ATM PRO

Let alone a pro, I don’t even qualify to become a Semi-Pro in that.

With mum’s ATM card deep inside my thin and light wallet, out I go at 7 in the morning. To do what? Bring some serious cash back home.

*Dear lord, why didn’t you conceptualize teleportation before the Star Trek guys did????? It would have been so much simpler just to do HomeàWhooshà ATMà Quicker Whooshà Home!!*

Hyderabad is known for its serenity and sluggish lifestyle. Yet right after leaving the guest house, all I see is suspicious guys at every alley or corner, giving me a hurried look and some even forming a smirk. The closest ATM being close to half a km away, I increased the pace of my steps and with a deep sigh, reached its door. Scanning 360 degrees with attracting attention takes just 3-4 seconds, but I take a full 10 seconds to try and gather every suspicious activity around me. The door opened… I slowly step inside… shut the door at the rate of knots…

The card is inserted... Shit Shit!! Wrong way... Wrong way!! I snatch the card and insert it again, with the feeling that time has slowed down. A long wait follows (probably 5 seconds)… and finally the dreaded message appears on the screen: “CANNOT PROCESS THE TRANSACTION”.

After rushing out of the door, I again look left and right, almost expecting someone to jump on me with a knife and taking away my precious ATM card. After waiting for 2 minutes thinking about where to go next as well as about when to duck if a knife is suddenly flashed, I head towards the main road. The stores are slowly opening up, with more and more people starting to appear on the sidewalks (for me they look more like knifemen). I see the second ATM just a few paces ahead. With an already confused mind as to whether I should jog towards it or decrease my pace further, I unconsciously walk at the same pace as before, and reach the door. A deep breather this time… where the hell is the guard?? Great!! That’s just what I need!! No guard, no security… almost like an invitation for the dreaded knife to come out.

I step in slowly. Close the door. Card out. Insert. Wait… What the hell!!! Why isn’t it working?!?! Bloody idbi ATMs! Nothing but ads…

Now what???? The next is like half a km away... more like half a light year away…

Gathering all the courage I could muster (not much really), I started my walk. Crossing the road is the easy part… will just have to run across! Done! Yes yes!! I can see the signboard now... if this doesn’t work, I’m suing icici!! Of course, after I reach home alive.

Wow!! Its like the best sight in the world!! 1 aunty inside and another waiting outside!!! Never felt so good to wait in a line…

Tap tap tap.. tap tap tap.. thud thud thud.. the guard rail feels like a bongo now.. I can feel my pulse rate coming below 100.

1 min.. 2 min.. tap tap thud thud.. now red saree aunty is giving me a suspicious look!! 180 degree turn.. deep thought: ‘now is THIS a trap????’ naaaaahh… she’s a foot shorter than me, I can atleast hold her off!

Finally! Yellow suit aunty out. Red aunty inside.. thud thud! thud thud thud!!

My turn my turn!!! I rush inside… Wow! Ac is nice!! Insert card.. NO, I DON’T WANT THE RECEIPT!! JUST GIVE ME THE FRIGGIN MONEY!!!!

A deep grrrrrrrr… roar… n voila!!! Hello Mr. Gandhi!! Count count.. again count.. deeeeeep sigh!!!!

Now, should I take an auto, or a taxi??? I come out, n see neither! N me aint gonna wait even a minute for it… so there I go again, eyes darting from left to right, I cross the road.. walk with my hand brushing against my wallet every other second.. I take the longer route, just coz it’s the busier road. Final 100 yards I almost run..

OPEN the gates u idiot!! What are guards for?? No tip for this guy for sure!! Climb up the stairs.. Good morning fellow colleague! Whats up?? Oh nothing, just a walk to the ATM.. WHATTTTTTTT??????? There’s an ATM in the office complex itself??? Some1 hold me now… I’m….. gonna…… faint… zzzzzzzzzz…

Naukri

For those of you, who hv no clue bout dis, I just started wid my job sum time bac. N today, I completed a month. I wud like to say, I’ve survived. But I’m an optimist… I’ll say I hv arrived…

I admit I was 1 of the lucky ones in my batch who got placed just bfore the market did its flip-flops… n also, I didn really hv a fixed goal a couple of months bfore the placement process started. To be honest, I hadn even heard much bout the firm in which I’m currently workin, let alone big 4 n all..

However, I can easily state dat 5^th august 2008 changed my view of life totally. The crosshair which was just loafing around suddenly honed in on its aim. N almost a yr later, here I am.. in a different city… stayin in office for 9 hrs.. havin coffee at every brk… already thinkin bout where I wanna be after 6 months, 1 yr, 2 yrs, 5 yrs, n so on… (oh, I shud clarify, Goa appears in every 1 of those plans :D)

A lot of stuff has been said bout the problems in acclamatizin to the change in lifestyle, the added responsibility, budgetin, blah blah.. i hv a simple reply to it now.. I hv grown up… it wud be silly to compare an 18 yr old colg guy struggling to attend 3 classes a day, to a 21 yr old ready to stay in office til 9pm just to finish the wrk. But ppl forget, there r 3 big yrs in between… not dat every1 has a gr8 beginnin to his/her professional life… but the adjustment they hv to make, n eventually do, is what distinguishes them frm a colg student.

My own experience has been no different. The first few days were well, different… but no new joinee was expecting a garland welcome and 2 secretaries running around and bringing coffee. I had been told so many bad stories and incidents, dat I was expecting sumthin far worse dan what I’ve encountered so far. Responsibilities can’t be handled overnite.. but they don’t hv to be either.. a little care on our side can help us ease into our new lives. By the first weekend, I had planned on what all I wud require to buy to convert my new house to my home… I shifted on the second weekend, and except for the food arrangements, I hv been able to fairly manage my life.. yes of course, the costs hv been higher dan what they shud ideally be.. but not even Einstein got his relativity theories sorted in 1 weekend. By da second weekend I had fixed up maids and bought enuf furniture to spend the nites…

Now as I begin my second month, I can fairly say that I am a working professional who is living independently and is supporting himself. Now dat the matured person inside me has settled down, my thoughts durin weekends have again started wandering to the latest flicks, friends to meet, places to eat at, etc. Coz, well, however grown up I may become, the child in me is never gonna get lost u know... J