Time Paused

House built of Mud, clay pots for playing, Me mother 2 younger sisters as daughters playing all day long those childhood days… oh I wish time paused!

School mid term holiday, travel to native, seeing the never ending rain pouring on the ground, fragrance of mud, stories from my grandfather, staring at rain oh I wish time paused!

First Day College, color color dresses, thousand thoughts I wish time paused!
Engineering college, best friends, Sharada canteen, and one by two coffee! I wish time paused!

Cousin and sister sitting on Atic staring nothing, gossiping all day I wish time paused!

Holding my fav novel, a cup of hot filter coffee, a lazy Saturday after noon, I wish time paused!

Car, music, a love letter in hand, tears in eyes my boy waiting for my reply I wish time paused!

Oh no Time never paused it just passed…

A Sweet Supaari Mission

A.S.S Mission
Recently had been to a cousin’s place were after lunch they served us Sweet supari, seeing which I just went back in memory lane and felt that I have to tell you all about those days of my childhood.

Any summer holidays we all visited our native and many kids used to meet there after a gap of 6 months or a year. It was all fun during those days both for us as we enjoyed the pampering of our grandparents, and our parents who shipped us to native, enjoyed there private moments at least yearly once or twice.

Usual Suspects group in my Grandfather’s house Kadavinmane comprised of 3 girls and 4 guys, Ramya, Navya, Ranju, Praveena, Pradeepa, Ajitha and Ganesha, So any broken vessel, spilled water, crying kid, ‘I am mad’ sticker stuck behind some one, beating used to come to one of us in this group who ran slow while escaping.

Later our popularity was so well known that Elders would not even think once, they just directly used to catch hold one of us and scare or beat. So we had to face lot of challenges like finding newer hideouts, escaping techniques and lies.

Thefts was planned for many reasons like we getting hungry before lunch or after lunch, one of the Guy guarding things had caught us in our last mission so we had to teach him lesson so we had n number of reasons like this to Steal things.

The Thefts we did were countless, any function in any house in our natives surely we seven used to meet and discuss, plan for stealing things like fruits and sweets kept for pooja, each and everything was in our list, The names we kept for mission was even more interesting, the codes we used to give are unforgettable. The typical theft and the sequences of Chori would be like this

1. We used to wait in any function for all 7 of us to meet, once we all met we would first go with Survey: The survey consisted of getting information on potential things to be stolen, people who are guarding things and map of the house to plan our escape ways.

2. It was always girls who had the task of Surveying what are the potential things to Steal, 2 guys to get the details of people guarding things and 2 others to find the escape plans and hide out.

3. Then next task was to name the operation, Mission Oh( for stealing oranges), Mission Red Head (To teach lesson to the Mehendi head Uncle who had caught us before), NASA Mission ( named after the lady’s house we stole things)…

4. Once this is done, there was links done from Chori point to Hide out, all seven of us would stand in designated points and once the first person is successful in stealing then he would run and pass it to second one and like this it would reach last person who was standing near hide out.

5. All of us would reach hideout once we made sure no one is observing or following.
After which we would share the things stolen and enjoy the victory, I just cant define the happiness we had if mission was completely successful by which I mean that we went out of the function with full respect without getting caught or noticed.

Suddenly our Theft had to be stopped, it all came to an abrupt end one day, its not because we got to know its bad but it was because of this little incident.

I some xyz’s house Anniversary celebration, for us all celebration was same. This house was almost always dark inside, after lunch they distributed Sweet Supari’s our Hero Ganesha asked for some more Sweet supari but they drove him away for asking it more, Our Ganesha got very angry and announced Chori attack, so we all met after lunch,
named the mission as ‘A Sweet Supari’ mission, in short ASS mission.

We girls discovered that in ground floor where old deaf grandma was sleeping below her cot was the Sweet supari, 2 guys found out that right above in first floor was a wonderful hide out by which we could hear who is coming in and going out and what discussion was going on.

So it was all set, 2 guys went to the Chori point rest of us were in our positions, So these two guys Ganesha and Pradeepa went to the point we told and could not find where it was so they decided to play trick on grand ma and asked her “Ajji, where is Supari? Its over and uncle asked us to get it” after repeating it for 3 times Grandma understood and pointed to the basket there, that’s it Basket and the two guys disappeared and we all appeared in our hide out,

You should have seen the Victory in Ganesha’s face he was all exited and cursed the elder’s who dint give him little more supari when he asked but now he had entire basket,
He was very happy and started eating, he found out that taste wasn’t that good but ok he could adjust he had almost had mouth full and we also took handful but dint like it some how and was discussing about our Chori attack which was huge success.

Just then we heard a voice of the uncle who was yelling “Where is the Sweet supari basket I had kept here I am not able to find it” we all were grinning and were very happy on the success of the mission just then we heard a lady saying “Hey I have kept it in kitchen sometime back you can take it”

We were all shocked to know then how do we have one in our hand, we discussed may be this is another extra basket, But then we heard the same uncle’s voice saying to his wife “Shanta, where is the basket which my mom spits into after eating supari, I want to clean it” for over shock Lady replied “See properly, it was below your mom’s cot” That’s it we all turned to Ganesha and pradeepa, they were already near the sink and vomiting!!!!
And we were almost about to faint after eating that Supari…

This was the last day we pledged not to steal again…. This was our last mission, ASS mission, it was really an Ass mission!!!.

Dedicated to myself

Journey so far in ‘IT’!
Its 9 o clock I am still waiting in the reception, struggling to hold copies of my resume, offer letter and Marks sheet of each semester.
With each passing moment, there were thousands of thoughts in my mind as I was sitting in the corporate building of IT Giant Infosys

The day I received offer letter in my personal mail box I was on top of the world as I had caught one of my high flying dreams.
On July 25th I got ready to my first day of Professional life, it was so much a celebration in my home that their first daughter had landed up with one of the famous IT company right after her BE, I could see how proud my parents were.

With all these wondering thoughts I was still waiting in the corporate office for someone to call my name and direct me to my cubicle,
I could see so many young professional walking around in groups and some alone, swiping in their ID cards, some on cell phones, some with Black Coffee mugs “Infosys” written on it, Reception area, Wonderful books and bouquets, very neatly maintained floor, Beautiful reception desk and Receptionist like this everything amazed me in the corporate building. I was so happy thinking that I am part of this Company.

Just then a young lady called out my name and asked me to meet her in conference room Panini in 10 min, as soon as she said this she disappeared to one of the cubicles in that wing. My god, I just cannot describe how much I was panicking at that moment, I dint know where is this conference room Panini, I was so confused to react next. I thought should I drop in to any cubicle there and ask where is this conference room? But the dead silence there scared me not to disturb any one. Still I tried to look around where this conference room is and it was almost 6 min and I decided to give up and ask a person sitting there.

I felt my foot so heavy as I was walking towards that person, I could hear my heart pounding not sure if this happens to every one who are new to there professional life, But I was scared to death. By then I approached this person and said “Excuse me” person dint even turn to see who was standing behind him, I just stood there for a some time and said Excuse me again, no reply he was in to his computer and dint bother to turn I felt so ashamed, I was about to go back just then some other person in the neighboring cubicle got up and smiled at me and said can I help you. I felt a sigh of relief, I was trembling and some how put words into sentence to ask where the conference room was. He was friendly and showed the conference room which was right next to me!

I was so embarrassed and said ‘thanks I just missed it out’ he smiled and asked “New Joinee?” I said ‘Yes’ and thought he would know many New joinees like me!
As I thanked him and left I could hear this person say “Abhe yar tu Head phones kam volume main kyun nahi raktha, cause of your hair no one can even make out if u are on headphones!”

From that first day, every day was so exciting everything was so new, that clean and beautiful campus, Feeling of I am just so new to this place even after months, Bus facility, Food courts as we call in Infy, everything was a talk at home. I was so proud and felt I would never quit this company. With passing time we became a year senior to so called New joinees, made friends, forgot friends, caught lot of IT Slang lot many things changed personally too.

Life went on like this and never got to know how July 25th 2005 became July 25th 2009, Irony is I am even now in same type of cubicle same work environment but different company. As I am writing these thoughts down here I heard someone calling me, it was the simillar trembling feeble voice “Excuse me” I smiled and said “Yes” I saw the similar Files and Neatly dressed Lady with kunkum thilak and she asked me “Sorry for Disturbing, Can you please tell me where is Alpha 107?” I smiled and directed to the conference room right behind where she was standing! And I felt as though I myself was walking …