28th June 2013, 6:45 pm PST. It was one of the busier days in office. Another impending big software release was the cause a lot of work for the people. There is a lot of activity in office everyday hence. No gym today so I have time to purchase things from the Indian grocery store. I am on my way back with the usual bachelor grocery shopping which includes maggie, readymade paranthas, readmade dals, yogurt and raw almonds. I am waiting for the train at the Bayerassa train station. There is a police car parked next to the station. Maybe some black guy was acting funny in the areas near to the station. Another black guy approaches me and asks for a dollar. I refuse while thinking in my mind if I should give him a lecture on earning his own bread and not begging in front of other people. But I restrain myself. He is well built and no matter how much you work out, you do not challenge a black guy anywhere. I look away in the direction of where the train is suppose to come from while clutching to my laptop bag and groceries bag closer to my body. I do not want to be robbed in broad evening light.
28th June 2013, 8:45 pm PST. I treat myself to the cuppa maggie. Cuppa maggie is the most easiest way to prepare maggie for the more lazier of the folks who do not feel like going to kitchen to make one maggie serving on the gas. Just pour hot water in the cuppa maggie can, wait for 5 minutes and you are good to go for dinner. Not a healthy choice for dinner but good enough to fill the stomach for the night. I open my gmail account. I am expecting a reply to my email I sent in morning to Pooja to meet her parents over a video chat. No email from her. As always she does not respond to emails immediately she receives one.
"Beta, we met her over lunch on last Sunday and she is very beautiful and full of life. She listens well and responds well to our conversation. She is pretty alert." I recollect the feedback of my Papa about Pooja when my family members met her at one of the revolving restaurants in Connaught Place in Delhi. "Her parents want to speak to you over a video chat. Why don't you arrange sometime so that they can speak to you?", my father continued. "Yes.. Who gives an invitation for his/her own parade to other people? Probably you will be the only one to do this.", came another sarcastic tirades of my inner voice. "I will meet them over the video call.", I acknowledged him over the phone. "Why do you say 'I will' when you can say 'dekhta hoon' . Now you have no option than to parade yourself", the inner voice spoke the truth. So I sent an email to Pooja today morning requesting her to provide a time so that I can speak to her parents over a video call to which she had not replied till later in the night.
I put some random movie "Khiladi 786" to kill the time on Friday night. There is a very catchy dialogue in the film, "Punjabi na chup-chap aate hain aur na chup-chap jaate hain". I am amazed with the creativity of the dialogue writer of this film. "Dilliwaliyan, na sunti hain aur na sunati hain. Jaane kis duniya main rahti hain", I come up with my own brand of one-liner for the Delhi girls, especially for Pooja as she does not respond to my emails on time. Papa calls around late in night inquiring if I was able to do I video chat with Pooja's parents. "Papa she has not replied. I will set up a time when she replies.", I reply to him. Its late in night and I really tired with the weeks overload. So I doze of around 11:00 pm PST.
29th June 2013, 6:45 am PST. Email is one of the more necessary things in my life and I check them first every morning. So Pooja has finally responded. I quickly reply to her by fixing 8:30 am PST as the time to meet her parents for a video chat. And like last weekend, I ready myself to be paraded yet again albeit over a video call. "Are you really interested in this girl? I mean, I have not seen you so desperate ever as you are running to office every Saturday morning. What's up with you dude? Even I am finding it difficult to figure what's up with you..", inquires the inner voice again. "I am as interested as my parents if that pleases you. And what's wrong with meeting her parents anyways. She also met mine on last Sunday. As a gesture, I should not have qualms meeting her parents in reciprocation.", I reply back in the more sensible of the tones. "Well, then run. We will miss the 7:50 am train. And do not forget to practice the exercises learnt over the week after the video call.", my inner voice reminds me of the stuff I need to do today. "I will work extra harder in gym today. I need to give something back to you for all the free advice you give me every now and then", I poke some fun back at him.
So I am in office at about 8:15 am and I have time to prepare one shot of coffee. I am back at 8:30 am in the conference room to meet Pooja's parents. Things seems to be following in place today and I see Pooja online on my gmail account. We agree to start the video chat. "No prior preparations this time, dude? Take some deep breaths and remember to be nice to her and her parents.", advices my inner voice. "What a good day? Whose face did I see in morning today to be bestowed with good things today. Maybe my own", I think as I find my inner voice getting increasingly friendlier today. So I click the button to start the hangout with Pooja. She appears on the screen. She is looking much easier on the face today and there is no gloss on her face as was there the time when we had our first video chat. "Has she switched those fairness creams to lesser oiler ones? She indeed looks good today", flirts the inner voice. "Hi Pooja, how are you? How was your week?", I inquire with strange confidence in my voice today. "Its the coffee. How can you change in a week", my inner voice pulls me back. "I am good. My week was busy", replies Pooja. She is not staring intently at me today so she seems at ease today with herself or me. "So how the meeting with my parents last weekend?", I try to enquire as to how she felt after meeting my parents. "Your parents, uncle and aunty are sweet people. I liked meeting them", she replies with the typical laughter and liveliness in her voice. "How I wish I could hear laughter all my life", my inner voice was sort of falling for her now. "That's good. Are your parents around?", I try to get to the point of the meeting. "Yes they are here", she makes way for her parents so that they are seated on the bed where she was sitting. I fold my hands as a mark of respect to her parents as they appear on my laptop screen. They acknowledge my salutation back.
"Beta, how are you?", asks Pooja's father. "Ji, I am good , Sir. Aap kaise hain", I reply in the best possible manner to sound someone with etiquettes. So I start talking with Pooja's parents. The internet connection on their end has problems so sometimes the video and audio go out of sync. "Its been raining here heavily for the past few days so the internet connection has some problem", Pooja's father tries to give an explanation as to why my communication over the video chat with them is not smooth. Pooja's mother tries to ask me some questions with regards to the job opportunities in US for Pooja. "Will she be able to work there, beta?", she inquires. "With her qualification she should be able to find a job but it depends if the hiring company can sponsor her work visa", I tell them as much as I know. I then explain them the details of work visa and how it is challenging for spouses to find work in US. "My Pooja looses her temper very easily. Will you be able to handle that?", her mother asks another difficult question. "Both mother and daughter ask such difficult questions, dude. Is this a family tradition or genetics? Beware, trick question, trick question. Answer carefully. ", my inner voice sounds an alarm. "Well, everybody gets angry including me. But talking things out and a little bit of understanding resolves most problems and subsides anger.", I try to come up with a logical enough reply. I do not know how much of my voice reached out to them but they seemed satisfied.
Meanwhile, I loose their voice in the video chat. I can see their lips moving but there is no voice from their end. I terminate the video call and start another video chat. This time the connection is a lot stable and I get to talk more to Pooja's parents. "Our families have very similar backgrounds and values", Pooja's father tries to point out the similarities in our respective families. "Haan ji, my parents told me about details of your family. Our families are indeed very similar", I reply back. Pooja's father asks about my job profile while her mother asks about my working hours. I explain them job duties and provide details with regards to my daily schedule. Both her parents seemed nice and down to earth people. This was probably the first time that I spoke to some girl's parents over the video chat. This showed that they were serious with regards to their daughter's future. For the first time I realized, the concerns of a daughter's parents with regards to their daughter's future with some boy so far away. For the first time I was happy that I was talking to people who were concerned about their daughter's future and worried if I will be able to meet their expectations if I was the chosen one for their daughter. "Don't go overboard. Listen to their questions?", remarks my inner voice which brought me back into the present.
So I keep talking to Pooja's parents for about 45 minutes with bad voice and video quality. I had to terminate the video call a few more times to hear them clearly and get my voice to them. "You work in Cisco systems and you have a good calibre, Beta. It was nice talking to you. I will call Pooja if you may want to talk to her.", says Pooja's father as her father and mother bid me good bye. I again fold my hands as a mark of respect to her parents as they appear to leave the screen of the video call. Pooja appears shortly afterwards. She is not looking at ease now. I wonder what happened. I was the one who got paraded not her. We do not talk much after her parents left. "So any plans for today?", she finally says something. "Yeah, I will probably head to the gym and then get some rest at home. I have had a busy week." , I gave her a boring reply. She is intently looking at her laptop screen trying to do something. Then, there is a click sound. "What is she doing !!!? Is she talking my picture!!!?", remarks my saner voice. "How desperate is she dude? She is taking a picture of yours? I can't imagine any dude, leave alone the gals, clicking pictures of you over video chat", my inner voice is playfully taking snide potshots at me. "She might have clicked for her parents or her grandparents", I try to defend her. We say bye and the video chat is finally over.
I walk back to the train station with a lighter head while enjoying another day of marvelous and warm sunshine. I managed to talk to Pooja's parents and maybe it will be over after this call with Pooja's proposal. Or maybe it may not be over. Whatever be case I was happy. I am no longer worried on how things will shape up with Pooja. Maybe it was the day which started well. Maybe it was a bunch of nice people that I met today. Maybe it was Pooja's lovely laughter. Maybe it was my inner voice's friendly olive branch to me. Or maybe things related to my matrimony were finally turning in my favor. Only time will tell.
28th June 2013, 8:45 pm PST. I treat myself to the cuppa maggie. Cuppa maggie is the most easiest way to prepare maggie for the more lazier of the folks who do not feel like going to kitchen to make one maggie serving on the gas. Just pour hot water in the cuppa maggie can, wait for 5 minutes and you are good to go for dinner. Not a healthy choice for dinner but good enough to fill the stomach for the night. I open my gmail account. I am expecting a reply to my email I sent in morning to Pooja to meet her parents over a video chat. No email from her. As always she does not respond to emails immediately she receives one.
"Beta, we met her over lunch on last Sunday and she is very beautiful and full of life. She listens well and responds well to our conversation. She is pretty alert." I recollect the feedback of my Papa about Pooja when my family members met her at one of the revolving restaurants in Connaught Place in Delhi. "Her parents want to speak to you over a video chat. Why don't you arrange sometime so that they can speak to you?", my father continued. "Yes.. Who gives an invitation for his/her own parade to other people? Probably you will be the only one to do this.", came another sarcastic tirades of my inner voice. "I will meet them over the video call.", I acknowledged him over the phone. "Why do you say 'I will' when you can say 'dekhta hoon' . Now you have no option than to parade yourself", the inner voice spoke the truth. So I sent an email to Pooja today morning requesting her to provide a time so that I can speak to her parents over a video call to which she had not replied till later in the night.
I put some random movie "Khiladi 786" to kill the time on Friday night. There is a very catchy dialogue in the film, "Punjabi na chup-chap aate hain aur na chup-chap jaate hain". I am amazed with the creativity of the dialogue writer of this film. "Dilliwaliyan, na sunti hain aur na sunati hain. Jaane kis duniya main rahti hain", I come up with my own brand of one-liner for the Delhi girls, especially for Pooja as she does not respond to my emails on time. Papa calls around late in night inquiring if I was able to do I video chat with Pooja's parents. "Papa she has not replied. I will set up a time when she replies.", I reply to him. Its late in night and I really tired with the weeks overload. So I doze of around 11:00 pm PST.
29th June 2013, 6:45 am PST. Email is one of the more necessary things in my life and I check them first every morning. So Pooja has finally responded. I quickly reply to her by fixing 8:30 am PST as the time to meet her parents for a video chat. And like last weekend, I ready myself to be paraded yet again albeit over a video call. "Are you really interested in this girl? I mean, I have not seen you so desperate ever as you are running to office every Saturday morning. What's up with you dude? Even I am finding it difficult to figure what's up with you..", inquires the inner voice again. "I am as interested as my parents if that pleases you. And what's wrong with meeting her parents anyways. She also met mine on last Sunday. As a gesture, I should not have qualms meeting her parents in reciprocation.", I reply back in the more sensible of the tones. "Well, then run. We will miss the 7:50 am train. And do not forget to practice the exercises learnt over the week after the video call.", my inner voice reminds me of the stuff I need to do today. "I will work extra harder in gym today. I need to give something back to you for all the free advice you give me every now and then", I poke some fun back at him.
So I am in office at about 8:15 am and I have time to prepare one shot of coffee. I am back at 8:30 am in the conference room to meet Pooja's parents. Things seems to be following in place today and I see Pooja online on my gmail account. We agree to start the video chat. "No prior preparations this time, dude? Take some deep breaths and remember to be nice to her and her parents.", advices my inner voice. "What a good day? Whose face did I see in morning today to be bestowed with good things today. Maybe my own", I think as I find my inner voice getting increasingly friendlier today. So I click the button to start the hangout with Pooja. She appears on the screen. She is looking much easier on the face today and there is no gloss on her face as was there the time when we had our first video chat. "Has she switched those fairness creams to lesser oiler ones? She indeed looks good today", flirts the inner voice. "Hi Pooja, how are you? How was your week?", I inquire with strange confidence in my voice today. "Its the coffee. How can you change in a week", my inner voice pulls me back. "I am good. My week was busy", replies Pooja. She is not staring intently at me today so she seems at ease today with herself or me. "So how the meeting with my parents last weekend?", I try to enquire as to how she felt after meeting my parents. "Your parents, uncle and aunty are sweet people. I liked meeting them", she replies with the typical laughter and liveliness in her voice. "How I wish I could hear laughter all my life", my inner voice was sort of falling for her now. "That's good. Are your parents around?", I try to get to the point of the meeting. "Yes they are here", she makes way for her parents so that they are seated on the bed where she was sitting. I fold my hands as a mark of respect to her parents as they appear on my laptop screen. They acknowledge my salutation back.
"Beta, how are you?", asks Pooja's father. "Ji, I am good , Sir. Aap kaise hain", I reply in the best possible manner to sound someone with etiquettes. So I start talking with Pooja's parents. The internet connection on their end has problems so sometimes the video and audio go out of sync. "Its been raining here heavily for the past few days so the internet connection has some problem", Pooja's father tries to give an explanation as to why my communication over the video chat with them is not smooth. Pooja's mother tries to ask me some questions with regards to the job opportunities in US for Pooja. "Will she be able to work there, beta?", she inquires. "With her qualification she should be able to find a job but it depends if the hiring company can sponsor her work visa", I tell them as much as I know. I then explain them the details of work visa and how it is challenging for spouses to find work in US. "My Pooja looses her temper very easily. Will you be able to handle that?", her mother asks another difficult question. "Both mother and daughter ask such difficult questions, dude. Is this a family tradition or genetics? Beware, trick question, trick question. Answer carefully. ", my inner voice sounds an alarm. "Well, everybody gets angry including me. But talking things out and a little bit of understanding resolves most problems and subsides anger.", I try to come up with a logical enough reply. I do not know how much of my voice reached out to them but they seemed satisfied.
Meanwhile, I loose their voice in the video chat. I can see their lips moving but there is no voice from their end. I terminate the video call and start another video chat. This time the connection is a lot stable and I get to talk more to Pooja's parents. "Our families have very similar backgrounds and values", Pooja's father tries to point out the similarities in our respective families. "Haan ji, my parents told me about details of your family. Our families are indeed very similar", I reply back. Pooja's father asks about my job profile while her mother asks about my working hours. I explain them job duties and provide details with regards to my daily schedule. Both her parents seemed nice and down to earth people. This was probably the first time that I spoke to some girl's parents over the video chat. This showed that they were serious with regards to their daughter's future. For the first time I realized, the concerns of a daughter's parents with regards to their daughter's future with some boy so far away. For the first time I was happy that I was talking to people who were concerned about their daughter's future and worried if I will be able to meet their expectations if I was the chosen one for their daughter. "Don't go overboard. Listen to their questions?", remarks my inner voice which brought me back into the present.
So I keep talking to Pooja's parents for about 45 minutes with bad voice and video quality. I had to terminate the video call a few more times to hear them clearly and get my voice to them. "You work in Cisco systems and you have a good calibre, Beta. It was nice talking to you. I will call Pooja if you may want to talk to her.", says Pooja's father as her father and mother bid me good bye. I again fold my hands as a mark of respect to her parents as they appear to leave the screen of the video call. Pooja appears shortly afterwards. She is not looking at ease now. I wonder what happened. I was the one who got paraded not her. We do not talk much after her parents left. "So any plans for today?", she finally says something. "Yeah, I will probably head to the gym and then get some rest at home. I have had a busy week." , I gave her a boring reply. She is intently looking at her laptop screen trying to do something. Then, there is a click sound. "What is she doing !!!? Is she talking my picture!!!?", remarks my saner voice. "How desperate is she dude? She is taking a picture of yours? I can't imagine any dude, leave alone the gals, clicking pictures of you over video chat", my inner voice is playfully taking snide potshots at me. "She might have clicked for her parents or her grandparents", I try to defend her. We say bye and the video chat is finally over.
I walk back to the train station with a lighter head while enjoying another day of marvelous and warm sunshine. I managed to talk to Pooja's parents and maybe it will be over after this call with Pooja's proposal. Or maybe it may not be over. Whatever be case I was happy. I am no longer worried on how things will shape up with Pooja. Maybe it was the day which started well. Maybe it was a bunch of nice people that I met today. Maybe it was Pooja's lovely laughter. Maybe it was my inner voice's friendly olive branch to me. Or maybe things related to my matrimony were finally turning in my favor. Only time will tell.
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