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Of what could have been

I was thinking of what all I would have been had I not been lucky enough to be where I am today. Confused? Read on…

Don`t know if it was the movie Page3 or Fat Albert that made me wonder about my past. Don`t ask me why, coz even I have not seen these movies.

When I think of the alternatives…the first that comes to my mind is a shepherd. Yes, I would definitely been a shepherd and would have loved it too. Had it not been for my father, who lost a quarter of an anna in 1962 and fearing the wrath of my Grandpa, left the village to join the Indian Army, today I would have been sitting on a rock counting my goats.

I know…you are probably laughing at me coz a quarter of an anna changed the lives of two generations in my family. But I guess that`s the truth.

What if my grandpa did not have goats? And I had no goats to become a shepherd…the thought itself is scary.

If my grandpa did not have goats…he would have had cows for sure. And that would have made me a milkman. My day would have started as early as 3 a.m.. I would get up, milk the cows, distribute the milk, come home, have break-fast, sleep for some time and get ready for the second round of milking.

God forbid, but what would have happened if my grandpa did not have cows either. I would have definitely become a bullock-cart driver (or should it be rider – bullock carts have only two wheels). No gears, no brakes…plain gut feeling…of the bullocks. The cart and the bullocks would have been my property and I would have decided my work timings. On the pretext of resting the bullocks I could have rested. One issue though…there would have been no rear view mirrors for me to comb my well-oiled and parted hair.

What if my grandpa didn`t have bullock carts…what would I be doing in my village? Selling groundnuts in Rs 2, Rs 5 packs ? No way. The villagers are smarter…they don`t fall for such cheap tricks. Pushing a thela and exchanging plastic wares for old clothes? Nah…in villages people don`t sell old clothes…they wear it till they last. A vegetable seller? No way…in villages most houses have gardens and they eat home-grown vegetables.

What does that leave me to be? I did a lot of research, and found out a few things about my village –

– There is lot of disposable income
– People are a little fashion conscious
– They love nature and would prefer to sit under a tree that anywhere else.
– They are very simple people who don`t like to deal with technical stuff like shaving sets, hair dyes etc.

Bingo! I would have been a barber operating from under a tree, had my father not lost a quarter of an anna way back in 1962.

When Bush comes to shove

George Bush has been caught red handed, giving away large amounts of money to influence opinion in his favor. Some call it Public Relations, some bribery.

In the backdrop of the latest crisis to hit the Bush administration, here is a conversation between the President and a commoner, on the lawns of the White House (now yellow, due to pollution).

Commoner: Dear President, if I am alive today it is because of you.
Bush: I should ask my secretary to put this testimonial up on my website.

Commoner: I can give you my digitally enhanced photograph, if you want.
Bush: I am against putting up pictures on the net. I once did, and somebody morphed it with monkeys.

Commoner: That`s understandable. Internet doesn`t have Homeland Security like the US of A.
Bush: Truer words were never said.

Commoner: Talking of security, what about Osama? We should jail him in Guantanamo Bay.
Bush: We have almost got him. On Monday, we are searching the White House. We have news that he has been hiding inside the White House to avoid the radars.

Commoner: Why not search today…now?
Bush: Weekend man…I need to visit Camp David, my Presidential retreat. In fact my wife Laura and two daughters Jenna & Barbara love it more than I do. Now you know why my wife wanted me to get re-elected.

Commoner: I thought you deserved a second term for the 2.6 million jobs you created in the last two years.
Bush: That.. I was forced to. My men in Iraq were dying in their sleep or while having dinner….I needed replacements.

Commoner: Talking of Iraq, will we ever find the WMD?
Bush: If only the UN inspectors leave Iraq for a few hours, my team will be able to find the WMDs. We have managed to sneak the WMDs into Egypt, but are unable to place them in Iraq yet.

Commoner: The Iraqi elections were good huh?
Bush: Yes. But now-a-days I don`t get thrilled lying in front of the camera.

Commoner: I am glad so many Iraqis turned out to vote.
Bush: We had to decide on the exact percentage that we would say turned out to vote. And we decided on 60-75%. Only later did we realize that even in countries like India – the biggest of all democracies – the voters turn out is only 60%.

Commoner: That is all right. You were just doing your job.
Bush: By the way, who are you? I have been sharing classified information and your name is not even Donald Rumsfield or Condoleezza Rice.
Commoner: I am just a columnist you took money from your agents to be your jester.
Bush: Great, now go ahead and write about what we spoke.
Commoner: Sure.

Top Secret — For Your Eyes Only

US President George Bush`s administration has spent more than $88 million on public relations in 2004. A major part of this money is spent on columnists who write against him – by buying their integrity with loads of cash (sometimes more than $ 20,000). This column has been written in order to catch the US President`s eye…and convince him that my views matter…thereby forcing him to buy my silence.

Does anybody know where the Weapons of Mass Destruction are? Not the ones in the magazine Playboy, but the ones supposedly hidden (and not used) by Saddam Hussein.

Having followed the un-biased reporting in Fox television for years, I know for sure that the most powerful man on Mother Earth – US President George Bush, doesn`t know where the WMDs are. Neither do his entourage of Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld.

A few tyrants & traitors have been insisting that WMD were never there and it was just an excuse to dethrone a wily old fox called Saddam. These views add salt to the wounds of the US Soldier, who has been fighting a very slick war for the last year or so. Don`t they say crude is slick?

Saddam is a mass-murderer. He killed millions and for no reason. The US Prez, on the other hand is a savior. He saved the world from an almost-certain atomic bombing by the Iraqi dictator and in the process saved numerous lives. It is another thing that Iraq has so far lost one million civilians and 5000 US soldiers have either died or have been wounded.

A few American citizens believe that Iraq is going to be another Vietnam. Those that don`t believe so are named George Bush and Dick Cheney. In case you believe in coincidence, you might want to know that before he became Bush`s running mate, Dick Cheney was CEO of Halliburton, a Texas-based oil company. And as luck would have it, Halliburton was given a no-bid contract to rebuild Iraq. Here is another coincidence: A lot of money is involved in the contract.

The Economics of War has attained a completely new meaning. Somebody once said: “The great thing about wars is that when they are over, no one talks about it. Instead, they make documentaries.” How wrong. I thought, after the war was over…they made money.

I admire the US President – a very determined fellow. He wanted to bring peace to the World and he brought. When the United Nations (UN) was against peace (by refusing to bomb Iraq), Bush decided to do it by himself. Ohhh…how can we forget his ‘Best Man` Tony Blair.

Now that Iraq has been torn down like wallpaper from the crumbling walls of a Texas home, Bush wants to use United Nations` ability to raise money. He wants UN to lend a hand in Iraq`s recovery. The man knows the art of delegation, huh?

The Americans who like me, followed Fox News` unbiased coverage of the Iraqi war probably think United Nations is an enemy. The President sure has confused his countrymen by asking United Nations to help him rebuild Iraq.

Is there anything bad the US President has done in the last four-five years? Yes, he has helped in Sunnis and Shias coming together to fight the US occupation.

I don’t believe this – nobody can be such an ass!

Click Here to View the Picture
This pic was taken during the Republic Day celebrations, in Bihar. Don’t know if it was snapped this year…or the year before.

Look at the rest of the crowd…everybody is standing for the National Anthem. But Laloo Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi are sitting even as the Anthem is being sung. Pathetic, is all I can say.

If only somebody can bomb his house when he is asleep (or when he is awake), the country would be a lot richer. I love the character that is Laloo, but I hate the man for what he does (or doesn’t do).

All those who hate Laloo and his politics say Aye….

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Changing the World with bombs

In a way bombs are like candies. Easily available, cheap and loads of fun.

I was left wondering where all these bombs are made? In factories? If yes, are these companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange? Coz, if they are …I sure want to buy the stocks. After all…they are making shit-loads of money.

Let us assume, they don`t make bombs in factories, coz if they did…bombs would also come in glossy packaging. For all we know, there would be Television advertisements selling bombs of various kinds.

After seeing the ads, if I end up in a shop…would the shop-keeper sell me a bomb?
Or will he ask me for age proof? Like how in US of A, you can`t buy a beer can if you are underage. But, I guess you can drink…

And if I have to show my age-proof, what would be the right age to buy a bomb? At 24-years would I qualify to buy a bomb? Ok…Ok…I am not 24…I am 27….

And if I do manage to get my hands on a bomb how can I be sure that I don`t blow myself up. Do they have a user manual that I can read before I go about planting a bomb? Or is it one of those plug and play types….

I wonder if they ever tried to have a training session for all those who bought a bomb. I am sure, they must have tried it out. Probably, it was stopped because Professors and scholars were no longer forthcoming to teach. One thing is for sure, the training sessions would have always been all theory and no practicals.

On second thoughts, if bombs were so popular…wouldn`t the AK-47s lose their market? The people used to seeing live about-to-blow-up bombs in other`s hands would no longer be afraid of AK-47s. With the AK-47 sales dwindling, the Russian economy will experience a steep decline.

Because, every Tom, Dick & Harry can afford to scare his neighbor with a bomb, terrorism will no longer be a lucrative career option. Many will quit LTTE, IRA or for that matter Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.

Terrorism will become such a badly paying profession that Osama will also emerge from behind Bush. Oops…from behind the Bush, if you know what I mean.

Because everybody will have a bomb in hand….nobody will steal, nobody will rob. Everybody will be honest. The Utopian world. So much so…nobody would come forward to claim their fields. Mine fields, that is.

With nobody to claim the mine fields, no children will lose their legs in mine blasts. As for their hands…one cannot be sure…they would be holding bombs you see….

Moral of the Story: However hard you try to change the World, you just cannot. It has a way of balancing itself.

Moral of the Moral: When somebody craps, don`t go beyond Moral of the Story.

The bag I take to office

With nothing else to write on, I have chosen a less funny item – the bag that I take to office everyday.

No, I am not going to brag about my laptop bag. Simply because, what I take to office is not a lap top bag.

It is a simple “Trunk & Co” bag…the kind you will find every Tom, Dick and Harry carrying to their office, if they want to feel important.

Now, that doesn`t make me any less important in the affairs of my office. I am perhaps, the second most important guy in my office. The first is the office boy who is responsible for locking and unlocking my office everyday, and then spends the rest of the day sweeping and mopping the granite floor in the President`s office.

Finally, coming back to what I wanted to write about – my bag is blue in color. Don`t ask me why blue…it is Rekha`s favorite color. At least that is what she told me….

In my blue bag, I always carry a magazine and a book. The magazine is the November 2003 issue of Wisden Cricket (I think I had bought the bag around that time)…and the novel is Malayalam Manorama Year Book 2003. Strictly speaking, both are pretty outdated. But, the bag doesn`t look good without these books…they give it a good square-ish frame.

I have two cheque books…with no cheque leaves. Financially, it is autumn for me and all the leaves have fallen. I have some coins that over the last year have been returned by the beggars, because their denomination was just too less.

I have a pen, that Rekha gifted me (supposedly) before we started going out. The pen stopped writing even before we started going out…but I was forced to keep it in my bag because she thought it was of sentimental value. In the last four years I have replaced the pen 5-6 times…every time I lose it..I have to buy a similar looking pen.

I have my access card…yes the same old dog collar. I also have a few one rupee Revenue stamps. You might suspect me to be related to Telgi..but I am not. By the way did you know that after Telgi`s (of the fake stamp paper fame) arrest, the Post Offices have not been able to manage the demand for Revenue stamps. There are no supplies they say. An opportunity for another Telgi to emerge?

Anyways, my blue bag also has one love letter. It was given to me by a girl. No stupid….not for me. She had wanted me to be the messenger. The girl was pretty and the boy was someone I hated…so I never passed on the letter. Today the girl is married to someone else and is pregnant. The guy I hated so much is now eyeing a 19 year old trainee in my office. We call him the pedophile. Shucks…did I just reveal my age?

It has a few mouth-fresheners called Mentos. Whenever I go near Rekha without chewing a Mentos, she finds out that I have smoked. And whenever I chew a Mentos and go near her…she says: ‘Haaa…you had a cigarette and then had a Mentos?”

I have some spoons that I steal from others houses, or my office canteen. I also have one Sify colleagues` undies in my bag. On my last day in Sify, we had gone for a swim…and this guy asked me to keep his clothes in my bag. I did.

After our swim, I forgot to give it back to him…and since it was my last day in Sify..I never went there again. Ever since, I have his undies in my bag. One never knows when it would be time to unload baggage of the past.

I also have my mobile charger. It is the same one that fell into the potty a few days back. The story behind it is being reserved for later publication.

In my blue bag, I also have the keys to my house (actually Rekha`s house), keys to my bike (actually Rekha`s …I have been using her ‘L` Board nailed TVS Scooty)…and keys to the hearts of so many other pretty girls that my new company AIG can afford to recruit.

And more importantly, in my bag I have ……..shit…where did go….now Rekha`s gonna scold me…ohhhh…my God…what am I going to do….

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When the toe mattered

It seems happiness of a man depends on the length of his wife`s toe. No, unfortunately..I am not gifted with foot fetish. Blame it on all the smelly feet that I have come across in my good old romantic days.

According to an urban legend if the second toe (one next to the thumb toe) of the wife is longer than the thumb…she would dominate. And if otherwise, man gets to wear pants in the house.

I never believed it. After all, Rekha`s second toe is longer than her thumb but in our house I wear the pants. I am serious. Even as I type this, I am wearing one.

Here is the story of one close friend, who believed in the urban legend…

Praveen Menon was quite a handsome lad. He would attract girls like flies to shit…but he was very choosy. While we were jealous of him, we were also close to him…for we knew that he was our passport to the fairer sex. The girls would get rejected by Praveen…and eventually end up in our laps. Not literally, of course.

A year back, he decided to get married. This is how his Matrimonial Ad in The Hindu read:

Born and bought up in Delhi. Convent educated, BA(Hon), MBA…looking for a bride for permanent matrimony. Girl should be strong and independent, yet should respect family values. She should be 170 cms or taller, with model-like legs, yet be a traditional Indian girl. We are Havyaka Brahmins and the girl should belong to the same Gotra. More importantly, her second toe should be smaller than her thumb toe. Call 98843-97658 to get in touch.

It is not that he did not get any responses. Within 24 hours, he got five calls. But the problem was…each of the five missed out on at least one of the selection criteria. And that was sad.

A week days later, he got a call from a girl`s father. We suggested that he do not take the call seriously, because the very fact that he had been called after a week suggested that he had been the last option.

Whatever we said, Praveen had decided to give it a try. We would come to know later that the girl`s father had withheld one small bit of information, that really mattered – length of the girl`s second toe.

Our man went all the way to KanyaKumari – the southernmost tip of Indian Peninsula to see the girl. She was pretty all right. Was educated…good mannered… great in-laws. Everything that one desperate man could aspire for…she was endowed with. But Praveen would come back empty handed.

When we asked, he said: “But for her longer second toes…she was every bit how I wanted my wife to be.”

Days passed by, more street lamps got fused, the road opposite my house saw a few more accidents, I got into Rekha`s good books (then we were not married), I dropped more coins (and one mobile) into my potty….

Eventually, Praveen Menon would find the girl he liked. One with smaller second toes. Today, he wears the pants in the family. His wife prefers sarees, and sometimes churidhaars.

The Sex(y) mafia

(You have probably read this…but since I will be busy the whole of Monday, here is something from the OuchMyToe Archives.)

I know this girl
And I think she is mafia.
Shes a BOMB herself.
Now, that’s a handy weapon.

She also sells opium
For when I near her
I get a high.

An expert in unarmed combat,
She just has to touch me.
And I cave in.

Shes got weapons hidden
Underneath her jacket
That could blow my head apart.

She avoids the public glare.
Prefers `secret’ redenzvous.
But I dare not.

For I am a man of virtues,
A man quite chaste.
Joining a mafioso is ….er..
Not upto my taste!!!

– jamshed `corleone’ rajan