Sorry, my dear Sisters

Hello again. My last post got me some nice feedbacks. Like always, people hitherto unknown, read it and it felt good. In addition to all that, I was also told that I seemed to live in a parallel universe. I got the point. It’s not that I wasn’t aware of what’s going on but I wanted the world to be ideal, atleast in my writings. Turns out the world is a far worse place. 

Reality sucks. But we live in reality believing that everything’s fine, when it’s not. Hence this post. Some hard truths. 

People who know me will tell you that I’m one of the most diplomatic persons around. For a change, I’m not going to be diplomatic here.

I was about to write on something else. But this post is far more important, I felt. If you’re the soft/ weak-hearted kind, please do not read any further.

First of all, a big sorry to all my dear sisters out there.

I just could not take it that some wretched persons from my gender would do something so horrific. Yes, I’m talking about the Delhi rape case. “Which one?” you may ask. The one that’s dominating the news for the last couple of days, the one where the victim was brutally raped and thrown out of a moving bus. It was really disturbing. The no. of such cases in Delhi over the past 4-5 years has rightfully earned it the shameful sobriquet – “Rape Capital”. Now I’m not going to deal with statistics and details et al. You’ve newspapers and screaming news anchors for that. 

Let us see the reasons behind this problem and ways to put an end to it.

Reasons: 

Immigrants, drugs, alcohol, the beast within:

I apologized earlier just to express solidarity – philadelphos, a brotherly love. Otherwise, I don’t even consider those wretched beings as humans, let alone one of my kind – males. They are plain animals, beasts that have no control over their senses.

I had a chat with a nice chap I befriended during a train journey, a year ago. He’s been in Delhi since 2007, working with a PSU. He said he had done a study on the rising rapes in Delhi and presented me with some of his findings.

The immigrant labour population was responsible for over 80 pc of the rapes that happened during this period. These are young illiterate labourers from around the country, who toil hard during the day and let their senses wander during the night. They are mostly young unmarried men and in some cases married men.

Alcohol and drugs were the next major factors, according to him. And in this case, the perpetrators were not some illiterate rustics but educated, affluent, young men who have strayed into the path of drugs and alcohol.

Inefficient System:

The system is so inefficient that it has become impossible for the police to thwart a possible molestation. The Government machinery, law, judicial system, media, etc. are working in tandem against the victim. There was a statement made on twitter by an eminent personality saying that we come to know of such cases in Delhi for it’s only here that cases are being reported. Elsewhere, the system is such that people will hardly report the matter. Could be true. Not sure. This 24X7 media would ensure that the victim never has a peaceful, normal, anonymous life again. In addition, the feminist groups add insult to injury. I’m not targeting anyone or anything here, but the sad truth is that these female organizations lack unity and they end up doing more harm than good. The government takes advantage of this friction among different groups.

The Ladies:

Now this would raise many eyebrows. How is a lady to be blamed for being victimized? There’s been enough written in the media about this and there has been enough statements made by loud-mouthed politicians who have earned the ire of one and all. 

No.

I’m not going to blame their dresses. Ours is a free country and every person is entitled the dress up the way he/she wishes. 

No. 

I’m not going to blame them for going out to parties with their boyfriends. They are perfectly within their rights to do that.   

I’m not blaming them for consuming alcohols or drugs either. It’s a morality issue and every person has the right to choose the morally right path for themselves.

Then what?

I blame them for their ignorance, their nescience. It is imperative that they know such things could happen anywhere and everywhere and stay on the vigil. I’ll be pounced upon for saying this, but I’m sorry. Please return to your homes before it’s too late. I have no right to ask my sisters to return home soon while I stay out late. But that’s the way it is. Like I said before, the machinery – the police, the government etc. are inefficient in dealing with this problem and so for our part, as normal citizens, we’ll have to take the necessary precautions.

Putting an End:

It’s not the time to turn rebellious. It’s imperative that we protect ourselves from the beast that’s lurking around. It’s shameful for me to say this but ours is not a safe country for women. Gandhi said that the real freedom is when a woman is able to walk down the streets with jewels in the dead of the night. Going by his definition, we are not free yet.   

I’ve seen girls impose a curfew on themselves and get home soon. I’ve often wondered why is that so and is it necessary. Now I realize that it’s indeed necessary. For a country that’s as unsafe as ours for women, it is indeed necessary that such a curfew be self-imposed. Again there’s sexism, gender bias there but nothing could be done unless everything improves.

Also understand that being with a guy doesn't improve matters. No matter who the guy is, in the face of such adversity, he's as helpless against those beasts as you. The Delhi case and the recent Bangalore NLS case are good examples of the same.

If you’re a woman who works late into the night, please equip yourselves with pepper spray, self-defence tactics, etc. Also if you ask me, I’d suggest you practice kicking a guy in his groin. There’s hardly anything that’s more painful than that for a guy ;-) :-) 

Morality is another issue that needs to be taken care of. The moral values have to be imbibed into the system from a very young age. If you’re a parent and have a son, teach him to respect and treat women as their equal in all respects.  It’s wrong to even touch a girl if she doesn’t like it, whoever it may be – your friend, classmate, colleague, sibling, etc. Learn to respect her dignity and teach the same to the others.

As for putting an end to all this, some politicians suggest severity of punishments. I agree but not to the punishment they’ve suggested. They’ve suggested death. I suggest castration.

Yes. Castration. That’d put an end to this problem. 

Would any person dare indulge in rape/adultery in the Middle East? 

No. 

Why? 

Because of castration.

In a Tamil film, the comedian Vivek shoots the groin of a rapist and says “Only when the severity of punishments increase, will the crimes come down.”  Exactly my point.

Impose castration as punishment for rape and you’ll see it coming down.

As for drugs and alcohol, again it boils down to morality. If you drink, that’s your problem. But drink responsibly so that the problem stays with you and you alone. As for drugs, say no them.

Again girls, always remember a person is not the same in an inebriated state. So for your own precaution, stay away from guys, whoever it may be, if you find him getting drunk. 

The same applies to you too. If you drink, bear in mind the place and the people you’re with and drink responsibly. Don’t ever get drunk in a public place. As for drugs, don’t ever think of them. There are enough articles on the net about date-rape drugs et al.

So dear sisters, please stay safe and stay alert. Stay on the vigil always. It’s imperative to stay alert even when you’re with guys you’ve known like boyfriends, classmates, colleagues, friends, etc.  Staying on the vigil doesn’t mean that you’ll have to look at them with suspicion all the time but staying prepared if anything were to happen. 

Hopeful that nothing wrong ever happens. Touch wood.

With philadelphos,

Ashwin Murali

PS:  I’ve addressed every girl reading this as sisters but if everyone turns out to be a sister, I’ll be stranded as a bachelor, for life. So please, not all of you consider me your brother ;-) :-)

It’s a GIRL

 “It’s a GIRL. IT’S A GIRL. IT’S A GIRLLLL”. 

Sounds happy right? This could be what expectant couples might sound like when they welcome a new member into this world. Except that it’s not the same sound with every couple, especially when the new member is a girl. 

You may now have got an idea as to what this post is all about. Yes. It’s about a malaise called female foeticide/infanticide that exists in our society. 

For any couple, the birth of their child ranks as the happiest moment in their lives. Except that in many cases, the happiness is not the same or missing if the child turns out to be a girl. This is terrible. What has the young baby done to earn the displeasure or wrath of their parents/relatives? 

You may think that this happens only with illiterate parents in rural areas. No. This happens everywhere.  Alarmingly, the no. of such cases is high in urban areas, that too with educated couples. I personally came across one such case.

Back in Tuticorin, we were being taken on a visit to one of my former company’s CSR camps. I was with a colleague, a nice guy whom I got to know a couple of weeks back.  We were chatting on the way when he received a call. I could sense that it was a call conveying some news, something good. His face lighted up after the call and with delight he informed me that his cousin had delivered twin girls. I had no idea as to who they were and all, yet I felt delighted. Such is the joy that a young one brings. Yet it was short lived. 

After sometime, he again got a call. This time I could sense that the voice on the other end was sombre and his replies were angry in nature. Sitting in a bus next to him, it wasn’t difficult to hear and figure out what was going on. Apparently their cousin’s family was dejected it seems. They were worried that it was a girl, not just a girl but girls. WHAT THE HECK!!

Again I could sense something stir inside me. It was a rage that I kept under control. I felt like grabbing the phone from him and blurt out all the cuss words that came to my mind. Thankfully, he was very sensible enough to chide them in the strictest terms and this calmed me down.

 I sat that day, wondering how they could do this to the little girls. What have they done to earn this displeasure right at their birth? Will they be brought up well considering that they were disliked right at their birth? How will they react if they come to know that they were unwelcome additions to their family? 

It was then that I read about this problem. I was shocked to learn how prevalent this malaise was in our society. Aamir Khan, for his part, shed some light on this issue in Satyameva Jayate. Yet, I feel that this problem can’t be solved unless people themselves realize, welcome and embrace the girl child.

My mom says that in the olden times, people preferred boys as bringing up girls were considered to be expensive. What crap!! These days bringing up a boy is equally expensive, if not more. I once asked my mom as to what she’d have done if I had been born a girl. She replied that she’d have loved me even more. That cheered me up.  I could feel proud of my parents. In fact, my mom told me that my dad was visibly disappointed when my brother was born, as his second-born also turned out to be a ‘he’ instead of a ‘she’. Yet it was just a short lived disappointment and they showered us with all the love and care that we could hope for in this world.

I always wanted a girl for a child. Whether it was the absence of a sister in my life or something, I do not know. But I always wanted a girl child. Once when my colleagues were discussing as to what child they would prefer having, I categorically stated that I’d like to have atleast one daughter. Where it came from, I do not know. But I said what I said and realized that’s what I wanted. 

Wanting a daughter doesn’t mean that I’d hate my child if I end up having a son. Every child is precious. A girl child is even more precious. All educated couples should realize this and educate others too. 

I know a lot of couples with daughters who have been brought up like princesses. Their happiness is proof enough that girls bring unforeseen joy into the household. The joy that you experience when your young daughter smiles at you, is unparalleled, I’m told. 

Support the girl child and she’ll make you proud one day. 

This post is dedicated to all the wonderful women who I had the good fortune of getting to know in my life namely my mom, aunts, grandmas, cousins, friends, colleagues, teachers and every other woman who has inspired this world to be a better place

.

Perseverance, Patience and Love, thy name is Woman!!

-Ashwin Murali

PS: I have used myself as an example at many places in this post just to drive home the point. That should in no way indicate that I’m looking for a girl or marriage is around the corner :-) Marriage is atleast a good 4 years away ;-)  :-)

 

'Lameness' and its rewards

Hello all, back again after an eventful year. So much has happened and so many things have changed. I sometimes forget that I have a blog which I started in the hope of becoming a writer that I imagine myself to be in my dreams. But this blog has some readers that I had no idea, existed. 

The other day, a stranger tweeted to me asking me why I don't blog frequently and that he loved my blog. Oh, really??!! And that's not all. A couple of girls (oh yeah! ;-)) informed me that they had read this blog and liked it. That really cheers you up even though  I personally feel that I was lame enough  to write what I had written.

Yes, “lame” is the word. It means stupid, foolish, crippled, etc. Now come to think of it, I had been so lame in the past. We all had been lame at one point or the other.  Looking back, certain things seem lame but at that time, at that age, I was perfectly justified in doing what I did and so were you all. We’ve grown wiser and we’re more mature now and so the past appears lame.

Let me give you  some examples:

I remember I cried after my 7^th standard Half-yearly exams, not because I failed or something, but because I missed the first rank by a whisker. LOL :-D So near yet so far. Now looking back, I laugh at myself and say “How lame were you back then?”

Similarly, a friend told me that she cried despite getting 98 percent marks in her 12^th board exams,  as she had missed topping the school. LOL again :-D

I remember when I started this blog, I gave it some name and later changed it to “Mandark’s Mind in Dexter’s Lab sans the Crush for Deedee”.  OMG :-D What was I thinking? I have no idea. Again the word here is 'lame'.

 I’m pretty sure we all have lots of such incidents to reminisce and ridicule ourselves. But this lameness rewards us too. Yes. A very friendly teacher once told me that she was lame to have done  certain things at a younger age but doesn’t regret them as they taught her so many things and that she’s wiser now.

Very true.  Appreciate that lameness in you. It truly rewards.

Think  about it.

Had Newton not been lame enough to explore a falling apple, we wouldn’t have the laws of gravity today.

Had Archimedes not been lame enough to jump around naked in a public bath tub, we wouldn’t have Archimedes’ Principle today.

Had Benjamin Franklin not been lame enough to fly a kite in the rains, electricity may not have been discovered today.

Had Einstein not been lame enough to doubt Newton, we wouldn’t have Quantum Physics today.

Had Edison not been lame enough to have kept fiddling with a Tungsten filament, we may not have a light bulb today.

Had Tesla not been lame enough to challenge the theory of Edison, we wouldn’t have Alternating Current today.

Had Bill Gates not been lame enough to drop out of Harvard, we wouldn’t have Microsoft today. ( I can hear some of you saying that we would’ve been better off without it :-) )

Had Sergey Brin and Larry Page not been lame enough to think that they could download the entire internet, we wouldn’t have Google today.

Had Zuckerberg not been lame enough to design a website to compare two girls and find which one was hotter, we wouldn’t have Facebook today.

And finally, had I not been lame enough to think that I could be a writer one day,  you wouldn’t be reading this today. ;-) 

LOL ;-) :-)

Cheers,

Ashwin Murali

PS: I promise for the umpteenth time that I will write more, no matter how lame that post turns out to be :-)

What goes around, comes around

“Everything will be fine. This is what you wanted. Now be prepared. An exciting, challenging new phase in your life starts now” Anirudh told himself as he stepped out of the train at Bilaspur. He was one of the countless engineers placed into the corporate world by one of the over 500 Engineering Colleges in Tamilnadu. Though a part of him rued the fact that he had become a victim of the system, the practical part of him accepted reality and embraced it. His mind shot back to the winter of 2008 when he had just finished his sixth semester exams.

His holidays had just begun and he was excited as he along with some eminent seniors had been entrusted the duty of preparing the College magazine for the year. Ranjith, the editor of the magazine, a final year EEE student, had asked him to take care of the “Discussion Board” or DB as they called it. The DB was the most popular feature of the magazine, for it was the only part that was not censored. The rest of the magazine was scrutinised atleast a dozen times before it went to the press. The College Dean, a respectable 70 year old man, believed in the voice of the students and the right to express themselves and hence allowed the students to start the DB which, he had assured, would not be censored. Hence over the years, DB became the most popular feature even though it never had anything that merited censorship.

Editorial teams over the years, never ventured into anything serious or silly, fearing that doing so would lead them to being purposefully targeted in Internal assessments or Job Placements by teachers, who indirectly threatened them of dire consequences.

“This is ridiculous. These articles, even if they had been censored, couldn’t have been more appeasing to the Management”, Ranjith said going through the DBs of the previous years. “Why have they not put the ‘no-censor’ clause to good use?”

“Well, you know that clause for DB is just an eye-wash. We all know that. Our HOD has already mentioned DB when he met Ramesh” said Deepa, a final year ECE student and the Associate Editor of the magazine.

“Oh, screw them. They threaten you with Internals and jobs. Who cares? This is our team and our magazine. It will bear both our names in the Editorial space and it should be different. We should come up with a powerful, stinging DB that will be talked about in the years to come.”

“Easy for you to say when your Dad owns the largest supermarket in the city and you top the class so consistently. You may not need a job or internal marks, but I need them. So keep me out of this. I’m not party to it.”

“Come on Deepa. You know I’m not interested in running a supermarket and who needs the 15 internal marks when you can score 85 through the Externals. This is not about you or me. It’s about us and our magazine. We have to create an impact. How else will it be unique?”

“Ok fine, but I won’t be doing it.”

“I didn’t ask you to and I can’t do it either.”

“What? Why? Afraid? For all your talks, I thought you had some plans?”

“Afraid? Me? No way.”

“Then why?”

“It’s the Principal. He barred me from doing the DB, fearing that I might cause some trouble.”

“He guessed it right, didn’t he? Still you can do it and put someone else’s name.”

“That’s plain cowardice. Plus he has read a lot of my stuff and will easily find out. I can’t change my style too for it’d be artificial then.”

“What to do then? Any plans in place?”

“I do have a plan. I know someone who’d do it. I’ve also told him about it.”

“Who is it? Please don’t tell me it’s Vivek”

“Ofcourse not. It’s Anirudh.”

“You mean the third year Mech student who just joined our team? Or should I say, you recruited into our team?”

“Yes. He’s a rare talent. I’ve been reading his blog for the past two years and he sure writes well. He packs a punch in his posts and is not afraid of the reactions. He writes what he believes in. That’s precisely why I took him into our team. He will do it.”

“Have you given him any topics as such? Have you told him about the consequences – about what it could do to his Internals and Job Opportunities?”

“I did but he’s not bothered at all. He seemed so excited. Plus, if any trouble were to arise, I’ll take full responsibility. I won’t let him face the heat. I haven’t mentioned any topics. I’ve left it to his choice. But if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say he’d write something about the degradation of Engineering Education in TN. A lot of his blog posts talk about it.”

“Wow! Spoken like a true leader. And the topic seems interesting too. We’ll finalize everything in the Team meeting this Friday. See you then.”

The Team was excited for all the plans were to be finalized. The Team had 8 members – 4 girls and 4 boys. Deepa, Swathi and Ramesh were from ECE, Ramya and Suchi were from CSE, while Ranjith and Vivek were from EEE. All were final year students. It was Ranjith who spoke to the Principal about the need to have a third year student in the team so that he/she can be trained to handle the work the next year. And doing so, he got Anirudh into the team. The team was not happy about this. More than the fact that he was a third year guy, it was his Department that irked them.

Mechanical Engg guys had a rule of their own which was to follow no rules. They ran their own show. Though they excelled in all fields including Academics, they were found more often in the Principal’s room than in their classrooms for one offence or the other. The Principal even told them that he is considering a move to shift his room to their classroom. Though they never regretted this, staff from other departments often warned their students not to be close to Mechanical guys. A part of this warning stemmed from their jealousy. Even other students envied these guys for the carefree, happy life that they led inside the campus. All girls adored Mechies, though they never admit it.

Anirudh realized the indifference of all the team members except Ranjith towards him. He also realized that it was more due to the fact that he was a Mechie. When Ranjith introduced him to the team, he felt that he was not welcome there. He felt uneasy. He told Ranjith about it. Ranjith said that things would get better as time progressed and they will start liking him. These words of assurance calmed Anirudh.

He walked to the Students’ Activities Centre or SAC for the meeting. Ranjith had called him a week ago and told him about the DB. He wasn’t sure how to react. Writing an article that’s powerful in nature is something that comes naturally to him. He wasn’t worried about that. He wasn’t worried about the consequences that Ranjith warned him about either. He was worried as to how the team members would take to him doing it for it’d be impossible to do justice to the task at hand without their help. As soon as he entered, he found everyone waiting for him. Ranjith greeted him while the others hardly acknowledged his arrival. Then Ranjith informed everyone about the DB.

“WHAT?” everyone reacted.

But before they could object further, Ranjith pushed Anirudh on to the stage and asked him to introduce himself properly as the introduction during the previous meet lasted barely a couple of minutes and the meeting was called off due to some emergency. Anirudh relished this opportunity. He knew he could talk well and he can win them over through his speech.

He started with a brief intro about himself and continued.

“When Ranjith Anna called me and told me that he wanted me in the team for the magazine this year, I was overjoyed. I’ve written quite a few blog posts but this is different. The whole college will read these articles. It’s an opportunity like never before. But I sense that I’m not so welcome in the team ... would love to learn from you.... you inspire us ...blah...blahh...”

By the time he finished his speech which lasted a good 5 minutes, he could sense a complete change of mood in the room. The team unanimously applauded him. They all shook hands with him. Now he was one of their own. Ranjith gave a wry smile. His plan had worked. He knew this guy had the ability and he was right. The team had accepted Anirudh. Now they can work like they always did. The magazine will be out soon and it’d be a success. It will be talked about for years to come. With all these thoughts in mind, he smiled to himself.


“Those days... I miss them” Anirudh thought as he walked to the Auto stand outside the station. He wasn’t sure if he had to take an auto or a taxi. His HR had only told him to come to the Bachelors’ Hostel in the company premises and contact her.

“Kahaan jaana bhaiya?” a taxi driver asked.

With the little Hindi that he knew he understood what was said.

“Advaita Corporation”

“Baito. Baito”

“How much?”

“Kya?”

“Kitna Bhaiya?”

“200”

He felt shocked. But he had no choice for he could not bargain with his little Hindi and also his company had promised him that his travel expenses would be reimbursed. He got into the taxi. As he looked around the new place from his taxi during the journey, his mind drifted back to another day, another journey.

“Faster Ranjith, the press closes in another 10 minutes” shouted Suchi from the back of the car. Ranjith launched into full throttle. Anirudh gasped in the front seat.

“Relax Akka, they won’t close before taking our order. I’ve spoken to the Manager. They agreed to wait for us.”

Their magazine was now complete and all the editing work was done. Since it was Ranjith who was at the helm of affairs, every article was scrutinized more than the usual no. of times and finally when all the teachers involved were convinced, they gave the go-ahead nod. They weren’t much worried about the DB for they knew that Ranjith did not write it. They didn’t care about the rest. They never suspected that the third year guy would cause any trouble with his DB. Plus they were assured by their pets Deepa and Ramesh that it was all fine. So they left it alone and did not bother. Little did they know what was to come.

Four Days later:

The magazine was released and like the team expected the DB became an instant hit. Anirudh Shankar became a hero all of a sudden. The entire college was talking about him. Ranjith was overjoyed. The team was over the moon. They were overwhelmed by the response. Anirudh struggled to cope up with his newly found celebrity status. Students posted the DB in Facebook, Orkut, Twitter and their own blogs. It became a sensation in the local circles. A small time local newspaper prying for local stories carried it in their op-ed page. Needless to say, the management was furious.

The DB was about Engineering College Education in the state and it compared an Engineering college to a Manufacturing unit. A manufacturing unit takes order from the customer, procures the raw materials, machines them to the required shape and size and delivers the finished product. Similarly an Engineering college looks into the corporate requirements, takes in students suitable for their objective, grinds them hard till they match the requirements and delivers them to the corporate world. Though the comparison made sense, it was written in a sarcastic tone that not only questioned the intention of these colleges but made a complete mockery of the system. The humorous tone added to the sarcasm. It was all too much for the management to take. They set up a committee and called Anirudh for an enquiry. Ranjith spoke to the Principal about how it was his idea and so he was also called for the same enquiry.

A week later at the Enquiry room:

“So you say it was your idea and that he was just a puppet?” the Principal asked.

“Yes sir” answered Ranjith.

“No sir.” Anirudh interrupted. “It may have been his idea that we needed a strong DB but every word written in it is mine and I take full responsibility for it.”

“Stop it Anirudh. It’s my fault and you keep out of this.”

“No Anna. I told you that I am prepared to face the consequences.”

Just then the commotion outside the room grew louder and the next moment, a tall, old man barged into the room.

“What’s going on here?” the Dean asked in an authoritative tone.

Everyone in the room instinctively stood up.

“Enquiry sir”, the Principal answered.

“I get it. But what for? For an honest article? An article that I longed for for all these years? For an article that a young man had the guts to write? For an article, hoping to find which, I allowed the no-censor clause? You must be kidding.”

The faces of the Principal and other members of the committee went blank. Anirudh and Ranjith were surprised.

“Principal Sir, you’re just wasting your time. So are all these Professors. Have you seen the crowd outside? Have you seen the support that these young men have garnered? I have never seen the students so united before. Almost the entire College is behind these walls waiting for the verdict. It’s as if a court case is going on with the innocent about to be punished. Have you ever seen the students so united before for anything? I haven’t. Atleast not in my college. It just shows how much the article had impacted them .I even showed this to some of my friends from the Ministry of Education. Even they liked it and admitted the flaws in the system discretely. Now by punishing these young men, you will only set a bad example. It’d be akin to dictatorship and that’s exactly what has been written in the article. The choice is yours Principal sir. The choice is yours.”

Anirudh felt like crying while Ranjith almost whistled in exultation.

The Principal came to them. “You guys have great guts. Put it to use in a positive way. You’ll go places. Don’t repeat this. The case is dismissed. You may go now.”

The moment they stepped out of the room and informed the crowd of the verdict, pandemonium broke out. The team hugged each other in a huddle. They were in tears. After all, they stood by what they believed in and sanity prevailed in the end. Anirudh and Ranjith were heroes. Ranjith, who was already popular among the girls, saw his popularity hit a new high. Anirudh gained a lot of female fans too. Junior girls were seen walking up to him and shaking hands with him. Now it was his fellow Mechies, who grew jealous of him. It was an unforgettable day. Every moment of it was still clear in his memory.

As they were about to leave in the evening, the Dean caught up with Anirudh.

“Now tell me young man, did you write this for a stunt or do you believe in what you’ve written?”

“Ofcourse I believe in what I write sir”

“Meaning, you will not take up a posh Corporate job, no matter how much they pay you?”

“Yes sir.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely sir.”

“Good. In a year’s time, if you are as firm in your views as you are now, call me. I have some contacts in newspapers and magazines who might be interested in you. The society needs writers like you” saying so, he handed him his card.

“Thank you sir.”

Thinking about it, brought a tear to Anirudh’s eyes. He looked at the card in his purse and pushed it inside. He paid for the taxi and stepped into Advaita Corporation, ironically, a multi-national Manufacturing Unit. Whether it was the lure of money or parents’ insistence or his own insecure feeling or peer pressure, he could not decide as to what made him accept this job. But life can play games on you, he realized. What once went around, had come around to haunt him. He too had become a victim of the system.

*Note: This is a work of fiction although factual elements have been incorporated into it. I leave it to your imagination to decide what elements are fictional and what are factual. The characters in the story though, are purely fictional and any resemblance to anyone dead or alive is purely a coincidence.*

**This story was written in phases to kill time during work ;-) Bouquets and Brickbats are welcome.**

-Ashwin Murali