Erm...why?

Some things will never cease to confuse me.

1. How some people will always, no matter how emphatically or angrily you say it, not understand the word 'no'.

Aunt: You want another helping of rice?
Me: No
Aunt: Alright. (She says this while adding a generous portion of unwanted above mentioned rice to my congested plate)

2. When people write- "Oh, i read so-and-so book, more out of curiosity than any real interest"...I always thought that when you succeed in finishing an entire book, then your curiosity can't possibly remain that, it has to be translated into some sort of "real interest" at some point of time.

3. Why we absolutely must smile while getting photographed.
It's such a big deal, looking good in photos...I'm a big believer in looking good in photographs myself, and if I don't pass muster, I choose to delete them :D But that doesn't mean this entire thing doesn't bother me!

4. This time, during Durga Puja, I was walking towards a 'pandal' with friends and family, and between loud announcements of "Mr.Das, please report to the counter immediately, your annoyed wife is waiting for you!", we heard "Pedestrians are requested to please use the footpath and not prevent the flow of traffic".
Trust me, all of us searched in vain, being good pedestrians with strong civic sense, but never found the footpath!

And pedestrians remind me of Kolkata's public- they are the worst pedestrians on the face of this earth...they cross busy roads as if they own them, just with the power of an outstretched arm! A nightmare for drivers, I tell you!
And god forbid, if you stop your car just centimeters away from a pedestrian, you shall have to hear words which can make your ears singe with embarrassment. Being a woman driver has its advantages that way, the 'you'd-rather-not-hear-word' is on the tip of their tongues, but as soon as they see your pretty face behind the wheel, they'll gawk for a few seconds, moments of uncertainty when they're deciding whether they should finish what they almost started or just glare and continue crossing, or worst case scenario, give you a sloppy half apologetic smile for disrupting your already wrecked drive. I'm sure the crowd in Delhi would not hesitate to do the first!

5. And finally, why Kadi-chawal is not removed from the hostel mess menu. Every Tuesday, oh the torture! Fluorescent yellow in colour, taste bordering on fermentation, and pakodis that hold promises of heartburn during afternoon lectures.
"Khosla ma'am, Kissi ko Kadi pasand nahi hai, itna bekaar hai, please kuch kijiye!"
"Beta, food comm se baat karo."
I can only say, thank god for the Momo-wale bhaiyya outside college :)

Should I even care?

Once, I was on this train to Delhi with a friend, and I heard the most outrageous comment- "90% of all Indian women suffer from an inferiority complex". Now, this incident ticked me off for several reasons-
A. The man (a woman couldn't possibly pass such a heinous comment unless she was vain enough to believe that she belonged to the other 10%)...anyway, the man kept repeating this line, over and over again!
B. He kept looking at the few women around him (which includes my friend and I) while he said this, as if he were waiting for us to challenge him.
C. "90 % of all Indian women suffer from an inferiority complex" ??!! I mean, has he done this huge survey of women all around the world, and concluded that only the Indians are the unlucky ones?

SO, while he rambled on and on and gave the most random explanations to prove his hypothesis, my blood kept boiling...but, thanks to my friend, who has a very level head on her shoulders, I could keep my temper in check, or the co-passengers would have to witness a very ugly fight, which might have been far more entertaining than the instrumental music that Rajdhani forces on its passengers.

I concluded, this man is lonely, going through a mid-life crisis and wants attention from some women, because his wife was so not listening to a word of what he was saying! Also, 47.6% of all statistics are made on the spot...so i guess the 90% in the statement was just that-random!

These incidents made life much more interesting though, after all, what is life without friends, enemies and arbitrary people on trains? :)

Baby Blues

No, this has nothing to do with the comic strip with Zoe and Hammie, it has nothing to do with any hormones or pregnancy...its to do with the extremely uncomfortable time I had during this movie called "Singh is Kinng", with a huge baby (and a huge mother) in the seat right next to mine.


First I tolerated the kicks and punches I received throughout the first half, mainly because I was too busy trying to grapple with the extremely complicated Punjabi they spoke in the movie. Then came the soft whining, to be replaced by cries, and these cries were then punctuated with short screams...quite shrill, if I may add.


And then, to my utmost horror, the mother who looked like she could give Hitler a run for his money, tried to placate the child by feeding him Pepsi!! Imagine, a baby being fed Pepsi- you have your ultimate horror story right here. I was also by this time sick of laughing at the lame jokes cracked by Akshay Kumar et al...


So my day of expected comedy gradually turned out to be a day of tragedy...how I wish babysitting was popular in India... That would be a blessing indeed, for parents, as well as others!