Prathiksha Shetty to Pretty part 1

“Hey lets gather for a team meet.. a real quick one”.. My manager announced it loud on the floor walking towards the conference room.

I locked my system thinking “one more process update I guess!”.

We gathered in a comparatively small conference room. I looked around… and I saw a new person standing tall and leaning to the wall with smile on her face.

I got it!!!!! So, this is not a process update meeting.. new person is joining us from today on.. I have been hearing things about this girl joining our team from long back, heard guys talking  “new girl is pretty and beautiful it seems.. our manager was mentioning one time”.

Ok lets come back to our story, “So” my manager finished saying something and turned towards the new girl and introduced, This is Prathiksha from Bangalore and she is going to join our team from today! And she is been asked to introduce herself.. “Iam Prathiksha Shetty from Bangalore” she started her intro.. (I forgot the rest so will skip this part!). I remember her telling us that she has rabbits back at home and she plays Soft Ball, Volley ball and Throwball and at what levels respectively.. Sorry I don’t remember. Tell you what; people were quite impressed with this sort of introduction including managers. And then we introduced ourselves one by one and Abel got caught from that day on as Rajeev!

What else do you want to read after that? We dispersed later.

Haven’t seen her much after that first meeting on the floor. After couple of months I found her at the Cafeteria with her friend who joined along with her on the same day. I told my friend Sulochana one day at the Cafeteria “ Prathiksha dint join our team for lunch/dinner yet I think, nice to see that she sticks on to friends, seems down to earth to me”. My First impression guys….

Couple of days passed by..

Suddenly I got an invite for a meeting which is a long one, and the twist here is that the meeting is only for girls. Hmmm don’t think much on that, will tell you. We are all called in to discuss and come up with some ideas. My manager asked all of us to think and draft those and left the room. This time it’s me who will take over the attention (I dint know this till she told me). I was getting super excited and coming up with all ideas and doing all conversation along with the team and (as my friend said) jumping from one chair to other.. This is the time as what I heard that Prathiksha noticed me and said “What is she upto”?

Few days passed by again, “Mahiar, do you know if we can order Subway to office just like Pizza”? I asked my manager. She was sitting right next to where iam standing and talking. She turned towards me and said, “Are you going to order Subway?”.  I said “yes I want to, but not sure if there is a delivery service” and came back to my desk. Think she was interested to have it.. but I did not order as I thought no one is interested and its waste of money.

Gradually, little doubts in the process made her come to me asking how to go about certain things.. Very little interaction.. nothing in concrete.

The other hand of my desk was empty one day and Prathiksha sat beside me.. We started talking (not working) about all things and I mentioned about my knee and a little later about my Divorce and we left our laptop and I started my flashback and she was listening to it with utmost concern and care.. I think I liked the way she reacted to things which were very sensitive to me. That discussion went on long and after a point we started cracking jokes and I took pictures of her from my phone and that’s when I took her phone number. Now at this point we were phone friends.

One day, I was surfing Facebook and I found profile which read Prathiksha Shetty. I looked at her pics in FB and in particular I liked a pic with red dress alongside with the car. Quite impressed with the pic which reminded me of Ileana and Now you know what happened.. Obviously I have sent a friend request and now we were FB friends!!

Some more days passed by…. Once day,

“Hey Sudha, Do you want to participate in throw ball Match which is tomorrow morning?” Prathiksha came to me almost brisk walking. “Throw ball?” confused what that was, I asked her back “what is it?”. She explained me about the game though I dint understand anything. I was looking at her face and suddenly I felt time stopped by and I could see only her asking me “Please come no, Please come no” in SLOW motion.. I was so lost in that pause, I said OK I will. (Can’t answer WHY and WHAT till now). She immediately held my hand and took me to other team where players were being discussed. Prathiksha introduced me to that team and said “Sudha will join us tomorrow”. ASK me, I have absolutely NO CLUE as to what is a Throw ball and how is it played. Iam Blank and did not understand what is happening. After some time Prathiksha brought me back again to my desk. I guess discussion is over by then. I could understand only one thing; I have to go to secunderabad, a playground where we are going to play. That’s it! I said ok let’s have fun!

I came back home, watched all throw ball match videos on YouTube to understand the game. I could understand one thing, what they are playing is “Catches”! Ha I know this game, very simple. What we usually play as kids. I thought if this is the game, iam going to rock it today! (Iam fooled by my own assumption later on). Having this rock solid confidence that iam going to play well and outdo everyone, I danced to WAKA WAKA song in the morning (dint sleep actually) little I know what lies ahead of me, started from my home on my bike. The plan was to pick Prathiksha and go to playground. I picked her from the Railway Station and went to playground after making some enquiry calls to other friends about the route and direction. We reached the playground, “they already started practicing” Prathiksha said getting down from the bike. I said to myself “Its ok, I can do it without practice, I know this game already.. Huh..”.  We got down, parked the bike and met our team players.

Here is the best part… Time to reveal the rules of the game and unravel my confidence. One by one started explaining the rules of the game..When I heard the last rule of the game.. my mind was again blank and I came to the same point I was last day “what is a Throw Ball?” Ok it’s time to Practice; we are already late for the practice I told Prathiksha, coming back to my senses.. Prathiksha’s words of them doing practice made more sense to me then.. May be I should now forget the YouTube and listen and learn to what they say…

We practiced for some time, and I was able to serve the ball quite well for a first timer (as Prathiksha said). Myself and Prathiksha were sitting and talking something, there came our team player and informed that the “Actual team was dangerous and deadly and a winner all the time!”. Those tigers and Lions could not join the game this time, I felt bad… That thing pressurized that we are replacing some wild tigers and we are expected to perform well at least at FOX level. Well, I practiced more again… Prathiksha threw some furious catches towards me and I managed to take them (AS per Rules).. While in this process, I hurt my finger.. my finger got angry at me and turned green.

We Practiced enough and were sitting by now.. I do not remember what all we spoke that time but we were continuously speaking to each other being apart from the team. “Iam a very bad singer” Prathiksha told me, I asked her to sing one line for me.. She hesitantly said, “If you join me for the next line, I will”. I have to tell you something here “I consider myself a very good singer”. Which Prathiksha got to know a little later when she finished her singing. “U sing well Prathiksha”, who said you sing bad?” I told her. “You sound like my mom, she always tells me that I sing well, don’t know the reason, she is the only one who says this and now you”. Quite honestly, I found her singing manageable and nice. She considers herself as a horrible singer. Well, now it’s my turn.. I sang a line and she burst out laughing…dint know the reason, I stopped singing and asked her… “What happened”? She said I have a company and a competitor… (Rest is up to me to understand)!

Time passed by as we discussed a lot of things about each other and fun stuff; finally we got a call from the team to join them as the game was going to start. Game started, I can find that all the tigers and lions were sleeping and only Prathiksha was playing and saving the game. “Oh my oh my… she got good reflexes I said to myself”. Before the game started, I heard someone telling me that they are state level or District level players. I can see that so called District level player is missing the balls and committing fouls very frequently. Hmm Deadly team this is… I wondered from where!

We lost the first match! L But to our surprise, we’ve been included in the quarter finals… Prathiksha got hurt this time on her arm. Ball has no heart I tell u! It hurt me also but then it might have assumed me to be a guy as I have sunny deol arms, I understand that!.

Quarter finals started…

Well, I was called in to play after some time and the very first two balls were to me and I missed them.. (Outdone and outperformed everybody) huh!. I came back to my position as a Spectator (was doing much better job this way)..  Prathiksha was a savior again! No matter how hard a person tries to save the game, until the lion and tigers don’t wake up and roar, this game cannot be won. Prathiksha cannot be in all the positions sadly.. I can ask her to practice it..(can’t we ask for 7 Prathikshas?)……. No I can’t, where will I ask the other 6 to sit on my bike?

Well coming back, we lost the game…

LOTS of FUN happened after that!

As iam feeling sleepy, don’t want to lose on quality of this article and also would want to catch up a small nap… I pen down here today. Trust me, interesting stuff coming up!

I also don’t want to rush things as someone said just today, “do rush with work, ull do mistakes”.

Rest of the things in the later part of the story! Keep waiting for the second part

Hope you have enjoyed reading my article, my real life experience.. Leave a comment.

Malladi..

1/13/2012. 

chicago exp

Mon, May 18, 2009 at 11:53 AM

I wasn’t feeling well this morning, yet I wanted to make it today.

I was so excited from within from the time I reached there. Without thinking a moment I just told Ravi to take care of abhi so that I can go and listen to the talk and as well get darshan of Maharaj ji. Every time I will let Ravi attend and I used to take care of abhi.

I was sitting in the room and was waiting desperately to see the Master. The waiting was such that I started worrying about my kid and my thoughts just flew from the room to what my kid would be doing, there was the time when I felt I think abhi needs to change his diaper and I need to rush, and perhaps its written that I will again need to send ravi to my place and myself taking care of abhi, it was then everybody from the last row behind me started to turn back and was greeting someone entering the room. I felt this is it, my spine just chilled for some unknown reason and I did what others were doing, my hands were greeting and my eyes were searching for someone I don’t see. Yet, I was greeting, in anticipation that I am going to see him and in seconds there was the Master ‘Maharaj ji’ greeting everyone with smile. He was so humble and for some reason I felt so happy that I was all staring at him without blinking my eyes. If u can capture my face that time, it would be a smiling statue that has no sense.

Well,

Talk has begun, and it was my first time ever to listen to the entire talk without any concerns in mind. There was lot to take in that talk. I felt like this session belonged to me and iam sure everybody felt the same way. Usually a person’s mind will never be in place, it keeps wandering in past, present or in the future or it could happen that the mind is with us and we are concentrated, but my mind at that time was blank, not thinking nor concentrating, it was just taking everything in the talk and eyes are stuck to Maharaj ji. I don’t even realize when the talk was over, and when I realized I felt is it over? It is short and I wanted to hear and keep listening. And when the announcement was made that we are to leave the room as soon as Maharaj ji leaves, my mind again started to fly and I worried what abhi would be doing, by now ravi would be tired managing him and my son would be crying for me, I need to change etc etc. Suddenly I laughed at myself that my mind has come back to me and iam back to my life.

I came home, finished all daily and routine chores and went off to bed but somewhere in my mind this thought which is not allowing me to sleep, that I need to do something for myself. Don’t get me wrong, iam not being selfish, I was feeling optimistic, energetic, motivated to do something which can bring me eternal happiness. I thought I will meditate so that I can figure out what I want. No it was tough for me obviously as I lost touch meditating and as soon as I close my eyes, thoughts were like barging as if competing with each other who is first. That much stressed and disturbed iam is what I came to know. I tried to calm myself down and in vein after an hour I felt this control cannot be obtained in a day, I need to get this controlling power. I need to be more relaxed and easy on things and not let those effect my mental stability. I said to myself, have peace Sudha.

Friends,

But there is loads of optimism in me right now when iam writing this which I want to carry everyday so that this momentum continues and I need to figure out what I want. Yes, as Maharaj ji said in talk today, ‘there is no right time or age for philosophy, the early the better’.

I wish myself best of luck. And one thing I want to add is Maharaj ji’s darshan changed the way I perceive.

interview

This article is to tell u that real people still exists in urban political society.

I wasn’t feeling excited rather was feeling like going for a good long drive this morning when I know iam going for an interview. Usually people feel their nerve or try to know almost everything about the company they r going to, but it was different for me, I was feeling this sense of freedom that I longed for from quite some time. It wasn’t the interview which was on my mind but was the space I fought for and yearned for. I said to myself, lets put the radio on but then again my heart was pounding with contentment within self that dint want to mix with music. So, in some couple of hours (it was, as my home is far from the company), I was there and suddenly felt like coming back to life.

The security asked me to stop at the entrance to carry their regular checks and was very cordial and friendly which reminded me of my yester year (it feels like to me) corporate life. I used to be very friendly with security and staff at my then office. It was all sounding familiar to me. Now, I moved on from the gate with smiles all around wishing luck to me. That brought a big cheer in me.

As I entered inside and were taking steps towards reception, I felt a bit unusual as I did this at my career scratch. Well, you know what’s next, we need to wait for sometime until someone calls you (sometimes it might take much much longer than expected and sometimes unexpected).

I was introduced to a lady who was by looks younger to me and obviously slimmer than me and was taken to a different floor to get a PHONE introduced to me which is going to conduct the interview by itself. As it was after some while iam entering to corporate life, I felt I was replying to a voice message left on the phone (didn’t laugh though). I finished that well ahead of my given time and was waiting for a friend who is responsible for all the things today. She came to me, enquired about the status and left the floor and I walked out for another round. This time it was a COMPUTER which is taking my interview. U know that for normal people, technology is limited to typing on the computer to communicate rather speak to it on a headphone. I guess Bill Gates uses that kind of technology (affordable for them). The countdown started as soon as I entered the name and so forth details. I finished that with half the countdown left to scare me.

By this time, my stomach was yelling at me to pour something for it to give stamina to my senses, hence I called my friend, informed about my tasks and was sure I was done for this day.

My friend greeted me with her small and tiny lunch box which I couldn’t take my eyes off. We went to the café to have what my belly was screaming for but as soon as I entered the café, it was different for me.

I see people, I see them in groups, having food, somewhere having water, cracking jokes, cribbing about politics at office, talking about what happened with them , somebody was serious having their food and some flaunting with their new hair style, their dress, saree……….. OMG is what I felt and said, IS this what I was missing all throughout in USA. I mean no dollar made me happy anytime but this was fulfilling. I was completely in to that world and started to realize how much I missed my happiness for a small blunder which became a biggest sin of my life , marrying someone whom you are not compatible with. I remembered all the things which me and my group used to do at the café and particularly me who dreamt big in life, wanted to achieve something in life, prove a point to all, left every damn thing just for the sake of a sacred thread (which is considered to be) to take care of an infant, a big fat insane infant, take care of their food, toilets, house, laundry and company when they get bored. Never that I felt I was being taken care of instead of sacrificing all the world’s happiness and earnings for an unrealized life.

Felt the phrase true as someone said “ So much to give and soooo little to take”.

Well to continue, my friend took me to a corner place and made me sit there and went to get some plates for both of us though that’s not her usual lunch time. (Hmmmm ppl still can do things for u). To be downright I lost the habit of being cared and feels annoyed when someone cares or pampers me. Now, this friend of mine gave almost more than half of her lunch to my belly to keep it happy and got some stuff for my son instead of my resistance to buy. How could I repay a debt of a genuine gesture, my heart pounded for a second. This is not the first time my friend bought something for us (me n my son).

I continue to gaze at the environment I was in, I think I was in this world earlier but I had eclipse on to my life and again I will shine with all my brightness. And suddenly I hear a voice speaking to me “kya hua” , came back as a sudden drop and said nothing and then she offered me juice but I was perplexed, dazzled to say I was out of emotion to have anything in the world. I rejected her and walked down to the reception with all mixed thoughts that iam starting my career from scratch which I made earlier to make big. Now it would take sometime for me to build that up again. I was all feeling owed to my friend because of whom I felt so much happy and relieved keeping aside my interview result.

It was time bid adios to my friend, gave me a tight hug and asked to take care while on drive. For me it is all mixed up by this time and don’t know what to feel. So, stopped feeling anything and walked towards my bike started it and rode like a teenager who just got bike. No I switched on the radio and was dancing on the bike without bothering what the public might think me as. I was shouting, dancing and singing loudly while driving and was at my peak happiness for getting rid of life of tensions and felt glad I have taken a decision atleast now. I drove all Hyderabad happily musing and with glee I yelled get lost u BBBBBBB at the place where he resides (came from there intentionally), Man u feel sooooo awesome when u drive in happiness getting rid of your worst nightmares.

Reached home after 3hrs of driving and still wanted to drive more but Hyderabad and secunderabad was out of places. Now at this time, I think today is my best day and some more on the store and all the dance, amuse and glitter today will remain with me forever cause after so many years I elated again.

Well, I can say someone really made this all happen today and she remain in my deeds and life.

That’s when I say, Real people still exists in this urban political society.

What say …………………….?

Malladi Sudha

12.24 am.

what is in my mind

I've been trying to write something which sounds like an article but iam getting lil time and when ever i find it, i feel like relaxing or surfing the net not really forcing my mind to work. I've become more or less illiterate. my mind stopped thinking, stopped understanding things of knowledge like my field, business, finance, markets or simple things like logical sense. i feel it is because my mind is not involved in any type of activity other than, feeding my son, taking care of him from day start to day end. sometimes day never ends for me. nights are my nightmare as my son wakesup and cries. i started taking time to calculate simple numbers. i became so dumb that i dnt even remember how much was the grocery bought this week. my attention is somewhere. feels like iam nt active anymore.

i forgot how to write articles, i forgot vocabs, making sentences. i feel sad fr losing what i like.