Express yourself! Truth is a different issue ;)

AE (Airtel Employee): Hello Madam, I’m calling from Airtel. This is regarding your address verification.

Me: Oh! Ok… (surprised tone, because I took the connection on August 8th…and it’s already October 2nd!)

AE: Madam, this connection is under the name Ajay?

Me: Yes. That’s my brother.

AE: And you are using this?

Me: Yes.

AE: Ok, Madam, I’ll read out the address, please confirm. It is: Ajay, xxx-102, Xxxxxxxx Lane, Xxxxxxxxx, Trivandrum?

Me: Yes, that’s right.

AE: Ok, Madam, does your brother reside at the same address?

Me: Of course, he does.

AE: Ok Madam, could you tell me his address?

Me 😯 : Whaaaaaatttt ??????

AE: Hello? Ok, Madam, then no need… Madam, you might get a call from our head office, to check on me — to know whether I’d come to your residence for the verification. I’m not coming, but please tell them I came. Could you do that for me, please?

Me: Ahem. (Thinking: ‘Verifier’ being verified by the ‘verifyee’??!!) Sure…why not? Will they ask me to verify your name?

AE: No, Madam. But in case they do, my name is Aneesh.

Me: Deal, dude! (to myself, 😉 )

This happened yesterday…on 2nd October. On Gandhi Jayanthi, on the birthday of the Father of our Nation, on the birthday of that guy who preached non-violence and did weird experiments with TRUTH, I’m asked to bear false testimony!! 😮

Right now, am experimenting with my conscience. Do I support AE? Or do I ditch the deal and act shocked if the call comes from his head office??

“Be the change you want to see!”

During those good old school days, October 2 used to be a holiday much looked forward to! Gandhi Jayanthi…yay!!

We used to gear up the previous night itself — with little brooms and knives and hatchets and spades and coir baskets. We used to line up on the streets and clear away the grass and papers and plastic. The next day morning, the streets would be NEAT! All this, for those rounds of fresh, cool lime juice and that feeling of “I’m doing something of importance!” And we’d all proudly show it off to our parents and dig out praises from them 😉

It was something we kids used to religiously take part in, every year — and yes, boast about it next day in class. “I covered almost the entire stretch of road from House No. xa to House No. xm!! Was I tired!” The significance of the act was never questioned.

Once that age passed us by and we entered high school, it became a headache…but for a few more years, we did it grudgingly. “Oh, what’s the point? Clearing the road once a year makes no sense! We should, instead, focus on the nation’s development. Motivate people, instill confidence in them…and create a new mindset in the youth!”

By the time we were college go-ers, it became a nuisance. “Damn! Clean the road? I can’t even dream of getting caught doing such stuff! I’ll lose my image! Anyway, what does Gandhi Jayanthi have to do with cleaning the road? Might as well light up candles, cut a cake and party!”

Today, in most parts of the nation, people with the school-kid mentality still do it. Only, there is no more grass to be uprooted…no more plastic to be cleared…no more papers to be burnt. And people surely needs bigger and stronger volunteers (people with exceptional will power preferred!), bigger spades, huge sacks and trucks to carry off the ‘cleaned up’ mess — wires; spent bomb shells; a hand here; a head there; some must-have-been body part elsewhere; debris of buildings and shops and vehicles — and a well-trained mind that can filter out emotions. But this time, parents don’t praise. They beg these volunteers to steer clear and stay indoors! 😀

People with the mentality of the college go-ers think humans are the only grub on earth — and set out with the mission of “cleaning” them off the planet! They make cake-bombs, light it up and have a blast! 😀 Yey! Party time! And then the Political Party-s start their merry-making. Oh yea…these volunteers do try their best not to get caught doing such stuff!

People with the high school mentality blog about it! So…

Blog the change you want to see… 🙂