A walk to remember

December 1, 2008.

It was such a pleasant day that even the sky smiled at the earth. The Bangalore train left the Vasco station at 8.45 in the night carrying the queen of BITS :)… Waving the moving train, butler wished 5 days to go away fast...It was on 6th she was coming back...Mr. Butler was left alone in the station when the train went out of sight. He dialed a number and didnt have to wait for long for the answer. It was none other than the ice cream girl of MIB, Miss. Cornetto at the other end. She had gone to get some work done. She was just outside the station. “Can you see a waving hand? “ Butler’s query was answered not by words but by a click sound. Butler saw corny coming running. “Now what?” asked Butler “Pav Bhaji?”. “Hey, wen is the last bus? I don’t want to spend money on auto just like that.” She has a point. Last bus is at 9.15 and then why spend 120 bucks for an auto? “Ok. Chalo bus stand”..

“Where is the bus?” corny demanded to know..“Its jus 8.55. It will come.” Even butler wasn’t sure although he said so. It was supposed to be there from 8.45 waiting for people. Today something is in store… thought butler. Some 2-3 people were there waitin for the same bus. “Bhaiya.. when will the bus come?” “We are also waitin for the same bus. Don’t think it wil come”.. Wah! Seems like we will have to be extravagant..butler said to himself.. hmmm… Corny was in no mood to compromise about taking a taxi. Did she start hitting on her forehead? Hey no.. she was calm and composed :P

One bus conductor asked them to get into his bus. Hmmm cant do that without asking where that bus was going although they were desperate to get a bus. So asked the usual question "where to?" It was going till dabolim airport. Hmmm not bad. Just a little over 5 kms from there to campus. Can take an auto or taxi from there although they might charge more than an auto from vasco where bargaining is not prohibited. Still without much hesitation they got into that bus. Tried asking the conductor to drop them near the campus. But he was not in a sympathetic mood as he had had a fight with his wife in the morning and so the request was not granted. Discussing what to do after getting down, they sat in the bus. It dropped them right infront of the airport.

The scene was not as contented as expected. It was a little over 9 and there was no taxi as such asking for permission to serve the duo. After some time 2 bitsians were seen standing at the airport junction showing hands to whatever vehicle passed by. Not even lorries were left without a try, let alone cars :P .. but all in vain.

Time was running out of hands. It was 9.15 n still nothing positive happened. Cant wait any longer here. Butler suggested to walk. Corny nodded her agreement saying she had once done that. But it was well before she learnt how to differentiate right from wrong - ie, just after landing in BITS. But butler very well knew that corny's support for his decision didnt come out of the nice experience she had then but from a heart which felt so insecure after enjoying the beauty of the airport from outside for more than 10 minutes.

And they started walking. The happiness of venturing out something adventurous was well-lit over their faces. Corny demanded to hear some nice story. Butler who was very fond of stories and who used to get excited about the story of 2 kings who fought judicously using their men against each other, started reciting the same old story. Corny's expression clearly suggested that she was in no mood to listen to the saga of the 32 warriors fighting bravely over the black n white square battle field. Butler who could never pause once started saw corny's expression turning out from a little more than a raised eye-brow to i-will-kill-u-if-u-dont-stop-now look. Understanding the threat for his life butler managed - "hmmm.. although this story is very interesting, i have something more interesting to say". And there blossomed 100 roses on that beautiful face. Butler who knew corny was fond of jungle and animals, started telling something in that line. And they continued their walk.

The clock was ticking away and they were not reaching anywhere. Had to pass through some places where nothin but a quarter moon lit the pathway. When reached a place where there was no living being to be seen corny started looking terrified. She kept on looking behind to be sure that no bike or car is following them. She warned butler about the chance of being kidnapped by some underworld people after being made unconscious by spraying something on the face. Butler who never had thought of it before gathered some courage to make certain corny will be taken care of at any cost. He ensured to use his skills in martial arts to good effect if forced to do so. The name of each martial art which butler had known reading or hearing somewhere and still werent sure of existence were named one by one as weapons in his armour which made corny's face brighter and brighter. She was relieved to have understood that she was with a man who can fight for his friend with anyone while butler was trying to recollect those names fearing he would be asked to list them again.

Suddenly corny felt like a car chasing them. It was an indica and the number plate was white confirming its a private vehicle. She started shivering. The car overtook and came to a halt some 100m ahead of them. Corny stood still like a lamb in the stare of a python. Butler feared he couldnt help laughing but tried to control himself. 2 guys came out of the car and they started walking to the shop nearby which later understood to be a liquor shop. Butler who had taken a decision not to drink thought of buying something just to befriend those people. Realizing butler had slowed down, corny started shouting (in a low voice in fear of others overhearing :P) to push him to speed up and somehow managed to win the battle.

Long before they reached the bogmalo junction which meant they walked a little less than half the distance, corny had been exhausted. So at bogmalo junction corny somehow wanted to get a cab. The fighting dogs there didnt do any good either. Corny's heart was beating louder than their bark. So butler went on asking whoever seen how to get an ambulance to take this frightened patient home. Having wasted some 15 minutes there, both realized the fact that they dont have enough money in the account to pay the fine which would be imposed if they had to reach the campus even just a few seconds after 10.30. So they restarted the fight to accomplish the mission impossible.

On the way corny's mobile started ringing and the expression on her face seemed like thats someone who she never wanted to hear from. Butler was informed that it was her mom calling. "Pick it up, na?" he asked innocently. He was told that she was not supposed to have an evening walk at that time and mom thought her daughter was safe inside the walls of her hostel then. But butler didnt understand the trick in not picking up. "Arey, if she hears the sound of the vehicles, she will become suspicious re". "Hmmm, but its us who are circumspect and your mom wont even think of the possibility of you being out like this, let alone she listening carefully to the sounds of vehicles passing by". "You dont know my mom. She is too smart for my own good" came the immediate reply. Butler was forced to nod his agreement. The phone kept on ringing and corny kept on not picking up.

Corny told butler that she would rather call her and talk than picking up her mom's call and the logic behind that was quite simple. Her mom generally tells the long stories only when she calls and Corny's calls dont prolong that much. Corny after making sure no vehicle was going to pass by in the near future called her mom up. "Yes mom, i was in the loo when you called. Whats news?" - Butler wasnt sure how she managed. Corny hurried through the answers for her mom's querries calmly. Meanwhile 2-3 vehicles passed by and corny was smart enough to cover the phone with her left hand not to allow any unwanted sound reach her mom's attentive ears. They kept on talking for some considerable time and corny started getting impatient to cut the phone. She managed to say something which her mom yielded to and the conversation came to an end. Corny was quick to point out that her mom would be calling back in less than 10 minutes from then and so they better walked faster. Butler had no reasons to object.

The sight of MES bus-stop brought smiles back to corny's face. The little distance left over was known very well for both of them and they even knew the number of trees on the side of the road although it summed up to 0. The remaining journey was less eventful and more enjoyable with corny being in her amazing-self which butler knew very well of. When they passed through the gate it was still 10 minutes to the deadline. The not-so-surprised looks on the face of security gaurds made corny and butler believe that nothing was out-of-ordinary inside the gate. Butler noticed the relief in corny's face when he offered her a hi5!! Mission accomplished!!! O.o

Star Cast :

The Queen - Its not that difficult to decipher.

Miss. Cornetto - The only demand she put forward was not to reveal her name. So the reporter keeps his word. :P

Mr. Butler - No prize for guessing this one right :D

P.S. - The last person i want to read this blog is corny's mom and the second last person Miss. Cornetto the reasons being quite obvious. :D

Big or small?

Given a choice between a branded toothpaste with and without a 25% extra offer, which one would you prefer? I dont think many will go for a second thought before opting the former just because its BIG. But when it comes to reading blogs, many of you might have preferred reading smaller to bigger ones. You must have, atleast once, postponed reading a blog just because its big.

Some intelligent guy quipped that what orators lack in depth, they make up in length. I have never tried to be like that orator. I have always tried to make small blogs so that my readers will get the satisfaction of reading without giving much time reading the rubbish written by me.

But last blog was a little too big i agree. Never thought it would become this big when i started writing. Like Winston Churchill once said my blog by its very length defends itself from the risk of being read. But i can assure you that my blog doesnt call for a dictionary. It may be because gre was never my cup of tea :P

I want to know your honest opinion about this matter. Should i restrict myself to small blogs or should i not worry about the blog being big while writing? My decision will depend on your reply.

A fair deal altogether

That morning seemed to be a normal one when i got up from bed. 3 of my beloved friends had gone already. Saturday is no different for them. Office beckons them on Saturdays too. The other lucky souls were still sleeping peacefully. Had plans to go out. How could they still sleep? Hmmm.. as i am awake, they should also not sleep any more. Tried waking them up. Thanks to my excellent efforts, all 3 of them were ready in just a little over 3 hours. We were all set to explore the vast possibilities of mg road and brigade road. :P..

Our excellent skills in jumping into the running bus helped us to catch a BIG 10 and while sitting inside wondering what does 'BIG' stand for, we heard conductor screaming "last stop". Only we 4 were left in the big bus. (Ooohhhh ya.. big might be for the size of the bus? :P) Couldnt thank her more as it dropped us exactly were we wanted it to - infront of Hotel Paramount :D. After having lunch, we started walking through the brigade road.

The bridleway was full of high class business people trying to convince the pedestrians to take their really high-quality commodities. Their sincerity and affection in the profession made me think for once to leave my present job and join them as trainee. One of my friends was stuck with a person selling rayban glasses. That made me think why not just see the watches with his friend. He had some 5-10 watches. Asked for the prices. He said 450 for the rectangular framed one and 550 for the round one. 'Hmmm.. not bad.. but wat to do darling... i dont want a watch now.. jus asked for timepass...' i said to myself. I told him his goods are not worth it (being a business man, i know how heart-breaking that comment could be) and started walking away from that sweet guy.

He came behind me asking how much its worth for. I asked him how much he said for those as if i had forgotten about the prices already. He said just 550 for the rectangular framed one and 650 for the round one. I dont know whether you noticed the price hike but i certainly did. Hmmm.. trying to teach a squirrel how to climb a tree. Thinking he just planned to give a reduction of 100 rs on his MRP, i asked him whether he could sell it off for JUST 200 rs.. yoyo.. he is trapped now.. he cant sell it for that much anyway. soon he will say "gud day sir". Actually i didnt want to stay there any longer as my friend had finished purchasing the chori maal - his priced rayban glasses. So the offer to take it for 200 was actually a trick to get my butt out of there. aint i too brilliant?

Congratulating my friend on his superb skills by which he managed to buy the glasses for just 250 rs (initially quoted price was 800), i started walking away from the watch-salesman. After some time, i realized with a shock that he was beside me offering his valuable piece for my price. Aiyo.. how could he do that? Dont cheat yourself re. It will end up in loss if you allow that business to happen. Its worth more than 200 bey. So go find someone whom you can sell it for much more. "What did you say?" "You can take it for 200". " Oh i see... actually you know what.. i dont want a new one now. Tra la la la. So tata" i told him showing my original casio and started walking off.

He chased me and pleaded to take it. "Its ur price and i am giving it as a gift (because you liked me very much,eh? wah!!) and so you hav to take it". His friend after having done with his goggle business joined him and said " See your smart friend bought a nice glass. Why cant you also buy one?" No need. thanks... But my watch-buddy was still pleading. Sho!!! ab kya karoon? I cursed myself for my bad skills in calculating the profit and loss there. I realized forlornly that my presence in Anuj's maths class for CAT didnt enable me to be excellent in this. He had no plan to leave me. This isn't funny anymore. Struck by a sudden brilliant idea i entered a small textile shop nearby. But he was brilliant enough to make out that i had no business inside and waited patiently for me outside the shop.

Knowing i had no escape from him, I tried recalculating the price and came to a conclusion that 100 will be a decent enough price to drive him away. Hmmm.. i told him boldly that i didnt find it worth more than 100. I noticed a sudden change in his expressions. It was then more like that of pittying himself for spending that much time for a waste and cheap fellow's well-being. But that didnt stop him from proceeding further to make sure his time and effort so far were not wasted.

He changed his tone more to a desperate one. "Its actually worth 500 sir. Just because i didnt eat anything till now i m selling it for 200" he told showing his pocket to me. Its already 3 and he didnt eat anything till now. Poor fellow. That remark calls for sympathy. Oh wait... whats he chewing? Oh ho. pan!! Sympathy disappeared suddenly. "But i said i dont need a watch now. So cant you just leave me alone?" He forced that watch into my hands and said "please take it sir. You can gift it to someone" (...like you are gifting it to me, eh? ).... he tried to change the plate. But i was rock solid in my decision. Not a penny more than 100 my dear. I wasnt sure whether i would hav reduced my price further had he agreed for 100.

"You wont even get stolen watch of this kind for that much sir" - He said so and also was not willing to sell it for that much. Applying some symbolic logic principles i doubted whether he stole it like his friend did with the rayban. "Its worth much more than 200 sir. Just because i did not have anything till now i am giving it off for 200" he repeated. I wanted to say i was in no mood to give anything more than 100 for his lunch. I noticed that we had already reached mg road. My dear friend you were following me from the beginning of brigade road, no? And its mg road. Your customers might be waiting for you there near your usual place.

"Ok. Give me 150 and take away this. I dont mind" Hmmm.. better offer. But still there was no change in my decision. The watch had already been thrust into my hands. Aiyo i cant waste any more time. Friends waiting there for me. But no one had tried to help me out other than our one and only 'kid' who kept telling dont buy if you dont want to. I took a 100 rs note from my purse which was in my back-pocket, gave him the gandhi and said thank you. His face said he was not satisfied with the deal. "Whats this sir? Dont be so cheap"... What the hell? I said i dont want it and he is not leaving me. What can i do?....

I held the watch in my left hand and 100 rs in the right and offered him to choose one not trying to guess which one would he go for. Wah!! smart move. That should end the drama. Did i become an expert in dealing with these people. I could not believe my awesome idea. He did not waste any more time and took the watch and started walking off. I felt guilty for not allowing him to finish his work. I called him and siad "Ok i will take it. But i dont have change. I have just 20 rs. Is that ok? ". "Give me 200 and i will get the change". "Aiyo no need" I said taking out 50 rs without knowing from where did it appear suddenly. I gave it to him and accepted the watch with great satisfaction of helping one guy to get his daily bread.

I went to my friends who were waiting for me till then. I showed them the watch and asked their opinion about it. "Hmmm already wasted some good 1 hour. Now walk fast!! " That was the reply from achayan. Hmmm i happily accepted the command with my heart still overflowing with satisfaction.