Diary of Monalisa Smilehttp://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/Diary of Monalisa Smileen-usiLand Wars !!!I can understand what William Godwin must have been going through when he said, " Every man has a certain sphere of discretion which he has a right to expect shall not be infringed upon by his neighbours.This right flows from the very nature of man."

Wondering what I want to convey, let me do so without further ado.

Its been three and half months since I joined iLand and, no this is not a tribute about all the good things I came across! The number of friends I made! What a beautiful world of images, thoughts and conversations I chanced upon!

NO, no this is not about any of that. This is about something else, I would say a rather very important aspect of iLanding. Its about comments and Guestbook entries that others come and acknowledge your space with. Dilip Krishnan says that comments are the lifelines of blogs and I couldn't agree with him more. After all, it is impromptu what others write about your articles. Moreover, it gives an extensive insight into the kind of person who has read your blog. Over time, I have even realised who by and large comments how. Nadiraji has written a wonderful piece about her perceptions on that a few months ago and no one could have put it more aptly.

But, there is another aspect here that troubles me once in a while. I have seen " ad hominem" being commited in the guise of constructive criticism by a few. For those of you who are wondering what ad hominem is like I did, when my father used this term often it is " an arguement that relies on personal attacks rather than reason or substance."
Each one of us when posts a blog puts in extensive effort into his work, even those who copy paste some write ups do it because they found something interesting that they would like to share with us. We are all diverse in our age, level of thinking, knowledge, interests, backgrounds and experiences that not everything that is written on some one's space would be our cup of tea.

At such times, even on my friends blogs (they know this !! ) I have moved on without a comment or discreetly sent them an email wording my thoughts rather than leaving caustic remarks. I do not expect sugar coated comments on my blogs, I am game for criticism. There are some who have questioned and critiqued me contructively and I have appreciated it and learnt from it (Sahil Banga, Frozen Sun am sure can vouch for that !! )

But, a few of you think I am humorous so anything can be said. I would like to differ. Yes, I am humourous and I can by and large take most things with a pinch of salt but, if I end up giving you a dose of your own medicine and you cannot take it then..I must say you are being a petulant child rather than a majestic blogger. Whenever I have disagreed or had something more to say I have maintained my politeness. Jean de la Fontaine once said " Nothing is more dangerous than a friend without discretion; even a prudent enemy is preferable." I also know as Gandhiji said, " An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

So, it is my humble appeal to those of you who do not find my writings worthy enough, please feel free to comment or GB but do it in a civilised manner. I came here to spread smiles around and will continue to do so. I have nurtured my space with a great deal of affection and consider my space sacred, please do not litter it with your trash.

One final thing, each persons's goals are varied, and what comes easy to one may be difficult for another. Therefore, do not squash other's dreams. This is a surefire way to know that you aren't working towards fulfilling your own.
PS...A few of you might come and say Hey Mona darling ( Ajit'sh ishtyle) ! what happened...let me tell you nothing happened...I have nothing against anyone....You might wonder why the hue and cry then?? The answer is I felt like becoming a bit serious rather than be silly all the time. :)))))))))))
]]>Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:46:30 +0530http://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/08/28/iLand-Wars.htmlThe only constant...He continued to gaze at the menu through the glass doors in front of the restaurant. It was Christmas Eve. To everyone's delight it was snowing, talk about a white christmas. In spite of the bitter cold wind that blew across, the world around him was in high spirits and, the mood, so very festive. However, for him the festivities and the happy voices seemed far away. He tightened the grip on his threadbare coat further, as if that would provide some blessed warmth to his shivering body. With freezing hands which were stuffed deep inside his trouser pockets and teeth chattering he continued to gaze through the menu. It was the right hand column on the menu that was the focus of his interest. The column which listed the prices. He found what he was looking for, a vegetarian thali for £14.99. A pang of regret seeped in. He very well knew that if he indulged in the thali he would have to forgo his fortnightly underground tube pass. This in turn meant that he would have to travel by bus around London in the harsh weather, in his search for jobs in hospitals. He continued the neverending contemplation. Since, almost a year now he had not had a complete meal, the way he loved it with plain rice, sambar, curries, pickles, yoghurts, chapatis, papads and occasionally sweet.

He was 27 when he had left the shores of India for London in his search for a job. He had completed his medical studies 4 years ago, but with no success in garnering a PG seat. After several stints and endless shifts, at various hospitals where he worked in the junior most positions, for a mere pittance that was called a salary, he realized the futility of his dreams.

For him to clear the debts that his father, a modest clerk in the railways, had incurred for putting him through medical school, and also to marry off his two sisters, he knew, would take him years or maybe forever. It was then that his father, who upon reading an article in the newspaper, suggested that he try his luck in the UK. His father, allayed his gnawing fears of the exam fees, the expenses of living abroad, the mounting debt that would be incurred. His father reasoned saying that once he got a foothold in the National Health Service they all could breathe easy. His father's unwavering faith made him feel better and brought out an excitement within him that a bright future was waiting to be grasped in a short time.

He remembered, that it was exactly a year ago that he had trudged through the Piccadilly and Eastern lines, dragging his oversized suitcases to make his way to the East End. The only place that offered very cheap accommodation for the likes of him. He lived in a hell hole of a house crammed alongside 12 other sorry souls like himself, who had no money to spare and lived in the worst conditions. The owners of the tenements had learnt the art of exploitation. In the dead of winter the heating would be turned off automatically so that the owners would save money.The tenants could do nothing but battle the cold and live on. Money was a commodity that was never there, he skipped meals, walked instead of taking the transportation to save whatever he could. Weekends would find him at the Gurudwara for the traditional "langar".

He cleared his exams within three weeks of arrival and his big push started - looking for a job.

Every hospital, he applied to, politely turned him down when he applied for apprenticeship. Some hospitals were willing to give him an apprentice job if he parted with 45 pounds a month. The amount that he could hardly fathom paying. He resigned himself to applying endlessly for observerships. On one such visit to a hospital he knocked the door of the personnel without an appointment. As he began to inform the overweight bespectacled lady the reason for his presence she gave him an unfriendly stare. His presence was unwanted, the lady had a pile of workload already of the doctors who worked there. She had no time for someone like him who was more of a hindrance than help. She cut him short saying there were no openings and he would be informed by post if a situation arose. She was not interested in his hardships. He shrugged with a sigh. A man who had the right education to heal people but no one was willing to let him try the touch.
His savings continued to dwindle and he couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. A few friends lent him some money but that meant more debt. He decided he could no longer continue his existence based on the hope of landing a job one fine day. He had to do something soon. Five months had passed since he set his foot on this land. He decided to try his luck in other jobs,something that was illegal according to the immigration laws. Deeply saddened but without much choice he went through the bylanes of East Ham searching for some opening in a backend job which he could obtain without much explanation.
The backend labour jobs were plenty especially for someone who was willing to take peanuts as salary. Thus, he started working in a Sri Lankan grocery shop performing various chores..loading the cartons, chopping the meat, transporting vegetables to households. After working through the day he would fill umpteen number of applications in the night. Each job vacancy asked for 10 copies of the multiple pages of the form and his CV which meant more hole in his pocket for photocopying, postage, paper etc. Sure, there were vacancies but for one job atleast a hundred applied. The odds were high.
It was not about what he knew, it was about who he knew. And he knew noone.
Finally, after working for a couple of months he saved up enough for an apprentice work in a hospital for a month. He finished it with some success. His bosses said times were changing and the future was bleak for Indian doctors. It would be best if he went back to his motherland. This was something that he agreed to too, but going back with no savings would have not made things any easier for him. So, he continued his search and stayed. There was no dearth for interviews but there was certainly a shortage of posts.
His thoughts came back to the present wondering what he should do next. Suddenly, a deep urge went through his body and mind. It was no more about the food. It was about the constant calculations of every step that he took. It was the bind that he wanted to break away from albeit for only till the meal lasted. Unflinching, he stepped into the restaurant.
He sat down to eat. He thought, he wasn't just eating the food. He was eating up his own money, notes that were going to help him sustain for a few more days. He couldn't care, he wanted to free himself from the constant burden and if food was going to be the medium, so be it. It turned out to be the meal of a lifetime. He paid the cheque and walked out piercing through the harsh wind with a new vigour.
There was nothing ahead to look forward to but the past hour was his moment of pleasure.
He reached home after a 25 minute brisk walk, as he turned the latch to the door and stepped in, the harsh cold and darkness inside the house further awakened him to the reality. With a sigh he began sieving through the various bills that he had to pay.
Wondering how much the mobile bill had come he opened the white envelope,
"Dear Dr, We are pleased to offer you the post of a Senior House officer in St Mary's Hospital, London. Could you please call on the above number to confirm your acceptance for the same within the next 48 hours. Medical Personnel."
He sat down, clutching the letter in his hand. No words, no thoughts, no tears, no smiles. It was a moment of relief.
For Vidyasagar, Christmas had finally arrived.
]]>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:28:53 +0530http://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/08/27/The-only-constant.htmlMonalisa Angry !!
Carpathian Bashi-bazouk!
Dictatorial duck billed diplodocus!
Miserable blundering barbecued blister . . .
Anamorphic aardvark!
Dunder-headed Ethelred!
Addle-pated lump of anthracite!
Nitwitted ninepin!
Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles!
Ten Thousand Thundering Typhoons!

Ahem....Lassies and lassas...no no, Captain Haddock has not taken over my soul. He is still very much a companion to Tintin.
Monalisa is very very angry and instead of going for the regular expletives that all my brethren use, I decided to go back in time and remember Capt Haddock.. I am so in rage since last two days. What the bloody balderdash bifocal bulimic bumble!

Some.." miserable molecule of mildew!" has erased 10 comments from the blog which was my first attempt at humour.
Gone with the wind..ppoooooooofffffff and I am so upset.


Its some one called "Arrey"!!
Who gives a name like "Arrey" to thier child. This person's gender is unknown. Although, I would like to keep cursing by using the Masculine gender, I think it unfair. It could very well be a female.
Moreover, all my best pals are men.
This "arrey" bugger has done it to Ambrosia too.
Isnt this " arrey" sad!. Was " arrey" upset that I made a grand attempt at humour and "arrey" cannot.

How pathetic! This Lily-livered bandicoot has not written any comment, all it says is "array said......".
Wonder who all this " Nincompoop! " is going to get too.
Wonder whether this "fancydress freebooter" is someone who dislikes humour...( Ahem...Ant r, Frozy, Moe, Sunshine, Rajesh watch out...!!)

The team rediffiland is equally a "Nest of rattlesnakes". A mail sent to them regarding damage control has come back as "undeliverable"

On a serious note, I cherish all the comments that I receive.

I am so annoyed...but I wonder what the hell can I do apart from fret.
I should just say "let it be" like Beatles or Moe's Uncle and write another blog...mmm?



]]>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:46:31 +0530http://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/08/06/Monalisa-Angry.htmlStopping by woods on a snowy evening..Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.


My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep


***************************************************


This poem by Robert Frost is one of my favourites. I have been found guilty of reciting this one many times behind closed doors of my room, standing in front of the mirror. Although I grew up in city my only solace was every summer I would end up in my nanu's village...It never snows in south India...but the early morning walk through the woods....sitting on the steps of the nearest pond......the sun rising...the chirping of the birds...the first drops of dew on the grass....the tranquility was my equivalent to the snowy woods....Time and again I have gone into a trance...Thought Ill share this with you all....One more of my all time favorites will be coming up soon too...


]]>Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:40:43 +0530http://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/08/04/Stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evenin.htmlWhen Monalisa Smiled....."Flight 04200 to Paris, France will be departing from Gate IIC. All passengers travelling on First Class and those passengers with young children can board now".

On hearing the announcement she got up from her seat and slowly proceeded to the boarding area. She was tired but very excited to be going back. The twenty or so days she had taken off to finish some urgent business had taken a toll on her. She had hardly slept. But now that things were getting back to normal, she was looking forward to the moment she could sit and relax.

The flight attendant greeted her warmly and she proceeded to the window seat, always her favourite. She stowed her hand bag on the overhead compartment, switched on the reading light and plopped on the plush seat and let out a soft sigh. Soon another flight attendant arrived and offered a choice of beverages. Though she hardly drank, she opted for a glass of chilled white wine.

She took her first sip....the crisp clean wine gently exploded in her mouth... it was really good. She opened the book she had put aside 20 days ago and started flipping the pages. Suddenly a shadow fell across, and a voice that caused her heart to flutter wafted across to her ears, "Is this seat taken??" It was a pick up line as aged as vintage wine, but still held that headiness that came along. She looked up into the face of one of the most handsome of men, a cocktail of William Darcy and Rhett Butler. "N-N-No", she stuttered. He then smiled and with a wink said " Pardon me for that age old pick up line. Thank you anyway."

Both of them fell silent and she went back to reading. For some strange reason she felt the eyes of Mr. Cocktail boring into her the whole time. Finally mustering courage she turned and looked at him. She found herself staring into his eyes, a soothing shade of deep brown which had a mesmerizing effect on her. She blushed and turned her eyes away while he smiled looking at her. He got up and from the overhead bin opened his carry on and extracted a small photo album. He showed her a picture and she recognized it at once.
"Mona Lisa"...Leonardo Da Vinci's enigmatic creation, lay in front of her eyes, but there was something very different about it. Her smile was missing. She looked at him with a puzzled ex-pression.

He said, "You have been chosen!!". "Chosen? Chosen for what?" She asked still confused by the picture but still mesmerised by his brown eyes. "We need your smile. Your smile is exactly like hers and we have been searching for it ever since the two eyesoles along with another Rambo guy called Frozen Sun messed up the Louvre and the painting".

She thought she recognized the name Frozen sun from somewhere but could not place it. May be the 20 day business and his deep brown eyes had rendered her completely incapable of remembering anything. He gazed at her and she felt so compelled, some strange force was pulling her, holding her captive. She was completely powerless and all she could do was follow this man, through the airport and out to the transport area.
Suddenly, there was a commotion and two guys with their heads together were running helter-skelter chased by a third guy. It was Banta and Santa chased by a bleary eyed Frozen Sun who was so cross at them for messing up everything.
As good fortune would have it, the two ran straight into the stranger who went "ooooooooof" and the spell was broken.

She woke up from her trance and ran straight into the two guys who charged. They screamed in unison, "We found her, we found her." Frozen Sun looked around bewildered and then saw her and said," You You You ...Oh Mona Lisa.. You are back !!" With a smile on his lips.

The wise Ant who had hitched a ride on the Frozen Ones back pack smiled and said "She is Back!"
"The flight to iLand will be leaving soon and I have bought tickets for all of us.. come on hurry up all !!!" Frozen sun announced to Mona, Ant r, S and B. On the next flight to iLand the poor Frozen was in a total stupor without even getting sozzled.
Feeling tired she dozed off and when she woke up she was in a rocky terrain surrounded by some strange looking people and two really weird looking thugs. Frozy blinked and bellowed , "Oh my!! It is Gabbar Singh and Mogambo.."

The extras there had a hard time controlling Banta and Santa who were scampering to get an autograph.

It seemed she was kidnapped by the old villains for the same reason as the deep-brown-eyed stranger. Mona Lisa's smile!

"Haso Mona haso...humein tumhari hansi chahiye... We want your smile. HA HA HA" Said Mogambo in his deep evil baritone of a voice. He had an aged Fuji camera with him.
Listening to this Frozy lost control and shouted.. "Nahiii Monaaaa... In kameene kutton ke saamne mat hasna.."

Gabbar who always hated that line, whacked poor Frozy and he lost consciousness. Then Gabbar in his trademark, lethargic, marijuana induced voice continued where Mugambo left off.

"But, before we take away your smile you shall dance on the song...Jab tak hai jaan..."

But Mugambo yelled. " No...not that stupid song.." "You will dance on the song Hawa Hawaii..." and he started shaking his hips like Shakira oops.. Sridevi..

"Sridevi? kabhi nahi.. like Basanti" said Gabbar ..."Like Sridevi" said Mugambo..

"Basanti"... " Sridevi"... the argument continued

The old goat Mogambo and Gabbar had it out and at that time Banta and Santa screamed .." Watch out !!! Here come Jai Veeru...and there I can see Mr India too..."

Gabbar said shit and ran like hell.. Mogambo didn't even bother to wait to say shit. But in the end it turned out to be three camels and the eyesoles S and B, they had mistaken the camels for jai-veeru-mr.india.
And thus Mona Lisa was finally free. She beamed the loveliest of all smiles that anyone had seen and with that smile she returned to her home in iLand..

Mona Lisa smiled!
PS Inspiration Moe..for his latest blog "And Now its Monalisa" auroraborealis.rediffiland.com
Acknowledgement FABS....Frozy...Ant r ...Banta ....and Santa...
Thank you to all who missed me..
]]>Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:44:34 +0530http://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/07/27/When-Monalisa-Smiled.htmlSo long....Hello All,
A very good day to all who visit my iLand, read some of the boring stuff I write,
To top it up, write some excellent comments and some great GB entries...I am
away for few weeks..well not literally away from my lappy...but there are certain
personal commitments because of which my activity on the iLand will be pretty
erratic. I may not be reading all you lovely people's blogs..or commenting or..writing
GBs...but soon enough Ill be back and when I come back...I promise to be more
diligent in my activities..will miss iLand...
Till then you all have a blast....keep smiling...
So long my friends...so long...

]]>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:35:37 +0530http://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/07/05/So-long.htmlDevilishly divine.....I am a 50 year old man qualified from one of the premier institutions in India, blissfully married for 26 years and blessed with two beautiful daughters. I work in one of the most reputed companies in the country and I am at a very envious position in life. My daughters are very well educated and work in excellent companies for handsome salaries. My elder daughter recently told me that she is in love with a colleague of her's with whom she would like to spend the rest of her life. Instead of meeting him, I threatened her that such a union would never be possible as coming from a conservative background, our glorious culture, our relatives would shun us if I ever agreed to such an alliance. At the first available opportunity I got her married to one of our community boys and showed total indifference to the sadness in my daughter's eyes. I was more worried about the society and not once did I think of the hurt that I was inflicting on my daughter. I am an uneducated literate.


I am a 47 year old upper middle class lady. My husband and I have decent jobs which has enabled us to provide not only for ourselves but also our 27 year old son. We not only gave him the best education but inculcated the best possible manners in him. He has been working in a reputed software company in United States for many years now. My son loves me immensely and the last time he visited India, he ended up showering gold on me like never before, as he knows I am very fond of jewellery. I recently attended a wedding gleefully decked in all the gold from head to toe. There, I met my distant cousin Vijayalakshmi who is going through some extremely tough times, what with being a widow managing to raise three daughters on husbands pension is quite a daunting task. She told me that a kind family had accepted the proposal for marriage of her eldest daughter and all they wanted was a "thaali", pair of gold bangles and a pair of gold earrings. But she was unable to buy any jewellery apart from "thaali" and was looking for help with tear filled eyes. I put my hand on her shoulder and said some inspirational words but not once did it cross my mind to give away my old pair of earrings, after all I have so many of them. One less would do me no harm but it would have certainly helped Jayalakshmi's daughter. I am avariciously kind.


I am a 32 year old man married to the love of my life for 7 years and I have a lovely three year old daughter. Since marriage we both have been working full time and thankfully life has been extremely good to us. From the last couple of years a certain stagnation has entered my marriage and to look for some adventure I have embarked upon having affairs with other women. It creates some excitement in my otherwise dull life and I enjoy these affairs as these women make me feel special and young and they wipe out the lull in my life. Of course, I haven't forgotten all the wonderful things that my wife has done for me. Hence, come what may I will never leave her for any other woman even if it means I am playing with the emotions of both the wife and the other woman. My wife is most important to me, but then I cannot let go of this other woman too.I am adulterously faithful.



I am a 56 year married lady. I have two sons who are happily married. My elder son and daughter in law live with us while the younger son and daughter in law live abroad. My elder daughter in law dotes on me and takes immense pains from 0500 in the morning to get everything ready from plucking flowers to preparing naivedyam for my pooja of Lalitha Sahasranamam, Soundarya Lahari which I have been doing diligently for 35 years. She also looks after all our other daily needs with utmost devotion. However, I still dont treat her with as much love and respect as my younger daughter in law who visits me for a couple of weeks every year as everytime she does so she brings many expensive gifts for me. I am materialistically spiritual.


I am a 60 year old man recently retired as the head of the department in a government job. I can say without any hiccups that I have been extremely diligent, disciplined, honest in my service of 35 years. There were many opportunities for me to take bribes and improve the situation of the less deserving ones, but not once did I falter. My subordinates have always held me in great respect for treating everyone fairly. I have one married daughter and one daughter-in- law. My daughter- in- law is a working woman but I insist that she has to complete every household chore responsibly daily before she embarks on her work. My daughter on the other hand is a housewife and her mother-in -law is a working woman, but I always tell my daughter to only be a helping hand in her house rather than take up all responsibilties. I am impartially biased.


I am a 27 year old housewife with two wonderful children aged 4 and 6. My husband works in a reputed MNC and we have a 3 bedroom plush flat with the latest amenities in the upmarket area of the city. My kids are enrolled in the best international school here. We have already started our planning to provide the best education not only here but also for future in case my children wish to study abroad. I have left no stone unturned for their education and am planning to get them to start extra classes and tuitons in near future too. To help with the daily household activities and to look after my children I have brought a 13 year old maid from our ancestral village. She has not had any education. I have never even thought of spending a couple of hours a week to teach her just basic things like reading and writing. I am conscientiously unaware.


I am a very religious 35 year old man. I go for lord's darshan every saturday and I am held in great respect by my family and relatives for my pious activities. I get up every morning and after bath do half an hour daily ritual of mantras and that gives me immense inner peace. I have been visiting this temple now for so many years that even Pujariji remembers me by my name and always offers the special prasadams to me. Every saturday I thank the lord for giving me a doting family, a lovely house, a perfect job, the latest gadgets and I pray to him for my joys to multiply and sorrows to divide. As, I come out of the temple and wear my shoes I see many handicapped people, beggars, urchins on the steps of the lord's abode. It does not flinch me in the minutest. I don't give them a second glance apart from tossing a few coins their way and I proceed to my cosy shelter. I am apathetically religious.

]]>Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:09:46 +0530http://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/06/23/Devilishly-divine.htmlMy Belated Valentine...."Do you love me just like I do?" Those beautiful deep eyes asked while handing me the card.

I took it without answering, opened the white envelope and out came a red heart shaped card which read "Be My Valentine".

Gosh, this is June and I was getting a valentine card four months late.

Those eyes were eagerly waiting for my answer and I was relishing every second reading it.

As I looked up to express how my heart felt, my valentine said " You haven't looked in the envelope properly, there is more."

I fished through the envelope like a child who has been told there is more chocolate, just dig deeper.

There they were, a few neatly written colourful notes. No poetry but absolutely heartfelt beauties.

"I love you " said one , " Do you love me?" asked the other one.

How could I say no...my heart was heavy, I was overwhelmed.

I was leaving the country in a couple of days and all of a sudden this.

"I love you too and will miss you loads " I said and we cocooned in a tight embrace.

There were tears in those eyes...and some in mine too...

After all, how often do you get a valentine card from a six year old?

It was my neice Aditi who melted my heart. We had met during my recent trip to Yankeeland.

She had known me for half a day when she decided to shower me with that card and her affection..

She has taught me to keep saying those magic words often...And I am still practising...

I think you can never say enough of those words ever.

Bless her.....

]]>Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:23:54 +0530http://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/06/15/My-Belated-Valentine.htmlIrony......Supriya sat down with a cup of tea and book in her hand looking out of her bedroom window at the faint drizzle. She could see the tiny drops of water on all the rose shrubs that she had carefully planted and tended to. Some of the roses were blooming from their budding state. It was her day off from work and Vishwaas was going to be late as it was his gym work out day. She closed her book and kept it aside. She rested the tea cup after taking a few sips....thinking "Oh!! its still piping hot, a few more minutes and I shall be able to relish it." With her hands cupping her cheeks she continued to look out through the window at the neverending green plains and skies of english countryside.

Thinking of the countryside brought many memories back. Six long years of being married to Vishwaas had taken their toll on her. It had changed her completely as a person. She an extrovert, gregarious and an outgoing girl had learned to curb her enthusiasm and excitement at every small thing. Marriage had taught her many lessons and she had learnt to face all the tough times alone. She learnt not to speak her mind and had eventually become a pretender. Her old friends from school and college were shocked at her transformation but she tried to show as if it was a compliment and took it all very lady like.

"Suppi !! How do you like the name Vishwaas? He works in London, very highly educated, pleasant boy and his family is so nice. I just spoke to them over phone. And most importantly your horoscopes have matched." Dad had said.
"What is his zodiac dad? I can't stand some sun signs, please tell me he is Leo, Saggi, Aries or Aquarius." She quipped at that time. Thinking now 6 years later she felt how immature she was even though she was 22.
"Comeon,..sun sign??..are you serious ??, He is apparently a thorough gentleman. He is considered such a good boy in our community. As it is you have told me that there is no one in your life and we really want to get you married soon. You can talk to each other on phone till he comes to India, get familiar with each other and then decide." dad had continued.

Suppi had agreed thinking there was no harm in that, after all dad seemed like he had done his homework properly.

Then she remembered how Vishwaas would call her regularly and talk to her for long hours about anything and everything under the sun. He seemed decent enough in his thinking.
"Vishwaas, there is only one thing ....always treat me as a friend first, if you have things to say that you find uncomfortable, even then please go ahead and tell me as I am not judgemental at all and nothing really shocks me. So, if you have gone to see lap dancing that's cool with me, hehe.. maybe we both can go too!!" Supriya remembered how shocked Vishwaas had been when she had mentioned the lap dancers.

Vishwaas was sure he wanted to marry Supriya even before seeing her. Supriya felt the same. She thought that more than looks their ideas, thinking, outlook towards life had matched and she felt sure that this was the man for her for the rest of her life.

"Will you marry me?" Vishwaas had called her and asked as soon as he reached Mumbai airport. Supriya laughed and kept saying the signal was poor and she couldn't hear him, her usual naughty streak. Finally she decided to give the poor man a break after he asked her thrice. "Yes!!" she had shouted loud and clear. He was ecstatic and so was she.
After a few minutes Vishwaas continued " Suppi, there is something I forgot to mention to you before. I hope you don't mind. I smoke around 20 fags a day."

"Hmm....its ok, I understand...we will work together and help you cut down. I won't nag you, but we will try for your good health." That same day Suppi had her first doubts as to why did he have to hide. She had told him everything. She wasn't going to judge him as a bad human being just because he smoked. But she let those thoughts drift away.

A few months later marriage took place. All was hunky dory, except that even after 4 months of marriage Vishwaas was still in India waiting to go back to London. Suppi knew something was amiss and she asked him. "I have been laid off at work, this happens ...don't worry we will manage it some other way. Maybe you could start writing your entrance exams for work and you could try for a job first and I'll join you later."

Suppi took it in her stride and agreed with Vishwaas. After all as long as you have good education there is no real reason to panic "Swadeshe pujyate raja, vidwaan sarwatra pujyate." She thought.
Soon enough Vishwaas got another job and they moved to London. Suppi was preparing for her exams and enjoying the bliss of married life.

"Oh my !! Vish and his paperwork..so much clutter. Let me organise everything and give him a big surprise. He will be so pleased for this help." Suppi thought and started going through his work papers, income tax statements, bills and bank statements. She stacked them all into neat piles, found some folders and started clipping them...smiling to herself at the look that Vish would have once he reached home.

" Whats this!! every bank statement has so many hundreds of pounds of money being deposited almost every alternate day to this William Hill or Ladbrokes" Suppi thought to herself.
" Who are these William Hill and Mr Ladbrokes???, I better ask Vish once he comes back."

" What are you doing ?? Why are you going through my paperwork??" Vish shouted as soon as he entered the bedroom.
" I was just arranging everything for you Vish!! please dont get angry. If you don't want me to touch them, from next time I will not. But, tell me who are these William Hill or Ladbrokes?? They seem to be getting plenty of money from you, any particular reason?" Suppi asked in a quiet tone.

" Never touch my papers again, and please don't interfere in my matters. Just concentrate on your exams and try to get a decent job...you don't need to trouble your mind with these matters" Vish continued his outburst.

" Okay....I won't touch anything again, but it still doesn't answer my question" Suppi tried again.
" Its none of your buisness Suppi...let me handle all this...you just think about your career honey." Suppi was shocked at Vish's anger, his glaring eyes, the sudden coldness with which he had reacted.

If Vish had given her some explanation she would have calmed down. The fact that he continued to dodge the question sent alarm bells ringing and she was sure something was not right. That night and a few more days of coaxing, cajoling, seducing still didnt work any magic on Vish and he just would not budge.

A few days later Suppi went for her grocery shopping and found the names William Hill and Ladbrokes. She stood there bewildered, shocked. These were online betting shops for sports. Betting was legal in UK. Her husband was losing his hard earned money pathetically to these guys. Her whole world came spinning down, she felt unsteady.

She sat down at a nearby bench and memories flooded. " Dad!! I don't want to play rummy..if we have to play a game why not play scrabble." She was 14 when everyone at home wanted to play cards and she had refused. " And why is that...we are not playing for money..its only for entertainment !!!" Her dad had asked. " Huh..money or no money I can't do gambling...its not me...you guys carry on ..I'll read a book instead." Her dad was so proud of her that day that they all ended up playing scrabble.

"What an irony...and now I have ended up with a gambler, of course no one tells such things before marriage." She clutched her grocery bag and started walking alone, thinking she needs to get a job soon to keep them out of trouble.

A few days later she confronted Vish, begged him, fought with him, cajoled him, threatened him to stop. He promised he will never ever do this again.

Six years have gone and today as she looked out of the window, she realised...promises were meant to be broken. Vish was never going to stop. It was a bad disease that kept eating him. She helped him as much as she could, but she knew in her heart of hearts Vishwaas had broken her trust. He had cheated her and tricked her into this marriage.

She sighed and looked at her tea cup. It was cold. Time to make another cup of tea and move on...

]]>Sat, 07 Jun 2008 18:42:31 +0530http://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/06/07/Irony.htmlA night that was...."Geetu, are you sure you can manage? Travelling alone..especially to another country, I wish we had some relatives in Turkey, they would have looked after you and made the stay so very comfortable."

" Maaaaaaa....I can handle it..after all I am 25 years of age now !!" Geeta whined.

" Thats why my dear, thats why..." Ma continued with a furrowed forehead.

" Dad, I'll miss my flight, Ma has been going on like this for the last one week and if I let her continue, I sure won't be going anywhere apart from Nana's village alone, please drop me to the airport. After all, what is there to worry?, it is a 5 day official trip, will reach on monday, presentation is on tuesday and the next three days I'll sightsee the beautiful Istanbul and then back to home sweet home. All the reservations are confirmed, and the hotel has promised to send a car to the airport as well. Trust me it will be fine."

" If you got to go, you got to go." dad said in his usual philosophical tone and dropped Geeta to airport.

Geeta thought to herself, "If I had even given them the tiniest indication that my hotel reservation was confirmed only for a couple of days, then I certainly would not have made anywhere apart from nanu's house".

She gleamed with excitement as the flight took off. It always gave her a high to fly without wings.
She couldnt wait for the unravelling of the coming few days....

If only she knew...

Thankfully, the flight landed safely on Turkish soil and Geeta came out to the entrance, her eyes eagerly searching for the car from the hotel. No sign."Well, let me give them another 15 minutes, if still no sign, Ill give the hotel a buzz," she thought.

Fifteen minutes turned into twenty, then twenty five, finally half an hour. "Okay enough is enough, I better give them a ring". It took ages to find a booth and when she did, the chap in front of her, a tall middle aged pot bellied caucasian was rambling about how he had just lost his credit card while trying to make a phone call.

Lesson one, Geeta thought..."I better use coins"...which she took a few minutes to find from her oversized handbag stuffed with a big wallet, camera, cell, combs, cosmetics, address book, shades box...and finally, after much juggling around found some coins.

Next, time to look for the phone number...she skimmed through her address book and found the name.. Hotel Intercontinental. " Great, atleast I found the number." Thinking so, she dialled the number given on the card.

" Hellooo...Hotel Intercontinental. Eijaz at your service" a young male voice at the other end said.

" Well, you havent been of any service, I was told that a car will come and pick me up from airport to take me to the hotel and I have been waiting for an hour now." Geeta fumed with tiredness.

" I am sorry Madam, you have hotel reservation??...in Intercontinental ?? for today ?? "

" Then what !!! in the name of Geeta Rao." she said totally frustrated now.

"Let me check Madam, one moment please, aaahhh, yez yez Mizz Rao...ok, you can come now...the room is ready for you." the man at the other end continued in a soft voice totally oblivious to Geeta's irritation.

" But, you haven't sent the car yet, Can somebody do that please? I'll wait by the entrance." she tried to calm down.

" Aaahhh !! you want a taxi to the airport ? I can send you one if you like, but it will take longer you see. Why dont you take a taxi at the airport and come over to our hotel. It will be quicker and cheaper." She could hear Eijaz sounding very happy with himself thinking he was trying to save her some money.

" But what about the hotel car? " Geeta asked totally out of wits now. " Aaah!!! " he said. " I'll kill him if he carries on with his aaahhs one more time" thought Geeta but she was helpless and he continued " Aaahhh, we don't do car service to airport, you will have to take taxi madam."

Lesson two, not to book any tickets through that damn pawn chewing, yellow stained teeth agent near her house.

A new place, the chap was taking twice the amount of time to understand every sentence she was uttering, she decided to end the matter there. She slammed the phone down, bought a map of the city, hopped into a taxi and began her journey through the lanes of Istanbul.

"This is not going well" she worried " I don't know what lies ahead." but the drive through the lanes, the Marmara sea, the colourful streets cheered her up and she gradually relaxed and felt better.

It took her a good 40 minutes through the traffic which was worse than that in Hyderabad to reach her hotel. Atleast the hotel looked very nice. A saving grace, she thought.

" Mizz Rao?? Welcome to Intercontinental !!!...are you travelling alone?" an unneccesary grin on his face, she recognised the chap to be the same one who was on the phone.
"Yes, I am...I have reservation only for two days ...would you be able to extend it till friday please" She tried to flash her best smile hoping of hopes the magic would work..

" Let me see Mizz Rao...aahhh...we can do for thursday and friday, but I am sorry the hotel is fully booked for wednesday, so you will have to find somewhere else for wednesday, I can reserve for thursday and friday if you want. Do you?" Geeta nodded " Cant you do something for wednesday? Pleeeeasssssseeeee." she flashed her most seductive smile.

" I will try Mizz Rao, will let you know by tomorrow afternoon." she thanked him.

The hotel room was nice with a good view towards the Topkapi palace. After relaxing for a while Geeta completed the final touches to her presentation and slept. The next morning was beautiful and sunny. Geeta devoured on every morsel of the breakfast and the Turkish coffee. She dressed in a smart black suit, the only jewellery being a pair of black studs on her ears, brushed her hair, a light touch of make up and she was ready.

The walk to the conference hall took her 10 minutes. She registered and skimmed through the list. Her turn was in an hour's time. She relaxed and looked around the room. Around seventy people from different countries were gathered there. She looked closely again. Very few women, maybe around ten to fifteen. She looked again, this time she realised that she was possibly the youngest there.

She took a deep breath and tried to control her nerves. Soon her turn came, the initial few seconds she trembled but, as she went through her presentation, she relaxed further. This was her baby, she knew it in and out and she had worked on it for the last 2 years. It took her 10 minutes to complete her talk, there was a strong round of applause and a few questions that were fired on her, which she answered gracefully and the ordeal was over. She had successfully done her first international presentation at the age of 25 years. She was proud.

A few moments later, she walked out free wanting to taste the life of Istanbul. As she put her shades and walked along, she saw a few good hotels, she went to each one of them to enquire about a possible availability of a room for wednesday. The whole city was filled with tourists attending various conferences, the answer was NO everywhere.

Alarm bells started ringing in her head, " what if ", " what if I dont find a place for wednesday, I better sort this out first." Thinking so she went back to her hotel after grabbing a quick bite.

On reaching the hotel, she asked at the concierge if any new developments had taken place. Eijaz promised her that something will definitely turn up by the next morning as some guests were planning to leave.

She could not do anything apart from wait as she had called a few more hotels and nothing was available anywhere. She spent the evening sampling Turkish cuisine, a drive through the sea and looking for more hotels. The only place available was an executive suite in a 5 star hotel which would have put a major hole in her pocket. She decided to wait for the Intercontinental to come up with something.

Next morning Eijaz, the young man was stationed again at the reception desk. He smiled and informed her that although there were no rooms available in this hotel, one of thier other branches about 30 miles from the city had some. He asked her if she would be interested.

Geeta gladly agreed and gave a huge sigh of relief. At that moment if Eijaz had asked her for a hug, she would have given it, she felt so elated. Eijaz informed her that this particular branch would not have the room available until 2100hrs in the evening. He suggested she take one of the guided tours that the hotel organised and to return to hotel after dinner to pick her luggage and go to the other branch by taxi.

She agreed without blinking her eyes twice. Eijaz also told her that he will not be around at the reception desk in the evening but he would leave a message for his colleague who will be taking over from him about all the details.

Within half an hour, she was on her way touring the different places in the city, absolutely relieved she relished every moment of the trip. After having a quiet dinner at one of the small restaurants nearby, she returned to the hotel at 2000hrs.

Obviously, she didnt expect Eijaz to be there. It was Ahmed another young man at the desk. She asked him to book a taxi so that she could reach the branch of Intercontinental in Taksim area as Eijaz had confirmed her reservation there. Within a few minutes the taxi arrived and Geeta was on her way to Taksim. The cab driver tried to make some simple conversation with her but it was difficult to understand him as he was conversing in the local language and could not speak english.

It took them an hour to reach the hotel and Geeta explained to the gentleman at desk that she had arrived from the other Intercontinental for an overnight stay here. The gentleman at the desk gave her a confused look. She explained the whole story again.
At this the man at the desk looked through his register and said they were not aware of her. She was shocked, " I am sure Eijaz must have explained everything to you, I need one room for overnight stay." He said they were fully booked. " Any room, small or big however expensive would do" she sounded desperate and anxious.

He said there was absolutely nothing.

It was 2300 hrs now and Geeta was angry and frightened. Her inexperience in such matters showed. She was trying to work out whether to plead with him or create a big scene to help her out some way. She decided to plead first, " Please help me out, I am travelling alone, where will I go at this time of the night ?? " He was totally not interested, " I am sorry Mizz, there is no way I can help. We are fully booked. You will have to go somewhere else."

His disinterest made Geeta try for the second route, " I would have definitely gone somewhere else, but one of your colleagues at the other hotel convinced me that you have rooms and that he has booked it for me. Now, if you have given my room to someone else, you are responsible for it and I AM not leaving here. You have to make some alternate arrangements now. Is this how you treat a woman who is travelling alone at this time of the night, I am sorry,but this is totally unacceptable." Her heart was in her mouth hoping this anger would work, praying he would create some magic and a room will become available. She knew he was helpless, but for her safety she had to disguise her desperation as anger.

The man shook his head exaggeratedly " I really don't have anything, what can I do?" Geeta knew she had no choice, but, she decided to give one final go bringing in as much rage as she could onto her face " FINE....., if you give me a room great!!!, OTHERWISE I am spending the night here at reception and I wont leave you or Eijaz in peace tomorrow morning."

He raised his arms up in the air helplessly and asked Geeta to sit down. He offered her turkish coffee which she politely refused.
Then, that unnamed man started making phone calls through the city hotels trying through his inside network. After about 20 phone calls he managed to find a place for her a few miles from the Intercontinental where she had stayed the previous two nights. She cursed under her breath, it just had to be a bad night for her. All the while there was something available nearby and she had been on a ride through the whole city.

She accepted and made him write all the details on the hotel card and took his name, "Mohammed " he said. She smiled for the first time and thanked him like never before in her life. The taxi driver who had dropped Geeta was still there enjoying the whole drama and he was willing to take her to this another hotel.

Without further hindrance, she landed safely at the new hotel at 0100 am on thursday and slept.

The next couple of days she visited all the places in Istanbul, shopped for spices in the spice bazaar for her mother, bought plenty of famous Turkish painted pottery and finally landed in Hyderabad airport.

She waved to her parents who were waiting to take her home.

"Was the trip good Geeta, you did not have any trouble, did you? " Ma inquired.

"No Ma, it was wonderful..the people there are so helpful." Geeta chuckled with a twinkle in her eye.

*****************************************

Dear ilanders....hmmm....I know most of you who started reading this .....have problems with the length ( my usual style being........ keep it short and simple.)
Secondly, not finding any twist or thrill at the end.( Khoda pahaad nikli chhuhiya...or the men in iland might have a worse four alphabet terminology..modesty prevents me from writing it myself here.)
Possibilities....in the story..
1) Eijaz could have been planning a secret rendezvous.
2) Geeta meets some stranger in the night...making it the night of a lifetime.
3) She is stuck at the hotel reception for the night...or one of the guests inviting her to spend the night.
4) She having the worst night of her life..as in someone....molests her.
5) The taxi driver creating some drama of his own..
My imagination is poor, its exciting to read unpredictable stuff but I wanted my Geets to be safe, hence didnt explore.
The fact that the ilanders might be expecting a turn of events...made me stick more to the simple end.
Sorry, ilanders will try to think something better the next time.......
If you have any fancy suggestions for the story to progress....please...I am all ears.
Have a good weekend.....
]]>Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:26:11 +0530http://windsofchange.rediffiland.com/blogs/2008/06/06/A-night-that-was.html