Mother's Day

The title says it all. I can see many heads shaking to say, “Not one again!”, “Yet another one”, etc.  I agree. True, I myself might have come across many pictures and quotes on the social media today that I too will get irritated and frustrated. But, I am pretty sure everyone will agree to the fact that – whatever you say or do for your mother, is not going to match a hundredth or a thousandth of what your mother have done or is doing for you. So, this is purely my thoughts and feelings towards my mother, a very small gesture to show my gratitude to one of the very important persons in my life, one of the persons because of whom what I am today.

In one of the movies I watched recently, there was a dialogue, that, to write about a great person, the writer needs to have a qualification.  I agree to that completely and I agree that I can never earn the required qualification to write about my mother. In spite of that, I want to make this effort and pen down my feelings about her.

Where do I start? I think, I don’t know her at all. Yes, true! Nobody knows their mother completely. Only mothers know and understand their kids. Have you ever come across a mother who doesn’t speak about their kids? And have you noticed the spark in their eyes when they start talking. That is the love they have for their kids. They want to share everything about their kids, and only a mother can understand the importance of that. She has seen you grow up, physically and emotionally. She evolved into a new person altogether along with you.

My mom is not the typical mother type, who calls 5-6 times a day. No. She is not like that. Neither has she talked for hours on a daily basis. Even when I call, she speaks for a couple of minutes and drops the call. I mock at her saying, “You are always busy, and you don’t have time even to talk to me”. There has been days when I might not have spoken to her for 4 days straight. But the day I don’t call her, I am on her mind the whole day and so much so that it irritates my sister.  My mom understands that talking daily is not required for me. And the day I need to talk to her, she will be the one picking the call, even when I have dialed my father’s number. How does she do that? That’s mother’s love.

She is the silent observer. I need not tell her explicitly that I am in trouble, she knows it. She never asks me what is troubling you or what went wrong. But she is beside me when I am troubled.

She has the utmost patience. She waits until I go to her but she might already be ready with the solution of my problem.

She can’t decide for me. For that matter, she can’t decide for herself what she wants. But, she knows, eventually, I will know what I want. She has faith in me. She knows that I can decide for myself and she can rely on me to take decisions for her too.

She is proud of my achievements but at the same time she cautions me that this is not the end. This is the beginning.

For a long time I had been wondering, what does she want? What is it that makes her happy? What can I do that will make her happy?

I think, I now know that to some extent……

She wants a perfect life for us, a life which she always yearned for us and wants to see her kids leading the comfortable life. She sees herself in us. She doesn’t want us to go through the hardships she has faced. She is happy to see us happy and flourish. That’s why she is most angry when we do any mistake especially something she has already warned us. She wants us to learn from her mistakes. She is happy if she knows that we are happy, that we are not troubled and we are at peace with our life.

I can go on but how much ever I write, is going to be really less for a person having so much love and compassion within. I am grateful we have been blessed to have her in our life. Wish there is a way to repay her for the effort and sacrifices she has made to make us respectable and responsible persons.

Love you loads Amaa!!!

Selvi J. Jayalalithaa – An Enigmatic politician

From the past few weeks, the most talked about person in India is none other than the “Iron Lady” – J. Jayalalithaa, a legendary personality who have immensely contributed towards the two most popular industries of India – Movies and Politics. Mystery lingers around her illness, 74 days of hospitalization and her death. She was an eminent leader and determined woman who believed in herself, strived and reached the peaks in the predominantly male dominant fields. At one of our tea time chats, my roommate asked me, “Why don’t you write something on this powerful and famous woman?” My immediate reaction was, “Me? I don’t think I can write anything that too about such a great personality”. But on thinking over it for a couple of minutes, an idea stuck me and hence this write-up.

This was back in 2003. My family had recently moved to Chennai. It was hardly a couple of months we had shifted. One day our landlady came down and was instructing a mason to construct a big tank near the entrance of our building. I was curious and enquired why there was a need for a tank now.  Don’t we have enough tanks which adequately cater to the water needs of the premises? Our landlady just wanted a chance to vent out her frustration. As any normal human being, she was not ready to accept any kind of change in life that too something involving unwillingly shelling out some hard earned money. She was cribbing about a new rule imposed by the chief minister. It had been mandated that for all the buildings – schools, colleges, office and residential buildings in Chennai to be equipped with rain water harvesting facility and not adhering to the stipulated time line will invite fines. This was obviously an additional cost for anyone owning a house. Our landlady was venting out this frustration to whomever she finds in the vicinity.

Being an environment lover and science enthusiast myself, I just had respect towards the great leader for enforcing such a policy. She did face a lot of opposition on this. But being an adamant person she made sure it is implemented to the word. The seeds need to be sown to reap fruits. And she was in the process of sowing seeds to reap after a long time. It was not an easy task to make sure the rain water is not drained into the sea but into the ground deep below. I tried to explain this piece of information to my landlady but it was no luck. It was equivalent to reading a book to the bull. That’s when I realized how difficult it is to implement something in a society of people with different backgrounds and mind sets. To be double sure that all buildings have actually proceeded with the rain water harvesting as suggested, government teachers were directed to visit each and every building in the city and inspect on the adherence to this policy.

It was definitely a time taking activity but the gain too was going to be ten-fold. Chennai had one of the worst water scarcities in 2001 and this was the path chosen by Jayalalithaa as an able chief minister to combat the issue. Thanks to the rain water harvesting, the water table levels in Chennai improved a lot. In 2005, Chennai recorded 3 times the average rainfall. No doubt water scarcity is still a problem. But, had this not been implemented, the situation would be far worse than this. In Chennai’s perspective, there is a very long way to go in terms of water scarcity, but compared to many other cities, it is definitely far ahead in the race as most of the other cities are considering this option only recently. 

I never much bothered about the politics or the policies introduced by the ministers.  I used to be under the impression that any new policy or changes to existing policies were made only in the interest of the ministers and politicians and they never serve any purpose to the common man let alone having a positive impact. But for the very first time, due to this policy, not only did I realize my mistake; I was impressed and also understood the fact that power can be used for positive causes too and Jayalalithaa followed a remarkable path towards it.

Thriller !!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: All the characters including the first person “I” is fictitious. Resemblance to any Individual (alive or dead) is only a coincidence. Nithyananda has nothing to do with this story

Monday

Anand was recording the beauty of the foggy hills in his Sony Handycam, when he felt the strong push on his back. Losing his balance, he took two steps forward and was at the edge of the rock. Before he could react to grab something, he was falling through the 20000 feet deep cleft.

He was screaming. He felt like flying. All the wonderful sceneries that he saw from the top, he could see them closer now. But he knew that, he was living the last few seconds of his life.

For some reason, those last few words that he heard before being pushed, played repeatedly in his mind.

Then it was finally over.

THUD!!!

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Thud Thud Thud.

Anand still felt that someone was tapping him on his back. It was his colleague, who was trying to wake him up.

"Anand, you sleepy monster. Get up. We have reached the office."

He confirmed to see that the office bus has stopped now. He was happy that he is still alive. But the dream was seriously scary. The thought of the dream kept coming back at him. He did not know whether it is a good or bad signal, dreaming like dying.

Although, there are many definitions given for Dreams, he believed Dreams to be disassociated imagination of mind based on day-to-day life.

He tried to ignore the dream. But there were few things that kept him disturbed, the Push and those repeated Words from the dream.

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Tuesday

"Nithya, see the water falls. This is the Pambar falls that we will be going later on today."

Anand was showing the screen of his Handycam while recording the nature beauty. He was with his girlfriend Nithya, on the top of the Dolphin's Nose in Kodaikanal. The whole place was empty, except for these two.

"I mean the Liril falls. You remember the old Liril advertisement right. It was shot here. Can you see that?"

Nithya was not reacting and she looked preoccupied with her own thoughts.

Anand sensed that her mind was not here with him.

"Nithya, what happened? Why are you so dull today?"

"Nothing Anand."

"Are you worried about what we did in the hotel room, an hour back?"

"No No Anand. Just feeling a bit cold. That’s it."

"Come on Nithya. This place is banned for visitors at this point of time. Since you have insisted, I have taken special ways to bring you here illegally. Come on. Enjoy the place."

Then he started to move inches closer to the edge with his Handycam.

"Hey Hey, see here. See this road. Can you see that white car over there?"

"Yes Anand."

Pause.

"Anand, do you know why I wanted you to take me to this particular place?"

"No, tell me."

He was still busy recording something.

"A girl by name, Ranjitha committed suicide here a year back. Her boyfriend made a scandal video out of her and released it to the internet."

Every word Nithya spoke was pinching Anand. He stopped recording and tried to look back.

"Ranjitha was my Sister and you were that Boyfriend. This is revenge for her death. So Go To Hell."

Saying this, she pushed him with all her strength, without giving Anand any time to react.

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This time Anand woke up with a jerk. He almost scared his friend sitting next to him.

This time, the dream was much more constructive. From whatever he could visualize of Nithya’s face, it did not look familiar. He did not remember anyone by names, Nithya and Ranjitha. He has no friends in that name. No Relatives also, that he is aware of. He waited to reach office to check whether there are any of his unknown colleagues with that name in the company.

Once he reached his desk, he searched for those names in Outlook. There were many people with those names. Since they were sisters, he searched for the same surnames. He also checked his Gmail, Yahoo, Orkut, Facebook, Twitter contacts as well. There were not any.

He decided to let it go. Somehow, the dreams kept dragging him of work.

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Wednesday

"Anand, I think we should not have done this?"

Nithya was sitting on the bed while Anand got up from the bed, looking for his shorts.

"Come on. We are on in the 21st century and do not say the old black and white move dialogues. We have adopted the western culture and are gradually getting adapted to it. So there is nothing wrong in this. It’s common in all the western countries and even in India."

"But, are you sure that I won’t get pregnant?"

He came closer to her, pinched her cheek.

"Don’t worry about that, I took care of it. Ok now get ready. We need to go to Dolphin's nose in an hour."

This time, she got up from the bed and hugged him.

"I don’t know. We should have waited until our marriage."

"Do you think I will cheat you?"

"Not that. Somehow, I am worried. If I thought you would cheat me, I would not have come so far with you, lying to my parents about this trip."

"It’s ok. Now get ready soon. Hurry up Hurry."

She went to the restroom and locked.

As soon as she went inside, he went to the table opposite to the bed. Hidden between the fresh towels and magazines, there was his Sony Handycam HDR-XR550E.

He stopped the recording. Took his laptop and transferred the video to his Mobile. Then he deleted the video from both the Handycam.

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When Anand woke up again, he knew that the dreams are making him lose his sleep. He does not have a Handycam and he has no plans of getting one in the future. He was not in need of them and they are very costly as well.

He could not imagine himself cheating on a girl. But for him, the dream was going in a flow, but in reverse. After an hour, when he was busy in working, his Google Talk message popped up. It was his friend from US.

"Anand, Electronic Items are cheap in a Seconds Shop over here."

"Ok."

"I have seen an awesome Handycam. I am planning to get one for me. Do you need one?"

"Which Model dude?"

"Sony Handycam HDR-XR550E. It is less than half the price. Do you need one?"

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Thursday

"I can come Anand. But what should I tell my parents?"

"Ok. Do you have any of your school friends who your parents know?"

"Yes, there is Swarna."

"Tell your parents that you are going to another friend's marriage with Swarna. Tell Swarna in advance about our trip."

"Ok. What else should I do?"

"You directly come to Koyambedu bus stand. Ask for ASD Travels. The bus is at 5:30 in the evening. Seat Number: 23 / 24. You do not have to give the tickets. Tell them that I will be coming from Kathipara with the tickets."

"Ok. But if you can come with me from Koyambedu it will be good right.”

"Ya. But I know many people in that Bus Stand. I do not want anyone to see me. But do not worry about that. By the way, you don’t have any problem with me to Kodaikanal right?"

"Come on Anand. It has been five months since you proposed to me. Have you not understood me? I don’t have any problem in coming with you."

"Ok then, don’t forget the plan."

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When the bus went over hump near his office, he woke up. His dreams are not dependent on his day-to-day activities. They were giving him specific information about his dream. Unlike his initial theory about the dreams, he felt that these dreams are not derived from his past. Probably the dreams are warning him or telling him the future.

He has done his Engineering from a College in Coimbatore. He has travelled many times in those four years from Chennai to Coimbatore. He knew every Travels company in Koyambedu and there was not an ASD Travels.

He wanted to confirm it again. He called one of the travel agents over there. But he was not picking up the phone.

He logged into redbus.in to find out the details and there was not an ASD Travels. He checked all the Travels running buses between Kodaikanal and Chennai, and there were only three of them. He relaxed a bit, when the travel agent called him back.

"Anand, calling so early? What happened?"

"Not early for me. I am already at office. I need some information about the buses running between Kodaikanal and Chennai."

"You are going on a trip? Do you need tickets?"

"No No. Not for that. Is there an ASD Travels in Koyambedu? I was searching for its name in Internet. I could not find anything."

"….Last month, the ZXC Travels was sold out to someone in Madurai. All his business names are ASD. So he might change the name to ASD Travels. But he has not done so as of now, as there will be confusion among the customers with the names. Why are asking this?"

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Friday

Anand and Nithya have been great friends from the day they met each other. It has been three months over now. They have been spending hours and hours together and over the mobile. He decided that he should propose to Nithya sooner. There is no better day, other than the Valentine's Day, which is this day.

They met during their morning coffee break. As usual, she was speaking about all the things that she has been doing until this coffee break today. He was in a different world, just waiting for the right time to say it.

"Nithya, this pantry is very special for me. This is the place, where we met for the first time. Do you remember that?"

"Yaaa. How can I forget that? That was so funny, you know?"

"Yes Nithya. Since the day I met you, everything has been perfect. My life has come closer to being complete. Only you can make it complete. I Love You."

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This time more than the Dream, the girl who was speaking on the phone to her boy friend, woke Anand up. It was Valentine's Day today.

His colleague Hari came to him after 10 minutes. He was looking nervous.

"Anand, come outside. I need to talk to you. Something important."

They came out and then Hari started.

"I am planning to propose to my girl friend today. What do you think?"

"Its upto you Hari. Do what you want to do."

"Ok. But I don’t know how to propose to her."

"Ok. I have an idea. Keep it simple. Take her to the place where you met her first time. Tell something how fortunate how you have been to meet her. And then propose to her."

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Saturday

Anand was sitting in the pantry having his favorite idly with three chutneys. He was in his Monday professional wear with a well-pressed shirt, neatly done tie, clean-shaven. It was when someone slipped near him and the sambar chutney mix got sprayed all over him.

He stood up seriously wanted to thrash the person and hesitated when he noticed a girl standing there. He ran to the nearest washbasin to clean himself. But this time, he was totally wet.

When he finished up with everything, she was still standing there.

"Sorry. Something tripped me and my plate fell over."

"It’s ok."

"I have spoiled all your dress today."

"That’s ok."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Definitely."

"Thanks. So sweet of you. By the way, I am Nithya."

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Since it was a Saturday, Anand was sleeping in his house when he woke up again after the dream.

All the last 5 days, his dreams have been relating him to the present. If that is correct, then he will definitely be meeting Nithya on Monday. For the first time in his career, he was so desperate to go to office on a Monday, just only to confirm his dreams.

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Monday

Monday morning, he did not get any dreams. He was sure that his dreams are over and is going to meet the girl Nithya today.

He went to the pantry. Took a plate of idly. Found a nice place in a crowded place and sat there, looking for someone to trip over. He was trying to peek through the ID cards of the girls who pass by. Most of the girls gave him a look to burn him alive, while adjusting their misplaced dupatta.

He waited for close to an hour and no one has come closer to slipping down. He did not want to give up.

It was when he found someone tapping him on the back. He looked back to see the most irrelevant person in his current situation, his Manager.

"Anand, have you finished your Breakfast?"

Without waiting for Anand's reply, he continued.

"See Anand, another team in our company is working on a similar project like ours. They are having a major issue which is escalated and will affect their go live. They need your help. Their Team Leader Manoj will come to your desk in another 15 minutes. Help him."

"Ok."

He waited for another 15 minutes and left to his desk, empty hearted that he could not find Nithya. He was checking his mails, when he heard a sweet voice behind.

"Hi Anand. I am Ranjitha. My TL asked me to meet you."

Anand started to replay all his Dreams again.

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(The End)

<<Got as a fwd, liked it, so posted>>

Yes, I am in India! :(

<<Originally penned in Sep 2013>>

The incident which I am gonna share now happened some time back. But I remember it every now and then. Today I couldn’t control myself but to put them into words and share it with a few people whom I know.

Dec 16 2012, the day I had my ticket from NY to Hyderabad (via New Delhi), back to India, back to My Mother Land. As planned everything went on well and boarded my flight with mixed feelings. I had spent almost a year in US and now I was leaving with lots of memories in my bag. The flight journey was as expected and finally I landed in New Delhi the next day. I had heard from many of my friends, how it feels when we land in India after spending a considerable time abroad. One of my friends had actually said that she just wanted to kiss the mother land as soon as she landed. I too was excited. I got down from the flight and was walking towards the domestic gates to board my connecting flight.

I had not been at the Indira Gandhi International airport before, so was looking intently around since I may not be here so soon. It was no less than any international airport and was impressed. After the security checkup, which took a while, I saw a telephone booth. I rushed to it and called my Dad to inform that I have landed in New Delhi and my next flight is on schedule. I had to now go towards the domestic section. On the way there were many outlets of Indian and international brands. I glanced through each one and was walking leisurely. Suddenly I felt something unnatural. But didn’t understand why? Ignoring, I moved a little ahead and saw an outlet for chocolates. I had 2 big packs of chocolates already in my luggage, but still couldn’t resist and scanned through the varieties. There was this pack of Lindt chocolates which I didn’t taste at all. So went to the counter and purchased them, really happy with the new addition. Again I felt the same uneasiness as before - A man dressed in a uniform with the GMR emblem was staring at me! I wondered am I not dressed normally. I moved little ahead and saw another man who was handling a vacuum cleaner to do the cleaning of the carpet trying for glances at me….. At last I realized…. “Yes! I am in INDIA”.  

The bitter truth sunk through me. I never expected that the realization will dawn on me in this way. Being born and spending all my life but 1 yr in India, as a female, this is something which we get used to it subconsciously. Just sighing in my inside mind, neglected the stares and went and sat near the gate through which I was going to board the next flight. I gave a glance at my fellow passengers and then on the TV. One of the news channels was reporting something on cricket but scrolling news said, “A 23 yr old female was gang raped in a moving bus in New Delhi last night….”

That news was just any ordinary one until a week later when protests had started in different parts of the country. That incident shook the whole country, but failed to make any impact on the laws pertaining to the brutal crime. Even today, when we glance through the newspapers, we read similar incidents, happening more than one in a day, across the country. Irrespective of the age of a female, the crime is performed and the criminal gets out very easily. Each day, I have this question to myself, to which I have no answer – “Will girls / women ever feel secured and walk without hesitation in our own country?”

Teacher in Making

After an adventurous and tiresome trip everyone was exhausted. They just wanted to hit the bed and have a whole night’s sleep. The plan for next day too was a hectic one and had to start early. It was around 11 pm and everyone had completed their dinner. It was time to say good night. But nah! Pansy, was feeling playful. She asked excitedly, “Are we not going for the drive we planned?”

“Let’s go” prompted Troy, the one who considers any time spent indoors as a waste of time. There was an uncertain look on the faces of Jane, Tia and Pansy herself. The three girls glanced at each other. Pansy had not anticipated this. She was sure Jane would object to it. It’s late in the night, not advisable to be outdoors. But, surprisingly, there was a big “YES” in unison from all of them. Within no time everyone was in the car with Troy in the driving seat.

Zoooooom, the car started and was on the driveway, “Right or left?” Troy popped the question. Before anyone could answer, the car headed straight and then immediate left to an empty parking lot. The car came to an abrupt halt! The girls were perplexed. It was supposed to be a drive, probably a long drive but not as short as this one! Troy winked at Jane and asked to come forward. There was an exchange of seats and Jane was in the driving seat with Troy by her side. Jane wanted to practice driving but had not been able to allocate some time due to her very hectic schedules. All of them were less than a couple of years into the new country and Troy was the only one amongst the four who had been able to clear the road test and get a driving license where as all the others had only learner’s permit.

Troy briefed everyone about the control on steering, accelerator and the brakes. Questions were poured about adjustment of seat to accelerator control, gear shift etc. Being a passionate driver himself, Troy answered all of them patiently. “Place the gear in drive mode and hit the accelerator” commanded Troy. Jane was a little hesitant, but followed the orders to the core. Slowly and steadily the vehicle moved ahead and was turning at the corners. With little help from Troy, Jane was able to drive around the parking lot pretty well. For almost more than half an hour Jane followed each and every command of Troy and the car seemed to follow Troy’s instructions rather than Jane’s driving. “Hit the brake and stop the car” ordered Troy. There was an astonished look, “Why?” demanded Jane. “You have been doing a good job! Let us give others a chance too” replied Troy. With a big smile on the face, Jane parked the car and stepped out to swap with Pansy.

Pansy was not much interested in driving. She had least expected to qualify for the written test. She believed it was sheer luck she got the learner’s permit. As soon as she sat on the driver’s seat, “Adjust your seat, put on your seat belt”, roared Troy. A tensed and agitated Pansy got more tensed. She didn’t utter a word but followed as instructed. With so many instructions from Troy to increase the speed, turn left, slow down, apply brakes, drive ahead, control the steering, car going out of control, slow down, slow down, slow down, Pansy was trying her best to keep following the instructions but she was losing control on the car. While taking a turn, she was about to hit the divider, that Troy had to lean forward to steer the other way around. Pansy was losing her concentration which was easily visible to everyone in the car.  Troy was doing a good job by controlling the steering whenever required. But the vehicle was swaying in both the directions. For anyone watching the vehicle will get suspicious and in no time had the cops siren heard nearby. Pansy froze and hit the brake suddenly. She just wanted to get out of the car. But before she could think, before she could react, the cops vehicle had come to a halt hardly 50 feet from them.

“Be cool and calm everyone, don’t panic” whispered Troy. “Do not say anything more than what is asked” he continued. The cop came and spoke in a cool and composed voice, “Hello there”. “Hi, Officer” replied Pansy. “May I ask what is happening here?” enquired the person in the uniform. “Ya, officer. I am practicing for my road test.” “Oh that is good, but why did you choose this late in night?” shot the officer. “Since only during this time, the roads and the parking areas will be vacant, we chose this time.” Replied Pansy confidently. All through this conversation, Troy was just listening. Jane and Tia were sitting quiet in the back seats. Suddenly the officer glanced through the back, and asked “Who are you?”. “We are friends”. “You are so confident on her driving that you volunteered to sit while she practiced?” “Yes” Tia replied  promptly. The officer walked around the car, “be careful and try to avoid late night practice” suggested the officer and drove away.

A big sigh of relief came across the faces of all 4 of them. It took more than a couple of minutes for them to speak. Jane was the first one to break the silence – “Do you want me to call the cops again so that you resume your speaking?” A loud laugh reverberated. “Pansy was scared to hell”, Troy exclaimed. “But she replied well. Officer didn’t have any more questions” said Jane. “Troy was more scared than her” laughed Tia. “You became dumb when officer was here”, retorted Troy. All through this conversation, Pansy still seemed lost. Troy and Tia were busy arguing with each other. But Jane noticed Pansy. She felt something was wrong. She tried calling and even shaking Pansy. “Pansy, Pansy!!!!” Pansy came to senses and looked at everyone. Without a second thought she jumped out of the car. Troy was confused. Pansy admitted she was afraid and didn’t want to continue. Troy was not ready to let her go. He tried to convince to give another attempt. But she was adamant.

She was feeling a lot exhausted. He advised to give another try and enjoy driving. But Pansy requested Tia to step out.

“Sit erect and try to see the front of the car” advised Troy. “Why do we need to sit erect? I can see the front of the car, I don’t think it is necessary for me to sit erect”, replied Tia. Troy had been enjoying instructing Jane and Pansy. It didn’t seem difficult teaching them since they were following each and every instruction without many questions. Now it was Tia’s turn. Troy understood he is going to have a difficult time and will not be a cake walk with Tia. 

Soothing down his voice, he tried to explain the importance of control on steering and other basics in driving. “Drive slowly and steadily”, “Turn right”, “Slow down”, “Watch out for the pole”, shooted the instructions one after the other. Although not fully acceptable by Tia, she was following each one of them. “Hit the brake, hit the brake!” roared Troy. But Tia didn’t slow down. “Why?” was her question. “Hit the brake!” ordered Troy again. Boom, Tia stamped on the brake, and looked at Troy ferociously. Both Pansy and Jane sitting in the rear seats swayed downwards. “Why do you want me to stop the car? Am I not driving properly? Why don’t you allow me to drive? If I am making any mistake, correct me. Why do you want me to stop the car?” retaliated Tia. “Why can’t you just do what I am saying you to do? Why do you have so many questions?” spat back Troy. “Entha dhairyam ra neeku (“How dare you talk like that to me?”) echoed a Telugu movie dialogue from behind. Pansy and Jane looked at each other. Voice was coming from Jane’s mobile. “Uthuthine akka” (“I was just joking”, another movie dialogue) a male voice was pleading. Many a time, the music play list starts automatically in Jane’s mobile and the stored audio files start playing one by one. Recognizing the source of the voice, loud laughter reverberated from the back of the car. But the temperatures were still high in the front. Sensing danger Jane chipped in and tried to calm Tia down. “Just drive as instructed. Since you have never been on road, he wants you to get a grip on the vehicle, so that it is easier for you in the later stages of your practice.” “Why can’t he just watch and correct me when I go wrong? argued Tia again.  Jane understood there was no point arguing with her at this point; it is just going to worsen the situation. Before she could think thru and explain anything to Tia, Troy said in a very calm voice, “Drive through the parking lot to your hearts fill. Don’t be surprised. I mean it. Drive to your heart’s fill.” Tia stared at Troy with astonishment. “You are very much excited about the thought of driving a vehicle, that you are not ready to listen to me or anyone else. Until your excitement levels are high, you will not be able to listen to my instructions or learn to drive. So, just drive” explained Troy. Tia tried to argue back but thought otherwise and started driving carefully. In no time, she understood Troy was right, and she had to be calm and composed and follow the instructions. She drove carefully for the next two rounds as instructed and realized that a lot of patience and practice is required to learn a new skill.

Since it was already past midnight, Jane suggested that it was time to go home and relax. Troy drove them back. Everyone exchanged good night and went to bed.

Lying on the bed, Pansy was thinking how stupid she had been not listening to anyone and not giving another try. Had she been not scared, even she would have driven a while and enjoyed it. In the adjacent room, Tia was feeling furious. “Had Troy not played the part of being the “know it all”, I could have shown how well I can drive. If not this time, next time I will definitely show my driving skills”. With a determined smile, she fell asleep. Jane felt contented about her driving practice. But all the more her interest to learn and practice grew tenfold. What an awesome feeling it is to drive a car. And Troy had been a very good teacher that day.

Meanwhile Troy was not at all sleepy. Rerunning all the events of the driving session in his mind, he was feeling satisfied. He had given similar sessions earlier, but this was different. This was fun. All of them drove well. They need a little bit more of practice. It was easy instructing Jane and Pansy. They were with an open mind. Open to take in whatever is being told to them, With Tia, a different strategy needs to be followed. She is excited, her learning way is different. Dealing with such type of people requires more patience. But they are the ones who excel in whatever task they take up. His mind wandered to different strategies to be employed and slowly drifted to sound sleep. 

<<Inspired from some real life incidents>>

Me as Blogger :-O

Its been really a long time that I have been asked by few of my friends to start writing - to start my own space in the writing world - to start My Blog and share my views and thoughts. I never really knew what needs to be written which will give my readers a good read. But once a while some things keep on popping in my head or disturbs a lot that I need to put my thoughts on the paper, oops I mean type them on the screen :). So, not wasting any more time, here I am officially inaugurating my blog. 

Needless to say, feedback and comments are always welcome!

Happy Reading!!!