Simply Me

Labels: A new day has come..., Aayi re aayi hai khushi..., Band Baajaa Baraat, Congratulations and celebrations, Yaadein reh jaati hain..., Zindagi ke safar

With the 100 days between our engagement and wedding, I tried to find out love stories about some of our near and dear ones... While in a love-cum-arranged marriage, the questions are... Who proposed, how did he/she propose and so on, in an arranged marriage, the love part of it generally happens after the engagement and the the period between the engagement and the wedding is a time when the guy and girl try their best to meet each other or find some way or the other of communicating to each other...

With amma and annu, the engagement lasted a 100 days as well... At a time when meeting each other was close to impossible and no internet (yeah yeah, the dark ages) and amma in Mangalore and annu in Pune (this distance takes 15 hours by bus in this year and date, so meeting was definitely not a possibility), they exchanged daily letters or cards... The cards were pretty and sweet, amma tells me (like she would show me any of those) and she has preserved them, she says.

When I was talking to Geetakka and Ganesh maam on the phone, both of them on different extensions at their house, I told them about annu and amma exchanging letters. Ganesh maam tells me, they had done the same during their engagement period, but, with a difference... Suddenly, I could hear giggling on Geetakka's end of the phone. They were both in different cities. Ganesh maamu had been working with a bank and while they exchanged daily letters, with the year end at the bank, maamu was more than a little bogged down with the amount of work... After being unable to write for a week, Ganesh maamu was surprised by a letter from his fiance's father one day... Of course, the surprise was nothing compared to the shock at the wordings in the letter... Ajju had written a severe reprimand to him asking him why he hadn't written to Geetakka for so many days... Ajju's poor daughter was in tears at not having received any letter, worried to death about Ganeshmaamu's health... Needless to say, Ganeshmaamu was quick to reply to the letter and write without fail since...

These topics of course led to our conversation on the dining table yesterday where Vasanth mhanthu and Vidya mhava looked at each other with smiles on their faces. Mhanthu was then posted in Delhi and mhava was in Cochin... With the 3 hour wait for placing trunk calls, they were quite lucky that STD calls were being introduced on a trial basis to and from Delhi to different cities of India... Needless to say, mhave's father was quite annoyed with the telephone bills but the fact of the matter was mhanthu and mhava were definitely not bothered by that... Mhanthu then quietly said, he'd send mhava gifts as and when possible.. One was a red saree... with which he sent a letter; but he was definitely in a quandary when he decided to send her a red VIP bag... what does he write now? He expanded the letters VIP for her.... What he said... Lets see who can find out...

Vatsalakka and Shinnamaam's wedding was a little different... Vatsalakka's parents informed her that she was going to get married to Shinnamaam a week hence. So the first time they met was at the wedding!!!

Rekha mavshi and Manali mavshi had been laughing when we asked them. Manali mavshi and Deepak kaka were both in Mumbai and they would meet as often as possible at the station. Her boss was used to losing his secretary at lunch time... Rekha mavshi on the other hand... Kaka had some work in the same town and had been staying in the same house as Rekha mavshi with her family... so much so that people actually thought he was one of the dozen kids of the house. While this had the advantage of there being not the heartache of not seeing each other, the obvious problem was he had gotten to know all her tantrums.

Luckily for R and me, we had the best of all communication media... phone calls, SMS, skype and between the time we first met and our wedding, he came to visit me about 4 times in Pune - once being a surprise visit for my birthday :)

While I started this post before the wedding, the engagement is now over and I now get to see my hubby, Raghavendra, daily... life is definitely sweet :)

Labels: Pyar hua chupake se, Yaadein reh jaati hain...

Almost an year after my last appearance on my blog, this time I return with an announcement... 'I'M GETTING MARRIED.'

So today, 16 days to the wedding, while I sit at home with huge piles of clothes towering all around me on my bed and on the floor, I decided to write about 'him.'

My fiancé, Raghavendra, is just the sort of guy I was looking for - the exact opposite of me. I keep saying, when God made him, all the qualities He had left in the other box went into making me... He is sensible... I am a nut-case; I am a chatterbox... he will listen to every nonsensical comment of mine; he is a romantic... I am... well... clueless; I love to read... he has promised all my books are going to gather dust sitting in the book shelf he is going to buy for me 'cause he says he wants me to give him company in not-reading!!! In another life, I would have probably been a psycho-rocker... he keeps me grounded...

The question my school friends started with was... 'Tell us everything... Start right at the beginning.' So I did...

Teen saal pehle ki baat hai... (They go: Teen saal???!!!), amma decided to start looking for a prospective groom for me. (Oh accha, wahaan se start kar rahi tu...)... So I continued, saying, we met in Bangalore at my mhanthu's (my dad's older brother's) home. We had a very practical discussion about the typical must-have questions... job, friends and jealousies, clothes - restrictions, how religious is his family, how family oriented everyone is. We moved on to things like hobbies, friends, general stuff... We met up again the next day - Friendship Day. I said I needed time to think and probably talk to him a bit more before coming to a decision. We had received a 'Yes' from his side that morning.

Monday morning, we took a flight back to Pune. My cell pinged with a message as soon as I turned it on... Hope you reached safely... I replied, Yes, reached Pune. Could I call you later around 11 P.M. after I get back from office? He said, 'Sure.'

I called him up at night. We said hi to each other... Then I said, 'Actually, the reason I wanted to talk was to say - Yes.' His reply - OK. You are not saying that because you are being pressurized by your family, are you? I am like!!!??? Ye kaisa reply hai? 'No, I thought about it and came to the decision. How about you? You aren't being pressurized by your family, right?' (I mean, no excitement, no pressure na... itna practical question??? :( Gharwaalon ne to nahi haan bulwaaya usse) 'No-no, nothing like that.' We spoke for a while more and then cut the call.

What I missed telling them was, since then, I have already teased him endlessly about the lack of emotion when I said yes. And he has since told me that that monday was the worst of life in between the time he read my message and I gave my assent. He said he couldn't concentrate on his work and worried incessantly about what I would say. I said, ‘Of course, what else could I say? You ticked all the check boxes in my list of what I wanted...’

Since that first time we met, I have visited Bangalore, he has visited me in Pune, we have each surprised the other on birthdays, we have gotten engaged, we have fallen in love... (though he claims he fell in love with me after talking to me the very first time).

What I didn't tell my friends was R and I were probably destined to be together from a long time. We had been sent each others' horoscopes 3 years ago - right at the beginning of our respective searches but while according to their pandit, our horoscopes matched, not according to our pandit. 3 years down the line and after receiving his horoscope about 5 times from different sources, my mamama ( amma's mum) finally said, 'You know what, lets check again.' Well, needless to say, the rest is history. This time the horoscopes matched and quite well I might add. Apparently, relative positions of the stars makes a difference from time to time... Ohhhh...kkkkay.

Whichever way I look at it though I'd say smart catch on the horoscopes. So as we soon embark on a new journey, we both keep our minds positive about the future and look forward to writing a new chapter of our lives - this time together.

P.S. Archana was wondering if I have known R for 3 years... so maybe my post is confusing... We met august of this year... 2011... So amma of course keeps teasing me... Yeah yeah, and before you used to say... 6 months of engagement... Now from the time you first met him to the wedding, just over 4 months... What changed?

Labels: Band Baajaa Baraat, Yaadein reh jaati hain..., Yaaron Dosti badi hi haseen hai...

I have always maintained I have never been in love... but it really is not true... I'm not the jealous type, but surely, this person made me envy the people who took him away from me, who shared his heart... who shared his time... who shared his love. I think he knew. Somewhere in himself he did know for sure. That he was married, it wasn't really to diminish my love... it was in spite that, that I loved him... still do...

I knew he loved his wife more, my amma... but annu was always my best friend... I could talk to him; we'd both tease amma incessantly... I knew what I couldn't tell my mother, I could tell my dad... I am like him actually... crazy, a little more ready to trust people than amma; I do look like him too. Every day, I'd sit and tell him everything.. fight with him... cry, shout... drive amma nuts... but still he was one of my best friends... though it took me too long to realize it.

Annu would drop me off at college and it was one such day when he had dropped me off... We had a free lecture and I was in a free class with my friends when mahesh bhavaji came to the class... Needless, to say, I was surprised... Other than family occasions, I hardly ever saw him... Out of the college and into Meetakka's waiting car... when she broke the news... Annu had passed away from a heart attack... I remember being shocked... speechless in fact... I don't think I cried at once, not when she told me, not when she hugged me hard... I kept thinking... why am I not crying... I'm not sure what was going on in my head apart from these thoughts... , when, how... how is it possible... and most importantly, why... these questions suddenly started to fill my mind...

Coming home to so many people was again a setback... I could see amma was crying and so was bapama, ajju I could see was hit hard, but was taking it as calmly as he could... it had to be hard for them, losing a husband of 20 years... losing your son.. seeing him die before you... no parent should have to go through the pain. When Ashwini came, she was crying too... I was tearless and stonefaced... She said that I shouldn't cry in front of amma, that was easy enough, the tears wouldn't flow in front of anyone... I could only cry when I knew no one could see me or I knew amma was asleep and couldn't hear me... I'd cry myself to sleep everyday...

Talking about annu was like somebody put a hand through my chest, got hold of my heart and squeezed so hard, it ached... it felt like that pain would never go away... it still does feel like that sometimes... but the pain has subsided...

Its been 10 years now... I don't talk about annu to people who don't know already... So I thought it was time that I let it out.

In the 10 years, I have gotten to know amma. She is one of my best friends now... I still say good night to annu after all these years before I sleep, but I do tell amma everything that happened in the day... I have followed annu's advice of being more of an extrovert... talking more freely... but sometimes, I still wish he could have seen the person I am now... Losing annu, and in the past year my ajju and bapama... it feels like I have lost most of my immediate family... The tought that anu wouldn't be at any of the important events in my life, hasn't been during so many, makes me tear up...

Just wish, you were here to help me out and advise me when I fall apart like you were before...

Labels: Yaadein reh jaati hain...

Some people just touch your life and become a part of it. And when they leave, you miss them terribly. Some of them you miss when you don't see them at their desk or when your realize that when you turn around to talk to them, they just aren't there... But there are others, who make you feel you are going to burst into tears as soon as they start off on their 'Goodbye... I'm gonna miss you... And this is what I think of you and what I want to say to you' pre-cake-cutting speech.

The last time this happened to me was when Anjali had left. My fellow gossip, mostly I was a sounding-box when she complained but she has done her share of extending the sympathetic ear when I cribbed about how much I miss my grandparents or cribbed regarding how moms never understand you. Standing on the BOBJ floor and trying to wipe off tears unobtrusively was really difficult as we said goodbye especially considering she was off to Singapore... definitely not as close as a call or chat or a weekend meet away.

Today when Pulkit was about to leave, I could feel my eyes fill up and my throat choke; I knew I had to shut up if I didn't want to start crying then and there. I'm sure I sounded callous when all I said is bye. He said we shouldn't miss him since we'd keep meeting and it won't be Goodbye. It's true but the fact is I won't see him in office; I'll miss his enthusiasm, spirit, sincerity towards work, his friendship... I don't know.. just way too many things. Probably more so because we were in the same group and have shared tiffins as often as gossips.

I'm sure we'll keep meeting Pulkit and Saumya even though he has left but I'll still miss sending out the ping for lunch with his name not there in the list. It's one thing knowing someone is on leave and entirely different when you know they aren't coming back.

Well Pulkit, considering you said we'll all keep meeting, trust me this time you have no way around us coming to your place to eat Saumya ke haath ka khaana. Lunch is still pending. All the best buddy for your new job. Hope you reach as many lives and people as you did here. Take care.

Labels: Yaadein reh jaati hain..., Yaaron Dosti badi hi haseen hai...

So I'm studying for the SAP Certified Application Associate Exams... The pattern changed today i.e. May 1st and I really wanna be one of the first in the team to give the exam. But as I try desperately to study and my hands keep wandering to Mozilla Firefox and the Facebook tab, I have to think about the time I had really enjoyed studying...

There were my classes in 10th at Rajesh Study Centre (RSC) when we used to sit at the class all day and study. While one sir kept the doors unlocked for us, the other gave us treats of Samosas (in my case kachori) and soft drinks. Aditi, Sonal and I had a ball studying and chatting.

Then there were the engineering days, be it practicing graphics together or studying for IP, we have gathered at my house and studied... but not before 'Pet Pooja'... Pehle watermelon and then studies...

Then came the MCSE classes (I still can't believe I never gave the final qualifying exam to become MCSE certified... I stopped at 6 exams... can you believe it???)... Staying back after class, playing with the VMWare, making all those images, testing all kinds of crazy scenarios that took our whim...

But, in all honesty, this post is not about all those times... as we went out to Mezza9 to celebrate 3 years of the Campus 1 batch at KPIT(though our batch completes 3 years on 7th May), I got talking to Uday, our trainer, about all the fun we trainees had had. When I had first seen Uday, during the walk-in at Tejas Office, I had thought he was one of the engineers, a young guy like him definitely wasn't a recruiter. I am embarrassed to admit, that I had actually borrowed a pen from him since I had nervously left my pen case (yeah I used to carry one... Manish has even teased me about it being evidence that I was Uday's trainee) in my sack (yeah, I still prefer it to hauling around a purse). Imagine my shock when I walk in with 4 other people and see the same guy talking to a room of almost 50 people. It was later that I knew that he was, indeed, the trainer. 7 days of intense training both technical and V&A and I was a nervous wreck about the first exams. The exams left just about 15 of us with some shifted to the dev training and just a handful in Architecture (that was what BIP was called back then). Then around 6 more joined us for the product training and we were on our way. To cut a long story short our training started on 7th May 2007 and ended on 7th July 2007 (get it.. 7-7-07?) That's just the short of it, but what made it enjoyable was this...

We celebrated everyone's birthday with songs from Yogesh (if you look back through my posts... just search for the name Yogesh and you'll know... he is one incredible singer) and for some reason from me as well... Mimicry(I wonder if anyone remembers the Hyderabadi stand-up)... e-mails on our KPIT group (all sorts of non-sense including a chain mail.. again something you'll find somewhere in the posts)... the servers and workflows lessons with chocolates (needless to say all said chocolates were provided by Parag as it was a rule that whoever called Uday 'Sir' was to get everyone chocolates the next day. Parag had a ready stash of chocolates), the last day i.e. red day and cake cutting, the presentation 4 of us had given as a possible Sales team marketing Business Objects (I remember Manish saying, 'You said you get stage fright? I don't think so') and most importantly, the BOCD presentation that Parag, Sumeet and I had given. That gave us a lesson in presentation, addressing the public at large and in my case an idea of how to keep your mouth moving, making words come out of it and sound sensible even though your knees are shaking and you are on the brink of a panic attack.

The singing, writing on the glass partitions (drawing the workflows... not ruining the glass partitions), listening to music until Uday came back to the training room as we tested all the tasks, the laughter is something that I miss while I study alone today before my computer... Some of my batchmates are still in KPIT, though very few of the then architecture training team remain... just Parag, Nikhil K., Yogesh and I... Atleast 3 have left in 2010 alone...

Of the Campus 1 batch, most are senior engineers, one ASME, one Manager but the fact is, the celebration still is big...

Wishing my Campus 1 batchmates and the two trainers Uday and Manish CONGRATULATIONS on our completing one more year at KPIT... As Anis Sir's e-mail said, Keep Walking...

Labels: Congratulations and celebrations, Kitabein bohot si padhi hongi tumne, Yaadein reh jaati hain...

I didn't want to go to Bangalore in October... and I don't want to go tomorrow... I guess it just makes me HAVE to believe they are both gone...

I can't call them to tell them about my office... my ajju won't ask me my salary and say, isn't that less? Bapama won't say, don't worry, don't feel bad about ajju... Bapama won't say, don't worry, you'll get married when its right; when you find the right guy...

I can't call them every weekend... I can't call ajju just to ask him which is correct: 'I am as good as he' or 'I am as good as him.' I won't be able to show ajju any of my poems if I ever get around to writing one again...

I surely can't tell either of them how much I love them... I could never really say goodbye to either of them... I can't listen to ajju tell another story or sing another song which hasn't been recorded... I can't hear bapama ask how some relative or family friend is whom she hadn't seen for years together...

Amma won't be able to tell bapama about a neighbour from Ashwamedh society where we lived until '99 whose son is getting married and be surprised when she asks about not just them but also about half the other people in that building WE hadn't thought about in years...

I can't say anymore that my ajju is going to complete his 102ND year or bapama reach her 90Th year or them celebrating their 75Th anniversary...

I won't be able to take their blessings when I get married... When I do find that guy I'll marry, he'll never be fortunate enough to have met them...

Never again will I see them smile... Never again will I see him look at her with love or with that possessive look... never again will I hear her say in a choked voice how happy he would have been to hear me sing one of his favorite songs... Never will I be able to hear her reminisce something funny from the past... or hear her tell a story...

There are so many things I never thought to ask and they never thought to tell...

I have to keep telling myself this is for the best, but still my eyes well up.. still my throat chokes... still I try not to let the tears fall down... still I try to think of all this without getting depressed... still I try telling myself that losing 3 of the 4 people I have loved the most in my life isn't the end of the world... still I tell myself life should go on... still I tell myself that neither of them would be OK seeing me feeling low... still I hope to see them again as someone else... still I hope I have already learnt enough from them... still I say shubha ratri, good night and oya sumi nasai to the three of them...

Labels: If only I could turn back time, Yaadein reh jaati hain...

As tears finally course down my cheeks, I think of my bapama who had lived with us for almost 16 years of my life. The woman who was whimsical, childish, who fought with annu and would not talk to him if he scolded me, who loved her husband so much and was loved equally in return has now gone on to join him in his heavenly abode.

Though they had an arranged marriage, ajju and bapama would be subjected to all sorts of teasing since he was her brother's friend and colleague. 12 years apart in age but so strong a love and bond was hard to come by.

Celebrating a love for 75 years of a truly blissful marriage and a cute romance is an example any couple would like to follow.

A protective grandmother, a possessive mother, a loving wife and most of all a woman who had her feet grounded in tradition but a mind which learnt to adjust to a more modern outlook, she has been a woman of formidable strength though frail and tiny.

I wipe my tears now thinking ajju and bapama are back together after a separation of 4 months.

I'll always love you bapamu. Good night. Sumadhura swapna.

Labels: Yaadein reh jaati hain...

...So at 2:00 A.M. last night as I got into bed, I realized my mind was racing... I really wouldn't fall asleep until I got everything out of my system... I was too tired to write down everything and just decided to record whatever I was thinking... But whatever I recorded last night, I really can't bother posting... I don't like the sound of my own recorded voice pausing, breathing, thinking... So I thought I'd just write down stuff

...Last year, in January, the first Sunday of the year, 3 girls met... at Hakka for lunch... The most memorable thing here was the notes we wrote for each other, Purni, Shrads and I... Purni had written a toast to our friendship and singlehood (The last one may not last long though, right... she had written)... Shrads wrote that each day we live we leave footsteps behind and it is important how each day is spent because the imprints lie like footfalls in snow... How very true... Purni's words seem prophetic now... Shraddha is now married for almost 4 months and in Germany, Purnima has found her soul mate as well and will be married this year...

...For me year 2009 was mainly an year of joys... an year of revelling in the happiest days of some of my friends' lives... weddings, babies, committments... Priyasha, my neighbour got married... Two Gauris from school got married, coincidentally, on the same day... The Gauri who was my good friend in school, I met after 9 years on her wedding day... Suchitra and Supriya got married.. Sujata has now a daughter, Nitya... Ananthanna is engaged... At office, Imran got married though is not working at KPIT anymore.. Nikhil, my fellow, auth team member and buddy got married in Feb to his sweetheart... Pranjal is engaged... My little bro, Vijendra, brought a new member to our family, Padmini/Vandana... his lovely wife. So many of these are love marriages... and I have to mention that there are two more of my friends who are committed but about whom I heard from other friends, so I shan't mention details here... Such and Shrads are now abroad... But so is Anjali... her husband's project got transferred to Singapore and after leaving her job here, Anj is working in S'pore as well... One of my dear friends is expecting a baby... again not gonna give away details just yet. We went for Anirruddha's moonji in Udupi...

...I made new friends and by this I mean some acquaintances of 2008 are now good friends... There's Rachana, Garvit, Pulkit, Saumya, Nikhil S., Nirjhari, Siddz... Two friends got added to the my list of best friends.. Amma of course and Sujay from work. After 9 years, Friendship day, brought with it a friendship that was never ever forgotten.. Wasima and Basma I met for the first time after school... and Sharvari and Priyanka and Balmeet...

...I read a lot of books... most significant of which is the Harry Potter series; I am reading the 7th book now and will read the first one last... I feel that one is jinxed, I have never been able to complete it. We painted our house... I bought a new Teddy Bear home... Watched some fun movies with Shraddha, Purnima, Pallavi and amma.

...The saddest event of the year for me which hit me personally was losing the second love of my life, my ajju. But, this was not completely sad in that, he had lived life to the fullest... genuinely king-size... and passed away so very peacefully. He never had to depend on anyone... He lived and died on his own terms, surrounded by part of his family and still so much in love with Bapama... And maybe that's what gave HER strength... the strength to pick up the pieces that we were shattering into.

...At work, I got promoted to Senior Engineer... I am now working with the Admin team... so its a new team and a new manager and also a new Senior manager. Some of my batch mates switched jobs. Some are serving their notice periods. I received some wonderful comments from friends when we had our post-it week when we wrote comments and stuff for each other. A group of my office friends and I watched so many movies together and I have rated all of them so badly that Nikhil S. said that for Tejaswini to really love a movie, it really needs to be exceptional. Our team went to Essel World last month and had fun bonding and acting like kids... We had a joyous Christmas and loads of gifts and wonderful comments for our managers.

...I have missed dance classes this year... and I have missed writing poems; though I did write two... one for Shraddha, at 1:50 or something in the morning after she told me she was getting married and another for Sujay as a testimonial and birthday gift. Ashwini introduced me to some beautiful blogs... sensitive ones and nasty, bitchy ones. My hair is now quite short thanks to the quick snips of my hair dresser, though I don't have too many complaints.. I love it this way; its just nasty business tying it up so that it doesn't get wet in the shower.

...That was my year 2009 crammed into one post.

2010 is now here... I am gonna go and continue reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows now..

Good night and a Happy New Year

Labels: Yaadein reh jaati hain...

I was on my clean-up drive and was clearing up an old account... Here's a silly e-mail chain my friends and I kept adding to for (wow!!!) 22 whole days... Here's unleashing some of the madness... (This was literally a colourful e-mail but blogspot doesn't seem to accept it.. And not in the mood to fiddle with the colours all that much)... One of the silier episodes that I remember of my KPIT training team

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: chetashri
Date: Sat, Aug 25, 2007 at 5:52 PM
Subject: Re: Just for giggles....
To:


Hurray!! That was superb Tejaswini!!!

On 8/25/07, Tejaswini wrote:
OK Parag... let me continue with your story...

Now one thing you can never blame girls for is learning from their mistake. Now on their way back from Lonavala to Pune, they decide to take a local... The guys now confident of their so-called superiority, decide to repeat their previous plan of buying no tickets... The girls smart as they are, realise the guys' folly and all buy tickets. When the TC comes in the gals are safe and sound and guys are kicked out not to mention the penalty they had to pay... They in their over confidence had forgotten locals don't have toilets. :P

On 8/20/07, chetashri wrote:
my god!!! Somebody please take initiative to and keep counting no of replies and we can celebrate the century!!!!!!! :-)

On 8/19/07, parag wrote:
=================================================

Hey dear, i don know @ others, however i couldn't understand what is the meaning of ur story.......

Hehe.. seriously good one Parag.

Feminist Fairytale

As u know I'm poor in English. mere liye alag se simple english me likha karo.......

==============================================

Here is one story for u all from my side......... Enjoy....
Boys v/s Girls

who is brilliant a Girl or a Boy ??

7 Girls and 7 Boys are going from PUNE to
Mumbai. So they both gather at Pune Station. Both
groups are desperately trying to prove their
superiority.

SCENE 1 (PUNE- MUMBAI) :

7 Boys take only 1 Ticket and 7 Girls buy all 7
tickets..Girls are desperately waiting for TC to
come...... When TC arrives, All 7 Boys get in one
toilet SO when TC knocks , one hand come out with the
ticket and the TC goes away....Girls say "Dekh
lenge"




SCENE 2 (MUMBAI - LONAVALA) :

Girls decided, "this time we will prove that we too
are equally SHAANE"....All 7 Girls take 1 Ticket. Boys
don't buy any ticket at all!!!!!..TC
arrives....
ALL GIRLS IN ONE TOILET.ALL BOYS IN THE
OPPOSITE ONE..
One Boy gets out and knocks the door of Girls
toilet, One hand comes with the tickets, he takes the
ticket and comes in Boys Bathroom... TC DRIVES out
hey! Boys r always smart.....donn u agree boys!!

parag.........................................

=========================================
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tejaswini
Date: Aug 18, 2007 10:37 PM
Subject: Re: Just for giggles....
To:

Oye Naveen!!!!! Come on do u honestly think either of us believes in this sexist nonsense? Its just that this kind of bashing is fun.. I seriously smile at some of the things the guys come up with... and don't worry no ones fighting.. chill Naveen.. neither are we gals after u guys' blood nor the other way 'round... continue this thread and have a good laugh reading all the things everyone writes..

Thandh rakh Naveen.
-Tejaswini

On 8/18/07, Naveen wrote:
hey peope what is this keep on fighting on a single topic

what ever it is i believe both are equal as not one exists with out the other
this is fact every one knows abut that then y this contraversies

be cool we have much more thngs to do in life rather than fighting

enough of baashan

uday told us to be profestionals not people in fish market


naveen

On 8/18/07, Tejaswini wrote:
Hehe.. seriously good one Parag.

Feminist Fairytale
Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful independent self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle. The frog hopped into the princess's lap
And said: Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into a dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and setup housekeeping in yon castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children and forever feel grateful and happy doing so.
That night, on a repast of lightly sauteed frogs' legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled to herself and thought: I don't think so!

:P

-Tejaswini

On 8/18/07, Indian !!! wrote:
That's Really nice Parag.. hahaha......

On 8/18/07, parag wrote:
======================================


WOMAN has MAN in it .

SHE has HE in it.

Mrs . has Mr. in it.

LADY has LAD in it.

MISTERESS has MISTER in it.

MADAM has ADAM in it.

HOSTESS has HOST in it.

FEMALE has MALE in it

and so on the list is never ending

SO NO need to be proud ....Girls
YOU are always incomplete without
Boys....ha ha ha





Parag..........


====================================


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sumeet
Date: Aug 13, 2007 12:07 AM
Subject: Re: Just for giggles....
To:
i guess only we five (Tejaswini, Parag, Nikhil, Chetashri and Me) are there to add on to this mail. no one in this group are interested to add or speak on the topic... :)

Ok then, we can stop speaking on the topic now... its a high time now... :)

~Sumeet...

On 8/12/07, Tejaswini wrote:
WOW!!! This mail is being added to for 10 days now :D.. go on ppl.. anymore PJs? Bashing guys or gals to add to this mail?
-Tejaswini

On 8/10/07, chetashri wrote:
Me too. felt like I dont understand english anymore...............

On 8/10/07, Tejaswini wrote:
Is it just me or is everyone confused after reading Sumeet's comment? No offense, but wat u trying to say here? No further comments..
-Tejaswini

On 8/8/07, Sumeet wrote:
well, i guess in that case its again man how succedded in confusing the ladies and hence the ladies went on with a wrong conclusion... :)

thats y its said if a girl have buty in her, she dont have brains, and if she have brains, she is not beautiful... :)
buty n brains are like the 2 pollar region for them that can never meet.

he he he he...!!!

~Sumeet...

On 8/7/07, Tejaswini wrote:
u know Parag... thats ok.. ican understand u r confused.. u meant to say cows and gals as in 'GAI's and gals.. no probs.. chal tujhe maaf kiya
-Tejaswini

On 8/7/07, parag wrote:
==============================================


Well Chetashri.......... I think u r correct.
I was wrong........ as i'm always confused between cows and Buffaloes 4m my childhood.
Could u please help me 2 decide ?


parag


=================================



---- Forwarded message ----------
From: chetashri
Date: Aug 7, 2007 3:04 AM
Subject: Re: Just for giggles....
To:
may b he means guys n gals.................now tht shows a woman how confused a man is when he does something on his own!!!!!
this series is going to b a interesting one !!


On 8/7/07, Tejaswini wrote:
@Chetashri: Hey ur just for giggles has proceeded to become an all out Battle of sexes :P

@Parag: Boys and COWS!!!!??????



On 8/6/07, Nikhil wrote:
man this is real funny :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

--
Nikhil


On 8/4/07, parag wrote:

Well boys and cows,

what i wana say is.......

Behind every successful man there is a women (many women) because women always run after a successful man.

and now a days

@Behind every successful women....... there is a women*. @


*Also applicable in India.






---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Nikhil
Date: Aug 3, 2007 7:08 AM
Subject: Re: Just for giggles....
To:
Dear Mam, i want to re correct the sentence

Well Sumeet... maybe wat u mean to say is... Behind every successful man, there is an even MORE SURPRISED WOMAN

--
Nikhil

On 8/3/07, Tejaswini wrote:
Well Sumeet... maybe wat u mean to say is... Behind every successful man, there is an even MORE successful WOMAN

-Tejaswini


On 8/2/07, Sumeet wrote:
I guess this may be a reason why it is said that:

Behind every successfully MAN, there is a women - To take away all the incomes and spend them... And behind every successfully WOMEN, there is an exhausting man to accomplish her work. :)

~Sumeet...

On 8/2/07, chetashri wrote:



Time for some male bashing..... (For a change)
>
>
> Q: What is the difference between men and puppies?
> A: Puppies grow up.
>
>
> Q: Why do men always have a stupid look on their
> faces?
> A: Because they are...
>
>
> Q: What do men have in common with ceramic tiles?
> A: Fix them properly once and you can walk all over
> them forever.
>
>
> Q: If you drop a man and a brick out of a plane,
> which one would hit the ground first?
> A: Who cares?????.....(both are equally dense!!)
>
>
> Q: What did God say after he created man?
> A: I can do better than this! And then he created
> woman!!!! (Yea)
>
>
> Q: What's the difference between an intelligent man
> & a UFO?
> A: I don't know, I've never seen either.
>
>
> Q: What are two reasons why men don't mind their own
> business?
> A: i) no mind ii) no business
>
>
> Q: Why did Moses wander in the desert for 40 years?
> A:! Because even back then men wouldn't ask for
> directions ..LOL!!!
>
>
> Q: What is the difference between men and pigs?
> A: Pigs don't turn into men when they drink...
>
>
> Q: What do you do with a man who thinks he's God's
> gift?
> A: Exchange him!!
>
>
> Q: Why do men like smart women?
> A: Opposites attract.
>
>
>
> Pass this on to some women who need a laugh..
> And to men who can handle it!

Labels: Chitthi aayi hai..., Yaadein reh jaati hain..., Yaaron Dosti badi hi haseen hai...

For the past couple of days, I have kept wondering whether I am being bitchy and selfish when I thought that when I get married I want the names of my grandparents to be there on the card; inviting everyone for their granddaughter's wedding. Not late but them being there to bless me and whomever I married. After all they have blessed all their grandchildren, why won't I be blessed with the good fortune of being blessed by my 101 year old grandfather and his beautiful young wife of 89? What could be more amazing than a bond of 75 years blessing a couple starting a new life?

It has been hard to see my grandparents who had lived with us for almost 16 years of my life looking so different now. It was difficult to comprehend that he couldn't hear what I said or that she has turned into something of a rag doll, so frail so weightless. It was difficult to watch Sohananna and Anil Bhavaji bring them downstairs on a chair knowing walking a flight of stairs was akin to climbing the Everest.

Still somewhere you rejoice when you speak with him or hear their voice on the phone. Hearing him say your name thrice in a effort to hear you call out to him as he wishes you a Happy Birthday. Hearing her talk joyfully with you.

Still when you see the missed call on your mom's cell from your mhantu you know it is not to wish you on your birthday once more. Something is wrong. You see your amma's hand trembling when she asks you to call but you can't make yourself dial the number.

You nod your head when she murmurs close to tears that your second love, your dear ajju is no more. You don't cry... you can't cry. Tears seem to have frozen. Slowly a lump forms in your throat but you have been strong for the people around you for so long, that its difficult for you to let the tears fall. You have cried over a bad viva in college and bad CSATs at work... Yet you can't shed tears for losing the person you loved second most in the world.



Shri Suratkal Krishnaraya Shenoy, aged 101 died today of a heart failure. He is survived by his wife, 3 daughters, 1 son, 2 daughters in law, 2 sons-in-law and his grandchildren, their spouses and great grandchildren.

Lovingly called Mashtrumaam by those who have known him from his teaching days was a beloved aanu, cherished ajju and adored taata. A respected and well-known teacher of Kannada at Canara High School, his students still came to visit him when he was in Pune and when he went to Bangalore. With a joy of hindustani classical music, he spent a lot of time listening to music, singing or teaching music. A master at mythology and Hindu parampara, he loved to create quizzes on these favourite subjects.

Losing a son and a son-in-law, this gentleman was still a wall of strength and an idol for his family. A simple man who ate vegetarian food, walked for exercise and enjoyment as long as his feet could carry him, a storyteller with a smile which could light up a room and a simple joy of life, is someone we will cherish. The joy of travelling, love of family, acceptance is something we all take from him.

I end my post with a simple kiss of love to this man who has taught me and so many around him so much. Shubha ratri ajju. Hope the stars shine brighter with you among them now.

Labels: Yaadein reh jaati hain...

So Pri, Versa and I took Sup out for her kelwan yesterday... She is getting married next week.

In college, it was the six of us here in Pune... now there are four... Sujata's married and in Mumbai... We haven't met her since she got married... Anagha's in the US, almost done with her MS; though I'm not sure when or whether she plans on coming back... Now Supriya will go to Bangalore...

I do sometimes feel lost... I miss my friends and I miss talking to them and playing dumb charades... I do miss that life...

While I do understand, that life goes on, we make new friends, I feel sometimes if I am not losing old ones...

Labels: Yaadein reh jaati hain..., Yaaron Dosti badi hi haseen hai...

I just spent about half an hour reading through my old blog posts... The other day read out the funnier ones to amma...

I just realised the best thing about writing a blog... its like looking through your old album... when you read your own blog, it brings back all the joys that you felt when you wrote them... the bitter-sweet memories of friends... the ones you speak to all the time and those whom you have lost touch with or have fought with... The emotion of seeing a dead lizard or eating dried up squishy maggi or watching some stupid movie with friends... Memories of the poems you wrote... of the books you read...

Realising that the fact that all your Labels being songs makes no difference since you have no link to redirect them to the respective blog :'(

Labels: Yaadein reh jaati hain...

Today we shifted to level 1... We the Europe support were on level 2 since about the past 8 months... in other words since I started to work at KPIT and since I joined my team...

Level 1 was what was originally the BOBJ floor where all BOBJ support engineers used to sit before the ETAC or Europe team was shifted to Level 2 back in August just after I joined... Since then, we have all come to love our floor... We had our small 30 odd strong 'little' family of Design and Architecture engineers and obviously our very own coccoon on level2... We were used to our neighbours... Rashi sitting opposite me... Her non-stop nok-jhok with her neighbour and buddy Nikhil... My neighbour Rajesh and I have got adjusted to each other... he is terribly quiet so I can keep talking endlessly and he listens... be it that I crib about some case or if I am utterly excited about some ridiculously simple case...

On friday we were told we'd move downstairs... The move finally came through today... Our lockers downstairs were locked... our machines utterly messed with... when we got in we spent about an hour getting everything just right... the test machine keyboard and mouse had to be on the desk... the production machine counterparts had to be on the pull-out trolley... then switch the monitors... restart all machines since neither of the devices could be hot-swapped... Work started at about 2 p.m.

I'd chalk it off to being the first day in a new location... but then isn't it strange when you feel half a dozen pairs of eyes staring at you as soon as you buzz yourself into the room? Moreover when you are seated right in the middle of the room, though it takes the heat off you in that neither the Operations Manager can see what you are upto from the right hand corner of the room or that you are way away from the clients who sit on the left hand corner of the room, it means that you have to walk across half across the room whenever you have to leave the room... its painful to say the least... Not in the least is the fact that half of our ETAC floor is accustomed to walking on the floor bare-feet... the level 1 floor is just atrocious...

Though my new neighbour, Arun, is as quiet if not more as Rajesh... and that Imran and Vaibhav sit right across from me... and Nikhil sitting right across the partition next to me... (Have you noticed there is not a single girl in my vicinity? Absolutely no girl-talk now... all girls have been separated to the extent that we have to stand up and shout if we want to talk or (horror of horrors) actually use the phone :'( ) .. its still not the same as annoying Rajesh endlessly or listening to Rashi and Nikhils' constant bickering... though the floor buzzed with our laughter and constant pranks earlier, here our voices seem to get lost the way the sound of a tiny ripple goes unnoticed when a wave breaks at the shore... I'll miss listening to Anshul as he in his own unimitable way spoke so well on the phone that he has elevated it to an art form... I'll miss Velington and Anshul nagging each other...

It probably won't be as bad once we get used to this place... I mean the day went off with lots of good news for the team (Touch Wood!)... Who knows this place might actually be lucky for our team... lets hope so anyway...

Labels: Chale Chalo..., Yaadein reh jaati hain...

I really have trouble making friends… but apparently more trouble holding on to them… especially when they are really good friends… Obviously losing a singe friend once is possible… but if I keep losing them it definitely has to be my fault, right? No sympathy deserved?

I am no good at keeping in touch with old friends… that’s why I am not so much in touch with my school and junior college friends…apart from the occasional phone calls that is… some friends I have completely lost track of though…

Now come serious offences on my part… not being in touch was bad enough… misunderstandings and ego issues made me lose one of my online friends… neither of us was ready to say we were sorry… and when we did it was too late…

One of my best friends and I have grown just too far apart… we don’t think alike anymore or maybe the problem is just that we don’t talk to each other anymore… we each have our own lives and though I hope this isn’t the end, it does seem to be the beginning of it though…

Another of my really close friends, I know not what happened... the chirpy funny enjoys life all the time type person suddenly became withdrawn… maybe its just me but he has changed and sometimes it hurts when he doesn’t talk to me as much as he did before…

And most recently one of my really good friends, to whom I shan’t admit that he was probably one of my closest online friends… we pretty much decided to end the friendship… because I shall never be quite as open and expressive as he would want me to be… but I never have been one of those who has heartfelt talks… I certainly am not the confrontational types to discuss issues…

So basically this post is just my cowardly way of saying sorry to all those friends I lost contact with… all the friends whom I did not understand and whom I did not let understand me… my apologies to all of them and even though I don’t say this to any of them directly… my best wishes to them for their future… and this was MY attempt at closure...

P.S. I don’t think anyone is going to really understand what I am saying… I don’t expect it either… just had to type this all down…

Labels: Yaadein reh jaati hain...

Its been an year since Shraddha and I stayed over at Purnima's... One year since the maggi debacle... Purnima, Shraddha and I met up for the first time this year... We had decided to meet on January 1st, but the plans fell through. So meeting today after so long was fun as usual... We chatted for so long, Purni's mum and my mom called us up asking... Did you come for the picnic or did you come to sit outside.. well you know how moms are... saying we came to sit outside and chat was NOT an option... In we went...

Well as usual there were loads of games... I won a prize as did amma... The most fun game as usual was Housie or Tambola...

Going back to the topic of last year's stay over.. am I sounding like Jodi Picoult go back and forth back and forth between the past and the present... Yeah high hopes for me, to consider myself a great writer... and high hopes for you if you think I am gonna write about the stay over AGAIN... I had already written about it before (Check the Bass do minute blog)...

But I could write about last year's GSB Republic Day picnic, which was what we had gone to today... They changed the date from 26th Jan to the first sunday of February from this year... not republic day silly... 8-| the picnic... Last year was all the more fun because we made new friends... A lot of our KIP friends had come in... Priyanka Pai, Ananth anna, Sankalp, Abhang and Nishanth... We also recruited a new member in the KIP gang... Sharmila... One year and so much has changed... Priyanka was placed somewhere out of Pune last time I chatted with her... Sankalp is in USA never having come to stay in Pune... Abhang had come for a few minutes today... he said he is hardly in Pune these days... his job is keeping him away from here... Nishanth is in Hyderabad... It was his birthday yesterday and I realised he has ALREADY left when his number came up as not in use... Sharmila is engaged and soon to be married... I joined KPIT... Purnima gave her French Diplome exams yesterday... Unfortunately to say... I have got utterly bored of Orkut and KIP :( ... Which reminds me, Purnima has given up ownership of KIP and left orkut...

A lot has happened over the year... Just seems that time kind of flies when in reality... an year is made of 365 days... 365 days when anything can happen and life as you know it.... might just change....

Labels: Hickory Dickory Dock..., Yaadein reh jaati hain...