I just can't belive that I am getting married on Dec 21st. Well, yea I was kind of waiting for this day (I am being honest!!) but there were quite a few things that I wanted to do before losing my bachlors degree. The list is really big but for simplicity I would like to restrict it to only 10 things:
I wanted to do the following before losing my bachlor's:
1) Watch 4~5 movies with friends.
2) Go on a long drive and an overnight trip.
3) Bachlor's party - would have loved to get sloshed :-)
4) Freak out with my childhood buddies
5) Organize St. Micheals 1994 batch reunion
6) Lose weight :-)))
7) Watch Ghajini,Rab ne Bana di Jodi and Burn after reading
8) Re-arrange/re-organize/clean up my wardrobe
9) Sleep for long hours
10) Do something wacky/crazy - may be go on a trek or river rafting :-)
Well, I was unable to do nay of the above things - but what the hell? I can still do some of the above things after getting married :-)
Friday, December 19, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Trip to Visapur - a short story
“Vikash, you think Samar would make it for the trek today?” asked Ashutosh. “Knowing him I think he would definitely be here.” I replied. “Hmm…but we were not in touch for the past 1.5 years. I doubt if he even recollects what was discussed. I mean this is ridiculous dude, how can you not keep in touch with your best buddies?” said Ashutosh. “I agree Ashu but he is not the only one to be blamed. We too are equally responsible for not keeping in touch! We could have at least exchanged a few mails and kept in touch!” I explained. “Alright! Let’s wait for another hour or so and then leave. His number too is unreachable – at least he could have informed us about the new number.” said Ashutosh.
Ashutosh and I had come down to Mumbai after 5 years. We had plans of going on a trek to Visapur, Lonavala. During our good old college days, the three of us – Ashutosh, Samar and I were known for our trek tours. We had made this plan about 1.5 years ago when Samar had come to Cincinnati, USA to spend some time with us. Ashutosh and I had migrated to the US with our families about 10 years ago. Samar always wanted to pursue his career in India while we craved for the West. All of us were doing very well and were looking forward to a bright future. In these 1.5 years the three of us got extremely busy with our work and hardly kept in touch. Of course, Vikash and I being in the US were in constant touch but had lost contact with Samar.
Going for treks during monsoons had its own beauty. It was 6 am in the morning and we were waiting for Samar at a local tea stall in Powai. It was raining heavily and in order to beat the cold we had to go in for a hot cup of tea with fried pakodas.
Ashutosh came with two cups in his hand and a little boy followed with a plate full of hot and fried pakodas.“Here you go brother!” said Ashutosh as he gave the cup to me. “Man, nothing like a hot cup of ginger tea with fried pakodas.” I said. “How about dumping our original business plan and starting a franchise for pakodas in the US?” asked Ashutosh. “Yeah, sure go ahead!” I replied. “Let’s discuss it once we go back to the US.” replied Ashutosh. “What? You serious about this?” I asked. “Yeah, I am serious-ly joking about this!” replied Ashutosh with his typical wicked smile. “Very funny!” I said and got back to enjoying my pakodas.
We were startled by a loud knock on the window. It was Samar. “Sorry for the delay guys! I was stuck somewhere!” said Samar. “Where the fuck were you all these years!” asked Ashutosh. “I am sorry guys – I had plans of getting in touch with you about four months ago but something happened and I forgot all about it.” replied Samar. “Hey that’s alright! At least you remembered the trek and came all the way from Bangalore.” I replied. “I am sorry for being rude buddy but when did you reach Mumbai?” asked Ashutosh. “Yesterday! I am staying with my aunt.” explained Samar.
He was a changed man – he was not his usual self. The old Samar was a jovial and talkative guy – this guy was a stranger, at least that’s what I felt. “Let’s move guys!” said Ashutosh. “Guys, we will be taking the Mankhurd route via Ghatkoper and then hit the highway.” I said. “No, don’t do that!” replied Samar. “Why not?” I asked. “There has been an accident on the Mankhurd route and we may not be able to get out of that route.” explained Samar. “How do you know all this and it’s only 6:30 am in the morning we won’t get any traffic.” explained Ashutosh. “I heard it on the news and we will not be able to move out of that place because three trucks have over turned and are blocking the way.” explained Samar. We bought his explanation and took the Airoli route via Ghatkophar. It was raining cats and dogs and the foggy climate was making our journey even more interesting.
Around 8:30 am we reached Lonavala and decided to have our breakfast. “Guys, we are meeting tomorrow at my place for lunch and dinner. We won’t get any time today to catch up on the last 1.5 years so we can keep all of that for tomorrow and enjoy our trek. What say?” I asked. “Count me in!” replied Ashutosh. “Hmm…yeah sure!” said Samar. “What took you so long to think?” asked Ashutosh. “Samar, what is the matter with you? You are not the same old Samar we knew. What has happened in these last 1.5 years that has changed you so much? You hardly spoke in the car; you are not eating – what is the matter with you?” I asked.
I wanted my friend to open up. “All I can say is that something terrible has happened that has changed my life completely. I am fasting today hence won’t be eating anything.” explained Samar. “You are freaking us out, Samar. Can you be more specific?” asked Ashutosh. “Ashu, Vikash – whatever had to happen has happened. All is fine now except that the after effects still haunt us. Believe me when I say that things are back to normal now. I would not like to get into the details. I hope you understand.” explained Samar. “As long as things are fine we have no issues, buddy! Let’s stop this discussion and leave for Visapur. We still have to cover about 5-10 kms to reach the base of Visapur.” I said.
Around 9:30 am, we reached the Lohagad base and started our trek. Initially, it seemed to be a very easy climb but 15 minutes later, we realized that it won’t be that easy. We then reached a place where one path leads you to Lohagad and the other to Visapur Fort. Being a Saturday, it was crowded and most of the people were heading towards Lohagad. Hence, we decided to head for Visapur Fort.The scenery was beautiful but the roads were muddy and we had a tough time climbing up the hill. We lost our way twice and had to hire two kids to show us the way. There were occasional showers and the rocks were slippery so I had already started working on my will – one wrong move and I could end up falling on my head. In fact, I fell on the same knee thrice – it’s the worst thing that could happen on a trek.“Ouch!” I yelled. I was unable to put my foot in the front – the pain was unbearable. Samar asked me to sit on the nearby rock and started massaging my knee. He had a healing touch and I could bend my knee and was able to stand. “I have already started work on my will. You never know when you might face the angel of death on this trek.” I said. “You have a long life my friend. So don’t worry about it. You and Ashu have a long way to go – this is just the beginning of your life.” said Samar. “What do you mean beginning of our life? We are almost in our mid-thirties!” asked Ashutosh. “I meant that you guys are doing extremely well in your respective careers and will continue to do so for the next 30 years or so.” explained Samar. “Samar Baba ki Jai!” said Ashutosh. “Thanks Samar – feeling much better now. Let’s hope that we continue to succeed in our respective domains.” I said.
Finally, after a lot of hardship we reached the top of the fort around 1230 pm. It was a beautiful sight as we were surrounded by lush green trees and hills. We found a good place to sit where the sight was beautiful. It was drizzling and the temperature might have been around 5-6 degrees celsius. Ashutosh was carrying a bottle of port wine – we opened it and started gulping it down. Samar was on a fast so he did not taste it.I wondered when I would get to see the old Samar doing his crazy antics. I just hoped and prayed for Samar’s happiness. Ashutosh was a good cook and he was carrying some food. We gave some food to those little kids accompanying us. I wanted to break the silence and decided to start talking to Samar.
“So, Samar what about your dream house – how are things progressing on that front?” “That will remain a dream for the rest of my life?” he replied with a dejected face. I had hit the wrong chord. I knew for sure that he was facing a financial problem. “Why do you say so?” asked Ashutosh. “Forget about me guys!” said Samar with a big smile on his face. We had been dying to see that smile on his face. We knew he was hiding his pain and covering it up with his trademark smile. He continued “Don’t worry about me! I am fine. Everyone has to go through this phase of life. You guys should think about your dream venture!” We were surprised to hear that because we had never mentioned anything about our business plans to Samar. “Hey how do you know about our business plans?” I asked him. “Well, I have my own sources you see!” replied Samar. “I am just kidding!” he said with his trademark smile. “No, but how did you…?” asked Ashutosh. “Guys, about 1.5 years ago under the influence of alcohol you guys had revealed your plans to me. I am glad that you guys were serious about it and have started working on it” replied Samar.
We then changed the topic and started discussing our respective family lives. At least we got Samar talking – he was not his usual self but better than what he was in the morning. I felt the urge to ask him the exact problem but before I could say anything he got up and said “Guys, it is already 4:30 pm and we need to start climbing down. It might start raining heavily and we will find it difficult to get down.” It’s as if he had sensed what was coming. We nodded and agreed to make our way back.We assumed the journey downhill to be quick and easy. But to our surprise we were slipping and sliding our way back down. Due to the knee injury I could not keep my leg straight so I had to take help from Ashutosh while climbing down.Once we reached the base, we were surprised to see the crowd there. There were people dancing and singing. Some of them were so sloshed that they didn’t know what they were doing. It was a funny sight!
Ashutosh was in no mood to drive so I had to drive back home. We reached Powai around 8 pm. “What next?” asked Ashutosh. “Well, you guys need to come up for a cup of coffee before proceeding. My folks have gone out so we can chill out!” I replied. “Man you remind me of our college days – folks not at home so we can enjoy, huh?” said Ashutosh. “Guys, I need to be at my aunt’s place – so you will have to excuse me. I am not sure about tomorrow either.” said Samar. “C’mon buddy! We are meeting after 1.5 years and you want to be with your aunt, that’s not done!” I said. “I know that but please understand my situation. I am staying at my aunt’s place and she is very particular about punctuality. I know it sounds funny at this age but I am a guest in her house.” explained Samar. We could not stop him. “Fine buddy! When do we get to see you? How do we know that you have reached home safely? Give us some contact number.” said Ashutosh. He gave us a number and said “Just think about me and you will find me by your side. Your life is about to change for good! All the best and be good!”
After having a hot cup of coffee we decided to call up Samar’s aunt. I dialed the number and put it on the loudspeaker.
Vikash: Hello, am I speaking to Mrs. Pandey?
Mrs. Pandey: Yes, that’s right!
Vikash: Hello aunty, I am Vikash – Samar’s friend.
Mrs. Pandey: Hello beta! What can I do for you?
Vikash: We just came back from a trip and wanted to know if Samar has reached home safely.
Mrs. Pandey: What kind of a joke is this? Are you out of your mind?
Vikash: Wh-Why? What happened?
Mrs. Pandey: You call yourself his friend and don’t know what has happened?
Vikash: I beg to differ but I don’t understand what you are trying to say.
Mrs. Pandey: Samar died about 4 months ago. He and his family were on their way back when they met with an accident – they died on the spot.
Ashutosh and I were speechless when we heard what Samar’s aunt had just said. We couldn’t believe a word she was saying. How can a person spend an entire day with us when he is already dead? Now we know why he was so detached and aloof. Was he visible only to us? I remember those kids giving us crazy looks. My chain of thoughts was broken by my crazy ringtone – it was an international call. I wanted to disconnect the call but Ashutosh didn’t let me.It was a call from our business agent – “Vikash, congratulations! I was trying to get through your number since yesterday. Your business proposal has been accepted and we can go ahead with it. Being a weekend we can’t do anything as of now but will send in your papers along with Ashutosh’s on Monday and get the ball rolling. Congrats once again and hope to see you soon!”
Our life had indeed changed for the good. We were on our way to fulfill our dreams. We were in no mood to celebrate our success - we had lost a dear friend forever! Samar was a man of principles and kept his word even after his death. I hugged Ashutosh and we wept the whole night.
Ashutosh and I had come down to Mumbai after 5 years. We had plans of going on a trek to Visapur, Lonavala. During our good old college days, the three of us – Ashutosh, Samar and I were known for our trek tours. We had made this plan about 1.5 years ago when Samar had come to Cincinnati, USA to spend some time with us. Ashutosh and I had migrated to the US with our families about 10 years ago. Samar always wanted to pursue his career in India while we craved for the West. All of us were doing very well and were looking forward to a bright future. In these 1.5 years the three of us got extremely busy with our work and hardly kept in touch. Of course, Vikash and I being in the US were in constant touch but had lost contact with Samar.
Going for treks during monsoons had its own beauty. It was 6 am in the morning and we were waiting for Samar at a local tea stall in Powai. It was raining heavily and in order to beat the cold we had to go in for a hot cup of tea with fried pakodas.
Ashutosh came with two cups in his hand and a little boy followed with a plate full of hot and fried pakodas.“Here you go brother!” said Ashutosh as he gave the cup to me. “Man, nothing like a hot cup of ginger tea with fried pakodas.” I said. “How about dumping our original business plan and starting a franchise for pakodas in the US?” asked Ashutosh. “Yeah, sure go ahead!” I replied. “Let’s discuss it once we go back to the US.” replied Ashutosh. “What? You serious about this?” I asked. “Yeah, I am serious-ly joking about this!” replied Ashutosh with his typical wicked smile. “Very funny!” I said and got back to enjoying my pakodas.
We were startled by a loud knock on the window. It was Samar. “Sorry for the delay guys! I was stuck somewhere!” said Samar. “Where the fuck were you all these years!” asked Ashutosh. “I am sorry guys – I had plans of getting in touch with you about four months ago but something happened and I forgot all about it.” replied Samar. “Hey that’s alright! At least you remembered the trek and came all the way from Bangalore.” I replied. “I am sorry for being rude buddy but when did you reach Mumbai?” asked Ashutosh. “Yesterday! I am staying with my aunt.” explained Samar.
He was a changed man – he was not his usual self. The old Samar was a jovial and talkative guy – this guy was a stranger, at least that’s what I felt. “Let’s move guys!” said Ashutosh. “Guys, we will be taking the Mankhurd route via Ghatkoper and then hit the highway.” I said. “No, don’t do that!” replied Samar. “Why not?” I asked. “There has been an accident on the Mankhurd route and we may not be able to get out of that route.” explained Samar. “How do you know all this and it’s only 6:30 am in the morning we won’t get any traffic.” explained Ashutosh. “I heard it on the news and we will not be able to move out of that place because three trucks have over turned and are blocking the way.” explained Samar. We bought his explanation and took the Airoli route via Ghatkophar. It was raining cats and dogs and the foggy climate was making our journey even more interesting.
Around 8:30 am we reached Lonavala and decided to have our breakfast. “Guys, we are meeting tomorrow at my place for lunch and dinner. We won’t get any time today to catch up on the last 1.5 years so we can keep all of that for tomorrow and enjoy our trek. What say?” I asked. “Count me in!” replied Ashutosh. “Hmm…yeah sure!” said Samar. “What took you so long to think?” asked Ashutosh. “Samar, what is the matter with you? You are not the same old Samar we knew. What has happened in these last 1.5 years that has changed you so much? You hardly spoke in the car; you are not eating – what is the matter with you?” I asked.
I wanted my friend to open up. “All I can say is that something terrible has happened that has changed my life completely. I am fasting today hence won’t be eating anything.” explained Samar. “You are freaking us out, Samar. Can you be more specific?” asked Ashutosh. “Ashu, Vikash – whatever had to happen has happened. All is fine now except that the after effects still haunt us. Believe me when I say that things are back to normal now. I would not like to get into the details. I hope you understand.” explained Samar. “As long as things are fine we have no issues, buddy! Let’s stop this discussion and leave for Visapur. We still have to cover about 5-10 kms to reach the base of Visapur.” I said.
Around 9:30 am, we reached the Lohagad base and started our trek. Initially, it seemed to be a very easy climb but 15 minutes later, we realized that it won’t be that easy. We then reached a place where one path leads you to Lohagad and the other to Visapur Fort. Being a Saturday, it was crowded and most of the people were heading towards Lohagad. Hence, we decided to head for Visapur Fort.The scenery was beautiful but the roads were muddy and we had a tough time climbing up the hill. We lost our way twice and had to hire two kids to show us the way. There were occasional showers and the rocks were slippery so I had already started working on my will – one wrong move and I could end up falling on my head. In fact, I fell on the same knee thrice – it’s the worst thing that could happen on a trek.“Ouch!” I yelled. I was unable to put my foot in the front – the pain was unbearable. Samar asked me to sit on the nearby rock and started massaging my knee. He had a healing touch and I could bend my knee and was able to stand. “I have already started work on my will. You never know when you might face the angel of death on this trek.” I said. “You have a long life my friend. So don’t worry about it. You and Ashu have a long way to go – this is just the beginning of your life.” said Samar. “What do you mean beginning of our life? We are almost in our mid-thirties!” asked Ashutosh. “I meant that you guys are doing extremely well in your respective careers and will continue to do so for the next 30 years or so.” explained Samar. “Samar Baba ki Jai!” said Ashutosh. “Thanks Samar – feeling much better now. Let’s hope that we continue to succeed in our respective domains.” I said.
Finally, after a lot of hardship we reached the top of the fort around 1230 pm. It was a beautiful sight as we were surrounded by lush green trees and hills. We found a good place to sit where the sight was beautiful. It was drizzling and the temperature might have been around 5-6 degrees celsius. Ashutosh was carrying a bottle of port wine – we opened it and started gulping it down. Samar was on a fast so he did not taste it.I wondered when I would get to see the old Samar doing his crazy antics. I just hoped and prayed for Samar’s happiness. Ashutosh was a good cook and he was carrying some food. We gave some food to those little kids accompanying us. I wanted to break the silence and decided to start talking to Samar.
“So, Samar what about your dream house – how are things progressing on that front?” “That will remain a dream for the rest of my life?” he replied with a dejected face. I had hit the wrong chord. I knew for sure that he was facing a financial problem. “Why do you say so?” asked Ashutosh. “Forget about me guys!” said Samar with a big smile on his face. We had been dying to see that smile on his face. We knew he was hiding his pain and covering it up with his trademark smile. He continued “Don’t worry about me! I am fine. Everyone has to go through this phase of life. You guys should think about your dream venture!” We were surprised to hear that because we had never mentioned anything about our business plans to Samar. “Hey how do you know about our business plans?” I asked him. “Well, I have my own sources you see!” replied Samar. “I am just kidding!” he said with his trademark smile. “No, but how did you…?” asked Ashutosh. “Guys, about 1.5 years ago under the influence of alcohol you guys had revealed your plans to me. I am glad that you guys were serious about it and have started working on it” replied Samar.
We then changed the topic and started discussing our respective family lives. At least we got Samar talking – he was not his usual self but better than what he was in the morning. I felt the urge to ask him the exact problem but before I could say anything he got up and said “Guys, it is already 4:30 pm and we need to start climbing down. It might start raining heavily and we will find it difficult to get down.” It’s as if he had sensed what was coming. We nodded and agreed to make our way back.We assumed the journey downhill to be quick and easy. But to our surprise we were slipping and sliding our way back down. Due to the knee injury I could not keep my leg straight so I had to take help from Ashutosh while climbing down.Once we reached the base, we were surprised to see the crowd there. There were people dancing and singing. Some of them were so sloshed that they didn’t know what they were doing. It was a funny sight!
Ashutosh was in no mood to drive so I had to drive back home. We reached Powai around 8 pm. “What next?” asked Ashutosh. “Well, you guys need to come up for a cup of coffee before proceeding. My folks have gone out so we can chill out!” I replied. “Man you remind me of our college days – folks not at home so we can enjoy, huh?” said Ashutosh. “Guys, I need to be at my aunt’s place – so you will have to excuse me. I am not sure about tomorrow either.” said Samar. “C’mon buddy! We are meeting after 1.5 years and you want to be with your aunt, that’s not done!” I said. “I know that but please understand my situation. I am staying at my aunt’s place and she is very particular about punctuality. I know it sounds funny at this age but I am a guest in her house.” explained Samar. We could not stop him. “Fine buddy! When do we get to see you? How do we know that you have reached home safely? Give us some contact number.” said Ashutosh. He gave us a number and said “Just think about me and you will find me by your side. Your life is about to change for good! All the best and be good!”
After having a hot cup of coffee we decided to call up Samar’s aunt. I dialed the number and put it on the loudspeaker.
Vikash: Hello, am I speaking to Mrs. Pandey?
Mrs. Pandey: Yes, that’s right!
Vikash: Hello aunty, I am Vikash – Samar’s friend.
Mrs. Pandey: Hello beta! What can I do for you?
Vikash: We just came back from a trip and wanted to know if Samar has reached home safely.
Mrs. Pandey: What kind of a joke is this? Are you out of your mind?
Vikash: Wh-Why? What happened?
Mrs. Pandey: You call yourself his friend and don’t know what has happened?
Vikash: I beg to differ but I don’t understand what you are trying to say.
Mrs. Pandey: Samar died about 4 months ago. He and his family were on their way back when they met with an accident – they died on the spot.
Ashutosh and I were speechless when we heard what Samar’s aunt had just said. We couldn’t believe a word she was saying. How can a person spend an entire day with us when he is already dead? Now we know why he was so detached and aloof. Was he visible only to us? I remember those kids giving us crazy looks. My chain of thoughts was broken by my crazy ringtone – it was an international call. I wanted to disconnect the call but Ashutosh didn’t let me.It was a call from our business agent – “Vikash, congratulations! I was trying to get through your number since yesterday. Your business proposal has been accepted and we can go ahead with it. Being a weekend we can’t do anything as of now but will send in your papers along with Ashutosh’s on Monday and get the ball rolling. Congrats once again and hope to see you soon!”
Our life had indeed changed for the good. We were on our way to fulfill our dreams. We were in no mood to celebrate our success - we had lost a dear friend forever! Samar was a man of principles and kept his word even after his death. I hugged Ashutosh and we wept the whole night.
Graphology
(****After a gap of 4 months I finally decided to get back to blogging. Writing has been a passion but have no time to write. I will make it a point to write few things on my blog - either daily or once a week***).
Last week, I completed my course in graphology - I am now a professional graphologist. I need to analyze as many samples as possible in order to become proficient and then go for the advanced course in March/May.
Why did I learn Graphology?
I was always intrigued by human psychology - though graphology doesn't deal with that subject directly, it does have some relation to it. Self-improvement too was one of the reasons why I went in for this course. I wish to change myself and also help the HR department of my company in their recruitment decisions.
Where did I learn it from?
I learnt it from the Institute of Graphological Studies, Prabhadevi. Our faculty, Mr. Anal Pandit (Sir) had an in-depth knowledge f the subject and made it very interesting for all of us (students). His sense of humor combined with beautifully woven stories made it easier for me to grasp the subject.
Will I recommend this institute to others?
I would definitely recommend Anal sir and his institute. No-no I am not getting any cut for recommending him :-) Seriously guys, if you wih to learn graphology then it has to be from IGS that too under the able guidance of Anal Sir.
Last week, I completed my course in graphology - I am now a professional graphologist. I need to analyze as many samples as possible in order to become proficient and then go for the advanced course in March/May.
Why did I learn Graphology?
I was always intrigued by human psychology - though graphology doesn't deal with that subject directly, it does have some relation to it. Self-improvement too was one of the reasons why I went in for this course. I wish to change myself and also help the HR department of my company in their recruitment decisions.
Where did I learn it from?
I learnt it from the Institute of Graphological Studies, Prabhadevi. Our faculty, Mr. Anal Pandit (Sir) had an in-depth knowledge f the subject and made it very interesting for all of us (students). His sense of humor combined with beautifully woven stories made it easier for me to grasp the subject.
Will I recommend this institute to others?
I would definitely recommend Anal sir and his institute. No-no I am not getting any cut for recommending him :-) Seriously guys, if you wih to learn graphology then it has to be from IGS that too under the able guidance of Anal Sir.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
All about a WC
*****************************
Source: The following is an e-mail forward and I am not the ORIGINAL writer of this post. *****************************
In the days when you couldn't count on a public toilet facility, an English woman was planning a trip to India. She was registered to stay in a guesthouse owned by the local schoolmaster She was concerned as to whether the guesthouse contained a WC. In England, a bathroom is commonly called a WC - or Water Closet.
She wrote to the schoolmaster inquiring of the facilities about the WC. The schoolmaster asked the local priest if he knew the meaning of WC. Together, they pondered possible meanings of the letters and concluded that the lady wanted to know if there was a 'Wayside Chapel' near the house... A bathroom never entered their minds.
So the schoolmaster replied:
"I take pleasure in informing you that a WC is located nine miles from the house. It is located in the middle of a grove of pine trees, surrounded by lovely grounds. It is capable of holding 229 people and is open on Sundays and Thursdays.
"As there are many people expected in the summer months, I suggest you arrive early There is however plenty of standing room. This is an unfortunate situation especially if you are in the habit of going regularly It may be of some interest to you that my daughter was married in the WC as it was there that she met her husband.
"It was a wonderful event. There were 10 people in every seat. It was wonderful to see the expressions on their faces. We can take photos in different angles.
"My wife, sadly has been ill and unable to go recently It has been almost a year since she went last, which pains her greatly You will be pleased to know that many people bring their lunch and make a day of it...
"I would recommend your ladyship to plan to go on a Thursday, as there is an organ accompaniment. The acoustics are excellent and even the most delicate sounds can be heard everywhere...
"We are holding a bazaar to provide plush seats for all since many feel it is long needed. I look forward to escorting you there myself and seating you in a place where you can be seen by all."
The woman fainted reading the reply - and she never visited India!!!
Source: The following is an e-mail forward and I am not the ORIGINAL writer of this post. *****************************
In the days when you couldn't count on a public toilet facility, an English woman was planning a trip to India. She was registered to stay in a guesthouse owned by the local schoolmaster She was concerned as to whether the guesthouse contained a WC. In England, a bathroom is commonly called a WC - or Water Closet.
She wrote to the schoolmaster inquiring of the facilities about the WC. The schoolmaster asked the local priest if he knew the meaning of WC. Together, they pondered possible meanings of the letters and concluded that the lady wanted to know if there was a 'Wayside Chapel' near the house... A bathroom never entered their minds.
So the schoolmaster replied:
"I take pleasure in informing you that a WC is located nine miles from the house. It is located in the middle of a grove of pine trees, surrounded by lovely grounds. It is capable of holding 229 people and is open on Sundays and Thursdays.
"As there are many people expected in the summer months, I suggest you arrive early There is however plenty of standing room. This is an unfortunate situation especially if you are in the habit of going regularly It may be of some interest to you that my daughter was married in the WC as it was there that she met her husband.
"It was a wonderful event. There were 10 people in every seat. It was wonderful to see the expressions on their faces. We can take photos in different angles.
"My wife, sadly has been ill and unable to go recently It has been almost a year since she went last, which pains her greatly You will be pleased to know that many people bring their lunch and make a day of it...
"I would recommend your ladyship to plan to go on a Thursday, as there is an organ accompaniment. The acoustics are excellent and even the most delicate sounds can be heard everywhere...
"We are holding a bazaar to provide plush seats for all since many feel it is long needed. I look forward to escorting you there myself and seating you in a place where you can be seen by all."
The woman fainted reading the reply - and she never visited India!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
AN EVENING IN IRISH CAFÉ - a short story
Rohan Kapadia was enjoying his morning tea one beautiful Saturday morning when his mom called him into the living room.
“So, beta, what have you decided about the girl I told you of yesterday?”
“Mom, this is difficult! Please give me some time to think about it,” replied Rohan.
His mother was exasperated. “How long do you want us to wait? Your cousins and other friends are married already, and look at you; you don’t even have a girlfriend!”
“Mom, please don’t ruin my Saturday,” Rohan pleaded. “And Krish is still single. So please don’t fret about me.”
“Krish? You think a guy like Krish would ever marry? Anyway, think about this girl and let me know your decision. I will inform the girl’s family accordingly.”
“Fine!” agreed Rohan. “And I might come in late tonight. Don’t stay up for me.”
“Take care, beta, and have a nice day,” wished his mom.
Rohan was employed as an accounts executive with Cadus Consultants. While driving to work, he always thought of work and planned his schedule for the day. Today, however, his thoughts were on the girl his mother had spoken of. He wanted to discuss all of this with Krish, his partner at work. They shared the same cabin and worked together on similar projects. Krish, unlike Rohan, was an extrovert and never shied of an opportunity to strike a conversation with a girl. He had recently split with his fifth girlfriend and was on the lookout for another.
Krish was already in office, which was a departure from his usual tardiness. “Well, this is a surprise! What brings you in so early today, Krish?” asked Rohan, with a wicked smile.
“Well, since I split with Roma, I have a lot of free time. So I thought I should come in early and help my dearest friend, for a change,” Krish winked. “Anyway, you look unsettled. What’s the matter?” Krish was concerned.
“Boss, I received a proposal for marriage last night. My parents approve of the girl and want me to marry her. I am very confused.”
Krish was indignant. “What do you mean, they want you to marry her? Are they forcing you into it?” he asked.
“No! I will decide whom to marry,” Rohan assured him.
“In that case, where is the problem? Agree if you like her; else, just reject the proposal. Don’t think about it so much.”
“She is quite a nice girl, but I am not sure she would like me,” replied Rohan. “Rohan, I dislike this about you. Why do you always underestimate yourself? Now listen to me. Let’s not go for a movie tonight. Let’s go to a pub instead and then go clubbing. You had better come; else, I will…” Krish left the threat unfinished.
“But…,” Rohan hesitated. Then, seeming to think this a good idea, he conceded. “Alright, let’s have a blast!”
“That’s my boy! Now, unless you want us to join the country’s unemployed, let’s get back to work.”
Rohan was looking forward to going to the pub. Finally, they left around 7:30 pm and reached Quilla an hour later. After their second round of beer, Krish was euphoric.
“Rohanbhai, look out for your girl, I mean, any girl who is single and ready to mingle.”
“Krish, I am here to enjoy myself. Besides, I don’t want to marry a girl who goes clubbing.”
“What the !@$%! You are a typical MCP! It is guys like you who give the rest of us a bad name. If you can go clubbing, can’t your wife go out with you or her friends? Who knows, you might even find your love in one of these clubs.”
“Oh alright, I’m sorry,” said Rohan. “Now shall we order another pitcher?”
After ordering the third pitcher, Krish asked Rohan, “Do you know the new girl who has just joined our creative team?”
“Do you mean Natasha?” asked Rohan.
“Bingo! That means you know her. Let’s call her and ask her to join us. What do you think?”
“I hardly know her, yaar. We were in the same college, but never spoke to each other. She was the rose queen during our college days.”
“Man, you seem to know a lot about her. We have a secret admirer over here, huh?” teased Krish.
“Nahin yaar, she won’t even remember me. Yes, I admit we acted together in one of our college plays, but…”
“Wow! Which play? Romeo-Juliet or Laila-Majnu?”
“Nah! Not one of those classics but a simple drama called ‘The Betrayal,’ in which she played the main lead and I was one of the waiters,” said Rohan.
“So what, dude? Just give her a call and try to revive those good old memories. You never know, she too might be interested in you,” encouraged Krish.
Rohan was sceptical. However, Krish somehow succeeded in convincing him to call her.
Just as he was about to dial her number, Rohan realized that he didn’t have it.
“Hey, I don’t even have her cell number!” he said to Krish.
“Did you think I wouldn’t have it? Here it is—98674 69902. I would have called her myself, but I want you to be a little bold in such matters and take the initiative,” said Krish.
Emboldened, Rohan took the number from Krish and called Natasha. A sweet voice from the other end answered “hello, yes?”
“Hi Natasha, this is Rohan. Do you remember me?”
“Rohan? Well, I can’t really remember. Have we met before?” asked Natasha. “Well, yes, we were in the same college; in fact, we worked together in a college play. I was one of the waiters and you were…”
“Listen, I don’t remember any of this nonsense. Now will you please tell me who you are or shall I hang up?”
“No, no, please listen to me. You know what…”
There was silence at the other end. Natasha had hung up.
“Hello, hello, are you there? Hello?” continued Rohan, in a daze.
Finally, he stopped and returned the phone to Krish.
“So she hung up on you, huh?” asked Krish nonchalantly. “Rohan, is this how a guy introduces himself to a girl? C’mon yaar, I was sure you would crack it this time.” Saying this, he loudly mimicked Rohan’s attempt at introducing himself to Natasha, much to the amusement of the people seated at the neighboring tables.
“I had warned you, yaar, that I am terrible at these things. I’m sorry I let you down,” said Rohan, ruefully.
“And I’m sorry I lost my head! But buddy, you need to be more confident about yourself.”
“But I do try!” protested Rohan. “And I will keep trying until I succeed. Don’t worry, Krish.”
“That’s the spirit, my friend! Now cheer up! What would you say about going to Irish Café for some more drinks and catching up with some blonde?”
“I’d say that’s a very good idea! Let’s leave. But you will not drive my car.”
“Theek hai yaar, let’s get out of this place,” agreed Krish.
They paid the bill and left for Irish Café.
It being a Saturday night, Irish Café was packed. Almost all the seats were taken; however, they were lucky enough to find a place in a corner. They ordered some drinks. Krish met some of his girlfriends and was pulled onto the dance floor. Rohan was also invited, but was too shy to join them, especially after his experience with Natasha over the phone a short while ago.
Rohan was sipping his favorite vodka and reflecting moodily over his lack of success with women. As his eyes wandered aimlessly around the room, his attention was caught by the sight of a pretty girl sitting alone in another corner. He said to himself, “Rohan, this is your chance to prove that you can do it! It’s either now or never!”
He got up and was about to reach her table when he saw a guy sitting next to her, along with a blonde girl. Rohan immediately changed course and grabbed a place next to their table. He observed that the guy accompanying the girl was trying to kiss her, but she was pushing him away. Rohan was confused and wondered whether the guy was her boyfriend or was trying to molest her. The guy was still trying to get close to her when she suddenly turned around and slapped him hard across the face.
“How dare you hit me, you b***h…” the guy yelled at her in rage. “You have been a big mistake. You are simply not fit to be my girlfriend. You don’t like to party, you hate mingling with people, and you don’t let me touch you. Is this what you call a relationship?”
“Alekh, why do you say such things?” she asked, tears brimming in her eyes. She was obviously shaken by her action and Alekh’s subsequent outburst. “I agree I don’t like partying, but I like being with you. Why do you want to be with your other girlfriends?”
“Oh, really? Neha, I have had enough of your nonsense! Now just get the hell out of here and don’t show me your face ever again!”
Alekh then walked out with his blonde girlfriend.
Neha simply sat there, crying softly. Rohan had heard the entire conversation and didn’t know how to react. He said to himself, “This is the right time to strike a conversation with her.”
However, Neha suddenly got up and began running toward the door. Rohan followed her. When he reached the porch, he saw that Neha had stopped running and was standing alone there, crying. He hid himself behind the door.
Finally, he mustered up the courage to approach her.
“Excuse me! I’m sorry I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation with your friend. I hope you are alright?” he inquired gently.
“P-please leave me alone,” sobbed Neha, who was still in tears.
“Ma’am, I know I shouldn’t interfere, but I must say I didn’t like the way your friend behaved with you. I am heading out and wonder if I can drop you home? Believe me, I have no other intentions; I just thought I should help. Anyway, I stay in Bandra, and it would be no trouble to me at all to drop you wherever you wish to go. I will wait another 10 minutes in my red Indica parked just across the pub.” On saying this, he left the pub and got into his car.
Rohan found it difficult to believe that he had indeed spoken so confidently with the girl. He waited for her in his car with his fingers crossed. Five minutes passed, but there was still no sign of her.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on his window. It was Neha.
“Can I get in?” she asked.
“Yes, of course, please get in. Where would you like me to drop you?”
“I live in Bandra too, next to Amarsons,” answered Neha.
“Oh, Amarsons! That’s pretty close to where I stay. By the way, I am Rohan and I work with Cadus Consultants as an accounts executive. What do you do, ma’am?”
“Please call me Neha. I’ve just completed my master’s in mass media. Anyway, thanks for your help and concern. May I ask why you felt like helping me?”
“Well, Neha, I don’t really know. Look, I’m sorry I overheard your conversation with your friend, but I really couldn’t help it. I honestly can’t bear to see a guy humiliate his girlfriend in public,” said Rohan.
“Thanks, Rohan, that’s really sweet of you. But listening to other people’s conversations is simply bad manners.”
Rohan looked at her, startled. However, when he saw that she was smiling, his heart skipped a beat. She was really sweet and had a beautiful smile. “I know, and I’m sorry,” he mumbled. He drove the rest of the way in silence.
When they reached Amarsons, Neha asked him to stop the car outside the store. “Thanks, Rohan. I really appreciate this. I don’t know whether I should ask you this, but anyway, will I see you again?”
“Me…you…I…yeah sure…I mean, we can definitely meet sometime next week.” “I need a good friend, Rohan, and I think you can be that friend. Here, take my number. It is 98888 00000. Do keep in touch. See you soon!”
She got out of the car.
“Neha, my number is 98216 69902. And I will surely keep in touch.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “You have a very beautiful smile, so keep smiling. See you!”
She smiled in reply, and they parted ways.
This incident left Rohan feeling like a warrior who had won a great battle. He was feeling extremely confident about himself. He called Krish the next day and narrated the entire incident to him. At first, Krish refused to believe him, but finally gave him the benefit of the doubt. He congratulated Rohan and asked him to sms Neha. Well, after that, Neha and Rohan began meeting regularly and enjoyed each other’s company very much.
Three months later, Rohan told his mom about Neha and confessed his love for her. His mom was really happy to know about this and prayed that Neha too would accept Rohan.
Rohan planned to take Neha out for dinner and then propose to her. They met each other at 7:30 pm outside Mainland China, where Rohan had already reserved a table for two.
Neha looked lovely in a green salwar kameez. Rohan, too, looked smart in a black stripped shirt and black trousers.
“You’re looking gorgeous today,” said Rohan.
“Hmm…so are you jealous?” asked Neha, with a mischievous smile.
After placing the order, Rohan decided to go ahead with his confession.
“Neha, I have something to say to you.”
“Yeah, sure, go ahead.”
“Well, I have never been through this before, so forgive me if I make a mistake. I really like you Neha. So I…so will you…ma…”
Neha cut him mid-sentence. “Before you say anything, I want to tell you something. Alekh called me sometime back. He wanted us to get back together as his “girlfriend” had dumped him. You remember the blonde girl with him at Irish Café? She was the one.”
Rohan was alarmed.
“So…uh…what did you say?” he asked.
“What do you think I might have said?”
“C’mon, how would I know?”
“Well, I told him that he deserved to be dumped. I also told him that he could have no place in my life and that I was better off without him. And I said this because I think I have found the man I have been looking for.”
“Huh! Which man and where did you find him?” asked Rohan, who was now feeling quite faint.
“Of course it’s you, you idiot. Now, don’t stare dumbly at me. Aren’t you going to propose to me?” asked Neha, with a touch of impatience in her voice.
“Oh my God, you almost killed me with anxiety! Can I propose after dinner or would you rather I did it now?”
“Rohannnn!”
“Hahahaha! Neha, will you marry me? Would you like to spend the rest of your life with me?”
“Well…umm…let me think…I think I can grant your wish!” she replied, eyes twinkling. “Jokes apart, I really love you. And I want to spend my life with the man who changed it three months ago at Irish Café. I think it would be a good idea to visit the place that brought the two of us together. Do you think we can go there after dinner?” she asked.
“Yes, sweetheart, let’s do that.”
It was the best evening of his life. After dinner, they left for Irish Café. They sat there for a good half hour, thinking and talking about the past three months and planning their life together.
Krish was really happy for his friend as he had finally managed to get himself hitched. And Rohan and Neha were happy with each other and were looking forward to their wedding in December that year.
This has been taken from “AN EVENING IN IRISH CAFÉ”, a story written by me which is featured in my book - “Known devil or Unknown ghost - a collection of short stories”
“So, beta, what have you decided about the girl I told you of yesterday?”
“Mom, this is difficult! Please give me some time to think about it,” replied Rohan.
His mother was exasperated. “How long do you want us to wait? Your cousins and other friends are married already, and look at you; you don’t even have a girlfriend!”
“Mom, please don’t ruin my Saturday,” Rohan pleaded. “And Krish is still single. So please don’t fret about me.”
“Krish? You think a guy like Krish would ever marry? Anyway, think about this girl and let me know your decision. I will inform the girl’s family accordingly.”
“Fine!” agreed Rohan. “And I might come in late tonight. Don’t stay up for me.”
“Take care, beta, and have a nice day,” wished his mom.
Rohan was employed as an accounts executive with Cadus Consultants. While driving to work, he always thought of work and planned his schedule for the day. Today, however, his thoughts were on the girl his mother had spoken of. He wanted to discuss all of this with Krish, his partner at work. They shared the same cabin and worked together on similar projects. Krish, unlike Rohan, was an extrovert and never shied of an opportunity to strike a conversation with a girl. He had recently split with his fifth girlfriend and was on the lookout for another.
Krish was already in office, which was a departure from his usual tardiness. “Well, this is a surprise! What brings you in so early today, Krish?” asked Rohan, with a wicked smile.
“Well, since I split with Roma, I have a lot of free time. So I thought I should come in early and help my dearest friend, for a change,” Krish winked. “Anyway, you look unsettled. What’s the matter?” Krish was concerned.
“Boss, I received a proposal for marriage last night. My parents approve of the girl and want me to marry her. I am very confused.”
Krish was indignant. “What do you mean, they want you to marry her? Are they forcing you into it?” he asked.
“No! I will decide whom to marry,” Rohan assured him.
“In that case, where is the problem? Agree if you like her; else, just reject the proposal. Don’t think about it so much.”
“She is quite a nice girl, but I am not sure she would like me,” replied Rohan. “Rohan, I dislike this about you. Why do you always underestimate yourself? Now listen to me. Let’s not go for a movie tonight. Let’s go to a pub instead and then go clubbing. You had better come; else, I will…” Krish left the threat unfinished.
“But…,” Rohan hesitated. Then, seeming to think this a good idea, he conceded. “Alright, let’s have a blast!”
“That’s my boy! Now, unless you want us to join the country’s unemployed, let’s get back to work.”
Rohan was looking forward to going to the pub. Finally, they left around 7:30 pm and reached Quilla an hour later. After their second round of beer, Krish was euphoric.
“Rohanbhai, look out for your girl, I mean, any girl who is single and ready to mingle.”
“Krish, I am here to enjoy myself. Besides, I don’t want to marry a girl who goes clubbing.”
“What the !@$%! You are a typical MCP! It is guys like you who give the rest of us a bad name. If you can go clubbing, can’t your wife go out with you or her friends? Who knows, you might even find your love in one of these clubs.”
“Oh alright, I’m sorry,” said Rohan. “Now shall we order another pitcher?”
After ordering the third pitcher, Krish asked Rohan, “Do you know the new girl who has just joined our creative team?”
“Do you mean Natasha?” asked Rohan.
“Bingo! That means you know her. Let’s call her and ask her to join us. What do you think?”
“I hardly know her, yaar. We were in the same college, but never spoke to each other. She was the rose queen during our college days.”
“Man, you seem to know a lot about her. We have a secret admirer over here, huh?” teased Krish.
“Nahin yaar, she won’t even remember me. Yes, I admit we acted together in one of our college plays, but…”
“Wow! Which play? Romeo-Juliet or Laila-Majnu?”
“Nah! Not one of those classics but a simple drama called ‘The Betrayal,’ in which she played the main lead and I was one of the waiters,” said Rohan.
“So what, dude? Just give her a call and try to revive those good old memories. You never know, she too might be interested in you,” encouraged Krish.
Rohan was sceptical. However, Krish somehow succeeded in convincing him to call her.
Just as he was about to dial her number, Rohan realized that he didn’t have it.
“Hey, I don’t even have her cell number!” he said to Krish.
“Did you think I wouldn’t have it? Here it is—98674 69902. I would have called her myself, but I want you to be a little bold in such matters and take the initiative,” said Krish.
Emboldened, Rohan took the number from Krish and called Natasha. A sweet voice from the other end answered “hello, yes?”
“Hi Natasha, this is Rohan. Do you remember me?”
“Rohan? Well, I can’t really remember. Have we met before?” asked Natasha. “Well, yes, we were in the same college; in fact, we worked together in a college play. I was one of the waiters and you were…”
“Listen, I don’t remember any of this nonsense. Now will you please tell me who you are or shall I hang up?”
“No, no, please listen to me. You know what…”
There was silence at the other end. Natasha had hung up.
“Hello, hello, are you there? Hello?” continued Rohan, in a daze.
Finally, he stopped and returned the phone to Krish.
“So she hung up on you, huh?” asked Krish nonchalantly. “Rohan, is this how a guy introduces himself to a girl? C’mon yaar, I was sure you would crack it this time.” Saying this, he loudly mimicked Rohan’s attempt at introducing himself to Natasha, much to the amusement of the people seated at the neighboring tables.
“I had warned you, yaar, that I am terrible at these things. I’m sorry I let you down,” said Rohan, ruefully.
“And I’m sorry I lost my head! But buddy, you need to be more confident about yourself.”
“But I do try!” protested Rohan. “And I will keep trying until I succeed. Don’t worry, Krish.”
“That’s the spirit, my friend! Now cheer up! What would you say about going to Irish Café for some more drinks and catching up with some blonde?”
“I’d say that’s a very good idea! Let’s leave. But you will not drive my car.”
“Theek hai yaar, let’s get out of this place,” agreed Krish.
They paid the bill and left for Irish Café.
It being a Saturday night, Irish Café was packed. Almost all the seats were taken; however, they were lucky enough to find a place in a corner. They ordered some drinks. Krish met some of his girlfriends and was pulled onto the dance floor. Rohan was also invited, but was too shy to join them, especially after his experience with Natasha over the phone a short while ago.
Rohan was sipping his favorite vodka and reflecting moodily over his lack of success with women. As his eyes wandered aimlessly around the room, his attention was caught by the sight of a pretty girl sitting alone in another corner. He said to himself, “Rohan, this is your chance to prove that you can do it! It’s either now or never!”
He got up and was about to reach her table when he saw a guy sitting next to her, along with a blonde girl. Rohan immediately changed course and grabbed a place next to their table. He observed that the guy accompanying the girl was trying to kiss her, but she was pushing him away. Rohan was confused and wondered whether the guy was her boyfriend or was trying to molest her. The guy was still trying to get close to her when she suddenly turned around and slapped him hard across the face.
“How dare you hit me, you b***h…” the guy yelled at her in rage. “You have been a big mistake. You are simply not fit to be my girlfriend. You don’t like to party, you hate mingling with people, and you don’t let me touch you. Is this what you call a relationship?”
“Alekh, why do you say such things?” she asked, tears brimming in her eyes. She was obviously shaken by her action and Alekh’s subsequent outburst. “I agree I don’t like partying, but I like being with you. Why do you want to be with your other girlfriends?”
“Oh, really? Neha, I have had enough of your nonsense! Now just get the hell out of here and don’t show me your face ever again!”
Alekh then walked out with his blonde girlfriend.
Neha simply sat there, crying softly. Rohan had heard the entire conversation and didn’t know how to react. He said to himself, “This is the right time to strike a conversation with her.”
However, Neha suddenly got up and began running toward the door. Rohan followed her. When he reached the porch, he saw that Neha had stopped running and was standing alone there, crying. He hid himself behind the door.
Finally, he mustered up the courage to approach her.
“Excuse me! I’m sorry I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation with your friend. I hope you are alright?” he inquired gently.
“P-please leave me alone,” sobbed Neha, who was still in tears.
“Ma’am, I know I shouldn’t interfere, but I must say I didn’t like the way your friend behaved with you. I am heading out and wonder if I can drop you home? Believe me, I have no other intentions; I just thought I should help. Anyway, I stay in Bandra, and it would be no trouble to me at all to drop you wherever you wish to go. I will wait another 10 minutes in my red Indica parked just across the pub.” On saying this, he left the pub and got into his car.
Rohan found it difficult to believe that he had indeed spoken so confidently with the girl. He waited for her in his car with his fingers crossed. Five minutes passed, but there was still no sign of her.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on his window. It was Neha.
“Can I get in?” she asked.
“Yes, of course, please get in. Where would you like me to drop you?”
“I live in Bandra too, next to Amarsons,” answered Neha.
“Oh, Amarsons! That’s pretty close to where I stay. By the way, I am Rohan and I work with Cadus Consultants as an accounts executive. What do you do, ma’am?”
“Please call me Neha. I’ve just completed my master’s in mass media. Anyway, thanks for your help and concern. May I ask why you felt like helping me?”
“Well, Neha, I don’t really know. Look, I’m sorry I overheard your conversation with your friend, but I really couldn’t help it. I honestly can’t bear to see a guy humiliate his girlfriend in public,” said Rohan.
“Thanks, Rohan, that’s really sweet of you. But listening to other people’s conversations is simply bad manners.”
Rohan looked at her, startled. However, when he saw that she was smiling, his heart skipped a beat. She was really sweet and had a beautiful smile. “I know, and I’m sorry,” he mumbled. He drove the rest of the way in silence.
When they reached Amarsons, Neha asked him to stop the car outside the store. “Thanks, Rohan. I really appreciate this. I don’t know whether I should ask you this, but anyway, will I see you again?”
“Me…you…I…yeah sure…I mean, we can definitely meet sometime next week.” “I need a good friend, Rohan, and I think you can be that friend. Here, take my number. It is 98888 00000. Do keep in touch. See you soon!”
She got out of the car.
“Neha, my number is 98216 69902. And I will surely keep in touch.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “You have a very beautiful smile, so keep smiling. See you!”
She smiled in reply, and they parted ways.
This incident left Rohan feeling like a warrior who had won a great battle. He was feeling extremely confident about himself. He called Krish the next day and narrated the entire incident to him. At first, Krish refused to believe him, but finally gave him the benefit of the doubt. He congratulated Rohan and asked him to sms Neha. Well, after that, Neha and Rohan began meeting regularly and enjoyed each other’s company very much.
Three months later, Rohan told his mom about Neha and confessed his love for her. His mom was really happy to know about this and prayed that Neha too would accept Rohan.
Rohan planned to take Neha out for dinner and then propose to her. They met each other at 7:30 pm outside Mainland China, where Rohan had already reserved a table for two.
Neha looked lovely in a green salwar kameez. Rohan, too, looked smart in a black stripped shirt and black trousers.
“You’re looking gorgeous today,” said Rohan.
“Hmm…so are you jealous?” asked Neha, with a mischievous smile.
After placing the order, Rohan decided to go ahead with his confession.
“Neha, I have something to say to you.”
“Yeah, sure, go ahead.”
“Well, I have never been through this before, so forgive me if I make a mistake. I really like you Neha. So I…so will you…ma…”
Neha cut him mid-sentence. “Before you say anything, I want to tell you something. Alekh called me sometime back. He wanted us to get back together as his “girlfriend” had dumped him. You remember the blonde girl with him at Irish Café? She was the one.”
Rohan was alarmed.
“So…uh…what did you say?” he asked.
“What do you think I might have said?”
“C’mon, how would I know?”
“Well, I told him that he deserved to be dumped. I also told him that he could have no place in my life and that I was better off without him. And I said this because I think I have found the man I have been looking for.”
“Huh! Which man and where did you find him?” asked Rohan, who was now feeling quite faint.
“Of course it’s you, you idiot. Now, don’t stare dumbly at me. Aren’t you going to propose to me?” asked Neha, with a touch of impatience in her voice.
“Oh my God, you almost killed me with anxiety! Can I propose after dinner or would you rather I did it now?”
“Rohannnn!”
“Hahahaha! Neha, will you marry me? Would you like to spend the rest of your life with me?”
“Well…umm…let me think…I think I can grant your wish!” she replied, eyes twinkling. “Jokes apart, I really love you. And I want to spend my life with the man who changed it three months ago at Irish Café. I think it would be a good idea to visit the place that brought the two of us together. Do you think we can go there after dinner?” she asked.
“Yes, sweetheart, let’s do that.”
It was the best evening of his life. After dinner, they left for Irish Café. They sat there for a good half hour, thinking and talking about the past three months and planning their life together.
Krish was really happy for his friend as he had finally managed to get himself hitched. And Rohan and Neha were happy with each other and were looking forward to their wedding in December that year.
This has been taken from “AN EVENING IN IRISH CAFÉ”, a story written by me which is featured in my book - “Known devil or Unknown ghost - a collection of short stories”
Friday, June 27, 2008
Categories of clients
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Source: I OWN this article; it is solely based on my personal experiences.
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This article deals with the different types of clients we come across on a day-to-day basis. Please note that the definitions mentioned below are not based on any recency, frequency and monetary (RFM) value of the clients; they are solely based on my experiences with each of these clients. They do not apply to any specific client segment or nationality – the definitions mentioned below are very general in nature.
1) Partner - clients falling under this category are also known as super-loyal clients. They consider themselves to be a part of your organization and help you in improving your services/products. They do not wait for feedback requests – they will give it to you on their own. Such clients are usually your “first” clients or have gradually reached this level due to high-quality service. Once a client reaches this stage – no matter what he asks for – we have to give!
2) Loyal – no matter what your price is, no matter what your competitor is offering - these clients will always stick to you and come back with their requests. They will either give you feedback on their own or wait for your request. They have the potential of becoming a “partner”. One has to continuously focus on such clients and give our best. Losing such clients can be detrimental to your business – you have probably worked hard on getting them to this level one big mistake and you have lost them for good.
3) Endless clients – grammatically this is an incorrect term but a friend of mine used it and I really liked it. These clients expect you to work on the same thing again and again. They believe in multiple rounds and will not be satisfied until and unless they get what they want. Some of these clients can be considered as perfectionists – they will not move ahead until and unless they get what they want while others might be super-confused souls. It is very difficult to differentiate the types of endless clients – one has no option but to work on their multiple rounds!
4) Freebie clients – do not expect anything from them. In fact, they are the ones expecting something from you – discounts, freebies, etc. They will either expect a 100% discount or some gifts in kind. Do not worry about such clients as they will not be able to give you the business you would like to get.
5) Tough-cookie clients
Beware of this category – they can give you a lot of stress at times. They are the real perfectionists. They will tell you what they want and you have to give it to them as is. Such clients are so fussy, that they cannot even tolerate silly typos in your mails. They will seldom speak good things about your service. Nevertheless, they will always use your service if you have met their expectations. Do not expect to get detailed feedback from them – getting another order from such clients is as good as a “positive” feedback.
6) Distrust clients
This category too has two types. There are some clients who don’t trust you while there are others whom you don’t trust.
A) Category 1 – something might have happened in the past due to which they have lost trust and eventually stopped using your services/products. There is only one thing you can do – understand what went wrong and forget them! They won’t come back!
B) Category 2 – there might be some clients whom you don’t trust. These clients might have a bad history with you – they might have been defaulters (payment), or might have had a history of canceling jobs upon confirmation, etc. Just don’t bother about such clients – deal with them on a case-by-case basis.
7) Suspicious clients – there are a few annoying clients who fall under this category. They can be your competitors spying on you or some random client who wants to use your service or product and then disappear without paying. Very difficult to track such clients – you never know which client of yours falls under this category (of course, only new clients will fall under this category not your existing ones). Try to keep your eyes open and be vigilant at all times.
8) Quality-conscious clients – such clients give more importance to the quality of service/product. They don’t care about the price so much. If you are successful in giving them good quality work/product you have converted them for good. They can be your Loyal/Partner clients.
9) Money-minded clients – such clients are only worried about the price factor. For them quality may or may not be important. They can never be your Loyal/Partner clients and can possibly move over to your competitor if your price increase or price doesn’t meet their expectations.
There can be many such categories but we need not get into those now. I might come back with a sequel to this article but for now this should be it.
We all need to focus on the following categories to get the most out of them and expand our business – Partner, Loyal and Quality-conscious clients. Also, focus on the “tough-cookie” clients – while they may not be as loyal as the previous three categories, you can expect some good business from them – if and only if you meet their expectations! After all, it’s all about client focus!
Source: I OWN this article; it is solely based on my personal experiences.
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This article deals with the different types of clients we come across on a day-to-day basis. Please note that the definitions mentioned below are not based on any recency, frequency and monetary (RFM) value of the clients; they are solely based on my experiences with each of these clients. They do not apply to any specific client segment or nationality – the definitions mentioned below are very general in nature.
1) Partner - clients falling under this category are also known as super-loyal clients. They consider themselves to be a part of your organization and help you in improving your services/products. They do not wait for feedback requests – they will give it to you on their own. Such clients are usually your “first” clients or have gradually reached this level due to high-quality service. Once a client reaches this stage – no matter what he asks for – we have to give!
2) Loyal – no matter what your price is, no matter what your competitor is offering - these clients will always stick to you and come back with their requests. They will either give you feedback on their own or wait for your request. They have the potential of becoming a “partner”. One has to continuously focus on such clients and give our best. Losing such clients can be detrimental to your business – you have probably worked hard on getting them to this level one big mistake and you have lost them for good.
3) Endless clients – grammatically this is an incorrect term but a friend of mine used it and I really liked it. These clients expect you to work on the same thing again and again. They believe in multiple rounds and will not be satisfied until and unless they get what they want. Some of these clients can be considered as perfectionists – they will not move ahead until and unless they get what they want while others might be super-confused souls. It is very difficult to differentiate the types of endless clients – one has no option but to work on their multiple rounds!
4) Freebie clients – do not expect anything from them. In fact, they are the ones expecting something from you – discounts, freebies, etc. They will either expect a 100% discount or some gifts in kind. Do not worry about such clients as they will not be able to give you the business you would like to get.
5) Tough-cookie clients
Beware of this category – they can give you a lot of stress at times. They are the real perfectionists. They will tell you what they want and you have to give it to them as is. Such clients are so fussy, that they cannot even tolerate silly typos in your mails. They will seldom speak good things about your service. Nevertheless, they will always use your service if you have met their expectations. Do not expect to get detailed feedback from them – getting another order from such clients is as good as a “positive” feedback.
6) Distrust clients
This category too has two types. There are some clients who don’t trust you while there are others whom you don’t trust.
A) Category 1 – something might have happened in the past due to which they have lost trust and eventually stopped using your services/products. There is only one thing you can do – understand what went wrong and forget them! They won’t come back!
B) Category 2 – there might be some clients whom you don’t trust. These clients might have a bad history with you – they might have been defaulters (payment), or might have had a history of canceling jobs upon confirmation, etc. Just don’t bother about such clients – deal with them on a case-by-case basis.
7) Suspicious clients – there are a few annoying clients who fall under this category. They can be your competitors spying on you or some random client who wants to use your service or product and then disappear without paying. Very difficult to track such clients – you never know which client of yours falls under this category (of course, only new clients will fall under this category not your existing ones). Try to keep your eyes open and be vigilant at all times.
8) Quality-conscious clients – such clients give more importance to the quality of service/product. They don’t care about the price so much. If you are successful in giving them good quality work/product you have converted them for good. They can be your Loyal/Partner clients.
9) Money-minded clients – such clients are only worried about the price factor. For them quality may or may not be important. They can never be your Loyal/Partner clients and can possibly move over to your competitor if your price increase or price doesn’t meet their expectations.
There can be many such categories but we need not get into those now. I might come back with a sequel to this article but for now this should be it.
We all need to focus on the following categories to get the most out of them and expand our business – Partner, Loyal and Quality-conscious clients. Also, focus on the “tough-cookie” clients – while they may not be as loyal as the previous three categories, you can expect some good business from them – if and only if you meet their expectations! After all, it’s all about client focus!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Buying a new car?
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Source: I OWN this article; it is solely based on my personal experiences.
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Buying a car is not as easy as buying clothes or any other essential commodities. There are a lot of things one has to look into before making this decision. I made quite a few mistakes while going in for my car (I am still awaiting its delivery). Of course, I won’t get into the details of those mistakes – rather I would focus on creating few tips for prospective buyers.
Let us make this into a four step process.
Step 1: Elimination round
1) Be 100% sure that you want to go for a new car. Don’t make hasty decisions just because your neighbor has bought a brand new car.
2) The next step would be to select 2-3 brands (For E.g. Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Honda, etc.)
3) You will then have to set aside a budget for your car.
4) Then from the selected brands strike out the models that do not fit your budget – this will enable you to make a faster choice.
Step 2: Select your model and dealer
1) You might face a situation wherein more than 5-6 cars would fit into your budget.
2) Go for test drives, get brochures and check the respective websites.
3) If a model has been recently launched – check the wait period involved. If a wait period is more than 2 months – DO NOT GO FOR IT. Just strike that model out of your list and mind. (Believe me, waiting for the car of your choice can be troublesome!)
4) Talk to people and get their views and make your decision – at this juncture you should go by your own instincts. (We all have to take risks!) I am saying this only because at this stage you would have a clear idea of what you want. If you are still confused then I suggest that you either drop the plan of going for a new car or go for any random car you wish to buy. (At this stage, 99% of the people would be able to make a decision)
5) Now that you have made your choice – start calling up the dealers.
6) If you are exchanging your old car then see to it that you get it showed to as many dealers as possible. The one who gives you the expected price – seal the deal with them.
7) Dealers sometime ask you to handover your old car immediately – do not make the mistake of giving your old car before getting the delivery of your new car. You can at the most exchange your old car a week prior to getting your new car.
8) Once you have selected your dealer – check if they have any on-going special promotions or discounts (Most of the dealers tell you about such promotions so you need not worry!)
9) Book your car with the dealer and pay the booking amount.
Step 3: Bank Loan
1) As far as possible go with your own bank – avoid getting loans from other banks. The only reason I am saying this is because your bank would give you a good rate of interest.
2) Talk to your loan account manager – if possible please go there to meet him personally or call him to meet you at your office or home. Please note that a face-to-face meeting is essential as it increases credibility.
3) Ask for a low interest rate since you have your account with the bank.
4) At the time of signing the loan agreement – they would ask for PDC’s based on your EMI.
5) Please request for a copy of the loan agreement. A bank will give you the copy only if you have requested for it.
6) Introduce your dealer to the banker so that they can carry out the other necessary paperwork such as signing the registration papers, etc. Your bank will send the dealer a form.
7) If your dealer asks your loan account manager to keep the cheque on hold for whatever reason – please get involved and get your cheque cleared as soon as possible. Your loan EMI is applicable only for a certain period before it is disbursed to the dealer. Once disbursed, you don’t have to worry about it. However, before disbursement there is a possibility of a change in the interest rate and thereby in your EMI (Never make this mistake!).
8) Once your cheque is cleared ask for a delivery letter from your dealer.
9) Await the delivery of your new car (Usually, the wait period ranges from 10-25 days).
Step 4: Car delivery
1) If you are exchanging your old car, then exchange it a week before taking the delivery of your new car.
2) Take the delivery of your car on the specified date.
3) As far as possible avoid taking accessories from the dealer – they would charge you higher than the normal prices. (By accessories I mean – car mats, sun screens, seat covers, etc.) Accessories can be taken from automobile shops - they give it to you at a much lesser rate – the quality too is good.
4) Get your car and its accessories and drive safely!
Experiences while buying my first car – Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire
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Source: I OWN this article; it is solely based on my personal experiences.
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Since 2005 I had a dream of buying my own car. Thanks to my usual tardiness and patent style of pushing things ahead, my plans never materialized. I enjoyed driving my dad’s car (Maruti Suzuki Esteem).
Three years later, a friend of mine asked me if I would like to test drive his new Swift. Initially, I was reluctant to drive his new car but after seeing his car I gave in and decided to test drive it. I was extremely happy with the car and immediately decided to go for it.
Call it karmic connection or luck – I read in the papers that Maruti Suzuki was launching its new car Swift Dzire – cedan version of their Swift car. I loved the design, specifications and the price too was in my budget (Rs. 600,000).
I discussed it with my family (including my in-laws) and decided to book the car. After getting quotations from various dealers I decided to go in for a Bandra based dealer (Autovista). I was extremely happy with their service. The sales executive – Rajesh Sharma too was good. He was courteous, polite and very prompt in his response. They promised to give me the car within 25 days – other dealers had a wait period of 2 months. I booked my first car on April 6, 2008.
The next thing to do was to get in touch with my bank for a car loan. My loan was cleared and the cheque was ready. In about 15 days, I got a call from my dealer – he shocked me by telling that the car will not be delivered in 25 days as there is a wait period of 2 months. He gave me a date of May 22nd. My loan manager informed me that if I keep my cheque on hold then the interest rate and EMI would go up. I had no option but to ask the bank to clear my cheque. I was waiting for May 22nd.
May 20th
I was told that the wait period was now 6 months. This was the time I felt like breaking my head on the wall for booking the car. I immediately sent out mails to the General Manager, Maruti Suzuki complaining about the way this matter was being handled. There was no response.
May 24th
My fiancee’s Mama decided to step in to help me out. He introduced me to his friend – a Senior Inspector with the Mumbai Police force. The Senior Inspector spoke to the dealer and asked him to deliver my car at the earliest.
May 29th
Later, I realized that there was a genuine problem. Maruti Suzuki was indeed out of stock. The cars were still under production and hence the delay. I got a call from the Sales Manager (Mr. Praveen Pereira)– he apologized for what I had to go through and assured me that I will get my car – Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire (Vxi model, Azure Gray color) by July end or mid-August.
I am extremely positive about getting my car Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire (Vxi model, Azure Grey color) in a perfect condition by July end. Amen!
Source: I OWN this article; it is solely based on my personal experiences.
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Since 2005 I had a dream of buying my own car. Thanks to my usual tardiness and patent style of pushing things ahead, my plans never materialized. I enjoyed driving my dad’s car (Maruti Suzuki Esteem).
Three years later, a friend of mine asked me if I would like to test drive his new Swift. Initially, I was reluctant to drive his new car but after seeing his car I gave in and decided to test drive it. I was extremely happy with the car and immediately decided to go for it.
Call it karmic connection or luck – I read in the papers that Maruti Suzuki was launching its new car Swift Dzire – cedan version of their Swift car. I loved the design, specifications and the price too was in my budget (Rs. 600,000).
I discussed it with my family (including my in-laws) and decided to book the car. After getting quotations from various dealers I decided to go in for a Bandra based dealer (Autovista). I was extremely happy with their service. The sales executive – Rajesh Sharma too was good. He was courteous, polite and very prompt in his response. They promised to give me the car within 25 days – other dealers had a wait period of 2 months. I booked my first car on April 6, 2008.
The next thing to do was to get in touch with my bank for a car loan. My loan was cleared and the cheque was ready. In about 15 days, I got a call from my dealer – he shocked me by telling that the car will not be delivered in 25 days as there is a wait period of 2 months. He gave me a date of May 22nd. My loan manager informed me that if I keep my cheque on hold then the interest rate and EMI would go up. I had no option but to ask the bank to clear my cheque. I was waiting for May 22nd.
May 20th
I was told that the wait period was now 6 months. This was the time I felt like breaking my head on the wall for booking the car. I immediately sent out mails to the General Manager, Maruti Suzuki complaining about the way this matter was being handled. There was no response.
May 24th
My fiancee’s Mama decided to step in to help me out. He introduced me to his friend – a Senior Inspector with the Mumbai Police force. The Senior Inspector spoke to the dealer and asked him to deliver my car at the earliest.
May 29th
Later, I realized that there was a genuine problem. Maruti Suzuki was indeed out of stock. The cars were still under production and hence the delay. I got a call from the Sales Manager (Mr. Praveen Pereira)– he apologized for what I had to go through and assured me that I will get my car – Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire (Vxi model, Azure Gray color) by July end or mid-August.
I am extremely positive about getting my car Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire (Vxi model, Azure Grey color) in a perfect condition by July end. Amen!
Our experience at Lohagad/Visapur - Jul 15, 2007
On Sunday, July 15 2007, six of us (AJ, Vikash, Sameer, Elvira, Aldrin and me) set off on a trek to Lohagad. I woke up around 3:30 am in the morning and the first thing I did was to call up our driver (AJ) asking him to be on time. We were supposed to start at 5 am in the morning but ended up leaving Mumbai around 6 am. We had a pleasant drive from Mumbai to Lonavala with no traffic and listening to some good Music from AJ’s collection.
Our breakfast was at Lonavala and we were looking forward to an interesting journey ahead. Around 8 am, we reached the Lohagad base and started our trek. Initially, it seemed to be a very easy climb but 15 minutes later, we realized that it ain’t gona be that easy. We then reached a place where one path takes us to Lohagad and other path to Visapur Fort. Being a Sunday, it was crowded and most of the people were heading towards Lohagad. Hence, we decided to head for Visapur Fort.
The scenary was beautiful but the roads were muddy and we had a tough time climbing up the hill. We lost our way twice and then finally had to hire two kids to show us the way. There were occasional showers and the rocks were slippery so some of us had already started working on our will – one wrong move and you could end up falling on your head. In fact, I fell on the same knee thrice – it’s the worst thing that could happen on a trek.
Finally, after a lot of hardship we reached the top of the fort around 1130 am. It was a very beautiful sight as we were surrounded by lush green trees and hills. We found a good place to sit where the sight was beautiful. We spent about 1 hour on the top enjoying the strong breeze and eating some good food. We then started our journey back downhill. I assumed the journey downhill to be quick and easy. But to our surprise we were slipping and sliding our way back down. Due to the knee injury I could not keep my leg straight so I had to take help from Vikash while climbing down.
Once we reached the base, we were surprised to see the crowd there. There were people dancing and singing. Some of them were so sloshed that they didn’t know what they were doing. Well! I must say it was a very funny sight.
I would say it was a very challenging journey with lots of ups and downs, bruises and injuries…but overall….yeah it was FUN.
Our breakfast was at Lonavala and we were looking forward to an interesting journey ahead. Around 8 am, we reached the Lohagad base and started our trek. Initially, it seemed to be a very easy climb but 15 minutes later, we realized that it ain’t gona be that easy. We then reached a place where one path takes us to Lohagad and other path to Visapur Fort. Being a Sunday, it was crowded and most of the people were heading towards Lohagad. Hence, we decided to head for Visapur Fort.
The scenary was beautiful but the roads were muddy and we had a tough time climbing up the hill. We lost our way twice and then finally had to hire two kids to show us the way. There were occasional showers and the rocks were slippery so some of us had already started working on our will – one wrong move and you could end up falling on your head. In fact, I fell on the same knee thrice – it’s the worst thing that could happen on a trek.
Finally, after a lot of hardship we reached the top of the fort around 1130 am. It was a very beautiful sight as we were surrounded by lush green trees and hills. We found a good place to sit where the sight was beautiful. We spent about 1 hour on the top enjoying the strong breeze and eating some good food. We then started our journey back downhill. I assumed the journey downhill to be quick and easy. But to our surprise we were slipping and sliding our way back down. Due to the knee injury I could not keep my leg straight so I had to take help from Vikash while climbing down.
Once we reached the base, we were surprised to see the crowd there. There were people dancing and singing. Some of them were so sloshed that they didn’t know what they were doing. Well! I must say it was a very funny sight.
I would say it was a very challenging journey with lots of ups and downs, bruises and injuries…but overall….yeah it was FUN.
Multiple rounds – it’s all about satisfying your clients!
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Source: I OWN this article; it is solely based on my personal experiences.
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I work as a Senior Manager; Business Development with a Mumbai based English language solutions company. I wish to share my personal experience of good client servicing with everyone. Client servicing is the heart and soul of any company. A company ought to have a strong client servicing team if it intends to stay in the market for a longer duration.
A few months ago, one of our regular clients asked us if we could help them with the designing of their books. We had never dealt with such an inquiry before, however; we didn’t want to annoy the client by rejecting it forthright. We got in touch with an ad agency - for obvious reasons, I am going to call them as ABC Pvt. Ltd.; they readily agreed to help us out. They are one of the most positive people I have seen in my life. Pricing was a concern for our client so we had to negotiate the rates with ABC – to our surprise they obliged. This was the first step towards winning out TRUST.
Being the first project, back and forth was expected but not even once did they crib about it. Personally, I was getting a bit hyper but they were as cool as a cucumber. Finally, the design was ready and sent to the client. After 25 days, the client came back with some more changes to the content -we had to reshuffle some sections and figures had to be changed. This obviously was not expected but ABC agreed to make the changes. I don’t even remember how many times we had to rework on the design. Not even once have they asked us about their payment.
The best part was yet to come – they made the final changes and sent it to me. I was just about to send it to the client when I got a call from the designer. He said ‘Akki, can you please hold on to it. We are not happy with the cover page and have created three different options for the client. Can you please ask them to take a look at these three options as well?’ I was completely zapped – here is a company that is not only making the suggested changes but going a step ahead and excelling at their own creation. He also mentioned that if the client has some more changes they would be happy to make those changes.
One thing that I learnt from this agency is that they believe in working on a particular project until the client is satisfied. The point I wish to make here is that we all are striving hard to satisfy our clients but I guess we should go one step ahead and make them happy by working on a particular request until the client is completely satisfied.
All I want to say is that the next time we face such a situation let’s not crib about it; instead we should put ourselves in the clients position and work on it until the client is satisfied. After all we are here to satisfy our clients! Aren’t we? All the best!
Source: I OWN this article; it is solely based on my personal experiences.
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I work as a Senior Manager; Business Development with a Mumbai based English language solutions company. I wish to share my personal experience of good client servicing with everyone. Client servicing is the heart and soul of any company. A company ought to have a strong client servicing team if it intends to stay in the market for a longer duration.
A few months ago, one of our regular clients asked us if we could help them with the designing of their books. We had never dealt with such an inquiry before, however; we didn’t want to annoy the client by rejecting it forthright. We got in touch with an ad agency - for obvious reasons, I am going to call them as ABC Pvt. Ltd.; they readily agreed to help us out. They are one of the most positive people I have seen in my life. Pricing was a concern for our client so we had to negotiate the rates with ABC – to our surprise they obliged. This was the first step towards winning out TRUST.
Being the first project, back and forth was expected but not even once did they crib about it. Personally, I was getting a bit hyper but they were as cool as a cucumber. Finally, the design was ready and sent to the client. After 25 days, the client came back with some more changes to the content -we had to reshuffle some sections and figures had to be changed. This obviously was not expected but ABC agreed to make the changes. I don’t even remember how many times we had to rework on the design. Not even once have they asked us about their payment.
The best part was yet to come – they made the final changes and sent it to me. I was just about to send it to the client when I got a call from the designer. He said ‘Akki, can you please hold on to it. We are not happy with the cover page and have created three different options for the client. Can you please ask them to take a look at these three options as well?’ I was completely zapped – here is a company that is not only making the suggested changes but going a step ahead and excelling at their own creation. He also mentioned that if the client has some more changes they would be happy to make those changes.
One thing that I learnt from this agency is that they believe in working on a particular project until the client is satisfied. The point I wish to make here is that we all are striving hard to satisfy our clients but I guess we should go one step ahead and make them happy by working on a particular request until the client is completely satisfied.
All I want to say is that the next time we face such a situation let’s not crib about it; instead we should put ourselves in the clients position and work on it until the client is satisfied. After all we are here to satisfy our clients! Aren’t we? All the best!
How to diet effectively?
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Source: I OWN this article; it is solely based on my personal experiences.
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I am no knowledable person to write on this topic, however, I felt that I should pass on some knowledge that I have gained through my personal experience. “To diet or not to diet?” is a dilemma faced by many health freaks. Dieting is often misinterpreted as cutting down on your food. But in reality it isn’t so! Let me explain what I just said in the form of a dialogue between two friends:
A: I am gaining a lot of weight. I need to do something. Any ideas/tips?
B: I have seen your eating habits. I suggest you stop eating rice and cut down on your rotis.
A: I tend to have heavy meals at night.
B: In that case I suggest that you skip breakfast.
A: Anything else you think I should do?
B: Well just try this out for a month and see the difference.
A: Thanks buddy!
In the above dialogue ‘B’ pretended to be a dietician just because his friend asked him for advice. All of us like to give advice, don’t we? ‘A’ should not follow what his friend advised him to do – he should use his common sense and visit a dietician or a nutritionist. Dieting is not just about cutting your food – it is all about eating the right proportion of food combined with regular exercise.
So what exactly is dieting?
Dieting is healthy intake of food as per your weight combined with a regular exercise. The basic aim is to reduce your weight and maintain it. There is this funda about your BMI (body-mass-index) – I won’t get into this funda because I have no knowledge on that.
How does one diet effectively?
Following are some basic Dos and Don’ts on dieting.
Don’ts
1) Never skip your breakfast even though you have had a heavy meal the previous night.
2) Never eat more than your capacity.
3) Avoid fattening food like mayonnaise, cheese, deep fried stuff and red meat if possible.
4) Avoid over-eating or under-eating.
Do’s:
1) Exercise regularly – at least thrice a week. If that is not possible then go for jogs or brisk walks.
2) Have fresh fruit juices everyday.
3) Maintain a balanced diet.
The exact ratio for toning down your body is 30% exercise and 70% dieting. Again, by dieting I do not mean cutting down on your food but a proper and balanced diet.
I wish to start dieting from today – what should I do?
Welcome to the world of physical fitness and dieting – contact your nearest nutritionist or dietician and get the ball rolling. Please note that you need a lot of patience and perseverance to reduce weight – these two qualities are extremely essential and will pay off in the long run.
I can recommend you my own dietician – Dr. Pallavi Patankar. She is good and will definitely see to it that you reduce your weight and live a healthy life. If you wish to get her details feel free to contact me on akshayem@gmail.com.
Here’s wishing you a healthy and happy life ahead!
Source: I OWN this article; it is solely based on my personal experiences.
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I am no knowledable person to write on this topic, however, I felt that I should pass on some knowledge that I have gained through my personal experience. “To diet or not to diet?” is a dilemma faced by many health freaks. Dieting is often misinterpreted as cutting down on your food. But in reality it isn’t so! Let me explain what I just said in the form of a dialogue between two friends:
A: I am gaining a lot of weight. I need to do something. Any ideas/tips?
B: I have seen your eating habits. I suggest you stop eating rice and cut down on your rotis.
A: I tend to have heavy meals at night.
B: In that case I suggest that you skip breakfast.
A: Anything else you think I should do?
B: Well just try this out for a month and see the difference.
A: Thanks buddy!
In the above dialogue ‘B’ pretended to be a dietician just because his friend asked him for advice. All of us like to give advice, don’t we? ‘A’ should not follow what his friend advised him to do – he should use his common sense and visit a dietician or a nutritionist. Dieting is not just about cutting your food – it is all about eating the right proportion of food combined with regular exercise.
So what exactly is dieting?
Dieting is healthy intake of food as per your weight combined with a regular exercise. The basic aim is to reduce your weight and maintain it. There is this funda about your BMI (body-mass-index) – I won’t get into this funda because I have no knowledge on that.
How does one diet effectively?
Following are some basic Dos and Don’ts on dieting.
Don’ts
1) Never skip your breakfast even though you have had a heavy meal the previous night.
2) Never eat more than your capacity.
3) Avoid fattening food like mayonnaise, cheese, deep fried stuff and red meat if possible.
4) Avoid over-eating or under-eating.
Do’s:
1) Exercise regularly – at least thrice a week. If that is not possible then go for jogs or brisk walks.
2) Have fresh fruit juices everyday.
3) Maintain a balanced diet.
The exact ratio for toning down your body is 30% exercise and 70% dieting. Again, by dieting I do not mean cutting down on your food but a proper and balanced diet.
I wish to start dieting from today – what should I do?
Welcome to the world of physical fitness and dieting – contact your nearest nutritionist or dietician and get the ball rolling. Please note that you need a lot of patience and perseverance to reduce weight – these two qualities are extremely essential and will pay off in the long run.
I can recommend you my own dietician – Dr. Pallavi Patankar. She is good and will definitely see to it that you reduce your weight and live a healthy life. If you wish to get her details feel free to contact me on akshayem@gmail.com.
Here’s wishing you a healthy and happy life ahead!
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