THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
Its 5’o clock in the not so chilly winter Sunday morning. And the one who wakes up in the afternoon so that he can have breakfast and lunch together, has just woken up. The question arises why? Arey nahi nahi, iski CBI jaanch karane ki koi zarorat nahi…….(No! There’s no need for a CBI inquiry) The thing is, it is his BIG day. He is going to face his first interview. He sucked up all the internet data viewing youtube videos on “how to behave in an interview?” Yeah. I pity him too. He doesn’t have an unlimited data plan. Poor he! But still he didn’t lose hope. He searched for the most frequently asked questions, found their answers, learnt them by heart. He asked seniors about the most suitable answers for the diplomatic questions. He go-ogled his friends, relatives and everyone who was remotely related to his interview.
He revised all the key topics, took bath and dressed himself up in his best clothes. Suddenly he left something in his stomach….what was it? Butterflies? Yeah might be, as he was excited…..But then medulla “se uski khushi dekhi nahi gayi’ (couldn’t see his happiness) and it told adrenal to make him nervous..And he grew nervous, dragonflies replaced the butterflies, the warm wind was now cold and unpleasing, the kiss of blood on his cheeks was now appearing to be gross.. He chanted the well known mantra “AAL IS WELL” but it felt like his heart was unaware of the fact that it can be fooled. So he resorted to the scientific method to calm himself down, “Innhale….Exhaale”. He repeated the exercise again and again but to no use. Even the staring eyes of his dad , scolding lips of his mom which occasionally reminded him how lucky he is to get this GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY and the bravery folklore telling mouth of his brother couldn’t provide him the needed solace. Then he looked at his watch and decided to reach the venue first.
He reached the venue an hour earlier, and went through attendance hall and documents verification centre. There they made him write something in Hindi. Amhm you got it right, “Hindi hamari rashtriya bhasha hai” (Hindi is our national language). Fortunately he remembered a great poem so he thought he has an edge over other candidates who were writing the essay, every child learns in the 1ststandard. Not no “gaaiy hamari mata hai” (cow is our mother) but “mera naam xyz hai” (my name is xyz). But as soon as he started writing the poem his cerebrum realised that from childhood he has been poor in Hindi so he can’t write a poem that he learnt in 6thor 7thstandard without mistakes. So he made mistakes. He visualised the environmentalists cursing him, the tears of the trees , the end of the earth. He offered his apologies to them and with a heavy heart asked for another sheet. The officer there, gave him the whole notepad, and smiled. He took the notepad and smiled back. Sheldon, was he? No, it was just that the whole episode brought his morale down and made him nervous again.
After waiting for an hour he was called for the personal interview. He felt like his heart is going to pop out. But he knew it’s a do or die situation so he struck a deal with his heart and it agreed to settle back in lieu of getting a chance to pop out later…..vo kehte hain na “ dill ye ziddi hai” “…..ki manta nahin”(As they say “stubborn heart” …. never listens). He entered the room, greeted everyone morning, at 12 in the afternoon. Everyone greeted him back correcting him. He greeted them again, this time afternoon. But while doing so he missed wishing the lady sitting at the corner. The lady took note. He was told to sit down and as soon as he sat down on the chair they started firing questions. Yes, they show wrong on television, nobody asks water. He answered their questions hesitatingly; he fumbled and stumbled on every answer. They caught he was nervous. They asked him more out of the league questions to see if he gets more nervous. They succeeded. He stopped answering questions, saying that he doesn’t know the answers. They told him, he can leave and he assumed that he lost the race to someone else.
He came back home, disheartened. Her mother was furious at first but seeing him disheartened she realized that it’s not the right time to be angry. “Itna dukhi nahi hote beta, ye nahi to koi aur sahi, maana ki duniya me ladkiyon ki kami hai par mere inne sone bete ko koi na koi to mil hi jayegi. Arey jab Sharma ji ke nalayak bete ko ladki mil gyi to mera beta to investment banker hai. Han ek chance to gya par har kisi ko pehle hi chance me ladki thodi hi milti hai” (No need to be so depressed son, so what , if someone else and not her. I agree there’s a scarcity of girls on this planet but my handsome son will surely get someone. When Sharma Ji’s unworthy son can get a girl, why can’t my son who’s an investment banker. I agree we lost this chance but everyone doesn’t get a girl in first try) she told him to cheer him up. But they both knew they had lost the GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY….
After a month they got a call from the girl’s family informing that they were coming to their place as their daughter has selected him. Smile returned to the face of his mother. She thanked god and offered prayers. They were so happy today. Their lineage will continue to exist on mother Earth for assured one more generations.
Save Girls, only Few are left.
Originally published at anyprachi.com on March 5, 2015.
