It was one of those few days when you have the right to call yourself lucky because you don’t always get a seat in a Chennai city bus during the peak hours! There was a slightly elderly looking person sitting next to me. As the bus pulled out of T.Nagar bus stand and turned left after the CIT Nagar bus stop, this co-passenger turned to me and started a conversation.
“Where does this road lead to?” he asked me, pointing to the CIT Nagar First Main road that joins Mount road at the Hyundai showroom.
“To mount road..” I didn’t want to suffix “uncle”. He looked too old for that!
“No, Not the one we are going in now.. That road..” he said again pointing to CIT Nagar first Main road.
“Oh yes.. It is that road that goes to mount road too! But it is a “one way traffic” there. Vehicles can only enter from Mount road.”
“Oh.. okay..” (Some random “useless government” sort of remarks for “making half the roads one ways” follow)
Meanwhile a conversation had started in my mobile with one of my friends. I was typing text messages with my usual rigour. Through the corner of my eyes I was able to see, rather feel, my co-passenger (CP from now) trying to peep into my mobile. I typed faster and jabbed the “send” button and quickly turned to see my CP quickly avert his gaze from my mobile.
“You young people type messages so fast! Some do it with both hands. I never get the speed!”
I was slightly taken aback and gave a blank expression. I managed to say
“It is nothing. Just practice”
“No really, when I start typing……”I really did not pay attention to what he was saying till I heard the word “MS Excel”. That was curious!
“Pardon. What did you just say?” I wanted to ask “In what context did you just now say Excel?”
“ ‘Excel’ thambi. You haven’t heard about it? Do you know what it is?”
If I tell yes, there would be no fun. Imagining Prof. Seshasayee’s (who taught us statistics in Excel for four full months!) exasperated expression I said
“No.. What is it?”
“It is used to do accounts. I use it most of the times. In it if you type ‘Ak’ it completes the word as ‘Akash associates’ and you can do a lot of tally in that. I was telling that if such a feature is available in mobiles it would be great.”
I smiled. My mobile beeped with a reply to the text message I had just sent. I lifted my right leg and almost hid my mobile under the knees and gave a quick reply. CP was staring at my knees, which had graciously hidden my mobile from his prying eyes! He smiled and said,
“I really feel jealous when I see you guys typing messages so fast. I couldn’t have even read the message in the time you were done with the whole reading and replying”
Now what was that for? I gave a “younster –still-good boy” kind of a smile and turned to look out through the window. My mobile beeped again. This time the message I received demanded a detailed reply. I started texting the reply. My legs involuntarily dropped to the floor. When I was almost done, I heard,
“The font is too small. I can’t even read. I think I’ll need my glasses!”
With an unbelievable expression I turned to look at CP. He had not only tried to peep into a third person’s mobile, but was actually feeling bad that he was not able to read clearly. That and without the teeniest hint of guilt! I stopped smiling and had a grim face. We had almost reached guindy now. How fast time had gone today! CP was not done yet!
“Thambi. What do you do? Where do you work?” I hate it when people refer to me as thambi and this was the second time in 15 minutes.
“Optometrist at Sankara Nathralaya. Also, junior researcher there.”
“Oh that is nice. What is optometrist by the way. The ones who give glasses, right?”
“yes and those responsible for diagnosing eye disorders and treating a few of them”
“And what kind of research do you do”
“Visual psychophysics and cataract” and that would be the end;
I would need to pull in a lot of details if this conversation had taken place. I was in no mood for public relations. I had a simple alternative.
“I am a software engineer” I replied and imagined myself writing codes the way I would never write if I had been writing them for myself!
“Oh good. Which company? BPO or software company”
Oh my god! I was not prepared for this question. Wipro, TCS, CTS, Infosys, HCL, IBM.
“Private concern!” I blurted out. If he asks where it is I’ll tell it is in Pune and I am here to visit my aunt.
I never had to tell that. That is another Murphy’s Law – When you are prepared for something, the preparation always goes waste! My mobile beeped again. That was big, big sms that time. By the time the sender’s name came I forgot what the first line was. Meanwhile CP had started peeking and I was getting irked. What worse?!~ He started talking. Somewhere inside my brain, there were generous visual, auditory and consciousness inputs. The roads to the attention center got all berserk and it went in to a state of hibernation, completely giving up. I didn’t understand the message I was reading, couldn’t hear what CP was talking, couldn’t adjust my aching leg that was veiling my mobile from unwanted stares. With a final warning like expression, I turned to CP and asked him to excuse me for a minute. I was done with typing my reply message and CP started talking again! Like Mohammad Gazini! What stamina!
“You are a software professional! So how do you think the software profession is coming up in Singapore? Is it okay to stay there or come back?”
I gave him a look completely devoid of expression. I didn’t know if I had to laugh or cry. Wasn’t he seeing my disinterest or pretending to be immune?
“Well, if company is paying your bill anything is right! You know..” I knew I was starting it afresh; but this time I had a plan. “..It also depends on where you stay! It should be comfortable and safe.. Singapore is a nice place to be in..” My mobile rang with one of my friends’ name flashing on the screen. “Just a sec..” I told CP and turned towards the crowded part of the bus.
“Hi machi.. long since you called! Whatssup then?” I started talking, gratefully remembering the last text message I had sent
“Cal immdtly”
