My Doppelganger

 

Recently I got in touch with my Doppelganger.

Not face to face but yes something that was buried in the memories got a jolt. I have know about it for years now.

I assume she does not about me, but I know about her for more than 10 years now.

A whatsapp message took me back in time when I was first mistaken for her. I remember vividly being at home in the evening when I got the call. The whole conversation then turned around me being employed in a bank, which I was not.

I let it go thinking that it must be a wrong number. Then again who knew the calls were only going to increase.

I started getting calls for visit that I never made to a building for flat purchase, an appointment at a parlor and what not. The calls started getting so annoying that I could not take it and decided enough is enough.

I had to get to the root of it. This was the time when the truecaller app was not around and I had to put the hat of detective once again. Read this post to know more about it.

Did my digging through the calls that I received and came to know her name. My doppelganger had a name to identify with.

Over time, the calls reduced and I too let it go as it was not a nuisance anymore and would receive a call once in a blue moon that it did not affect me.

Then it happened few years back, I got a call when I was in office. An unknown number and I picked it up and said hello and I heard the other person stating that I (as in her) have joined the call and they started discussing their office topics making me realize that I was in a con-call with other people.

I said hello again and my male voice got the attention it required. They realized their folly and I kept the phone down. This time I got her number as they confirmed with me.

I thought of calling her many times but would stop thinking what I am doing? This does not make any sense. The frequency of the calls that I used to receive had watered down. I then let go my thoughts of calling her and telling about me being her doppelganger.

In fact, whenever I used to get a call and they said her name, I would guide them to her.

All was good enough until the calls stopping coming for about 3-4 years now, that it became a distant past.

Until I received a whatsapp message few days back sharing her laundry bill and informing me to make the payment.

Reading her name on it made it all clear. Informed the messenger that its a wrong number. I now got to know where she lives.

Here I am who knows so much about her and almost connected in a twisted way and her not knowing about the connection nor me.

She is not my doppelganger neither I am. She though is my cell number doppelganger and I am hers. The only difference between our mobile numbers is of one digit.

Strange are the ways the world work and I do not intend to cross path until I must...

P.S. What do you think you would have done in my place? Would love to hear them out.

OTT Ka Power Play

 

 

I am/was a television addict and the ones who have been following this blog can vouch for that.

Coming home from school/college/work, it was sitting in front of the idiot box watching movies, good content was the way days would be spent.

I have written about the change of content on the idiot box that it was perhaps time that someone put those tv channels into place who would show regressive tv shows all in the grab of this what people want to see.

The entry of the different OTT platforms had begun and it took a Jio to break the internet access and offer data services for a reasonable price which a majority of the Indian people can afford and provided accessibility to.

The pricing of the OTT platforms still keep it restrictive to a small piece of the cake instead of a bigger piece of the cake. Something that still needs to be worked out.

Cutting the chase to the pandemic, most of us are stuck at home thanks to the lockdown with the exception of people employed in the essential services. 

With me being stuck in the work from home routine, the television set had to be provider of entertainment to provide some relief. Have to say that I had only a year of Amazon Prime Subscription which got over before I become a prisoner in my own home.

The television set became nothing more than a binge watching of Crime Patrol. I will not suggest it for the weak hearted. Apart from that it would be the Kapil Sharma show which for a change had a few good episodes on it.

Movies is what I used to binge on and guess what no new movies would be available on the movie channels. I have to say the Setup Box did no good to the television industry restricting the number of tv channels to a few. Soon enough it is going to be a death knell for the television. 

It came to such a point that we actually stopped watching tv in our home. Few months down the line decided to pull the cord on the cable tv as their was no good content to watch, entertain or binge on...

I guess the next question would be how would I survive without my tv?

Thanks to Reliance Jio, I was hooked on to Youtube before the entry of the OTT platforms and they became a crux of my daily binge as and when I was bored on what to watch. Then again it also offered to me to do some thinking. REAL THINKING.

I see that there are a lot of OTT platforms offering an array of web series, movies and a whole lot more content than the tv channels could cater to. In other words concentrate on that segment of the population who would avoid the rona dhona saas-bhau types serials and pay for good content.

The entry of the OTT platforms is a good thing that has happened and would save the people who would have to depend on the idiot box for content and have no say in it whatsoever.

The audience that never existed before came alive for these OTT platforms. The success of some of the web series, movies being launched on OTT platforms are a proof to it.

However the penetration is still very low as much as 32 millions approx. which is spread across different platforms. Here not counting the regional OTT' platforms like Cave, Hoichoi, etc. 

The OTT platforms monthly/yearly subscription seems to be priced reasonably. However they seem to have not undertaken the other factors that impact that penetration.

Firstly, though the mobile data have been cheaper than what it was earlier priced. The data does not last long and no wonder we can always find links in the telegram channels for download of their content.

A typical household has a cable connection, which let say cost around Rs. 500 and wifi monthly costs around Rs 500. With so many platforms offering an array of content, why would one stick around with them with a yearly subscription? Also do others have the same kind of purchase power to subscribe to other OTT platforms? This is where the real thought needs to be put in.

There will always be a set of people who would be loyal to their OTT platforms irrespective if good content is offered or not. Then again there will be also the other set of people who would try to utilize every bit of the money they spend. If you remember the ad "Kitna deti hain" ad.

Yes that's the mentality of a majority of the Indians who want every worth of their penny. They would only want what works for them.

Now YouTube has also come with a YouTube Premium plan. I think that says a lot about the spread in OTT.

The big question is how to have the bigger piece of the cake. The solution would not be the liking to the OTT platforms as everyone like to a monthly fixed income and not a variable one. Then again how does fixed income+variable income looks? Better than fixed income and yes increase in revenue...

For this one needs to look at the telecom industry. The number of prepaid users outdo the number of postpaid users in India. Though prepaid is considered of low value they are still reckon with and yes the opportunity to convert them into a postpaid user is also there. From variable to fixed income that sound like an opportunity  knocking at the door.

The OTT platforms can come with similar plans and offer complete or limited access as they deem it to be self serving.

I think any OTT platform which consistently offer good content would be the King.

Did I mention that customer would be the one who would decide on that? :)

P.S.: This was suppose to come out around 2 years back but never late than before ha!. In terms of disclaimer, I have a subscription of Amazon Prime, Disney Hotstar and not forgetting the free ka Youtube.

The Past

 

 

Sugandha asked Jinesh to talk her friend as she curled herself on the other side of the bed holding a pillow. 

"Let me check with her and message you" replied Jinesh as he kept the phone down. He told Sungandha that she needed the PNR of their flight tickets to cancel. 

"Its in the sms, please send it to her na". "Yeah, I will if you could unlock your phone." he said. 

She gestures to hand over the phone to her and gives it back unlocking the phone. Jinesh forwards the text to her friend as he is laying next to Sugandha as she is trying to sleep.

As he was going to keep the phone next to her, a whatsapp message pops up which caught his attention.

Scrolling through her chat messages, he wondered if he knew Sugandha at all. The night became a bit longer for the sun to rise.

They had met through a common friend a year back. Jinesh never thought he could come across someone who would make him feel complete.Sugandha too felt the same for him. They decided to take it ahead formally as they decided to be together for the rest of their lives.

They both got engaged to be married in a few months. Life could not get any better from both of them.

Sugandha's parents had gone out of town, when she fell ill. With no one to take care, Jinesh decided to be there for her.

He looked at her sleeping and found himself unbearable to deal with what he came across.

All he could think of was did he knew Sugandha at all? Planning to marry her?

Jinesh kept her phone on her side and he moved to his side of the bed. Staring at the wall, all he could think about was the chats from the past.

He kept thinking if he should confront her or not or let past remain the past...

IKEA: Yeh Tune Kya Kia

 

The year 2020 was a tough year for an end of the decade. Not that 2021 is better, but atleast we know what we are up against and in much better position to fight the pandemic, even though the struggles are also a work in progress.

Hoping everyone is doing well and praying they do well along with their families.

This tale is about the beginning of the pandemic which we thought would go away when we would usher in a lockdown. Apparently the corona virus was smarter than and we ended up playing an hide and seek game that is still going on...

Since it was a lockdown, offices were closed and work from home became a norm.

The only thing that I miss about the office is the adjustable chair. Being a tall guy, having a lever for adjusting your chair's height, pushing it back feels like heaven which I miss a lot. This is not about the chair, which again I would have loved to have one.

I have to say a home is certainly not a place to work for a tall guy where the ergonomics goes against them. If you don't believe, please do search for the average Indian height, you will know better.

The start of the lockdown I managed to do my work through my arrangements. As months passed by and duration of work getting longer, my back began to complain.

The complaint of the back was so much that I knew I needed a solution. That is getting a work desk which should take care of the problem.

This was going to be the first time experience of mine buying an furniture online. I did not knew that I would be regretting it so badly. After going through a couple of home decor sites I zeroed in on one and that was IKEA.

The purchase and delivery of the table was fine. It was when I opened the box, I realized that one of the corners of the table was chipped off.

Immediately I got in touch with their chat box support on the site and they assured me that they would take care of it. What I did not know was this was just the start of my nightmare. It all began in Oct 2020.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. I had nothing better to do than doing follow-ups to the great international brand of IKEA and keep asking when the replacement would happen. All I got was a date. Yeah I am too reminded of Sunny Deol's famous dailogue tareek pe tareek.....

I seriously wanted to be one of those guys working in the chat support system. I hope they pay nice. The beauty of the chat support system is that the employees can disconnect the chat without even providing you a resolution. On top of that there is no feedback system with regards to the interaction. Sone pe Suagha.

The email system should be replaced by postal service. Such is the world class treatment was provided by this global MNC that the only thing I would get would be a call and a date. No responses or even an acknowledgment to one's email.

The call center was no better. The only good thing was I could vent out my frustration, despair on those hapless agents who would assure of looking into it but nothing would happen. Any talk of speaking to higher ups will be met with a silence stating we cannot do that. How pathetic is the customer service? You cannot give solution nor intent to provide an escalation matrix to ensure that people in the top knows what is going around. 

The person who handles the customer service department surely needs to be given a raise. This kind of customer delight is not heard of before. May well give them an award.

Finally the month of Dec 2020 arrived, I was again assured that I would get a replacement on 31st Dec 2020 which again turned out to be a dud.

I gave it up and stopped following with this company who seems to be lost on responding to their customers and fulfilling their commitments.

2021 turned out to be a good year though. Out of the blue, in the second week of Jan 2021 got a mail from the company stating about the replacement.

Guess what they actually got it replaced. I should thank my lucky stars.

One lesson that I learned through this ordeal is never to buy furniture online. Tauba kar le humne.

I only hope this only helps others as I came across lot of other people on social media awaiting their replacement/refunds. Such kind of pathetic service was not expected from a brand like IKEA. Naam bade aur darshan chote.

Ikea yeh tune kya kia....

Tick Tok

Time is ticking and with each tick of the clock is your life too.

Such strange times that we live in. We needed a pandemic to hit the pause button of our lives to look around and smell the grass.

 Not sure if the year 2020 can be called great, but yes life did take a 360 degree turn for most of the people, turn upside down. For some made to wonder what the future holds for them.   

I will be honest enough that the beginning of the work from home was not great for me. Someone who cannot stay at home for long told you cannot move out of your home because there is a lock down.

One of the good things that happened I ended up reading books, doing other stuff and yes taking a pause from this blog. In reality was not in a good headspace to write almost about anything. 

The year was supposed to end in a different note but ended up in a different way.

Who says God does not have humor? I certainly experienced it the details of which will be revealed later if everything goes on a happy ending or maybe not...

I have come across people who have choose to live a complicated life which could have been much better if they had made the right choices. I guess trying to understand or bring sense would not make any sense since that ship has already sailed. The next best thing that one can do is hope that they move in the right direction and add meaning to their lives instead of living in a short term happiness and unhappiness in the long term. Why do anyone even want to live such a life of emptiness?

Independence means different to different people but stretching the limits of it is to test yourself or bring harm to one. I hope people realize life jhand nahi hoti but the choices one makes in their lives decides where it will take you.

The year 2021 is no different than 2020 but yes there is this hope that things will get better and we may go back to our old lives finding ourselves back in our homes, offices or wherever you thought was your life. Hope there is no regret that during this pause phase of our lives, we did not get an opportunity to have a reassess our lives, our lifestyle and yes of course health both physically and mentally.

Hope that you find your purpose of living, happiness and love that you look for.

I certainly hope that I can get back to write more on this space of mine :)

Daddy's Little Princess

Source: ispcc

Karan was sitting in the hall, his shoulders drooping elbows resting on his legs as his hands covered his face. He could hear the voices coming from inside and wanted them to stop.

It went for quiet a while, screams could be heard and then Anju his wife came out and said "You talk to her. She is not listening to me" she said.

"Let me try" Karan said and went inside. He saw his 15 year old daughter Arohi sitting near the window looking outside. Eyes swelled up and face sullen.

He walked toward her and sat down to the floor to look upwards towards her. "Beta, what happened?" he asked her which was met with a silence and indifference to his presence. "We talked about this. Remember we had a deal" Again there was no response from her end.

Sensing that she was in no mood to talk he offered to leave to which she responded "I don't want to go" still looking outside the window. "Who is talking about leaving? We are still a family and will be always. The only difference will be I will not be around much but just a phone call away. Your wish will be my command".

"Dad, I want you to live with us just like old times. Why can't we be like one happy family like we used to be? No one cares about what I want. she said as her eyes let the tears flow out.

"I know its difficult for you to understand right now but when you grow up, you will know it was in the best interest of everyone. This is not what I wanted you to go through but here we are" as he held her hands into his.

"Dad, do you still love Mom? she asked and he nodded his head in sadness. "Why don't you fight for her, make her stay?

He looked at her with a smirk smile. "Don't you think I tried hard enough? You cannot hold on to people who have choose to move on. For a relationship to work it has be from both the ends. Otherwise both end up losing".

"People grow apart but that does not changes how you feel about them. You choose to move on with your life".

"I want to live with you Dad, not her". "Arohi beta, you know I tried from my end. Don't hate your Mom for this. She is doing what she think is best for her and you. Life is not a bed of roses and situations like this makes one realize to let each other know that you love them from time to time. Maybe I was not paying attention to what was going on with her and paid for it".

"I will never stop loving her and so should you. Remember the happy times and I will be just a phone call away" he looked at her and smiled as he held on to her hands. She smiled back.

"Be a good girl now and give your Dad a hug" Karan said as he got up. "You know, you look so pretty when you smile, your face lights up" as they hugged each other.

"You will be always be your Daddy's little princess"

Book Review: Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India by William Dalrymple

Its been almost a year now that I have started reading books again. Made sure that I touched upon the writers never read or heard before. It gives a good perspective when one engages oneself in the thoughts that is put into writing. Questioning, Understanding and Differing views gives an understanding of the larger picture. 

When I decided to read this book, I had no idea what it was all about. I had heard only about the author William Dalrymple but nothing to gloat.

I have to say that I did not know that there exists different types of writers. Mostly what I have read was mostly fiction, biography, etc. but never a travel book. This was my first travel book.

India is rich in diversity, culture and so many stories to tell. Religion plays an important part in our daily lives and this book offers us a peek into the lives of people who dedicate their lives to God wholeheartedly and ask for nothing more.

It stuck me how little we know of them who are only revered during religious ceremonies. I have to say the author did a pretty good job reminding us about the hardships, dedication and ways of life to live. 

It reflects upon on the lives of nine such individuals who found their calling in God.

I could relate to the story of the Theyyam dancer having witnessed Bhuta Kola up close which is similar to it. What I did not know was the back story of these dancers that I came to know through this book.

We think we know all about religion/God but its the lives that has been touched upon have the tales to tell.

The glimpse into the life of a girl who always knew she wanted to become a monk, wandered places, learned the ways to live and it was the passing of her friend that led her to question and then on the path of Sallekhana.

It's intriguing to see the author ask them about their choices, the path they walked on and to an outsider that gives a lot of insight into their lives.

Among the nine lives, its the narrative of Manisha Ma Bhairavi, the Bauls & Tibetan monk that makes an interesting read.

I have to say that I at times find the author too excessively describing the surroundings which did made me wonder if that was needed.

Nonetheless each interaction with the nine lives makes you think the path they walked on, the road less traveled and the kind of determination and dedication shown all in the name of God.

I will recommend this book to anyone who wants to explore the facets of these lives who remain invisible to our naked eyes and come to prominence only when we need the presence of our higher calling.

Suicides

The first time when I heard someone saying “suicide” was during my class tenth, when one of my friends told me that one of our classmates had committed suicide. That guy used to sit besides me.

I wondered what prompted him to take such a drastic step even as the results were still to be declared.

The thought evaporated over the years but comes back as I read or hear about people committing suicides through the newspapers or news channel. The number of people committing suicides has gone up and some of the reasons may even baffle you.

Growing up, we are all taught the winning ways but are left alone when faced with a setback. Has the society reached to such a level that failures are simply not acceptable? As it is said “Success has many fathers, Failure has none”.

Committing Suicide is like taking the easy way out. Not facing the people who keep reminding you that you have failed, lost your job, are unemployed and other numerous taunts that becomes unbearable for some. Has the tolerance level of today’s individual’s stoop so low that they just cannot accept failure and try again?

No one can really understand the predicament of such an individual who contemplates such thoughts or is it that we never try to when they try to reach us out?

People today have become so closed-up that some of them actually think twice before they lay their bare chest open. The love between the family members, friends and others are hardly shown and are kept for occasions only. It needs to be shown everyday in forms of hugs, words and support to show that there are people who care for you so that they can reach out to them when they need the support and help.

No wonder it leaves many people stumped when they hear someone they knew commit suicide as they had never saw it coming.

Suicides by celebrities evoke the same shock as behind the glam life; one could never see the true emotions hidden behind the face. The truth is, there are always signs to see if one can observe it, an individual who thinks about taking such a drastic step often shows withdrawal symptoms which is in contrast to their personalities.

Life is all about living and not about running away when one finds themselves in troubled waters. We need to learn living through our bad times as we do in our good times.

Nothing lasts forever.

It’s just a phase which either makes you realize something you haven’t or gives you enough strength so that you can bounce back, but for that to happen one has to try.

Problems come and go, but life once gone cannot come back again.

Before taking that big step, one should think about their loved ones and what would they be put up through…

Call of the Void

I have a confession to make. I am afraid of heights.

Albeit it was not like that always. I have stood on the edge on the roof and was able to look down. It was in college when I realized I had height issues.

Strange as it sounds having a tall height and short railings would make sure that I stood a feet away instead of being on the edge.

A few years back, it took a worse hit when I visited a place where interior was taking place. Standing on the 12th floor, I was not able to look down and when I sat on a bed next to an open wall without window, railings with hardly a few distance.

As I walked towards the bed and looked outside, I had this voice in my mind prompting me to jump out of the window. As weird as it sounds I did not pay any heed to it but I did ponder on it on the back of my mind why would such a thought would come to my mind?

I had completely forgotten about until it happened again.

Strange, a voice inside your head telling you to jump and there is no coming back from it. Why would one think in such a way? Was the subconscious at play? Trying to telling something? Was it all a figment of imagination for all to begin with?

There were no answers.

Did my own sanity saved the day for me? Made me think about those people jumping from high-rise buildings, did they listened to that voice in their mind as their own and took the step...

I had confided about this to a family member. A few days ago they told me that one of their friends also experienced such an incident and apparently it has a name.

Its called "Call of the Void" or as they say in French "l’appel du vide".

Studies have been conducted to understand this phenomenon but there has not been a complete breakthrough on why the mind would say something that would end up hurting or killing yourself?

It is very normal to happen and can happen to people with no history of depression, mental illness, suicidal tendencies, etc.

If you’re among those who experience the call of the void, it’s usually nothing to worry about. It’s just one of those interesting, mildly scary, not-yet-fully-understood weird tricks of the brain that a lot of people experience (Source).

There is so much to know and so little we know. I would quote from the X-Files "The truth is out there" which pretty much sums it all.

The sad part is not everyone knows about this. Call of the void is a real thing and it would certainly help to make others aware especially those who are hearing those voices.

You may refer below links in case you want to know more:

Link 1
Link 2

Ram Bharose

"What do you mean by names don't match? I have given you my pan card and adhar card that reflects my name only. I have given them across for other KYC & account opening. What do you mean by name is not matching? No one has ever come back to me once. How can you say name is not matching?" thundered John Alex Stalin on his cellphone.

The bank executive Ram Bharose listened to John and said "I know Sir but as per the new rules put in place. Your government photo id cards full names should match. Your middle name is not matching."

"What the fuck do you mean its not matching? My middle is written in both "Alex Stalin". Are you guys blind not to see? screamed John.

"Sir, I know. Your pan card mentions John Stalin but your adhar card states John Alex Stalin. There is a middle name mismatch." said Ram Bharose.

John shook his head, his hand touching his forehead as he walked up & down the hall "Arre Ram Bharose, woh pan card ke second line ka naam mere abba ka hain na!!" 

"Sir, nahi chalta na, usse first line hona chaiye tha, jaise apka Adhar card main hain. Aap naya pan card kyu nahi banate?"

By this time John is huffing & puffing down the hall unable "Ram Bharose". "Yes Sir". "Tu ek kaam kar woh jo application hain usse aag laga de, nahi toh ek kaam kar usse fadkar dust bin main daal de. Nahi kholna mujhe koi account" he thundered.

"Sir, aap to bura..." is what John got hear as he disconnected the call.

Leela appeared hearing his screams as John's cheeks went red with rage. "That fellow says aapka middle name galat hain. Bolta hain baap ka naam missing hain"

Hearing it Leela started laughing as she sat besides John in her attempt to try and console him.

Seeing her laugh he got more enraged and said "You find this funny? You see how I teach them a lesson. I will tweet this to their CEO on twitter. Phir dekhta hu kaise middle name mismatch dekhta hain"

"Why taking so much stress? Just give him na what he wants and khatam karo. Baat ko chewing gum ke tarah kheech ke kya kar loge"

"Leela, you don't understand. Somebody has to stand to their idiotic demands. Where is it written that full name should match in all government ids? ID main photo nahi dekhta kya?

"John, do you really think you can argue with fools? Tumko lagta hain isse desh badal jayega. I am telling you, just give them what they want and leave it" All John could do was fume at her.

Two days later as John & Leela were having their cup of tea, John received a call and the voice over the other end said "Sir, Ram Bharose bola raha hu. Apne twitter main complaint...."

Leela watched his expressions changed to rage as he cringed and listened. She asked him who it was and he loudly said "Ram Bharose!!!"

Tinder, Ok Cupid...

"I am tried of this finding a wife shit. I am starting to feel that matrimonial sites have fake profiles just to lure us into joining them." complained Nikhil.

"If things go like this, then we will only get Aunties for marriage" Wasim said as both the uncles laughed.

"I have now given up on the idea of getting married, I will live a single life, travel and do whatever I want to do. Maaja ne life jiva nu.(lead a happy life)  Nikhil said into his cellphone.

"What about old age? who is going to look after you? Family family hoti hain baki sab gair hote hain (Family is family, no one else is going to look after) taunted Waism.

"You mean to say that I should get married so that there is someone to take care of me in my old age? Bas yeh reason ke liye shaadi kar lu" (So I should get married for this reason) He asked as his voice grew louder followed by silence on the other end.

"Bas yehi bolna tha??" (This what you had to say) he asked Wasim again. Again there was no reply. "Hello, so gaya kya" (Hello, have you fallen asleep) Nikhil asked.

"Sex" the other voice said. Nikhil thought he heard wrong "Kya?" (What) he countered.

"Sex. men marry for sex. Woh bhi lifetime free." (Men marry for sex as its lifetime free) Hearing this Nikhil responded "Tu bola raha hain jo bhi aadmi shaadi karte hain, woh sirf aur sirf sex ke liye karte hain!!"(You mean to say guys only get married for sex) "Arre nahi rahin. Love marriage ho toh apne choice ki. Arrange ho toh jo mila so..." (No, If its love marriage, its your choice and in arrange marriage, one has to make do with what they get)

"Abe tu kya bol raha tujhe pata bhi hain kya" (Do you even know what you are talking about) he retorted. Wasim listened to him patiently and said "Tu samjah nahi re. Woh Bipasha ka movie dailogue hain na Yeh jism pyaar karna nahi jaanta. jaanta hai toh sirf jism ki bhookh. Woh yaad aagaya tha isliye bol diya" (You are not understanding. You rememer that Bipasha's movie dailogue. The body knows no love, it knows only hunger. Remembered that hence said it)

"Lekin zindagi main ek hum rahi ki zarorat toh sabko padti hain. Yeh baat aur hain ki hum usse parivar agae badana, bacche paida karneka naam dete hain. (Everyone needs a companion. Its a different matter that we say to do it in the name of carrying family name forward, to have kids..)

"Wah babaji wah. Aaj subah subah coffee ki jagah kuch aur toh nahi mari thi na?" laughingly Nikhil asked. (You are great Babaji. Instead of coffee, you did not had anything else right?)

"Tu meri sunta nahin hain. Mera saath rahega toh shikh lega" (You never listen to me. You will learn if you stay with me) said Wasim pulling his leg.

"Toh Wasim Baba, hum dono ki iss samasya ka koi upay hain?" (So Wasim Baba, do you have any solution for our problem?)

"Kuch nahi balak. Jo pryas tum shaadi.com aur jeevansaathi main kar rahe ho, wohi tumhe tinder, bumble, ok cupid aur market main ek naya app aaya hain uss pe karna hain. Safalta zaroor tumhari gale padegi" (You just keep doing what you are doing. You know have to do the same on dating apps like tinder, bumble, ok cupid and there is a new dating app you should try. Success will come to you) Wasim said and both had a hearty laugh.

That evening Nikhil was fiddling with his phone when he remembered his conversation with Wasim. He went to the play store downloaded the app, filled his details and tried his luck on it as he swiped left & right...

P.S.; This was suppose to come a week before Valentine but its never too late.

You can also shop at Amazon below for:

Valentines Cushion Cover
Romantic Love Cards
Swarovski Crystal Neckalce Titanic Blue
RED Hoodie with White Print: Faith Hope Love
Showpiece Couple

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Boss Big Boss

Radhika was watching the whole fiasco as both Manoj & Rahul were arguing in the meeting. Atul, the manager who had called up the meeting was a mute spectator.

Seeing them fight gave her headaches, she wished if there was a mute mode like on the tv remote control she could activate. She did that every time Sidharth Shukla & Asim Riaz Choudhary started their non stop verbal duels.

Back in her mind, she was wondering who was Sidharth & Asim among the two of them. Even as they were been pacified by others and in midst of it Atul would speak out which would evoke no response. 

Somehow the meeting ended and as she moved towards her desk she felt Rahul was more of a Asim as he was aaraaraar damn irritating as Salman Khan would say in Big Boss season 13. He would constantly push everyone around to get his work done and would poke endlessly to make his point.

As she sat at her desk, Jyoti grabbed a chair near her and said "Aaj toh kuch zyada hi ho gaya, Atul sirf suno suno karta rahegya" "Chhod na Asim aise hi hamesha poke karte raheta hain" Radhika replied.

"Asim"?? Jyoti said looking at her amusingly. "I am talking about Rahul". "Yes, Rahul only. He reminds me of Asim from Big Boss". 

"Big Boss??" Jyoti questioned. "You dont watch it? this season is good. I am also watching it for the first time only". She said.

"Yaha pe apne masale sulajhte nahin aur tu big boss dekhte hain, wah wah" Jyoti laughed and went away. 'Masale', that is the word that Mahira Sharma would use in the show Radhika recollected.

As she deep dived into her work, her attention was again broken by the raised voice of Rahul. She could see Rahul poking Manoj at his desk while some choose to ignore, others tried to intervene.

She looked at them wondering who they would be, had they been on Big Boss. One by one she was able to relate them to the remaining contestants Paras Chhabra, Rashami Desai, Shenaz Kaur Gill, Mahira Sharma & Arti Singh. 

Manoj had to be the Sidharth Shukla as he was the one who would always have logical answers & would be there for this team.

Happy that she was able to find her big boss within her own department, she went back to her work. 

Minutes later, her eyes went wide as she thought of herself and the character she will play on the show and who would be Big Boss?

Realization dawned on her that she would be the "camera" as she would see everything but would only show what she wanted to. That is what happens when one is second in command.

"Atul has called us both in his cabin" Rahul said to Manoj as they both walked towards it. 

Hearing it Radhika smiled and got back to her work. The mystery of Big Boss stood resolved.

P.S. You can get

Upto 70% off on Beauty Products on Amazon
Upto 70% off on Handbags on Amazon
End of season sale starting from Rs.299 on Flipkart

Book Review: Serious Men by Manu Joseph

If you have read about my last to last book review, you will understand that when one is reading books from unknown/new writers its kind of a gamble not knowing how the ride is going to be.

Till now, it has been good and it just got better with the book "Serious Men" by Manu Joseph. 

Every author has their own writing style. A way of telling the story which keeps one enthrall, engrossed in the book or might not. The writing styles also gives an insight on the intellect of the author and the undertones played by the words. This one certainly makes one think about it.

The story is about a father Ayyan Mani who along with his son plays a game in the surroundings of the BDD chawl, institute of theory & research & the society. Will his game be exposed? Will he give up before his last move or will he be on top of it?

Every story telling has a beginning, middle & end but this one stands out with a different approach that I have come across.

One of the beauty of the book is that as one reads into it, it leads you in the life of Ayyan Mani in such a subtle way that one becomes engrossed into it. 

It takes one into the world of science through its nuances that one actually forgets the main plot and wonder if they are reading about the science world. One is left wondering about making alien contact.

The author also take a dig at the casteist society of ours in a pun way that is hilarious.

I ensured that I had Google nearby to me every time I came across a word that I have never heard before. The last time I remember doing that was of me making attempts to read Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist (which I have & yet not read).

The word melancholy seems to be the author's favorite word as it has been repeated all over the book.

The book stands out in many ways wherein it appears like a puzzle to decipher the main plot of the book. One might find themselves lost if the do not read into the hints given by the author. It stands out in many ways with the approach of story telling.

The open-ended climax certainly keeps one guessing.

Looking forward to read more books by the author.

Its recommended as a must read!!

P.S: One can buy the book from Amazon on https://amzn.to/30Z35p2