Seeing Things

I don’t know about other phone services but I have experienced the HDFC's phone banking system and I’ve learnt that it is not designed for the ordinary. No weak hearted, short tempered or impatient man can handle it. It is designed for only those who, lets just say, HAVE it in them. For the uninitiated, it starts with this long welcome speech at the end of which it says “press star to continue” Now, why would anyone hold on to the phone and listen to a long welcome message in 2 languages if he/she did not wish to continue!!!?? Anyway, you press “star”. You hear the mechanical voice list out a menu of options. In this set of options, strangely there is no option that leads you to talk to an executive. So, if that’s the motive behind your call, you’d be flummoxed. To make matters more trying, the 3 options that go like this “for information on your account dial…”, “for mutual fund transactions dial…” “for information on loan products dial…” does not tell you, for instance, what you s...

This is an ode to all those fellow human beings who are bestowed with a name that is common. I would call these names popular instead of common. That’s what made these names common in the first place. My name is one such name in India. If you threw an orange out of your window and it landed on someone's head who is female, it is likely that her name would be Pooja. The name transcends the various regions of this vast country. It also transcends the social and economic status in this country known for its economic disparities. Today, the receptionist at my office informed me that “Pooja wants you to urgently call her back” now such a statement made to anyone in the country is sure to arouse the question “which Pooja?” because, any given person in this country personally knows at least 3 Poojas. My receptionist had carelessly assumed that the given information would be sufficient. She didn't find it peculiar that she happened to be handing over the information to another Pooja. (...

They say, when people have nothing to talk about, a discussion about the weather always works as an effective means of rescue. So, this post might seem like I’ve gone for the last resort after not knowing what to write about next. But then again, the weather these days deserves to be talked about. I got caught in the rains the first time it poured quite unexpectedly in Bandra, almost a month ago. I was crossing the road to go to Shopper’s Stop to buy something urgently. That was the moment the sky Gods decided to unleash the rain-tap in full throttle. So when I walked into Shopper’s Stop everyone was surprised to see this thoroughly drenched girl, dripping all over, looking for the cosmetics counter. I ventured to confirm their guess, ‘it is raining outside….it just started all of a sudden!’. One man announced “you are lucky! You have been caught in the first rains” When I stepped back out, I experienced a wave of joy that had overcome everyone from street urchins to chai waalas to sho...