Hobby Copy

"What is your Hobby?", I glance through the answer that any candidate would share for this question on the fag end of personal information list - specially formatted for university fresh students ready to enter industry. Apart from candidate's name, father's name, DOB, percentile , grades, address, rest of the personal information in the self introduction form carries similar data point in various order of presentation and at times look like a copy. One would wonder why scientists are breaking heads to create character clones. I have seen may during the mass recruitment hours.

Watching Movies , sports, reading books , singing , dancing , playing computer games are a bunch of common ones that you would notice. No nothing wrong till here. You would certainly expect the person to bring in at least one dimension of the subject which would have some passion and insight beyond the rest. This is were you can sense how hobby copy happens.

Interestingly in once such campus session I was over with fifteen candidates when I noticed a crazy hobby of the last candidate. It was distinctly scribed as - "Meeting my father's friends". I had my seventh sense pricking me. Moved on to the first page once more to check out another data point - which I generally overlook as an interviewer.Yes his father's name had a pretext - "Late".

His grades where little above average. I gave him a number game. While he was breaking the puzzle , noticed he mentioned only one strength of his - "Good Listener". Guessing the obvious I refrained to pick up any communication on hobbies and naturally turned towards his Strength - which was not the copy type.

-"You have a great Strength, but how did you evaluate?" - That was the last question for that day.

He said - "I was seven years when my father died in an accident. My father was a popular people's leader. I used to walk up to his friends. They keep speaking about him till date - small and big happenings."

For a while I was no more an interviewer. With no emotion in voice he continued - " I know my father from all that I heard from his friends. Their memories keep him alive in my life. Every word they say, I keenly paint them."

This single interview made my day.

Gyan # 16 - Hobby with passion can instill strength even in grief.

Recycle Bin

In school she used to be just a roll number ahead of me. I was or may be both of us had grown a habit of it over the classes. She was an amazing dancer, spoke very little. Unlike her I spoke a lot and danced average. Roll friends – you know how these kind of friendships grow? It is important that we have exams in schools or else this kind of friendships would become obsolete.
Every terminal (semester) exams I had to follow the chair just behind hers. We had 3 big fat exams out of which one was the final one for promotion. We used to dump all our school bags on the corridor outside the exam room. She invariably wished me – ‘All the Best’ turning her back. That used to be generally the final good wish in my school exams days before the class teacher handed over the cyclostyle question papers. Once in a while I have pushed her on my way to collect extra paper or she had turned back very artistically showing me the question number to cross check on the answers, mostly numeric. We were partners of small vices.
We were in seventh standard. That day we had geography exam. I had just completed the GMT problem. Mrs. Iyengar (I mistook the Sur name as Anger and referred her as Anger Miss for long!) has stepped in as a floating invigilator. We had long and short extra pages available. The last five – six minutes of the exams where mostly into punching the right hand corner of the answer sheets and roping them into one with the four inches thread.
It all happened very quickly. Thirty more minutes for the exam were left when Mrs. Iyengar stood between me and my roll friend and watched us. I still had to write an essay type question on Australia.
My roll friend was caught red handed with a short extra sheet which had complete Australia compressed. My ‘Anger Miss’, was responsible for exam logistic that day and she had not issued any short extra page to room invigilators for the day. She was interrogated and taken out of the exam room. I could not write much on Australia. Till date was not sure why she chose the option, even without Australia, I scored 65.
The last but one time I saw her was in our Principal room that afternoon. Our principal was a patron of her classical dance and I know how much she loved her. Next day I gave the exam with a blank chair in front of me. It gave me a sensation of standing beside a crime spot. Time passed by, I learnt a word called ‘Rusticate’. Final exam was over and with promotion my Roll Friend changed. With time I got used to new faces but stopped pushing roll friends to cross check answers. The joy of committing small vices, are interesting with a few.
I met her once more in a railway station – all by a chance, a decade after the event. I was a struggling engineer then, she was a happy woman with her family. Feebly asked her- “What do you do?” She boldly said she is a lawyer. She probably had a free mind, mine was overloaded with memories.

Gyan #15 – Recycle bad memories to revive small joy of relationship

150+

"Oe Maha Manobo Ashe...."(Awaiting a great beinging) - Bengal , parts of India , NRI and world full of lovers of bengali language would plunge into a mega celebration mode tomorrow to salute Gurudev - Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary. As a Bengali this day of the year makes most bengali's feel special. This year the celebration is yet more. Admist all this various media keeps checking the awareness factor, a simple question - "What is the significance of Tagore in your life today?". Ardent Tagore lovers would start speaking about his creative collections which has magic to magnify ones happiness and reduce ones pains. They believe it! Greater mass would echo it..But unfortunately the euphoria of masses die very soon. A neiglible fraction keeps nurturing and harping poets' passion. The rest poet lovers get busy in their world of money and power.

The other day in a reality show heard an achor asking Shantanu Moitra, a NRB, (Non Resident Bengali , coining the term in absence of appropiate vocab) a creative music director by his own right - "What could be our greatest tribute to tagore?".Mind is so prone that I was expecting the canned answer! What he said in my inference - "In changing times, all common persons are moving through a noisy journey day-in - day-out. Why not play Tagores' song in all metro and buses as a mandate? That may balance the emotional quotient which is generaly challenged in our fast forward (>>) life". Am not sure who can take clues to pick up ideas for implementation. In my own small way my vote for his green solution! Let Tagore's magic play a revolutionary role for a better tomorrow...

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Gyan#14 - Try out the magic. It works!

Back on a Rainy Day

You guessed it correctly! After a long break it is raining today evening. As am typing can see gallons of natural water pouring on the dusty and tired lanes of my neighbourhood. Street lights are all on with occasional bizarres of the lightening followed by lousy thunders. Such evening reminds one of various memories... generally the unusual and the unimportant ones...
Fifteen years ago ( trying to be precise) one such evening in the same city of joy had to walk on the wet road from Park Street to Park Circus to board a shared taxi. This was an experience of it's own! Fear of being alone (I missed the office bus ) to cross the deserted footpath by the closed St.Xavier college.. the notorious Malikbazar crossing.. all perceptions and premonitions crowding and at the same go, joy of being able do the same - all alone, overcoming the deep down fear. Uncertainty off course was natural as getting a shared cab from the five point something ( actually it is geometrically asymmetric) remains a challenge, even today.

If you pick up a shot to check out the stretch on a sunny morning am sure you would get me wrong! It is amazing the vibrant lane could be so haunting on a rainy evening.

The next day in office was little beyond the regular consultancy ( used to work for Engg Consultancy firm) experience. My mentor was a workaholic man and usually spend his lunch hours reading letters to editor of "The Statesman" news daily. Those were my initial professional days - wanted to make the boring ambiance bit energized in my own way. Lunch hour I went gaga about the last evening - while intended to share the experience had a sense of self achievement too. Reactions were of various kind - some of pat , some of caution, some of ignorance..All while my mentor never reacted.Post lunch, my mentor left a note on my table along with the news daily . Note said - "Read the 2nd letter".

As I recall - The author had been to the city a week back. Had to make it to airport from Maniktalla - northern part of the city which was badly drowned in water due to persistent rainfall. Had made a Rs 500/- deal ( this is quantum assuming the decade am in) with a cab-guy. But unfortunately the cab had mechanical issues half way thru, at Ultadanga crossing ( considerable Kms from airport). After a few futile requests to stop plying cars a private car stopped. A gentleman rolled down the window pane. In a brisk exchange, author got to know that the car owner was heading for his home. It was stressful drive, as not much could be seen ahead and hence not much dialogue happened till they reach the airport.

- "Can I have your name and address?"

- "Why?"

-"What to thank you back , even your phone number would do?"

-"You thanked ! That is enough . "

-"Still.." - author had the sense of gratitude and really wanted to do something..

Easing his hesitation the car owner said - " Some other day in some other city render someone the same help..That would be the best return...Have a safe flight!"

I was amazed reading the letter probably more than the what author himself was post the brief communication. He went about saying - his experience as a guest in this city not only made him spellbound but he boarded the flight with an asset beyond business.

Gyan #13 - Accomplishments are more rewarding when it propagates beyond you and more.