(Continuation of "Getting Married Part-II")
How could I forget that! She should have been happily married to Bhaskar if it were not for…
If Bhaskar’s mother fell ill after their engagement, was that Shilpi’s mistake? If his brother met with an accident, should she be blamed for it? Well, that’s what happened and ultimately the engagement was broken.
Amma’s words brought me back to the present. She was saying something about prayers and temples.
“I was not listening to you,” I admit to Amma, “What were you talking about?”
“I was telling that we all will pray to God everyday,” said Amma, “that nothing unpleasant should happen to the groom’s family and that Radhika’s wedding should happen uneventfully.”
“Yes, ma, I will. Shall we start from today?”
“Okay then. Let’s go to the temple this evening, once you return from office.”
She needs all our best wishes, our prayers and blessings. In fact, every bride-to-be needs all these, to protect her from the harshness of the principles of the society.
Why is life so partial!
“What’s wrong with you again?” asks Amma, seeing me toss my food around the plate.
“I can’t understand this girl at all.” I say.
“Which girl?”
“Don’t pretend to be ignorant,” I shout, “you very well know whom I’m referring to.”
“What happened between you and Radhika again?” she asks.
I try my best to control my fury. How can someone’s priority’s change so abruptly, so selfishly! How can someone behave so rudely!
I put my head on Amma’s lap and cry to my heart’s content. She patiently listens to my tale of woes.
“Everybody who knows Radhika knows that she’s a huge huge fan of Abhishek Bachchan. Her room is full of her posters. She never misses watching any of his movies.”
“Yes,” Amma agrees, “Now don’t tell me that you have fallen in love with Abhishek Bachchan.”
In spite of myself, I laughed at her silly joke.
“I got her first-day, first-show tickets for the movie ‘Guru’,” I continue, “as a surprise gift for her birthday and she refused to accompany me.”
“But why?” Amma asks in a surprise.
“She said she was meeting her Siddhu in the morning and will spend the entire day with him.”
“That’s so obvious.”
“What’s so obvious? Ditching a childhood friend for a two-month old fiancé?”
I rush out of the house unable to bear the reality. Will I also behave in the same manner, if I were engaged? Will I forget the whole world? Will my whole world be him and only him?
I walk and walk and walk, cover miles together and tire myself. I remember those days when we could not even bear a separation of a day. We would spend our summer vacations together, half of the time at her grandparents place and the other half at mine.
Where have those days gone?
(Sorry for this lengthy narrative.... It will be continued in "Getting Married Part-IV")
Monday, October 15, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday, my sweethearts,
my two cutie little darlings,
my sweetiepies,
my koochie-koochie, naughty-naughty sisters!
Hope my Ganguram and Yeh-munna had loads of fun today! :-)
I love you.. I love you... I simply adore you... I can't stay without you...
Do you think I will say all this?? No way! ;-)
Hope my Ganguram and Yeh-munna had loads of fun today! :-)
I love you.. I love you... I simply adore you... I can't stay without you...
Do you think I will say all this?? No way! ;-)
Friday, October 5, 2007
RANK & DENSE_RANK
Thanks to my new friend, Susanta, I got an opportunity to learn something new in SQL. Fortunately for me, Purna, as always, was at hand, to help and we took help also from Purna’s thatha i.e; Google.
Jokes apart, here’s the problem:
There is a student table with columns name and marks. We need to find the names of all students who have got third rank.
Solution:-- Suppose we want names of all students
-- along with their ranks in classes -- using the "MARKS" column
-- Ordered by the ranks
-- Using RANK() function, we need to explicitly sort the ranks
SELECT NAME
, marks
, RANK () OVER (ORDER BY marks) student_rank
FROM student_table
ORDER BY student_rank;-- Using DENSE_RANK() function,
-- the sorting of the ranks is done automatically
SELECT NAME
, marks
, DENSE_RANK () OVER (ORDER BY marks) student_rank
FROM student_table ;
-- Suppose we want the names of all students
-- who have got third rank,
-- we can write the query like this
-- by using RANK() functionselect * from
(SELECT NAME
, marks
, RANK () OVER (ORDER BY marks) student_rank
FROM student_table
ORDER BY student_rank) temporary_table
where student_rank=3--Using DENSE_RANK function,
--it can be written like this
select * from
(SELECT NAME
, marks
, DENSE_RANK () OVER (ORDER BY marks) student_rank
FROM student_table) temporary_table
where student_rank=3
So, here’s more about RANK and DENSE_RANK functions, courtesy, http://www.techonthenet.com/
Oracle/PLSQL: Rank Function
In Oracle/PLSQL, the rank function returns the rank of a value in a group of values. It is very similar to the DENSE_RANK function. However, the rank function can cause non-consecutive rankings if the tested values are the same. Whereas, the DENSE_RANK function will always result in consecutive rankings.
The rank function can be used two ways - as an Aggregate function or as an Analytic function.
Syntax #1 - Used as an Aggregate FunctionAs an Aggregate function, the rank returns the rank of a row within a group of rows.
The syntax for the rank function when used as an Aggregate function is:
rank( expression1, ... expression_n )
WITHIN GROUP ( ORDER BY expression1, ... expression_n )
expression1 .. expression_n can be one or more expressions which identify a unique row in the group.
Note:
There must be the same number of expressions in the first expression list as there is in the ORDER BY clause.The expression lists match by position so the data types must be compatible between the expressions in the first expression list as in the ORDER BY clause.
For Example:select rank(1000, 500) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY salary, bonus)
from employees;The SQL statement above would return the rank of an employee with a salary of $1,000 and a bonus of $500 from within the employees table.
Syntax #2 - Used as an Analytic FunctionAs an Analytic function, the rank returns the rank of each row of a query with respective to the other rows.
The syntax for the rank function when used as an Analytic function is:
rank() OVER ( [ query_partition_clause] ORDER BY clause )
For Example:select employee_name, salary,
rank() OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary)
from employees
where department = 'Marketing';
The SQL statement above would return all employees who work in the Marketing department and then calculate a rank for each unique salary in the Marketing department. If two employees had the same salary, the rank function would return the same rank for both employees.
However, this will cause a gap in the ranks (ie: non-consecutive ranks). This is quite different from the DENSE_RANK function which generates consecutive rankings.
Reference: http://www.techonthenet.com/oracle/functions/rank.php
Oracle/PLSQL: Dense_Rank Function
In Oracle/PLSQL, the dense_rank function returns the rank of a row in a group of rows. It is very similar to the RANK function. However, the RANK function can cause non-consecutive rankings if the tested values are the same. Whereas, the dense_rank function will always result in consecutive rankings.
The dense_rank function can be used two ways - as an Aggregate function or as an Analytic function.
Syntax #1 - Used as an Aggregate Function
As an Aggregate function, the dense_rank returns the dense rank of a row within a group of rows.
The syntax for the dense_rank function when used as an Aggregate function is:
dense_rank( expression1, ... expression_n )
WITHIN GROUP ( ORDER BY expression1, ... expression_n )
expression1 .. expression_n can be one or more expressions which identify a unique row in the group.
Note:There must be the same number of expressions in the first expression list as there is in the ORDER BY clause.The expression lists match by position so the data types must be compatible between the expressions in the first expression list as in the ORDER BY clause.
For Example:
select dense_rank(1000, 500)
WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY salary, bonus)
from employees;
The SQL statement above would return the dense rank of an employee with a salary of $1,000 and a bonus of $500 from within the employees table.
Syntax #2 - Used as an Analytic FunctionAs an Analytic function, the dense_rank returns the rank of each row of a query with respective to the other rows.
The syntax for the dense_rank function when used as an Analytic function is:
dense_rank() OVER ( [ query_partition_clause] ORDER BY clause )
For Example:select employee_name, salary,
dense_rank() OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary)from employees
where department = 'Marketing';The SQL statement above would return all employees who work in the Marketing department and then calculate a rank for each unique salary in the Marketing department. If two employees had the same salary, the dense_rank function would return the same rank for both employees.
Jokes apart, here’s the problem:
There is a student table with columns name and marks. We need to find the names of all students who have got third rank.
Solution:-- Suppose we want names of all students
-- along with their ranks in classes -- using the "MARKS" column
-- Ordered by the ranks
-- Using RANK() function, we need to explicitly sort the ranks
SELECT NAME
, marks
, RANK () OVER (ORDER BY marks) student_rank
FROM student_table
ORDER BY student_rank;-- Using DENSE_RANK() function,
-- the sorting of the ranks is done automatically
SELECT NAME
, marks
, DENSE_RANK () OVER (ORDER BY marks) student_rank
FROM student_table ;
-- Suppose we want the names of all students
-- who have got third rank,
-- we can write the query like this
-- by using RANK() functionselect * from
(SELECT NAME
, marks
, RANK () OVER (ORDER BY marks) student_rank
FROM student_table
ORDER BY student_rank) temporary_table
where student_rank=3--Using DENSE_RANK function,
--it can be written like this
select * from
(SELECT NAME
, marks
, DENSE_RANK () OVER (ORDER BY marks) student_rank
FROM student_table) temporary_table
where student_rank=3
So, here’s more about RANK and DENSE_RANK functions, courtesy, http://www.techonthenet.com/
Oracle/PLSQL: Rank Function
In Oracle/PLSQL, the rank function returns the rank of a value in a group of values. It is very similar to the DENSE_RANK function. However, the rank function can cause non-consecutive rankings if the tested values are the same. Whereas, the DENSE_RANK function will always result in consecutive rankings.
The rank function can be used two ways - as an Aggregate function or as an Analytic function.
Syntax #1 - Used as an Aggregate FunctionAs an Aggregate function, the rank returns the rank of a row within a group of rows.
The syntax for the rank function when used as an Aggregate function is:
rank( expression1, ... expression_n )
WITHIN GROUP ( ORDER BY expression1, ... expression_n )
expression1 .. expression_n can be one or more expressions which identify a unique row in the group.
Note:
There must be the same number of expressions in the first expression list as there is in the ORDER BY clause.The expression lists match by position so the data types must be compatible between the expressions in the first expression list as in the ORDER BY clause.
For Example:select rank(1000, 500) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY salary, bonus)
from employees;The SQL statement above would return the rank of an employee with a salary of $1,000 and a bonus of $500 from within the employees table.
Syntax #2 - Used as an Analytic FunctionAs an Analytic function, the rank returns the rank of each row of a query with respective to the other rows.
The syntax for the rank function when used as an Analytic function is:
rank() OVER ( [ query_partition_clause] ORDER BY clause )
For Example:select employee_name, salary,
rank() OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary)
from employees
where department = 'Marketing';
The SQL statement above would return all employees who work in the Marketing department and then calculate a rank for each unique salary in the Marketing department. If two employees had the same salary, the rank function would return the same rank for both employees.
However, this will cause a gap in the ranks (ie: non-consecutive ranks). This is quite different from the DENSE_RANK function which generates consecutive rankings.
Reference: http://www.techonthenet.com/oracle/functions/rank.php
Oracle/PLSQL: Dense_Rank Function
In Oracle/PLSQL, the dense_rank function returns the rank of a row in a group of rows. It is very similar to the RANK function. However, the RANK function can cause non-consecutive rankings if the tested values are the same. Whereas, the dense_rank function will always result in consecutive rankings.
The dense_rank function can be used two ways - as an Aggregate function or as an Analytic function.
Syntax #1 - Used as an Aggregate Function
As an Aggregate function, the dense_rank returns the dense rank of a row within a group of rows.
The syntax for the dense_rank function when used as an Aggregate function is:
dense_rank( expression1, ... expression_n )
WITHIN GROUP ( ORDER BY expression1, ... expression_n )
expression1 .. expression_n can be one or more expressions which identify a unique row in the group.
Note:There must be the same number of expressions in the first expression list as there is in the ORDER BY clause.The expression lists match by position so the data types must be compatible between the expressions in the first expression list as in the ORDER BY clause.
For Example:
select dense_rank(1000, 500)
WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY salary, bonus)
from employees;
The SQL statement above would return the dense rank of an employee with a salary of $1,000 and a bonus of $500 from within the employees table.
Syntax #2 - Used as an Analytic FunctionAs an Analytic function, the dense_rank returns the rank of each row of a query with respective to the other rows.
The syntax for the dense_rank function when used as an Analytic function is:
dense_rank() OVER ( [ query_partition_clause] ORDER BY clause )
For Example:select employee_name, salary,
dense_rank() OVER (PARTITION BY department ORDER BY salary)from employees
where department = 'Marketing';The SQL statement above would return all employees who work in the Marketing department and then calculate a rank for each unique salary in the Marketing department. If two employees had the same salary, the dense_rank function would return the same rank for both employees.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Blink! Blink!
"Blink your eyes twenty times."
"What for?"
"Else it may rain.. "
Well, I did blink my eyes... and to be frank... it's a very nice way to fight back the tears that are ready to burst out.
"What for?"
"Else it may rain.. "
Well, I did blink my eyes... and to be frank... it's a very nice way to fight back the tears that are ready to burst out.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Getting Married, Part-II
(Continuation of the post "Getting Married")
“Are you still angry with me?” asks Radhika.
“Of course not,” I reply and add, “What you did, was absolutely right?”
“Where is Siddharth working?”
“In Visakhapatnam.”
“But our company does not have a branch there.”
Radhika nods and is already lost in thought.
Why does the girl always have to be the sufferer? She is always made to adjust. Will the guy resign his job and look out for a new one in the city where the bride is working? Except in very rare cases, it is a big NO-NO.
“Radhika, in a way it is much better than going to the US,” I say, trying to cheer her up.
“Yes,” she agrees, “At least I will not be among foreigners and in a strange culture. In places like the US, I will have to do all the household work myself.”
“You will have to call and ask Auntie what has to be done during festivals…”
“And I don’t even know how to make Payasam or vadas.”
“There will be no mother-in-law with you, to teach our special delicacies to you.”
“Forget all that, most important of all, I will never be able stay that far from Mummy-Papa.”
Radhika seems relieved.
“Visakhapatnam is just a 18 hr journey from home,” I say.
“Hmm… Whenever I feel homesick, I will come and spend a week with you all and return happy.”
Home. What will be home for her? Her Husband’s place or her parents’ place?
“How is Radhika?” asks Amma, “She hardly visit us these days.”
“She must be fine,” I answer with a frown.
“Must be?” emphasizes Amma, “Have you both fought?”
“Nothing like that. She is always busy with her Siddhu.”
“Siddhu? You mean her fiancé?”
I nod.
“Don’t feel bad, dear!” says Amma trying to console me.
I feel bad, very bad for losing a nice friend like her. These days she hardly talks to me. Even in her busy schedule she can find time for her Siddhu, but none for me. Why should I not feel bad?
“When is the wedding?” asks Amma.
“In six months’ time,” I reply.
“Six months is too long a period,” ponders Amma.
“I don’t think so. It will help them understand each other better,” I retort back. I am used to supporting Radhika even when she’s wrong. I am very possessive and protective about her.
“I was not saying from that perspective.”
“Then?”
“You know what happened to Shilpi.”
How could I forget that! She should have been happily married to Bhaskar if it were not for…
(to be continued in "Getting Married, Part-III)
“Are you still angry with me?” asks Radhika.
“Of course not,” I reply and add, “What you did, was absolutely right?”
“Where is Siddharth working?”
“In Visakhapatnam.”
“But our company does not have a branch there.”
Radhika nods and is already lost in thought.
Why does the girl always have to be the sufferer? She is always made to adjust. Will the guy resign his job and look out for a new one in the city where the bride is working? Except in very rare cases, it is a big NO-NO.
“Radhika, in a way it is much better than going to the US,” I say, trying to cheer her up.
“Yes,” she agrees, “At least I will not be among foreigners and in a strange culture. In places like the US, I will have to do all the household work myself.”
“You will have to call and ask Auntie what has to be done during festivals…”
“And I don’t even know how to make Payasam or vadas.”
“There will be no mother-in-law with you, to teach our special delicacies to you.”
“Forget all that, most important of all, I will never be able stay that far from Mummy-Papa.”
Radhika seems relieved.
“Visakhapatnam is just a 18 hr journey from home,” I say.
“Hmm… Whenever I feel homesick, I will come and spend a week with you all and return happy.”
Home. What will be home for her? Her Husband’s place or her parents’ place?
“How is Radhika?” asks Amma, “She hardly visit us these days.”
“She must be fine,” I answer with a frown.
“Must be?” emphasizes Amma, “Have you both fought?”
“Nothing like that. She is always busy with her Siddhu.”
“Siddhu? You mean her fiancé?”
I nod.
“Don’t feel bad, dear!” says Amma trying to console me.
I feel bad, very bad for losing a nice friend like her. These days she hardly talks to me. Even in her busy schedule she can find time for her Siddhu, but none for me. Why should I not feel bad?
“When is the wedding?” asks Amma.
“In six months’ time,” I reply.
“Six months is too long a period,” ponders Amma.
“I don’t think so. It will help them understand each other better,” I retort back. I am used to supporting Radhika even when she’s wrong. I am very possessive and protective about her.
“I was not saying from that perspective.”
“Then?”
“You know what happened to Shilpi.”
How could I forget that! She should have been happily married to Bhaskar if it were not for…
(to be continued in "Getting Married, Part-III)
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Dear Husband-to-be,
Thanks to one of my MCA friends, I chance upon a very nice message to a husband-to-be.
Here it is:
The woman in your life...very well expressed...
Tomorrow you may get a working woman,
but you should marry with these facts as well.
Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;
Who is earning almost as much as you do;
One, who has dreams and aspirations
just as you have because she is as human as you are;
One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life
just like you or your Sister haven't,
as she was busy in studies and competing in a system
that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements
One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters,
almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;
One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that,
her home, people who love her,
to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family name
One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1,
while you sleep oblivious to her predicament
in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen
One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning
and cook food at the end of the day,
even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more,
and yet never ever expected to complain;
to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to;
and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her;
and is clumsy and sloppy at times
and knows that you won't like it
if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you;
One, who has her own set of friends,
and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too,
those, who she knows from school days
and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners
to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;
Yes, she can drink and dance
just as well as you can,
but won't, simply because you won't like it,
even though you say otherwise
One, who can be late from work
once in a while when deadlines,
just like yours, are to be met;
One, who is doing her level best
and wants to make this most important relationship, in her entire life, a grand success,
if you just help her some and trust her;
One, who just wants one thing from you,
as you are the only one she knows in your entire house
- your unstinted support, your sensitivities
and most importantly - your understanding,
or love, if you may call it.
But not many guys understand this...
Here it is:
The woman in your life...very well expressed...
Tomorrow you may get a working woman,
but you should marry with these facts as well.
Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;
Who is earning almost as much as you do;
One, who has dreams and aspirations
just as you have because she is as human as you are;
One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life
just like you or your Sister haven't,
as she was busy in studies and competing in a system
that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements
One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters,
almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;
One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that,
her home, people who love her,
to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family name
One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1,
while you sleep oblivious to her predicament
in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen
One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning
and cook food at the end of the day,
even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more,
and yet never ever expected to complain;
to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to;
and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her;
and is clumsy and sloppy at times
and knows that you won't like it
if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you;
One, who has her own set of friends,
and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too,
those, who she knows from school days
and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners
to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;
Yes, she can drink and dance
just as well as you can,
but won't, simply because you won't like it,
even though you say otherwise
One, who can be late from work
once in a while when deadlines,
just like yours, are to be met;
One, who is doing her level best
and wants to make this most important relationship, in her entire life, a grand success,
if you just help her some and trust her;
One, who just wants one thing from you,
as you are the only one she knows in your entire house
- your unstinted support, your sensitivities
and most importantly - your understanding,
or love, if you may call it.
But not many guys understand this...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Getting married!
The cell phone beeped and there was an SMS. An SMS from one of my closest degree friends. It just had three words: "I got engaged." This aroused a mixture of emotions in me. Though we both parted right after our BSc., we were in touch through phone and e-mail. She would make it a point to call me every now and then. And it was through her special interest that we met at least twice a year. I hope she feels that even I have reciprocated her affection and love.
With most of my childhood friends, college friends, PG friends and colleagues getting married, a thought occurred to me. These friends have inspired me to write this story. All the characters in this narration are fictitious but some of the incidents have been influenced by the real-life experiences.
“I got engaged.”
These are the only three words in the SMS. I cannot believe my eyes. My best friend, Radhika, has got engaged and I don’t even have a clue about it. Bad! Very Bad! I give her a call immediately. But the line is busy.
An hour later, I try her number; it is still busy. I send her an SMS, asking her to call me at once. Another hour has gone by and I am yet to receive a call from her. I get irritated. I rush to get down two floors to find her.
Radhika and I have been friends since childhood. We have been residing in the same lane, studied at the same school, completed our graduation together and by sheer luck got placed in the same company.
She is busy listening to songs.
“Hey! Why didn’t you call me back?” I ask her in anger, “What’s wrong with your mobile?”
She turns around and puts a finger on her lips gesturing me to be calm. My eyes fall on the mobile on her lap. She is not listening to songs; those are the earphones of her mobile. I try grabbing the cell while she tries her best to pull it away from me. She mumbles something into the mouthpiece and ends her call.
“Why did you do that?” she asks.
“Do what?”
“Snatched my cell?”
“I have been trying to reach you for the past two hours.”
“Oh! I am sorry,” she says and adds sheepishly, “I was talking to Siddhu.”
I try to place the name.
“Siddhu?”
“Siddharth, my fiancé.”
The word ‘fiancé’ reminds me of the real reason why I wanted to meet her.
“You get engaged,” I say and add, “and your best friend does not even get to know about it.”
“I am so sorry, dear,” she replies, “Let me explain.”
I am on my bed trying to grasp what Radhika has told me. I remember the first time when Radhika’s parents found a match for her. What was his name? Vinay. We all had a look at his photos, chatted with him through Yahoo and Gtalk and spoke with him over phone. During those days, Radhika was the sole target of our discussion. We would tease her day and night. Though initially reluctant for marriage, after getting acquainted with Vinay, she accepted the reality that she had to get married some day.
On the day of the engagement, everyone was very excited. We had invited all our close relatives and friends. Radhika had a blushing glow on her face. She looked gorgeous in her pink sari. Just before the function, Radhika’s parents were in a very serious talk with Vinay’s parents. We saw the unpleasant side of them. They were finding fault with each and everything. No one was able to understand what was in their minds. All of a sudden, Vinay intervened and declared that he did not want to marry Radhika. He said that he was going to the US for an onsite assignment and would be away from home for at least 3 years. We insisted that the engagement be done and then we would have the wedding after he returned. But he refused. Everyone was heart-broken.
I vividly remember the way Radhika had reacted to the situation. Though her life was shattered, she never lost her calm. She continued with her day-to-day activities. But the people around her never forgot the incident. She was always reminded of her broken-engagement in their pitiful and sympathetic looks.
After a couple of months, we got a wedding card from one of our common friends and colleague, Priya. We were shocked to know that the bridegroom was the same Vinay. We realized that Priya got to know of Vinay through Radhika. While Radhika and Vinay were courting, Priya started sending mails and messages to him. They started liking each other. And before Vinay could realize what was going on, he was already deeply in love with her. But his parents had fixed his wedding with Radhika. He eventually convinced his parents and they agreed as she was from a richer family. But why did they play all that drama? They could have told everything frankly. Yes, it would hurt, but at least it would have been better than the hypocrisy. Why did Vinay hide the truth from Radhika and continued to fake love?
Amidst all these thoughts, I drift into asleep.
(Continued in "Getting Married, Part-II")
With most of my childhood friends, college friends, PG friends and colleagues getting married, a thought occurred to me. These friends have inspired me to write this story. All the characters in this narration are fictitious but some of the incidents have been influenced by the real-life experiences.
“I got engaged.”
These are the only three words in the SMS. I cannot believe my eyes. My best friend, Radhika, has got engaged and I don’t even have a clue about it. Bad! Very Bad! I give her a call immediately. But the line is busy.
An hour later, I try her number; it is still busy. I send her an SMS, asking her to call me at once. Another hour has gone by and I am yet to receive a call from her. I get irritated. I rush to get down two floors to find her.
Radhika and I have been friends since childhood. We have been residing in the same lane, studied at the same school, completed our graduation together and by sheer luck got placed in the same company.
She is busy listening to songs.
“Hey! Why didn’t you call me back?” I ask her in anger, “What’s wrong with your mobile?”
She turns around and puts a finger on her lips gesturing me to be calm. My eyes fall on the mobile on her lap. She is not listening to songs; those are the earphones of her mobile. I try grabbing the cell while she tries her best to pull it away from me. She mumbles something into the mouthpiece and ends her call.
“Why did you do that?” she asks.
“Do what?”
“Snatched my cell?”
“I have been trying to reach you for the past two hours.”
“Oh! I am sorry,” she says and adds sheepishly, “I was talking to Siddhu.”
I try to place the name.
“Siddhu?”
“Siddharth, my fiancé.”
The word ‘fiancé’ reminds me of the real reason why I wanted to meet her.
“You get engaged,” I say and add, “and your best friend does not even get to know about it.”
“I am so sorry, dear,” she replies, “Let me explain.”
I am on my bed trying to grasp what Radhika has told me. I remember the first time when Radhika’s parents found a match for her. What was his name? Vinay. We all had a look at his photos, chatted with him through Yahoo and Gtalk and spoke with him over phone. During those days, Radhika was the sole target of our discussion. We would tease her day and night. Though initially reluctant for marriage, after getting acquainted with Vinay, she accepted the reality that she had to get married some day.
On the day of the engagement, everyone was very excited. We had invited all our close relatives and friends. Radhika had a blushing glow on her face. She looked gorgeous in her pink sari. Just before the function, Radhika’s parents were in a very serious talk with Vinay’s parents. We saw the unpleasant side of them. They were finding fault with each and everything. No one was able to understand what was in their minds. All of a sudden, Vinay intervened and declared that he did not want to marry Radhika. He said that he was going to the US for an onsite assignment and would be away from home for at least 3 years. We insisted that the engagement be done and then we would have the wedding after he returned. But he refused. Everyone was heart-broken.
I vividly remember the way Radhika had reacted to the situation. Though her life was shattered, she never lost her calm. She continued with her day-to-day activities. But the people around her never forgot the incident. She was always reminded of her broken-engagement in their pitiful and sympathetic looks.
After a couple of months, we got a wedding card from one of our common friends and colleague, Priya. We were shocked to know that the bridegroom was the same Vinay. We realized that Priya got to know of Vinay through Radhika. While Radhika and Vinay were courting, Priya started sending mails and messages to him. They started liking each other. And before Vinay could realize what was going on, he was already deeply in love with her. But his parents had fixed his wedding with Radhika. He eventually convinced his parents and they agreed as she was from a richer family. But why did they play all that drama? They could have told everything frankly. Yes, it would hurt, but at least it would have been better than the hypocrisy. Why did Vinay hide the truth from Radhika and continued to fake love?
Amidst all these thoughts, I drift into asleep.
(Continued in "Getting Married, Part-II")
Monday, September 10, 2007
A date?
I looked around me. In the dim lights, I could see only silhouettes. Why was I imagining couples glued to each other or holding hands? I looked at him, sitting beside me. How were we different from them?
It was his idea to go for a movie. He had been watching this movie every week. This was probably his 4th or 5th time. Last time we came here, it was already late for the morning show. So, we had to return disappointed. But this week, we had made it just in time.
Once we got the tickets, we stood outside the entrance of the theatre. I observed that all the people around us where college students, who had probably bunked college and come for the movie. We got in and took the stairs to the balcony section. When we waited to get inside the cinema hall, I could not help myself looking out for my friends. What if one of our colleague or college mate saw us? What would we say? Well, I had never hidden anything from my family, but none of my friends knew about him. We would probably cook up some story by saying that two of our other friends were on their way to join us for the movie.
When we entered the cinema hall, we were ushered to the very first row in the balcony. To our surprise we had been allocated sofa seats, mainly intended for couples. I looked at him. He understood me.
"I can shift to another seat," he said, "once the movie starts."
Would I feel in the same manner if I had come with any of my other friends(boys)? I would have nicely sat next to him. Then why did I feel hesitant to sit beside this person? We knew each other better than anyone else in the whole world, then why was I feeling awkward?
We sat beside each other in a very uncomfortable manner. I put my handbag between us to give us some more distance and to avoid touching.
The sudden start of the movie brought me back to the present. While the titles were shown I looked around me. To my left, there were two aunties sitting in the sofa adjacent to ours. I turned to my right. I could see his profile. He pretended to be engrossed in the movie. He sat cross-legged with his elbow perched on the arm-rest and his hand supporting the face.
Did I do the right thing by coming to this movie with him? He had commented that he liked watching movies alone and this particular movie was close to his heart. He simply adored the heroine. Would I be able to tolerate him ogling at her for three full hours?
As an answer to my unsaid question, he replied, "Don't look at me like that. I am feeling conscious of myself looking at her". He was pointing to his 'Darling' on screen. I sighed.
Soon I got so engrossed in the narrative that I forgot every one's presence, including the one with whom I had come for the movie. Some of the scenes reminded me of my childhood, the days spent with my grandparents etc. It was an emotional movie and it was quite an attempt from my side, to control my tears. At the corner of my eye, I could see him crying too.
By the time it was interval, both of us were was sniffing and trying our level best to hide our tears and behave normally.
"How's the movie?" he asked
"Great!"
"See, didn't I tell you so?"
"Yes, you did," I agreed.
"How's she in the movie? She acted well, right?"
I had to reluctantly accept the fact. Then he proceeded to explain the scenes that he liked the most, the dresses in which his 'Darling' looked awesome etc. etc.
After some moments, seeing the expression on my face, he burst out laughing.
"Why are you laughing like that?" I asked.
"If you see your face in the mirror now," he chuckled,"even you will laugh."
"What's wrong with my face?" I asked innocently, "Is there something stuck to my nose?"
"No, my stupid little brat, " he cooed, lowering his tone, "There is no need to be jealous of that heroine. She is after all a crush, but, you..."
"But I?" I asked excitedly.
Before he could reply, his mobile rang and the conversation ended abruptly.
I suddenly became aware of someone staring at me. I turned to my left to see the two aunties appraising us. They must be thinking that we were also love-birds like the others in the cinema hall. It was so embarrassing. As soon as his call ended, I told him about this.
"Shall I sit in the next row?" he offered.
Before I could answer, he continued, "If I go, everyone will think we have had a fight." There was a twinkle in his eye.
"Or worse," I added giggling, "they may feel that you misbehaved with me. That is why, I drove you away!" We both burst into laughter. All the awkwardness melted away. We sat together with ease through the rest of the movie.
It was a lot more fun to watch the movie while he commented on the scenes. Before we knew it, the curtains fell. We reluctantly left the cinema hall.
It was time for our office; hence we parted ways at the gate of the cinema theatre. He walked towards the bus stop to take a bus while I waited for an auto.
I turned back to see him leave. His left hand rotating the umbrella and the other hand running a hand through his hair. Wish I could see his face for another time before I left! As if he had heard me, he turned around to meet my gaze. I could see the longing in face. I could read his eyes; they said he too wanted to spend some more time with me.
Meanwhile an auto stopped and involuntarily I got into it. He frowned and looked so helpless.
"Bhaiyya," I told the auto driver, "Paradise hotel, but we have to pick up that person first."
As my beloved got into the auto, I felt like giving him a tight bear-hug, instead I held his hands in mine.
"Thanks, dear!" he said.
"What for?"
"I took a day's leave just to spend time with you. I wondering how I would spend the rest of the day without you." I did not even know that he took an off from office. So sweet of him!
"Work will always be there," I said, "But moments like this will never return. We will have our lunch together and then go to the Book Fair held at Basheer Bagh. What say?"
"This will be one of the best days of mine."
I was too overjoyed to talk. All I could do was to nod enthusiastically.
It was his idea to go for a movie. He had been watching this movie every week. This was probably his 4th or 5th time. Last time we came here, it was already late for the morning show. So, we had to return disappointed. But this week, we had made it just in time.
Once we got the tickets, we stood outside the entrance of the theatre. I observed that all the people around us where college students, who had probably bunked college and come for the movie. We got in and took the stairs to the balcony section. When we waited to get inside the cinema hall, I could not help myself looking out for my friends. What if one of our colleague or college mate saw us? What would we say? Well, I had never hidden anything from my family, but none of my friends knew about him. We would probably cook up some story by saying that two of our other friends were on their way to join us for the movie.
When we entered the cinema hall, we were ushered to the very first row in the balcony. To our surprise we had been allocated sofa seats, mainly intended for couples. I looked at him. He understood me.
"I can shift to another seat," he said, "once the movie starts."
Would I feel in the same manner if I had come with any of my other friends(boys)? I would have nicely sat next to him. Then why did I feel hesitant to sit beside this person? We knew each other better than anyone else in the whole world, then why was I feeling awkward?
We sat beside each other in a very uncomfortable manner. I put my handbag between us to give us some more distance and to avoid touching.
The sudden start of the movie brought me back to the present. While the titles were shown I looked around me. To my left, there were two aunties sitting in the sofa adjacent to ours. I turned to my right. I could see his profile. He pretended to be engrossed in the movie. He sat cross-legged with his elbow perched on the arm-rest and his hand supporting the face.
Did I do the right thing by coming to this movie with him? He had commented that he liked watching movies alone and this particular movie was close to his heart. He simply adored the heroine. Would I be able to tolerate him ogling at her for three full hours?
As an answer to my unsaid question, he replied, "Don't look at me like that. I am feeling conscious of myself looking at her". He was pointing to his 'Darling' on screen. I sighed.
Soon I got so engrossed in the narrative that I forgot every one's presence, including the one with whom I had come for the movie. Some of the scenes reminded me of my childhood, the days spent with my grandparents etc. It was an emotional movie and it was quite an attempt from my side, to control my tears. At the corner of my eye, I could see him crying too.
By the time it was interval, both of us were was sniffing and trying our level best to hide our tears and behave normally.
"How's the movie?" he asked
"Great!"
"See, didn't I tell you so?"
"Yes, you did," I agreed.
"How's she in the movie? She acted well, right?"
I had to reluctantly accept the fact. Then he proceeded to explain the scenes that he liked the most, the dresses in which his 'Darling' looked awesome etc. etc.
After some moments, seeing the expression on my face, he burst out laughing.
"Why are you laughing like that?" I asked.
"If you see your face in the mirror now," he chuckled,"even you will laugh."
"What's wrong with my face?" I asked innocently, "Is there something stuck to my nose?"
"No, my stupid little brat, " he cooed, lowering his tone, "There is no need to be jealous of that heroine. She is after all a crush, but, you..."
"But I?" I asked excitedly.
Before he could reply, his mobile rang and the conversation ended abruptly.
I suddenly became aware of someone staring at me. I turned to my left to see the two aunties appraising us. They must be thinking that we were also love-birds like the others in the cinema hall. It was so embarrassing. As soon as his call ended, I told him about this.
"Shall I sit in the next row?" he offered.
Before I could answer, he continued, "If I go, everyone will think we have had a fight." There was a twinkle in his eye.
"Or worse," I added giggling, "they may feel that you misbehaved with me. That is why, I drove you away!" We both burst into laughter. All the awkwardness melted away. We sat together with ease through the rest of the movie.
It was a lot more fun to watch the movie while he commented on the scenes. Before we knew it, the curtains fell. We reluctantly left the cinema hall.
It was time for our office; hence we parted ways at the gate of the cinema theatre. He walked towards the bus stop to take a bus while I waited for an auto.
I turned back to see him leave. His left hand rotating the umbrella and the other hand running a hand through his hair. Wish I could see his face for another time before I left! As if he had heard me, he turned around to meet my gaze. I could see the longing in face. I could read his eyes; they said he too wanted to spend some more time with me.
Meanwhile an auto stopped and involuntarily I got into it. He frowned and looked so helpless.
"Bhaiyya," I told the auto driver, "Paradise hotel, but we have to pick up that person first."
As my beloved got into the auto, I felt like giving him a tight bear-hug, instead I held his hands in mine.
"Thanks, dear!" he said.
"What for?"
"I took a day's leave just to spend time with you. I wondering how I would spend the rest of the day without you." I did not even know that he took an off from office. So sweet of him!
"Work will always be there," I said, "But moments like this will never return. We will have our lunch together and then go to the Book Fair held at Basheer Bagh. What say?"
"This will be one of the best days of mine."
I was too overjoyed to talk. All I could do was to nod enthusiastically.
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