My first expert!

I never felt that engrossed in the studies at the school on my birthday. I used to eagerly wait for the school to get over on my birthday. Actually, I used to go to the hospital to meet my father on my birthdays. And on the 9^th of every month I used to celebrate my birthday. My mother had devised a plan to celebrate my birthday in every month so that my father who was in a coma would get to experience at least one happiness every month.

Doctors had told that doing so would help him recover quickly.

On my birthdays, I used to do make up and dress up like a fairy. I used to prepare a dance and a song on Sundays to perform before my father. My mother used to go to the hospital everyday after coming from the office. She used to be frazzled by the hectic day but she never skipped a day going to the hospital.

I used to go to the hospital with my mother in her car. She was a damn good driver. One time we were returning from the hospital and the car broke down. It was kind of a desolate place till one kilometer. There was no mechanic in the view. My mother tried calling to our mechanic but he said that it would take him at least two hours as he was busy with some other car at the end of the city which had also broken down.

I was really getting anxious but my mother remained calm. She reached to the rear of the car and brought some wrench. She opened the bonnet of the car and with the help of the wrench she pulled out all the three plugs. She cleaned the tip of the plugs with the finesse of a seasoned mechanic. She put the plugs back in their places and tried igniting the engine and the engine got ignited in a second. That was kind of a miracle for me. I was observing my mother all the while she was doing all the painstaking job of the repairing of the car. She didn’t seem fazed at all. She was unruffled and tranquil like the moon sleeping in the lap of the sky. 

After that incident I witnessed that she repaired the car on many occasions. I used to watch her very closely observe the car when it used to be dissected by the mechanic. Many a times she used to guide the mechanic as to the probable problems with the car.

Seeing my mother involved with the car so much, gradually I developed the inclination towards learning the niceties of automobile. That led me to doing automobile engineering. Now I work with a top automobile company in Germany. People call me that I am an expert of automobile engineering. But the first and the best expert that I ever knew was my mom.

I have brought my parents to Germany as well.  Doctors have said that my dad might never wake up again but my mom has not lost hope. I also believe in her belief because she is an expert and experts are seldom wrong!

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P.S: This is a creative account!

“My Airtel App”: The savior for my Daughter-in-law!

I am a typical Indian Saasu Maa. I always look for an instance to belittle my daughter-in-law. Yes, she is my only one daughter-in-law but this doesn’t deter me to find a moment to make her feel the heat of my domineering behavior. You might be thinking that I am a cantankerous old lady and let me inform you that you are right. I am very bad when it comes to make my daughter-in-law feel a wretched soul. 

I pick out even an iota of mistake in the jobs done by her. My finicky behavior about the cleanliness of utensils and cloths has always put my daughter-in-law on tenterhooks. When I see the lines of anxiety on her face after listening to my rebuking, I feel an inimitable sense of mirth in my heart. 

When my husband and my son are in the house, they do all what they can to let her go unscathed from my wicked machinations. And that is when I feel dejected as they thwart my entire plan rule over her.

One time, my husband and my son both were out of the city owing to their official jobs. And it gave me a wonderful opportunity to rule over my daughter-in-law. But I observed that she had also become preemptive in her behavior. 

Perhaps she was expecting my inroads in the days when her saviors were not at home, because, even after searching for a while I couldn’t find any mistakes in her jobs. Disappointed, I sat before the T.V set and started surfing different channels for my favorite saas-bahu serials. When I was fully engrossed in one of the shows, the T.V flashed a message to recharge the DTH. I felt really disappointed that I had to leave my serial at the crucial juncture but the next moment my disappointment vanished as I saw this as an opportunity to rule my daughter-in-law. I told her in a stern voice that why the recharge was not done in time, I knew that now she would sob and call to her husband. But she didn’t show any signs of tears in her eyes and said that I waited for a moment and the T.V channels would start again. And in exact 20 seconds the T.V became alive again. My head got a dosage of dizziness.   “How come this worthless fellow could do such a magic of recharging a DTH service in a few seconds?”  I asked myself.

One day, I was talking to my cousin after so long time but when our gossip was at its best my phone got cut. When I checked my phone it showed that it needed a recharge. Now again I had the opportunity to trouble my darling daughter-in-law. I knew that she would have to go to a recharging shop in the scorching heat of May to get my phone recharged. I was dead sure that now I would get to see a pensive face of my daughter in law. But again, I had to experience disappointment as my phone got recharged in just few seconds and my daughter-in-law didn’t even budge from her seat.

The other day,I was shopping with my daughter- in- law in a mall, there I saw Café Coffee Day, I went straight there and ordered a mouthwatering recipe of a cake. You see, I am a great glutton when it comes to cakes. When I was finished with my cake I asked my daughter in law in a chiding tone: “Couldn’t have you stopped me gorging on this expensive cake? And why would you, it is my son’s money that has been spent not your father’s!” She didn’t seem fazed by my irrational attack on her. She remained calm for some time and then said that the scrumptious and expensive cake that I just eat was completely free and my son lost a chance to become a pauper overnight.

Now she was talking back. I wanted to know what or who was behind her confidence. I called my cousin sister for the chugli session and explained her everything strange that was happening with me. Then, she told me about the savior of my daughter-in-law. It was the “My Airtel App” from airtel that was playing savior to my daughter-in-law on all the three occasions. She explained me the reasons behind the swift recharges and how one accumulates redeemable coupon on every recharge and that redeemable coupons had resulted into a free cake treat at Café Coffee Day.

The airtel app played a role in diminishing my bitterness towards my daughter-in-law, because I wanted free cakes again!

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P.S: This is a creative account!

An unexpected expert!

Image Courtesy: https://www.flickr.com/photos/22242261@N03/2143291713/

Sometimes, the journey of life seems so fast that its celerity usurps the precious beads of memories.  But when you happen to meet the memories in your life again, it imbues you with a pristine happiness. I also happened to meet one of such happiness after a fairly long time. 

I was visiting my ancestral home after three decades. My relatives had taken whatever care they could of my house. Despite all of their efforts the signs of dilapidation were starting to arrive on the several parts of the building.

I had gone to my village with a plan to stay there after my retirement. I had thought of devoting myself full time to agriculture after my retirement.

As I was indulged in the attempt to spruce up my house, I discovered a clay house in my courtyard covered with the tree leaves and other remnants of material existence of time. I removed all the debris around it and was astonished to find that the clay house was still in almost good condition.

All memories related to this clay house came unbidden.

I must have been 12 years then. And it was the time of Diwali. All the children of my age were busy making the ‘Gharonda’ for Diwali. I used to go to the house of my friends where their elder siblings used to make the ‘Gharonda’. Some clay houses were one story some were two stories. I used to get mesmerized by the enchanting world of ‘Gharondas’.  

One day I asked the elder sister of my friend to build one Gharonda in my house as well. But instead of answering my request she said ‘my brother’s Gharonda would be the best in the village.’ I knew that she had avoided me.

I went straight to my house and made the dough of the soil. But despite my several attempts I could not give any shape to the clay that would resemble a ‘Gharonda’.  My mother was observing all my painstaking endeavors from the kitchen of the house. She came to me and told me to bring some wooden planks and fresh volume of the clay. With all the finesse lurking in her deft fingers, she carved out a beautiful ‘Gharonda’. It was like a dream being transmuted into reality for me. She did not stop here; she painted the ‘Gharonda’ making amazing designs on it like an expert painter creating his/her chef d’oeuvre. 

I did not have the idea that there was lurking a great artist in my mother whom I considered a simple housewife.

On the night of Diwali, it was my ‘Gharonda’ that had stood out among other ‘Gharondas’ of the village and I was kind of hero of the village but I knew that real worthy of all the accolades for the imposing ‘Gharonda’ was my mother, but she unassumingly relished her son being praised.

Now still I could find the glory of that ‘Diwali’ night smeared on the façade of the ‘Gharonda’.

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P.S: This is a creative account for

Ek Nayi League: One new hope!

When my son was 10 years old he showed an inclination to play football. He was handpicked by the school sports teacher. Since then he got himself utterly immersed in the game. He used to go to different states of the country representing his school and on many occasions he represented the state as well.

I am a daily wage earner. My life has always been entangled in complexities to arrange the meals for three times a day for my family that consists of my wife and my three children. My world was only limited to my city. But when my son used to come from other parts of the country and tell us stories about the big cities my eyes used to dilate in wonder. I used to feel really proud of my son.

My son had been really dedicated to the game. Early in the morning he used to wake up and rush to the practice ground. Making 10 rounds to warm his body up was a ritual. I used to feel dizzy at the amount of numbers of rounds that he used to take. I am kind of a lazy person who relishes sleeping late in the morning and exercising in the morning had never been my cup of tea. But my son was in a stark contrast to me. He had made his muscles very strong by different kinds of exercises. And he had reaped the fruits of his strong muscles as well.

He was very good at dodging the opponents. He used to be the highest goal scorer of the game. Many a times he was adjudged best player of the tournament as well.

He was not dedicated only to improve his game alone but he was also very enthusiastic about coaching the younger lot. His coach used to say that one day he would play for the country and then he would also get a government job. At the mention of government job my eyes used to sparkle. Nobody in my family had ever been in the government job. We had always been labor class pandering to the needs of the development of the society. But I saw the dream of generations transmuting into reality in the form of my son.

A day came when my son got elected in the national team. And I thought that my dream of seeing my son work in the govt. job will get fulfilled soon. A year passed and then the next but the govt. job was nowhere in the picture. Meanwhile a fellow laborer’s son cracked IIT. I didn’t know what it meant. He told me that his son had got enrolled in a coaching center in a talent hunt and after that he cleared the exam. He informed me that now future of his son was almost settled and so was his.

I never knew that playing a game would be such a waste for my son in this country. I never knew that only being good at studies had a meaning in this country. Today, my son is in the trauma ward of a govt. hospital. He had attempted suicide in the desperation of joblessness last night. Now he is out of danger but his future remains still uncertain.

But then the doctor, who is treating my son, gives me a ray of hope. He tells me about the EkNayiLeague endeavour by Mr. Kapil Dev. In this EkNayiLeague endeavour, now every sportsperson would be given a sure job opportunity and furthermore this endeavour would make the sports an essential part of the curricula in the schools. Moreover, it would make sure that sports persons are given the respect that they deserve. EkNayiLeague resuscitated my languishing hopes in life.

P.S: This is a creative account