40000/-

That’s a number I won’t forget ever!!!!!! Ok, let me explain.

It all started when I had a desire to own my own laptop. I searched and searched about various brands, different configurations and finally landed on Dell inspiron. Initially I thought I will save enough from my salary and then buy. But then, you know my thing for anything electronic right?? As expected I couldn’t wait that long. I was just itching to hold my laptop. So I talked my dad into a deal. He pay 40000 now, I will replay him little by little. I begged him to send the money ASAP so that I can order lap without any delay.

I don’t know what went wrong. I had given my account no correctly. I remember him taking down as such. But there was some mix up and the money went to some other account. I ran to nearest branch and explained my situation. Everyone there was helpless. I was advised to write a letter to dad’s bank explaining the mix up, give enough proof to support it, then the bank will investigate and if found legitimate would give back the money.

                            The big but was that all of this can happen only if the mistaken account holder didn’t withdraw the money, in which case I can just say good bye to laptop. The whole process will take much longer then what would have taken for me to save up . My fate and my damned obsession.!!!!!!! What else can I say? So what do you think happened??

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm……………………………!!!

Fine fine, I won’t keep you in suspense

There is a twist in the story. The mistaken account no and my account no differs only in one digit, the last digit. I came to know that if the first few digits are same, the account is in same branch. Now, my account was a salary account, started in the branch inside my company. That branch contains only my colleague’s accounts!!! This gave me an idea, I changed track and asked the bank to reveal account holders name. Because if I know the name, I can dig up the person’s complete data from our company site. Then beg, threat or fall at his feet – whatever it takes to get back the money. This being my plan, I proceeded to knock several doors to get the name.

Since it was against bank policy to reveal customer data my pleas fell on deaf ears. Not only my dream of holding my laptop moving farther and farther away but my dad was getting hysterical. Can’t blame him coz 40000rs is at stake. Finally, I found a sympathetic ear, someone at bank slipped up and revealed the name.( I think that mistake was an intentional one, he couldn’t bear to see my woeful and dejected face any longer ) we began a search for that person and got hold of his phone number. But alas as if all gods are plotting against me, the phone was switched off for 2 continuous days. I tried to contact someone who worked with him and came to know that he have just been transferred to a new place and nobody knows the new number!!

I was getting frustrated by minute; we would have called atleast 100 people, searched hundreds of profiles in FB to get someone that is linked to him. Nothing!!! It was like this person has vanished from face of earth. I was at tether’s end and almost lost hope. It was in such fix that my friend got the new number and thus ending the fiasco. Bless him, he agreed to transfer the money as soon as I contacted. So it’s in my brand new laptop that I am typing this blog

An attempt..

Alright.

I have put together few words that came to my mind. I dont have the courage to call this a poem, but a distant kin of it probably.  Read this and please tell me if I should continue my attempts or should i better put down my pen??

Friends and friendship

- My soul keepers..

That day still remains fresh

As engraved on hard rock.

My first day there.

A stranger among million strangers.

Time passed, seasons changed,

Somewhere along the way

Some became the lamps of my life.

Like a street lamp

Guiding a lost traveler,

They held my hand and led me.

The moments with them ,

The  greenest patches of my life.

All those fun, the teasing, the fights.

All bring a bittersweet smile to my lips

And a tear to my eyes.

The thought of parting

Is weighing down heavily in my heart.

Keeping the memories alive,

I live on…

Abandoned Treasures

I was busy rummaging through my cupboard for one of my lost certificate. Suddenly something fell out from that mess. On further inspection, it turned out to be a card I got years back with scribblings from my friends all over it. It had once been read so frequently that its edges are practically torn. There was a time when I treasured it more than anything. Now it lay abandoned in my cupboard.

Just like the gift, I have let many persons in my life recede to the dark corners of my mind. Thanks to my parents’ line of work, I had a nomadic existence all my life. I never stayed at a place more than 6 years. In effect I have a string of friends at each place. Drawn by this tidbit from the past, I began a frenzied search for other such forgotten treasures. I didn’t know that my room was such a treasure trove!!! The souvenirs from my friends, so far left unnoticed, brought tears to my eyes.

Things I came up with moved me. A stack of letters from my friend Chitra – We were in 3^rd Std when we last met. Our letters had been filled with all the silliness of 8 year olds, the slam book entry of my 1^st crush – the oh so lovingly handled pages and words that had once been etched to my soul, the very first love letter I got -torn to pieces by my irate father ofcoz , and the list goes on.

All the sweet memories came rushing back to me. I saw all the people that I allowed to drift away from my life. Now my college days are about to end. The life as I know is about to change forever. Standing at the crossroads, I vowed to myself to make a serious effort to find all the friends I lost and keep in touch.

P.S I Love You

Love is a beautiful concept.Most people are in love with the idea of being in love. But its dimensions are difficult to comprehend.The other day i saw a movie.It moved me beyond words.For me it defined another depth to love.It is not a spectacular movie nor does it have a compelling theme.Its just a love story.I was weeping right from the start till the credits.Maybe its just me, but that movie was awesome.

‘P.S. I Love You’ is a movie about a couple whose love surpasses even death. A sheaf of letters left to the wife by the dead husband helps her to face life.She finds happiness again.Those letters were the last ray of hope to her.

I know it sounds like a silly movie.I guess it struck the romantic chord in me. Such love might happen only in stories.But it gave me a scale to measure. I hope my love has this depth….

Is it just me???

Friendship is a wonderful feeling.It is the most sacred relationship we ever have in this life. A selfless, forgiving relationship. Jealousy ,possessiveness  and like negative emotions  have no place in friendship. A friend doesnot demand that you change,accepts you as you are.We get thousands of such forward messages extolling the greatness of friendship.

Isnt this definition highly overrated?? how many of you can honestly agree of having such a divine relationship? I say ‘friends stay with you when you are having a good time,flies when you fall,accepts you if you are to their liking,gets jealous of your achievements’. Friendship has come down to a group of people joined together when all is well but backstabs when a situation calls for it.

Pardon me for being such a cynic.Experiences have made me skeptical about the divinity of friendship.I am honest enough to admit that even i fall in this category.I do have a faint memory of having a friendship thats close enough to the sacred friendship i mentioned. I dont know if its the innocence of childhood that kept the friendship burning in its true spirit. But it was a great relationship.We shared everything together.She understood even before i explained, she knew the reason behind each nuance in my speech. She was great.But then i had to move to a different city as my parents got transfered.

Now i am 21 years old, and try as i might, i cannot have a similar relationship with anyone else.Is is coz i grew up? or because i started weighing the gain and loss of being in a relationship?What ever the reason,the selfless friendship remains just a distant dream.I want to bring back the old “me” before i completely lose touch with her,to recapture the old innocence.

I dedicate this blog to all out there who still enjoy the privilege of having a great friend.Keep that friendship sacred and safe coz its ENDANGERED!!!!!