Me @ My Best:

We were enjoying after placing our orders at various places in the food court of a multiplex.It was a post movie dinner plan so few who enjoyed movie were looking at the eating as a icing on the perfect outing. The other lot with thoughts like “Why the hell did I decide to come for this crap?” was looking at eating option as let at least this be the enjoyable part of outing.

Everybody was in their world when suddenly a health conscious me poked me and reminded me “Dry fruits to be bought! (After watching Dashvidaniya, I to had started maintaining a ‘Things to Do List’)”

I stood up suddenly and then practical" me inside reminded “Boss, Do you have money?(This "practical" me: I don’t know who trained him or where he got trained always poses a wrong question and in such a way that……….)”.This suddenly posed question made me sit down again.

Seeing this, my friend asked me “What happened?”

I replied with a sad face “Nothing, thought to buy dry fruits from Big Bazaar but not having money right now (A must clarification: I do have money sometime, yeah its altogether different story that sometime is a really very odd time.).”

My friend promptly replied “Ohhh, take it from me& you can return it later” and handed over 200 bucks along with a coupon worth 110 with something Big written on it.

I asked him “What is it?”

He said “It’s a cash voucher I got somewhere, you try it out hopefully will work in Big Bazaar”

With a toothy smile I said “Okays.”

With dreams of saving 100 bucks I started for Big Bazaar.

I went inside got the pack of dry fruit and came to billing counter.

I handed him the packet and he passed it through label scanner and said “135”

I handed him the coupon and started looking for twenty five rupees in my wallet.

In the mean time the person at the counter was having a curious look at the coupon, turning it upside down, turning it. After a couple of minutes of exercise he said to me “Sir , Yeh chalega nahin (Sir , It’s not valid here).”

I was like “What?” as if a tree had fallen on my brand new Mercedes.

I took the coupon back and for the first time had a close look at it. It had Big printed on it in a big way being an engineer I applied my engineering knowledge of LOGIC and said to him “Are ispe to Big likha he(It has got big printed on it)”

He again had a look at it and said “Sorry Sir but it’s not acceptable here”

With agony of shattering of dreams of saving 100 bucks I started towards food court with a desire to catch my friend who had given this coupon to me.

As I reached food court I asked him “Are yeh to chala hi nahin? (It did not work)”

He started laughing and as everybody got to know about it I had become a centre of attraction of our outing.

As they say you always have a scope to improve your best performance same was true for me too, my best was yet to come.

The dominoz outlet had started blinking our order no. 150.

I volunteered and said “I will get it” and started walking towards the counter.

I handed over the Pizza boy bill and was standing there with an attitude.

The Pizza boy also took the bill and started walking towards the kitchen suddenly he haulted and turned back towards counter and said to me “Sir, this is a Big bazzar bill.”

And I know no need to tell what would have happened when I went to the table to collect the real bill.

That's me still hoping to deliver better.

IITians....................

A True IITian I feel ………….. Mr. /Miss. X
(assumed to be male for adverbs facilitation)
10.00:
Tring Tring . . .
An unwanted wakeup call causes person X day to start the day early. Reluctantly the call is picked with a sleepy voice ‘‘Whoooose it? ’’
The person on other side “You have a test for ABC company at 1015 am come to L-1 (Lecture hall complex) , come soon.”
Like if a bucket of cold water has been poured, X stands up in bed “What? How is it possible I had withdrawn my application for this test, so why am I supposed to appear for the test?”
Person on the line says “Your name is there in the short list and so you have to appear.”
“But ….” X never gets a chance to speak anything else as the cell has already started giving beep.
10.05:
“What to do now?” he thinks, left with no other option other than to drag himself to L-1.
10.10:
A bullet express cycling on a borrowed cycle he manages to reach L-1 .After entering first thing he does is to start looking for guy who had caused this much trouble by calling. After an in vain effort decides to settle down and appear for the test.
10.20:
Test starts.
In an attempt to flunk the test he tries to leave after 10 minutes but is not allowed. So now what to do “Let us have a go at it will be some utilization of time.” with this thought he starts to go through the test finish it still early than the allotted time and starts wondering “why others are taking so much time.” This feeling of others taking more time and hence they must be right gives him a relaxing feel that he will definitely flunk and leaves with a feel that there is no worry now he definitely will not make it through.
12.00:
Tring Tring. . . .
X’s phone starts ringing disturbing him in his busy work of handling a multiple chat window. Without looking at number call is picked “Hello , whose it ?”
The person from other side says “Hi X, you have been shortlisted for interview of ABC. Your interview is scheduled at 12.30 in SPO, be there.”
Before X could react, call ends.
X totally confused thinks “How is it possible? Did others do so badly or I flunked too much to be called to have a look. ”
Again a brisk run through all get ready do’s.
12.20: SPO office
“You are next, where were you?” volley almost shouts at X.
X sits on the chairs to gather himself “what am I goanna do? How am I goanna convince them not to select me. ”
“Fill it up quickly” a paper is forced on to his lap.
“What’s this now?” he starts going through it “Ummmmmmmmmmm questionnaire for interview, what should I write now?”
Somehow he manages to fill it completely and just then he is called in.
X enters the room, completes all the formalities for beginning an interview and hands over the questionnaire.
After few killing moments of pin drop silence, it begins.
So X interviewer asks “Tell me something about you” still reading the questionnaire.
With smile X says “It’s there in questionnaire”.
The confidence and ease on his face makes interviewer curious. He shifts his focus now fully to X.
“But, here you have written IRRELEVANT in most of places”interviewer asks with an amazed look.
With a look of receiving some explanation interviewer looks at X.
With same calmness and smiling face X replies “That’s the way it is.”
Now totally amazed interviewer asks “Most of these are the engineering qualities and you seem to have been doing well in studies, how it is so?”
With more ease X says “I am also wondering.”
Interviewer says with a smile “As it seems to me you are not at all interested, this interview is no longer official, we can discuss in general. So what is that you want to do then? You look to be creative.”
X relieved with his statement says “Thank you Sir .I don’t care for money, I care for people and would like to do something for them.”
“So, will you join a NGO” asks interviewer.
“Yeah certainly” said X with a confident smile.
After a brief pause interviewer says “That’s all from my side, if you would like to ask anything.”
X asks whisperingly “Did I, really clear the test?”
Interviewer replies with a smile “You must have!”
X leaves room.
The incidence is a true story with lot of inspirational inputs. We can obviously pin point negatives like it would have lowered chances of others getting placed with such interview or why he applied. But he had within time frame had withdrawn his application but if it was sent and he was made to go through the process was not his fault.
He wishes to go to school and teach. He wishes to initiate change at such a grass root level.
This person has a dream of working for people he wants to help at least a single person in making a decision that will enable him lead his life in more satisfying way. I felt a tinge of childishness in his immediate to do of becoming a school teacher thought process but it was surely overshadowed by his determination and devotion to make it happen.