Seriously !!!

As I sat down to write some mumblings on the most anti-happy people that I can recall, it kind of took me back to the lane where I grew up. A lane in a small town called Jaipur.

First serious kinds jinki #ConditionSeriousHai - that I remember - are the "time-bound" characters.

Every evening the kids had a routine to gather at the gate of this garden; waiting for it to open at 5pm. I still remember the gatekeeper - we called him Hawaldar ji - he had these huge mousse - never smiled and would always keep jamming  his stick on the ground asking all the eager ones to make a line. "I will not allow anyone to enter if you do not make a line".

Man - he was serious about the line business ! I think he sometimes even gave a solid on the tushy to few of those really eager ones - trying to climb over the walls !! Phew - get a life Hawaldaar ji !!!

Second serious kinds are the "routine-bound" characters.

So right across the garden was a Sindhi shopkeeper - we called him Mr. Gajju, I think he had very little hair, but I am not sure how his name transformed from "Ganju" to "Gajju".

He had a very sharp business of keeping few boys around who would capture all the balls that came towards his shop. He would wipe them clean, cover them in a plastic, put a sticker and keep them back in his shop for sale.

Kids would come around looking for their lost cricket balls - when they could not find the balls, they had no other option than going to his shop again to buy - and he would keep selling those "captured" cricket balls again and again !!!

Problem was his was the only closest shop - else one would have to go really far for a ball - and when the guys had a match going on - you really needed the ball right that instant. Even after making so much profit - I never saw him smile ever !!!

He always had the same words - "what do you need", which ball? "small" or "big", I dont have change, or go bring change. Damn - give us another serious word or sentence - Mr. Gajju !

The third kinds are those "serious gossip news" neighbours - ahhh!! What a delightful happily serious folks. "You know today I saw that kid/ your daughter/ son speaking with that boy/ or girl in that bus/ or that place at that time."

And the parents - go - "accha", hmm, ok - thanks for letting me know !! In their minds they are going - Dude - who are you?? And if those kids do have serious parents that do take those newsy neighbours seriously, the kids do have a very serious time - without any serials !!!

There are all the others too - that can never be happy when others are having fun, be it in a group, or a shop, or a mall, or a party - these folks have that face that is a wall of serious-ness !!!

I have always wondered on people with serious mannerisms, teachers, principals, admins, bosses and so many others - some tied by routine, some by their work, some by habit - but hey - those used to the worlds and words of seriousness are seriously not word-ly or world-ly !!!!

So till next time - what can I say - Chill people - Be Happy - Seriously !!!!

-Pankaj Purohit
 

The Date - When love calls !

This story is about me, a live-life-each-day-as-it-comes dreamer, who was lost in the skyscraper capital till I met the love of my life.

I still remember the sprawling skyscrapers, the Hudson Bay, the New York skyline and the sunny sailing days! A vista view embedded in my eyes because that was where I worked for quite a few years and yes where I met my someone special !

Here I was, sitting at Rocker Feller center at the center of 5th Avenue and 48th street and I could feel my heart slipping away to the person sitting across. This person had an impressive charm, she had the prettiest smile, and yes, she could talk non-stop - Seriously - she still talks non-stop!

Opposites attract, and post that day, I could not find my heart!!!

Isn’t it funny how sometimes life just join's together the pieces of your scattered jigsaw. Life just joins the jigswaw together to show you a much clearer picture of the future.

My future was formed on 4th of July and let me take you forward into the Circles of Flashback !!!!

It so happened that some of us were working in Virginia had plans to go and see the fireworks near the Statue of Liberty. The problem was that most of us were new to the country and never drove on their own ! So we were pretty much dependent on this one friend to take us to NYC.

On a parallel front, I was in constant touch with "my special friend" and she had also planned to be around the waterfront that day! Stage was almost set for The Date !

Like they say, as is Murphy's law, the one dependable friend who would drive us to NYC got stuck with flu two days prior. Now our options were either catch a bus from DC, or rent a car - but even to go the bus station, we would need some transportation.

So renting a car seemed btter option, but who would drive? For some of you that have driven across the NJ turnpike and the Washington beltway would know that the roads are easy to drive as long as one can follow standard directions !

Well, I had never driven on those roads myself, but hey I was not going to miss my Date, so I volnteered to drive. Whatever it took, I was going to be with "my someone special" that weekend. My only requirement - I need to hit the road as early as 4am. This way, I would not feel intimated by the traffic.

This requirement had serious pullbacks from my friends. 4am - are you insane? I never got up at 4am for my engineering exams - one of them said! Hell, I also never woke up at 4am, but how could I miss THIS NYC trip? Cmon guys - we can make it !!!

With the directions all printed, we rented the car previous night and made sure the car was pumped with gas !! I probably slept only 2 or 3 hours and 4am it was - on a nice summer morning !  I felt very scared and nervous as we got on the road. I said - lets stop at the gas station to grab some coffee. I guess the mocha latte helped and off we went on our rendezvous!!!

It felt like a nightmare navigating through the turns - and the signs - go west or east? Go Cars lane or Trucks? Take toll road or non-toll? Bridge or Tunnel? HOV or non-HOV lane? Why cant they just have one straight road - without so many options !

Finally - we all managed somehow to live through those directions to reach our parking destination.

As crazy as this may sound, but I could not believe that it was my first drive on my own and I was able to navigate through all the crossings and turns! Finally after driving 300 miles, we entered the parking garage nearest to where we could catch the boat to Ellis Island !

I still remember that day, I asked the guys to go ahead while I grab some Donuts. I was standing in line still trying to figure out what to order, and I heard a voice - "excuse me - are u going to take longer"? I turned my head - and there she was standing with her hair all glowing with sun-rays gleaming through those golden streaks !

Hey - you? I thought you would be coming in a little late?

She smiled - I thought I would beat you to the statue, but are you not too early?

How could I tell her that I also could not sleep, I said - yes I like to hit it early on the road.

Great - same here ! She said. (Damn - I hope she never finds out this was my first trip on the big bad world of turnpike and beltway. Phew - dont ask how we just made it - all in one piece).

..and we kind of were lost in some conversation !

Our lovely conversation was sadly interrrupted with this lady on the counter - "could you two please move back to make way for others"?

Ah - suddenly as my mind was all clear - I turned around to the counter and said - "12 chocolate donuts and 2 chai latte to go please" !

12 chocolate donuts? You will have some serious sugar rush !!!! She said.

Well, it would be lesser than the adrenaline rush I have right now - and we both smiled !!

I probably dont need to go into the details of how the rest of the day went, but I definitely believe that when love calls - you just know the way to be with your love !

- Pankaj Purohit

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