Biography- Guess, who am I?

Countless number of times we have wished to be lucky. We wish to have fate of a superstar, a rock star, a businessman or even a politician (considering the immense amount of fortune they pile up during their tenure). There are some, who are born rich and some who turn rich. It’s all about hard work. The rich try to maintain their riches and work hard, while the poor works hard to get rich. Some believe destiny is scripted and some are the makers of their own. My story is among those famous stories that you would have heard from your mother at bedtime. It motivates some and some are left thrilled. I hope this article leaves you enthralled, yet keeps you motivated.
    The youngest child of four children in the family of French Canadian roots, I was born as James on January 17, 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada to Percy and Kathleen. My father was an accountant by profession and also an aspiring jazz saxophonist. Both my parents suffered from ill health. My mother Kathleen used to suffer from hypochondria, an extreme depression of mind or spirits often centered on imaginary physical ailments. She used to lie on her bed and take pills all day long. I wanted to cheer her up, so I used to walk over and do impressions of praying mantises and other weird things. I’d bounce of the walls or even throw myself on the stairs, just to make her feel better. This led to habit of entertaining people. I loved it very much. As a child I’d performed constantly, for anyone who would watch, and I even mailed my résumé to "The Carol Burnett Show" at age 10. Later I extended the funny performance to my classmates at Aldershot School in Burlington. I even obtained the teacher's permission to regularly carry out a stand-up comedy in class few minutes before the end of school day.
    All laughter and humor all took a drastic turn when I was in the 9th standard, my father, who was 52, lost his job as accountant. The financial status plummeted like the pack of cards and we were in dire monetary straights. That was a huge blow for my mild mannered father who had given up musical dreams in favor of family security. Due to this fiscal turnaround we had to sell off our home and relocate to the eastern part of Toronto. This was our family’s bleakest period, as we all agreed to work as factory cleaners for secured accommodation. We even took up janitorial jobs at Titan Wheels factory in Scarborough. I continued to study at the town's Agincourt Collegiate Institute. I did my schooling there and then worked at the factory for eight long hours every day. Inevitably the A grade student began to fail and this showed in my behavior in the community. I decided I had no option but to leave school.
Eventually my family decided the hostility between fellow factory workers and their general unhappiness was too much to bear and we moved into a Volkswagen camper van. Despite the cramped space my family was happier again. Seeking an opportunity for my stand up comedy abilities, my dad and I explored the whole of Toronto’s comedy clubs. Finally at the age of fifteen I landed with a show at Yuk Yuk's. I appeared in the show with a bright yellow suit made by my Mom. The initial performance at Yuk Yuk's sadly did not result well, but I was not discouraged, and kept reworking and refining my material to satisfyingly become the club's headliner when I made my comeback two years later.
My early routine comprised mainly of impressions and along with the positive feedback I was receiving I took the brave step of moving to Los Angeles in 1979. The Comedy Store soon had me on the bill and I found myself spotted by Rodney Dangerfield who booked me to be his support act, leading to Vegas gigs. During this period I called my parents to move in from Canada to the U.S. I knew things had to change and above all I realized I wanted to make people laugh and headed back to the comedy circuit, began to explore new material, often bombing in front of the audience but never giving up. However with less money and with no option I was forced to ask my parents to leave, Therein followed a bleak period in my life. During this time I wrote myself the now legendary cheque for $10 million for services rendered.
My personal life however looked more promising. In 1986 I met an actress Melissa Womer at the Comedy Store where she was waitressing, fell in love and married her a year later, shortly followed by the birth of my daughter, Jane. I was no longer a single man; I had a family to think of.
I had already taken part in small budget movies before I married Melissa. Other movies began to filter through soon after, "Finders Keepers", "Once Bitten", "Peggy Sue Got Married", "The Dead Pool", "Pink Cadillac" and "Mike Hammer: Murder Takes All" then came "Earth Girls are Easy". Despite being an unimpressive movie I managed to make an impression on co-star Damon Wayans who recommended me to meet his brother for a new show "In Living Color".
This was to be his big chance. The role led to my Unnatural Act in 1991 and led to a role in Fox's Emmy nominated TV film "Doing Time on Maple Drive". A serious role in which I played a young man with a serious drinking problem, it showcased my straight acting talents but I continued with "In Living Color", sticking with comedy.
I was able to push boundaries and test audience reactions and across the industry I was receiving attention and acclaim, which lead to my first blockbuster in 1994.
 During my bleak period I had written myself a cheque for $10 million, which I kept in my wallet. I was given that amount when I signed a film in 1996, the cheque which I had in my wallet all the time I poignantly placed in his father’s pocket at his funeral. I am James Eugene Carrey, known famously as Jim Carrey, the 94 movie is called Ace Ventura and the 96 movie is called The Cable Guy.









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Sites from where the information is taken:
1.    http://www.imdb.com
2.    http://www.jimcarreyonline.com
3.    http://www.aceshowbiz.com

The Curtained Love

She comes over to my store, yashmak (burkha) clad every three days. I could only view her eyes. She gets to the imagination of every person she speaks or even looks at. With long eyelashes and pitch black eyes, she casts a spell among all boys, and I am no exception. She is fair as snow, and applies thick, heavy kohl around her eyes; she looks stunning. I was blown away the moment I saw her. She was beautiful and shyness added that extra mile to her gorgeousness. The instance, I first saw her is still vivid and glorified in my memory. She is Yasmin.
She stays in a bungalow across the street. She is a daughter of a Biryani outlet owner, a wealthy man indeed. She has two brothers, one elder and another younger. The elder brother Yusuf is married to a rich man’s daughter and stays in foreign lands. The younger brother Asfaque has just hit adolescence. She comes to my store with Asfaque, every time to take paan (betel plant) for her grandmother.
It was easy for me to fall for her. She is attractive not only by looks but also by nature. She speaks with ultimate calm and serene voice. Although being from a rich family, she never let the riches arrogant her nature. She is humble towards all the people she speaks to. She has her brother as company when she comes to my store, well actually it was not my store, and I work here. I like to call it my store, not because it makes me feel rich but I love to work here. The owner is a kind hearted man who had given me a chance to work and earn a living. Little did he know that I was love struck and mesmerized by the charm of Yasmin.
It had been a year; I watched her come over to my store and ask for the regular paan. Although one year is a long time to get accustomed to anybody, but, for her I am just an acquaintance; I still blush and turn red when she approaches me. Let alone the feeling when she accidently touches me. The moment she appears, I feel the time freeze. The scene lasts for only two minutes, but I always feel it is more. I wanted to speak to her, in order to extend the precious moments and prolong her stay, but resented on most occasions. There are thousand thoughts that cross my mind- what if she rubbishes me off? What if she abuses me? No she couldn’t abuse, she is much better than that. I was clouded by such thoughts and always postponed my assignment.
I look myself at the mirror every day and think about the improvements I can make to make my entire package, make it worthy or notable. Finally I give up that argument too, when I hear John Abraham on the television quote “Money makes you look good.”
Approaching a girl of your dreams is no joke; I don’t know how people do it. Maybe that is one of the reason people say Love happens only once. It is a herculean task when the girl is pretty and rich and the boy, poor. Moreover, I had no friends whom I could talk to, no one who is an old hand and could guide me through my misery. Adolescent love is so restless and relentless; it eats your head and time. It will always provoke you to focus only on it. The worst part is boys will be impatient and will be in a hurry to propose and get into a relationship. Noteworthy, I had less time too.
Almost the Day: She came in with the usual fragrance and charm. Without any reluctance I prepared her regular paan. She paid me the money. I looked on for motivation and finally, I mustered all the strength and approached her. I wanted to ask if she had a boy friend, lame, as it may sound but I had decided that was the way to go about things. I opened my mouth only to ask “would you like candies? I don’t have change.” I chided myself many times, while she gleefully accepted. I gave her an extra piece from my side. She didn’t know about my small gift. One step at a time I thought. She took all except one and said “This one is for you.” Every time I am blown away, but this time, I am cloud nine with her gesture. I kept the candy under my pillow from harm’s way, my treasured possession- a candy.
The next day I thank her for her gesture, she acknowledges and smiles. I want to see her smile. I am sure it will adorn her and make her more beautiful, but to my misery I only see her eyes. We speak sometimes about general things, some regarding her brother and some about her family and sometimes about my family. She is innocent of my intentions. I still remember the day when she had asked my name. I think I am progressing, from no one to my name, it means a lot to me.
Time passed by faster after that, we spoke often and it took more than four minutes. One day she told me that she likes to talk to me, and left. I was flabbergasted. She had touched the soft spot in my heart and I very well knew that the time had come. I thought I was making amends and it was time for me to strike the iron while it is hot. It seems like a fairy tale, rich man’s girl and a worker at a store falling in love. I am afraid at times, because her family is respected and well known. My employer will throw me out of this job as soon as he gets the news. Little things bother most, and this prevented me from approaching her. I had my family to support too, but the moment I think of her, all the sense flies out of the window. I keep falling for her, building castles in the air. I see her fading from my sight as I once again postpone my execution.
I am content with my behavior towards her; she is unaware and happy too. This could not go on for long if I have to transform the castles into a fine house. I preferred to wait, but I did not know how long.
The Day:  She turned up as always in her black yashmak with her brother. Her brother had locked hands with her. She asks for her regular stuff. I start the preparation and look at her at frequent, immediate intervals. She looks beautiful as ever. I am ready with the paan, she hands me the exact amount and turns to leave. Suddenly, I feel my life was going away from me. I wanted to stop her, tell her all that I had in my mind. In the mean time she had moved a good distance away from the store. I panic and grow restless, and finally in desperation I call out her name. She turns back without reluctance.
I approach her out of breath. I think again, whether to postpone or go for it. She looks on for me to say. I look in her eyes and open my mouth. I tell her how crazily I am in love with her, and although monetarily I am not competent enough yet, I promise to keep her happy. I tell her about how she had impacted my heart and if she gives me a chance I will keep her happy. Her eyes look at me in disputation. She then turns towards her brother who was a witness to my confession. Finally, she gazes at all the people around. She says nothing. She then turns to her brother and leaves me without a reply. I call her again, but this time she didn’t turn back. Her brother looked at me all the while; maybe he would understand my feelings. Already people were watching us and it is not good for her to talk to me in public. I felt assured that, that was the reason and she would reply me on her next visit.
She didn’t turn up for a couple of weeks, and I thought that was her answer. Day in and day out I had imagined her coming to my store and replying me or rather accepting my proposal. The feeling had left me happy at first, but slowly it turned into a nonsensical and fictitious.  Maybe she is upset at what I had said. Maybe I am not worthy of such a human being. Too many maybes crowded my brain. I was baffled, and didn’t know my next step. I thought about it for days and felt reckless. The mind can be fascinating at times and at times it can be haunting. I felt no good. I am now lazy in my work and often forget the things I have to do.
My boss decided to fire me seeing my ignorance at work. It cost him money, but I am concerned with my life. I had to return to my village in four days. On my finals days of work suddenly, I spotted her. She is with her brother as usual. The street is rather crowded as it is evening. I give no second thoughts, and walk to approach her.
 Her bungalow was close by, all the people knew her, because of her father’s stature. I pay no attention to them as I want my answer. I was not been feeling well, I lost focus on my work, I forgot how to smile and most importantly I forgot how to live. I walk over to her; I want to know the reason why I was discarded. She tells me to go away and never show my face and left. She was definite with her answer. I felt awestruck at her answer while she left. I spoke to no one. I felt I had committed a crime by breaking her heart.
I walked alone back to my room, desolate and shattered. Time could be a great healer; I just needed some time so that I could continue with my regular life. Difficult times are hard to pass, but they will pass eventually. I reach my room, lock the door and crawl into bed. I keep thinking about the incident in the market. It was agonizing. It still is. I close my eyes but the thoughts still chase me. I wanted to get away from this world, take a holiday or spend some time with my family. I think over and over again. I wake up look beyond the window. I spot a bar. What a view? It suits the occasion fine. Finally to get over my wretchedness I walk over to the local bar.
In the Bar: It is crowded and each one is busy drinking their stuff. I take a sip. The taste is bitter, as it is my first time. Nothing happens in the first two pegs. After a couple more, my head started spinning, and it gets me tripping. I can’t even walk the fine line, and struggle for an erect posture. There is something about drinking I feel, when you have a little- you stay a human. When you have little more- you turn into a tiger, pretend to be a renegade, raging and hostile. This can be troublesome for both- the drunkard and the one who gets into an argument with him. Well, a little more than that a man turns into a pig, falling in every pit and on every bend. I leave the bar at nine in the evening, like a pig, too drunk to sense anything. I slowly make my way back home. My room was not far away, just a small bridge and a bend to cross. I was in high spirits; the liquor in me was influencing my thoughts as well as my control. Slowly and steadily, I make it to the bridge. The cool wind blowing feels nice. I felt a sudden urge to get some more air. With boisterous heart and thoughts I climb the railing. I stand in akimbo. Bah! Forget all the things that happened, I will lead a good life now, it feels great. But, deep down I missed her, I knew that this enthusiasm is out of anger and not motivation. I outstretch my arms and feel the wind. I then close my eyes and feel much better.
Hello, he said what are you doing here? Come down or else you will fall. I heard these words but choose to ignore. He then shook my legs. I get startled and yet, try to control my posture. Within seconds I am moving uncontrollably and take a fall, but on the wrong side. It was a bridge but no water flowed under. It had dried a long time back. I could not make out the face of the man who tried to save me. I cry out loud Yasmin, and strike the ground with a great thud. My head bangs on the hard surface which consisted mainly of stones. Blood gushes out perpetually, I feel the pain but only for few seconds, I think my neck and skull both were broken. I lay there immovable. I try to figure out the person on the bridge and close my eyes for the last time.
My soul left the body and my call from heaven had come. Perhaps I had done some good deeds to get a call from heaven. But,  a soul only leaves the earth after the list rituals are performed. I wept like a small kid, I felt bad for my family. They would definitely miss me. My body was recovered from the stench within an hour (thanks to the man responsible).
My body was cleansed and kept in my employer’s house. It reeked of alcohol. My family had arrived and they were in tears. I felt like returning back to life, but it cannot be. It was ten in the morning and it was time. They carried me to the cemetery. A grave was already dug, all people had gathered who knew me, but I waited for Yasmin.
Yasmin, on seeing the shop closed inquired to few people. She got the news that was related to them by the man on the bridge. Apparently, when I called out Yasmin, he heard it. When people questioned him regarding the incident he said, I jumped off the bridge and committed suicide. Before I jumped he heard me shouting Yasmin, I love you. Plain and simple, he got away without a trial; he as well as I knew that it was an accident. Neither he nor I were to be blamed. But, when I heard the story I felt bad, because it made me weak. I was ready to accept a new life, but a false story gave entirely a different picture.
Everybody watched each other; finally the time for my cremation had come and the time my soul was to be taken to heaven. When my body was lifted to be buried, everyone heard a loud cry. Yasmin had come, it was against the customs for a girl to attend funerals, but no one could stop her. She came in running and out of breath. My body was still in air; she dropped on her knees and cried. She was warned that the time had come for me to go. She cried and asked for few seconds of time. All men grumble among themselves. I was watching my Yasmin. She lifted her veil, showed her face and with tears in her eyes said, I Love you too! The next moment she was pushed aside and I was buried. My soul got the signal from God for heavenly aboard, I cursed myself “Kal jab main usse pyar karta tha, tab wo parde me thi; aur aaj jab wo mujhe pyar karti hai to main parde me hu.” (When I loved her yesterday she was in a veil, and when she loves me today I am draped).

Remember the Titans

On 18^th of February 2012, India will again be playing to qualify for the men’s field hockey for the forthcoming Olympics. The London Olympics 2012 will begin on the 28^th of July. A record eight time winner, India will again go for gold.

This article, deals with Hockey, Olympics and the District of Darjeeling. Confused? Read further to understand. The people who don’t know, will think why Darjeeling? This article is about remembering what and how does the district of Darjeeling connect to the Olympics and Field Hockey.

There have been three Olympians associated with Kurseong, a town 30 kilometers away from Darjeeling. The fourth player who will look to qualify for the London Olympics 2012, according to my sources is from Kalimpong, 50 kilometers from Darjeeling.

Goethals Memorial School, Kurseong has the following notable alumni.

1. Cyril James Michie : (August 20, 1900 – 1966) was an Indian field hockey player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was educated at Goethals Memorial School, Kurseong.

           In 1936 he was a member of the Indian field hockey team, which won the gold medal. He played       one match as goaltender. No goals were scored against him. (Source: Wikipedia).

Wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Michie

        Unfortunately I couldn’t find any solo pictures of Cyril. The only picture that I found on the Internet was of the 1936 winning team. Unfortunately again, (as far as I know) no evidence is there to prove which one of them is Cyril. If there is anyone who can identify him please let me know.

                                                 1936 Berlin Olympics Gold Medal

                              

     2. Joseph "Joe" Deville Thomas Galibardy (January 10, 1915 – May 17, 2011) was an Indian field         hockey player who competed in the1936 Summer Olympics.

            In 1936 he was a member of the Indian field hockey team, which won the gold medal. He            played five matches as halfback.

            He was the last surviving member of the 1936 Indian field hockey team that won the gold            medal. He came to his alma-mater, Geothals Memorial School during their centenary celebrations in 2007.

            (Source: Wikipedia)

            Wiki Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Galibardy

                                        The Winning Hockey team of 1936 Berlin Olympics.

 (Joseph is second from the left in front, Dhyan Chand second from left standing but don't know about Cyril)

India in 1936 Berlin Olympics (Germany was under Adolf Hitler’s rule)

Played: 5
Won: 5
Goals For: 38
Goals Against: 1 (The only goal that was struck was against India was in the finals by Germany. India won that 8-1 under the leadership of Dhyan Chand).

India was up by 6 goals in the finals. The Germans now decided to play rough. Going for Dhyan Chand, the German goalkeeper removed one of his teeth. Coming back after receiving first aid, the bare-footed Dhyan Chand instructed his team to go easy on goals. "We must teach them a lesson in ball control," he said. As the stunned crowd watched, the Indians repeatedly took the ball up to the German circle and then backpassed to dumbfound their opponents. India ultimately prevailed over Germany 8-1 in the finals to win its third successive Olympic gold medal.

The Fuhrer was very impressed by Dhyan Chand's performance in the finals. At a dinner party after the finals, Hitler offered to elevate Dhyan Chand to the rank of a Colonel if he migrated to Germany. Dhyan Chand turned down the offer.

(Source: http://www.bharatiyahockey.org/olympics/golden/1936.htm)

1. 3)   Chaman Singh Gurung: I could get no information about his date of birth and death. He hailed from Kurseong and he too studied from Goethals Memorial School, Kurseong. He was a gifted player who participated in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and won a gold medal. Unfortunately the information I got was that his gold medal was stolen. A man of such caliber and gift died a long time back and very few people know about him till today.

          India in 1952 Helsinki Olympics (Finland)

          Played: 3
          Won: 3
          Goals For: 13
          Goals Against: 2  

                       1952 Helsinki Olympics Gold Medal (which was stolen from C.S.Gurung's house)

1. 4).  Bharat Chettri: is an Indian hockey player. He has been appointed the captain of the Indian hockey team for the four-nation Super Series and an international tournament in Australia beginning 12 October 2011. (Source: Wikipedia)

         (Wiki Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharat_Chettri)

         He is currently the fourth player who will eye an Olympic Gold, but as a captain, from the Hills. I hope           and pray that he along with the team do us proud and bring back those glory days.

        Lastly I feel sorry when I see that Hockey is no more a part of school sports in many places, (at least in    Kurseong) even after the association of so many great players and also being the National Sport. If there is   any information anyone can add, please provide it in the comments section.

Googling for better results.

I really can’t imagine a life without www.google.com. I would have never completed my projects if it wasn’t for Google™. As we all use the Internet so frequently, we use Google™ quite often (at least I do). While searching the contents we first open www.google.com. Then, we fill in the search keywords and press enter. Sometimes we don’t even have to press enter; thanks to AJAX technology it displays us the options as we type. I have seen many people follow this procedure and I have compiled some tips here which I think will help you refine your search and get results faster.

1.    Searching through specific sites : You can reduce the search criteria specific to only a website
e.g.: type espncricinfo: tendulkar, and this will show you the instances of Sachin Tendulkar in www.espncricinfo.com 
P.S Not all the links provided by Google ™ will be of espncricinfo, only the first few links will be of espncricinfo.

 

2.    Searching your name: Have you ever tried searching your name?

                If no, then try this, type facebook : “your name” in Google’s search bar and see if your profile link is displayed.
(Tip: try without quotation marks to see different results) 

3.    Excluding words from search: you can also exclude a word from your search criteria by adding a "-"(minus/ hyphen) sign followed by your word after typing the search term.

e.g.: If you want to search Burman but not Sachin Burman, type burman –“sachin”. This will list all the burman results excluding sachin.





 4.    Calculating via Google : Google can also be a calculator.
        e.g.: Type 36 * 36 and press enter. If your network connection is good you   don’t even have to press enter.

5.    Google as a dictionary: you can Google to find out meanings of words. Type, define: “your word”.
e.g.: Type, define: bogus and press enter. Again, if your network connection is good you don’t even have to press enter.

 6.    Google as a converter: You can use Google to use it as a converter. Type 1 foot to inches.
Similarly, you can also try 5USD to INR or 50miles to km

 7.    Searching for a file type: If you know the file type you are finding then try    this.   
        Type pdf: dining, you can also do this for ppts.

 8.    Searching maps : I have seen many people do this, they first open  www.google.com. Then they click on the menu bar title “Maps” and then do their search. To the people who do this and want to save time, this is for you.                                                                                                                                                         Type map: “place you want to search”                                                                                                                                   e.g.: map: Mumbai.

 9.    I have also noticed many people; they type the website address in the address bar instead of using the quick search bar. If you haven’t set your default quick search www.google.com. I suggest you do it. This saves time and if you are on a slow connection you know you have to do it.

10.    For chrome users, if you don’t want to use the quick search bar then just type your search keywords in the address bar and press enter. If you are using Internet Explorer then the search is done via Bing. (I don’t know about the others, you can check it out).

11.    Finally, Happy Googling and I hope this blog helps you out in the future.

Cheers. 

I Got her Number !!

It was during the final year of the graduation when a notice was put up regarding the campus interview of one of the biggest software companies of India which was to be held in Kolkata. The interview was schedule for 1st of September, and it was already the 27th of August, which consequently meant that I had less time. So I made good friendship with my books and I was a worm in no time. Reading dry books was never my ardor, but novels –yes! Understanding computer languages was always a daunting task. It always aroused the sleeping procrastinator that had now become an integral part of my soul.
    This story is not about an interview and how I cracked it, in fact I didn’t. I booked my tickets for Kolkata and the date was 30th of august. Bearing in mind that I had to crack an interview, I had to focus and be poised, but that really wasn’t the source of concern. I mean, who wants a job at the age of 21? Certainly I didn’t, because there’s only one life, and I didn’t want to finish it off earning at such a young age. The fact of the matter was that I had to get a phone number – whose number? Kiran’s number.
    The next question, for you readers is “Who is Kiran?” Well she is the girl of my dreams, and yes she existed in reality too. She is an awesome girl with a gracious smile. She had the uncanny knack of keeping the whole world around her, happy. I therefore, had fallen for her but the predicament was that I was in touch with her only through the internet. Weekly messages and a handful of e-mails was all that I could do to keep in touch. This leads to a confusion for you that where was she? …… she was in London, studying engineering, and then the next question is what her relation with Kolkata is? Well she had a sister who was studying in Kolkata and I knew her too. I directly couldn’t ask Kiran for her number because I was too shy. The very instance of her made me blush. It was lame but I couldn’t help it.
1st September:         I couldn’t make it to the company because I was chucked out of the final round; apparently they thought that I was not good enough for them. Damn it, to hell u company fellows, I don’t want a job and I kicked the stone and started taking a stroll in the lonely but serene Salt lake, sector 5.
    Back to the problem, to make matters worse I didn’t have Deepika’s number either (Deepika is the sister of Kiran (paternal)). So I contacted Sandeep, who studied with Deepika and was our common friend. He gave me a number that was received by some male, who was pissed off with his life, and to my misery that was a wrong number. I gave a call back to Sandeep, he gave the number of yet another friend Keshav (common again after the conversation).This was the first time I was speaking to Keshav, and to my surprise he was happy to give me the number, which apparently was not of Deepika’s and he told me that Deepika was out on a holiday to Goa. The number was of Supriya’s (elder sister of Deepika). This wretchedness was beyond my imagination, only this time, I had never seen Supriya nor did I know that she existed in this world. To my inconvenience I was a shy person who didn’t ask for Kiran’s number directly but I was here now doing stuff that I had never imagined in my fantasy: begging for a number to every person who gave me hope.
So I gave her (Supriya) a call. She received with a certainty “Hello-who is this?” I said, “I am a friend of deepika as well as of Kiran’s and I wanted to meet you because I have to give you something.” She was taken aback and then replied “I don’t know u, why should I meet you anyway “after a short pause she disconnected the phone and after a long beep I did the same.
All hope was gone to vain, no recruitment and no phone number as well. My agony was multiplying and who knows what will happen next?
As I took a lonely ride back home after winning nothing, a quotation came to my mind, I don’t recall who quoted it but it hardly matters “When you win, nothing hurts”. Just as I was about to unlock the door to my brother’s flat, I got a call on my mobile. It read ‘Supriya’; I was in a dilemma whether to receive or to disconnect. I started getting weird thoughts on why is she calling me? Isn’t she done after she disconnected my only ray of hope or now she wants to finish off things in style but swearing at me? To cut short these irrelevant thoughts I received her call. “Hello, are you there?” she said, I replied with a wry smile “Yes I am here I can hear you.”  She then said “I am sorry about the reaction, I hope you understand that it is difficult for a girl to believe a phone call” I moored my eyebrows when she continued “ I just had a chat with Deepika and everything is clear now and are you Deepika’s  friend or Kiran’s? ”. I was not paying attention to her but suddenly my twenty bones jointly made an effort to smile and I replied “yeah, I am actually Kiran’s friend but I am acquainted with Deepika too.” I still couldn’t figure out the reason for her call. She broke the suspense and asked “Can you meet me tomorrow at 8 in the evening?” Now I was dancing with joy and it knew no boundaries, I without any further reluctance agreed upon her request. That night was hard to pass, every second passed on slower than ever and I started dreaming, which eventually made me sleep.
The next day had its confusion of its own- am I just going to meet her to ask her, her sister’s number, how convenient and brazen of me to think like that. Certainly I didn’t want to make a false impression on Supriya, because now she mattered a lot to me than the day before. So, I started thinking about an alibi that made me come to meet her and I am about to enlighten you with one of the truths of life. Do you know why males are better managers than females? I’ll tell you why, because when it comes to saving your life, a male can do everything that he possibly can, you can see the example right above. The next day, I was so exited that I wanted the day to pass by so that it could be twenty hundred hours and I could meet my prospective sister in law. There was still a thing that had to be done, that was to buy gifts and give it to her as a birthday present for Kiran and in return I would ask her Kiran’s number. This was my alibi. Buying gifts was never a problem until then, selecting the best gift requires truck load of money which adversely I didn’t have. So the next best thing was “Cheap and best”. I bought a coffee mug because I remembered that Kiran loved drinking hot chocolate and coffee in the winters and winter was approaching. To be precise it cost me 180 rupees, not expensive but for her it was still a trifle amount.
Next stoppage was at Supriya’s locality, I had never seen her so this was going to be fun. I gave her a call and she told me that she is wearing black top with a pair of jeans. Everything seemed just fine when I saw a girl wearing black tees, I approached her, and firstly she kept looking at me so I was almost sure that she was the one. Then as I got closer, she had an animated look on her face and her hands slowly transferred itself into a powerful fist, as I sighted that, I knew that this time the number was wrong. Without further delay I changed my direction to see yet another girl wearing black who was in a public booth trying for a number. I immediately thought in my excitement, which was at its zenith, that this could be her. Again I approached her, but this time I was more cautious, as I was about to call her name, I heard mine. This time it was Supriya, she recognized me because of my excitement and anticipation.
After a formal introduction, I briefed her up on my visit to Kolkata and I gave her the gifts. She did the kind bit to ensure the delivery. Now the moment had come. I stepped forward and said”Supriya can you give me Kiran’s number?” I stepped back for the reaction and she asked in predicament “Why?” I had a definite reason but yet I told her nothing I wanted her to understand. Silence was common to us both then she again suspected me. She thought for a while and said “okay here you go it’s …………………”. “I hope you do know that it is going to cost you a princely amount to call her” she said and smiled.”I will only call her sometimes” I said and returned back the smile.”Sometimes is also expensive, anyway take it, as you desire”. I blushed.
Only my hands moved on the keypad of my mobile and I saved it. We both turned back after I said “Thank you”. After three to four steps further I jumped in the air punching the breeze that was flowing. Everybody noticed me and then came a name that stunned me to silence. Supriya called me back and said “give me your mobile” as I did so; she checked the name against Kiran’s number which read as ‘ANGEL’ and then she added” you are a nice guy she (Kiran) told me.” Again to my discomfort she paused, but then said “Good luck she is also nice”. With those last words she turned away and I had got THE number.