible have after office hours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heartbroken by the crushing changes she found in her best friend, she left for the Majestic bus station and boarded her bus. She kept on looking outside as if she was expecting a miraculous surprise. But no one turned up. Resting her head on the slide seat, she closed her eyes. Memories of those wonderful times spent with Rahul were flashing in front of her eyes. Causing her so much pain and mental torture.
She did not have any grudges that Rahul had found his love, but what pricked her was how easily she was forgotten and forsaken.
The journey was perhaps the dullest and saddest for Swetha.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in Mysore, and back to work, Shweta was trying to cope up with life. After a week, Rahul called her up. She did not want to create an issue, but she just could not stand it. She blurted out everything. She asked him to give an explanation.
His reply was "Look Swetha, you are a very good friend of mine. But now, there is someone more important in my life. Someone with more priority."
Swetha... I am in love with Neha."
The words were so cold that Swetha could feel its bite.
Gathering all the bits of her remaining calm, she sobbed and said.
"I don't have any problem with that Rahul. But falling in love doesn't essentially mean that you have to forsake your old friends"
"You have never fallen in love. What will you know about love, Swetha?"
Rahul's words shattered her heart. She had never expected to hear this from the person she cared and loved the most. She quietly cut the phone. She shut her eyes tight and cried.
That night it rained.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This story is based on a true-life story. The names of the characters have been changed to protect their identities.
We should never forget our friends, coz it hurts. It hurts a lot, when you feel that you have been replaced......... when you have been forsaken....... and when you have been forgotten and when you are no longer wanted.
That is one side of the story. The other side faces the truth. Swetha today as embraced the changes in her relationship and is carrying on smoothly with her life. And, more importantly, she has learned an important lesson in life...
Life is a journey. Whatever happens, just pick up your baggage and move on.
The show must go on...
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