What does little Birdie say?

One of these days, while going for an afternoon walk (instead of morning walk, due to the cold weather), I passed through a stadium in our locality and came across a family playing a ballgame.

It was a wonderful sight. A young couple and their two kids (a son and a daughter) happily playing, playfully arguing. 'Picture Perfect' family in today's busy lifestyle. I wondered how come the parents are not at work on a Monday afternoon...

And then I remembered an incident of my childhood, when I was 5 year old and my elder brother and I commuted to school by bus. Our school was quite far off and my very responsible brother took care of me on our bus ride back and the walk from the bus-stop to our home.

After the school bell rang, we went in a queue to our respective buses, helped by a maid. One of my friends who lived near by was picked up by her mother, who stayed at home. I loved to see their union after school.

So, after a couple of days I went back home and asked my parents to come and pick me up from school , the next day. I also asked them to lift me up while I walk towards the bus. Everything planned, yes! My brother, more mature for the age he was, thought that it was an unreasonable demand as both of my parents were working and it was practically not possible for them to be present in the school at 1.30 in the afternoon.

But, I walked towards the bus next day, confident that I would not need to enter it. And I was right!

'They lift me from the queue, hug me tight and kisses shower.' Whoa... Just as I had imagined! My Mom had taken a day off from her college and my dad too had taken a half day leave from his bank. So, my brother and I didn't go by bus that day. Infact, we did not go home directly. We had lunch at our favourite restaurant, visited the toy shop, played in the park till the sunset. One of the most memorable days in my life till date :)

Years later, when I asked my mom that why did she take my silly demand so seriously, she replied that she wanted me to know that I could always count on her. She also explained that it is very important for a kid to know that her parents always have time for her, no matter how busy they are with the jobs. This assurance is required for a child's overall development. Great thinking , more so keeping in account the fact that they didn't have an easy access to child psychology books and internet then.

...I kept standing on a corner of the playground for, no idea how long, floating along the memories close to my heart, suddenly coming back to the present when I realised that it had started raining. Yes, I saw a drop on the ground. I looked up to see that the sun was shining brightly and there was no cloud in the sky.

I started walking homewards, feeling grateful towards my parents for making me what I am today - independent, confident, honest and brave...

The verses of a poem I had read in class I, and which was my mom's favourite of the lot then, come to my mind...

What does little Birdie say,
In her nest, at peep of day?
"Let me fly", says little Birdie,
"Mother, let me fly away";

"Birdie, rest a little longer",
"Till the wings are little stronger",
So, she rests a little longer,
Then, she flies away.

Perturbed...

I am not able to concentrate on the work at hand from the time I have read - 'The Kite runner'.

Well, I have not finished reading it. I could not read past 70 something page. And, it is a 300+ page book. I am worried what lies ahead.

It is not that I have never read a book describing the bad deeds/tortures of a part of human race over other. Though, such thoughts have always made me sad, this one was different , had a worse effect.

The story is set in the 'pre-war' Afghanistan, that is before the U.S.S.R invasion. Even then, the split in the society on the basis of sects was very pronounced.

What disturbed me was the fact that a 10-11 year old kid with his two friends was able to mercilessly beat and torture another kid belonging to the other sect. What made the child filled with hatred to this extent towards a fellow human? The society? Yes, I think so. The schools confirmed (according to the book) the upper-hand of one sect over other and the older members of the society easily ignored serious offences committed by the kids of the so called better sect as playful tricks.

I am forced to think that where was this society anyway headed to?

No, this does not justify the erstwhile USSR invasion or the more recent US attacks. But, I am just trying to picture this- With the deep rooted hatred and violence and the very narrow mindset, minus the invasions... was it possible for Afghanistan to have started moving on the path of progress?

On the other side of the counter...

With lot of free time at hand, I decided to be a bit adventurous in my job hunt. I thought, let me do something I have never done before but I think will be fun doing.

Shopping has always been a stress-buster for me and apparels -my passion. So, I went to an Australian fashion store to enquire about job opportunities there. I was selected after a couple of interviews as 'consultant' and was required to work for that brand in one of the biggest department stores. It all sounded quite exciting, that is untill I actually started working.

As I started my first day at work, I soon realised that it wasn't as creative as I thought it to be. My work basically was of selling clothes. And that required me to keep standing all day.

Though, I am an ardent shopper myself, I found it difficult to talk people into buying things that they didn't intend to. I soon realized that this isn't the kind of job I would love to do. And, if I continue, I wouldn't do justice to my work.

So, I quit just after 5 days of my employment.

But, in those 5 days I got a chance to know a few local people. One young girl, for whom I had developed liking, had passed her school and moved to Canberra from a small town and joined work here. She told that she too wished to go to the university some day like me but, she had not yet decided what subject she wanted to study and so was doing this job to earn a living.

Then, I met a Chinese woman who loved her job and was very enthusiastic to serve the customers. Though, her English wasn't fluent, she successfully managed to convey her message and was instantly liked by all for her friendliness.

During my short stint at work, I was able to understand the Aussie accent and even picked up a few one liners which obviously would come handy to me. Like , I now ask - "How are you going" when I meet someone instead of -How are you doing? That reminds me of an incident Ritesh told me about. His friend had joined a new job and his boss asked how was he going, to which the simple guy replied -By bus!!! Not his fault...

Bye-byes are difficult for me even if the acquaintance is as short as 5 days. It was over-whelming to see how my co-workers came over and spoke to me when they realised that I had planned not to continue the job. Some of them who knew about my background commented that they had expected it as I was too good for the job.

But, believe me, I left the job, not because I considered it lowly. Infact, I appreciate the way people work there, their enthusiasm and hard-work. But, I was not fit there, it was difficult to connect to that job and I think that it is important to be honest in what we do, to be able to do it properly.

On my way back from work on the last day, sitting in the bus, lost in contemplation, I was going over the conversation which I had with my colleagues again and again. I even started doubting my decision.

When I sighted Ritesh on the bus-stop, waiting to pick me up, I was delighted having realised for the first time that day that I don't need to go back to that work any more.

As I sat in the car , I knew that my decision was right... If I'm so glad at the thought of quitting the job, how can I be happy in continuing it?

From Bangalore to Canberra ...and beyond

While I was doing my engineering, I always wanted to go , work in Bangalore (India).Whenever my friends asked the reason for this desire, I replied that I feel like going there.I wasn't ever sure of the reason myself.Though, I had read an article about Bangalore which said that it's the most romantic place in the country and a survey said that there were more hunks than beauties there and I think that the above facts certainly played a role.Afterall, when you are young, don't you live in your own fantasy world?Like a child walking on a sea-shore, without knowing which pebble she'll pick to add to her treasure.

Well, so I went to bangalore.Though, I had a better reason to justify my going there.I got a job with Wipro Technologies during campus recruitment, Bangalore being its headquartes had a lot of opportunities and so I went there to be in the midst of activity. On landing there, I instantly fell in love with the city.The weather was amazing. I often say it has natual air-conditioning, temperature is just right all through the year.

The work kept me busy but I never complained.Infact, I enjoyed every bit of it. The team was cohesive and the boss-dependable.On weekends, I with my friends usually ate out, shopped at Forum Mall,went for a movie in Inox at Garuda Mall and walked down the very busy lanes of Brigade and MG Road.Often my friends and I wondered where have all the hunks disappeared :)
In the due course of two and a half years, which I spent there, I came to know a lot of locals.I was impressed with their simplicity and sincerity.I completely felt at-ease with them.
Sometime, in future if Ritesh and I decide to go back to India for good, Bangalore will top the list of cities to live in.

But, at the same time, one of my closest friends who was stuck in a project with unrealistic deadlines and an unreasonable manager, is unable to appreciate the city.So, while I am all praise for it , she hardly has anything good to say about it.

Now, that forces me to think that we make our impression about things and even people (if we extrapolate the observation) mainly on the basis of how they have been to us. A place is neither good nor bad. It is our experience with it which makes it so.

Hmm...having realised that, I have decided to stop whining about the slowness and lack of opportunities in Canberra which made me live at home without job for more than four months now.These four months weren't as fruitless as I made them sound at times.Like I tried out my hand at cooking , took care of our home, got lot of time to read and was able to give my undivided attention to my dear husband.Yup, it is a bliss :)

And, as far as Canberra is concerned, what all has it got to offer...time will show.

Just like that...started

I was thinking about writing down my thoughts from quite some time.Ritesh wanted it too.
Partly, because he realized that I had never sat at home for so long and kept suggesting things I could do without feeling bored , and partly because he expected that would prevent me from pouring my anger (against the state of economy, choice of industry) on him.

On a Sunday evening, after a busy day of dusting, cleaning and washing, Ritesh suggests to cook the dinner all by himself.
I sit with the laptop, watching him cook, smiling and finally start writing...