A day with Bapuji

"At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom" - Nehru. How can we forget these famous lines from 'Tryst with Destiny' speech Nehru gave on night of 14th August, 1947. Cut to 14th August 2010,
at the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world was sleeping, I woke up to pain and prick of a syringe.

On that fateful lunch hour of 13th August, i obliged to join my friend for lunch in his company's cafeteria. He has joined a company which proudly says 'High Performance. Delivered'. Without an iota of hesitation i ordered Chiken Biryani. Enjoyed the meal as though it were to be my last meal. As though the heaven gods heard it, it was the case for the next 4 days at least. I wasn't upset, but my stomach was. I knew our companies are rivals, but you wouldn't expect them to stoop to such levels and target us young, energetic and hard working (and not 'hardly' working mind you) people.
Here i was, a hapless victim of corporate rivalry.

Considering the movie buff iam, i had laughed my lungs out seeing people in movies going though 'motions'. But i tell you, it isn't funny when you
are actually enacting it. Fluids run out at faster pace than Brett Lee's delivery. Totally dehydrated, fully exhausted after that strenuous workout my laughter faded away. The blood pressure reading was 90/70. It was a riot of sorts. All the butterflies, elephants and rats inside were running for cover. Nothing could act as a barricade to the flow. Just when we realized that situation could go out of control we went to Bapuji nursing home.
I sat quietly beside the doctor.

Doctor : Since when you have this problem ?
Me: Since yesterday.
Doctor : How many times have you been ?
Me: Close to 15 times.
Doctor(In anger): What were you doing since yesterday ? Counting your trips?
Me: *Mouth Shut*

I immediately got admitted on 14th night at around 10 PM. Next 24 hrs were the most boring hours i had been subjected to lately.
Food for thought: When a beautiful nurse around your age comes too close for comfort and gently holds your hands with her soft hands and checks for the pulse rate.
Will she ever get the correct pulse? :).

They wasted no time in injecting saline bottles into my veins.



My friend Raghu was with me. We were cracking all kinds of jokes to keep the ward in good spirits. Mom was with me the whole night. No matter what, i need
Mom to be with me when iam sick. I wouldn't mind people calling me Momma's boy. Hell ya. If i vaguely remember there were 6 saline bottles in all that entered my body during the whole stay. Mom was awake the whole night just to see that i don’t end up pulling the syringe bottle in sleep.

India was celebrating Independence day for being free and here i was down on the hospital bed. Ok, truth be told, i ain't someone who would thump his chest
and swear by the country nor do i have freedom fighter's pic as my lappy's wallpaper. But i do have the common sense to stand up when the national anthem is being played.
And equally watch Indian play any game of which i know a shit about. So I had mixed feeling about not being able to watch our PM hoisting the flag on Red fort.


Reality check now. If you expect your friends or Relatives or 'Chuddy' Buddies to come to hospital with fruits and energy drinks as they show in movies then i would say 'get real guys'. Before you jump your gun, by chuddy Buddies I mean childhood friends who have been through your thick and thin.
I know it stinks but it sticks :D. Considering the moron Iam, I had to actually call up people to say i was sick and i needed to see them. Most of them came as if they were having a stroll in the park. I didn't mind, because you would just want the presence of your loved ones.

Things got normal by 15th afternoon. I couldn’t take anything more now. I was really sick of the hospital. I ain't a mobile pharmacy, for that matter i don’t take tablets too. I got discharged from the hospital at 10 in the night. Spent the next 2 days at home trying to recollect the root cause for this outburst.

I know its too late by now but Guys, is there a way to sue the rival company?

Change

A quick question before i get back to my torturing self.

Whats the one word which is used more often and followed less often?

No ?. Hold ur head high and look at the title of this post :).

As the wise men say "Change is the only Constant thing in life".

I have changed. In many ways than ever.

For starters, I have stopped eating peanuts. That’s what i used to get in my previous company. Yes, i have changed my company finally.
I have closed my eyes n dived into the Big Blue, the 'baap' of all. There was a huge drama during the transition phase. I was excited, scared, nervous and confused at the same time.
Believe it or not, Changed 3 companies in a span of 1 month. Iam still absconding according to some company's records. I hope they haven't stated any "inaam" on my head.

We have changed our home. For anyone who’s planning to send any gift packs or Balakrishna movie DVDs, contact me for the new address. I some how like our new flat.
It has as many balconies as any single bachelor soul would vouch for. U get dat, don't ya ;).

I have changed my phone. I had a condition that i wud change my fone only when i change my company. Later was done, the former had to follow.
Dnt ask me the brand, jus check ur blood content. Nokia runs in most indian's blood. Been going crazy with it shooting every thing that remotely looks anything
but beautiful. Testimony of it.


Nokia, i love u, i die for u.

And finally, i am actually 'working' here. Or shud i say iam forced to. Sitting alone in the hyd office with my team at different locations. Iam as popular here
as bala krishna in bollywood. No one to talk to, or to timepass with. So, iam always thinking on the think pad. Mind u, only thinking.

The only best part of my typical work day is the journey back home. No, not to reach the home early, but to laugh my lungs out in bus. There are two grps in the bus,
one the senior citizen's who prefer to sleep thinking their wifes or children will not let them sleep in the night, and then the other back benchers :).
I belong to the later category. It really is fun being with all the guys and chatting abt anything under the bus roof :P. No gueses, we always end up waking these oldies from their romantic
dreams. Can't really help it though.


Now the signs of aging. Used to plan many things for my b'day before. My friends reminded me that i have grown too old to celebrate the b'day like a school kid by not
wishing atleast. The no of candles representing my age don’t seem to fit in the cake anymore :).

And as the lazy ones say "the more u seem to change the more u remain the same" :), applies to me too. Will always be the same old lazy brat.

Can someone pls count the no of times i abused the word 'Change' in this post?. I have lost the count though.

Adios...