My Scribble Pad

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

The Meeting (Part II)

Standing at the parking lot leaning against my bike, my mind read through what I had scribbled in my resignation letter and felt ashamed. I tried to change the outlook of the company, make it more challenging but had never thought it would back fire at one go, like you have compressed all the power that Al-Qaeda had produced to bomb US into a sling shot and given it a whip. All I had done was shotup hell loud calling an end to tyranny, based on the belief that all men are equal. It was a selfish pursuit benefiting no-one.

I had just put an end to four years of my hard work, the dreams that I had built in these four years had kissed the floor in minutes precisely like the twin towers did.


After the presentation at the meeting, I sat them down and explained the crux of the problem if at all this advertisement was made. Hearing this my boss´ visual reprimand went unheeded wildly exaggerating the effort it took him to come up with and the idea which he thought would be an earth-shattering display in the world of advertisement. Nevertheless, the board of directors thought I had a point and instantaneously set up a team to re-revise the idea and also forecast if my prediction held any good.


My grumpy old boss called me to his chamber after everybody dispersed quitely from the conference hall. No sooner I closed the door behind me, I felt the huge packets of sound waves that potentially held more than a sound level of a 100+ decibels crash on my ear drum. I didnt bother to lend an ear to his lecture on what an asset he was to this company, pointing repeatedly as this was the dreadful insult he´d ever recieved. I tried to be my mind the first 14 n half minutes of the monologue and later gave my best in explaining him that it was just my opinion and there was nothing personal. The words from the other end got wild and offensive, running my calm and patience finally out. I slammed my palm ferociously on his table and grunted out that he and his company didnt deserve me. It was an evil, spiteful thing to do but i didnt care- just like he didnt care about his act. With no hint of hesitation and guilt he asked me to clear my table in half an hour. I stretched my hand towards him threatening to hold his neck and strangle him till he reached hell, but aimed at the pen that held on to his shirt pocket. Hitting him hard on his chest, I grabbed the pen leaving a deep impression of my fingers on his neatly pressed shirt and scribbled a resignation letter. I wish if I knew the ramifications of me being an impatient and non-tolerant were being terrifically immense.


Slamming the door behind me, I walked to my cabin leaving every evidence to the neighbourhood that I was totally pissed. Shuffled the whole space to find my stuff throwing anything belonging to the company that came my way, including the mouse that slipt into halves crashing the floor. Tucking them all below my arm-pit, i walked straight to the parking area without daring to look into the eyes of any of my colleagues.


Even as this self-chastising thoughts entered my head, I felt my shoulders automatically hunching up into a ´so what´shrug. I wondered if every man was like me. Give a man a noble cause and he would fight to the death for what he believed in, but the job he had just kicked and his once honourable principles would cease to be quite so important.


I was standing quitely, wrapped up tightly in my thoughts, that a crow flew down from the branches of the oak tree and landed on the ground right beside my feet. Straight away it began tugging at a twig over twice its own body length. Over five minutes it struggled, lines of determination etched onto its beaky little face, before it gaveup and flew off to a silver birch branch four tress to the left to recuperate. The crow was me. I was the crow. And the twig was my job. Those five minutes the crow had spent tugging at that twig, well, those were the four years I´d spent trying etch my name in the corporate world. An immense stream of pain gushed into my heart and I so desperately wanted to hold my mom, press my head against her chest and pump all the pain out. Like God and McDonalds, mom was everywhere.


I didnt think about anything for the next two minutes. Realised the light has dripping, i had to drive out of this place. I knew I didnt want to go home, I didnt know where I wanted to go. Following the road I just drove where ever destiny took me. In a few minutes I was out of the city into the subarbs, that I saw a young lady, who looked like a working woman wave towards me, may be she wanted a lift or was looking for an address. But I didnt care, I was in a shit hole and I had decided being nice and being yourself never did a good. My eyes rolled down to the mirror and they saw the lady kneeling on her feet going thud on the floor. Stopping the bike, I took a deep breath, gather my mind and turned back heading towards her. Seeing the bike that passed by a few seconds ago approaching her she walks towards it.


"Excuse me Can I help u ?"

Well actually yeah could u please drop me to my convent?
"I had gone to the city library and due to some problems in the city there were no transport to get back. Can u help me please."

"Well sure hop in"
"By the way my name is Kartic"

"I am Devaki" she whispered.






During one of those numerous discussion we have Anjan n me decided that he will try his hand at writing fiction with "The Meeting (Part 2) ". Although this is his first try at writing fiction, I feel he has come up with a brilliant job .
If u like what he has written do let him know that.

Anjan blogs here

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Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Bungee Jumping

There was nothing extra ordinary about her. No fancy name with deep hidden poetic meaning, an average performer at work with just one promotion in the last 3 years where the others have managed to climb up the hierarchy in a matter of months . Amidst the crowd she was almost unnoticeable. There was nothing outstanding in Preeti's life. The same routine life - work to home , home to work. No weekend plans , no parties, no outings, no once a year holidays/ vacations unlike her colleagues who went exploring places.

Back in her college days she wanted to be like journos in the TV standing in midst of the action covering the news wearing starched cotton khadi kurta teamed with white salwaars , she wanted to go hitch hiking in the rain forests, wanted togo bungee jumping,explore the world, see places. But all the josh in her ceased the moment she was out of college and when the realities of Life started hitting right on her face.

Some how she had got used to the average - routine life and although not very thrilled abt it she wasn't either complaining. Her funda was "it cud have been worse". Alteast that is what she said to console herself guilt, anger or frustration nipped her.


Today was just another regular boring day for Preeti , nothing unusual at all. She was waiting for her bus # 311 which took her to her office Andheri. She was immersed in her own thoughts and the nxt thingtht happened to her was something unexpected and unknown. She had no idea where hoe or when it happened. For a moment she almost had a balckout and the next thing she saw was the massive front of th red bus right behind her back just a couple of inches away from the winshield shatterd into a million pieces all scattered acroos the place. If the driver would have not hit the breaks in time the bus wud she wud have been history.


Slowly things started sinking in and people were all crowded and for the first time in her she was the center of every bodys attention and for all wrong reasons. Someone passed her a bottle of water which she gulped it down in one go. Every body was inquiring if she was alright and was fussing over her.,some were busy accusing the driver and eventually the people were more bothered abt tackling the careless driver. Aidst all the chaos she slowly slipped into a auto and reached office. Ignoring to fetch her first coffee forthe day wthout which she couldnever move an inch at work she straight away went to her cubicle switched on her computer and typed it out, took out print copies and went in to meet her Cluster manager Mr Gurjar . She handed over the envelope and waited for him to open it.

As she prepared to leave the room Mr Gurjar asked " So have to landed up a better job or what is it ? "
"Nope I am gona go bungee jumping and then explore the Amazon rain forest" she replied with a tiny smile dancing in the corner of her lips.


She knew that she had make the best out of the second chance given to her by LIFE


Posted by Viewer :: 10:11 AM :: 5 Comments:

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