I need help!!

     After nearly six months of managing on our own, A and I decided that we need help. Domestic help to be precise. We had to hire a cook and a maid. Lots of experienced people advised us not to hire a single person who does the whole cooking and cleaning. If she doesn't turn up, you are doomed. It is best to distribute work among people. that way you don't run into a major risk even if one of them doesn't turn up. A said, let's start with one person at a time. We will hire a cook and see if we can manage her, then we will think about others. 'Manage a cook' is going to be cakewalk. My poor husband didn't know that or thought otherwise. Anyways, after I gave my assent, we told the watchman to send a few people who were interested in cooking for us.The watchman finally gave a look of  "Oh finally, you have come to your senses".
Since the time we have moved in, he has been continuously asking if we need domestic help and we have been refusing all along.
     I told A that I am going to interview prospective cooks. I will lay my terms and conditions to her. I just prayed that I shouldn't inherit my mother's luck. She couldn't manage to keep a single maid for more than two months. Finally, the day arrived and our first interviewee was a woman aged in her mid-twenties. Before I could begin, A asked her "Can you make north Indian food?" She gave him a big smile and said, "Yes bhaiya, I am from Bihar. We settled in Karnataka and have been living here since 10 years." Not to be left behind, I asked, "Can you cook south Indian food?" "Yes bhabhi,"she said giving a wide smile. " I will come at six in the morning and go at seven. I work in a school, so I need to leave by seven. On Sundays and other public holidays, I will come at eight. I will not cook for any visitors. It is 1000 per head. So since you are two people, I will charge 2000." Okay A said enthusiastically. I raised my eyebrows and looked at him. "What?" he said irritated at the interruption. "We need to negotiate," I mouthed. He ignored and said, "You can start coming  in from tomorrow." "Ok bhaiya, and one more thing, by the time I come everything must be kept ready. If you want rajma, then boil it and keep so that I can start cooking immediately."
      I was dazed. Did I hire the maid or did she hire me? A looked at my distraught face and said, "We are lucky, it is difficult to find north Indian cooks in Bangalore." I meekly agreed. "Why don't we interview a few others?" "Why? I finalised her and she said she would come form tomorrow." Fingers crossed!!
      She started coming from the next day. Exactly at 6. So it meant that I would get up half an hour before her and make sure everything was in order for Her Highness. Sometimes I would ask A to get up. He was the one who had hired her in the first place. So, we are cruising along with her since the past three months. Everyday springs up a new surprise. Yesterday she made lauki-panneer sabji. Authentic North Indian food indeed!!

Guessing Game

      Before any movie releases, I generally guess as to what the story might be about. Sometimes I don't even have a clue about the movie. A finds it really funny. So, now that Student of the Year released, I thought I might as well make a guess about the story. I have seen the promos and I am surely going to watch it. I told A, " One guy will get the award and the other will get the girl. The guy who gets the award will realise that it came at the cost of love." But A can never agree with me. So he came up with his version. " There can be only one hero in Indian cinema. So, one guy will get both the award and the girl. The other will lose the girl in his race for the award and eventually he will lose the award too." Quite possible! But I didn't admit to A right away. Fingers crossed. I am not reading any reviews until tomorrow. We are going to the movie tomorrow.
      Here I will have to add a little about my story guessing skills. When "Bol Bachchan" released, I just knew that it had Abhishek Bachchan and Ajay Devgn. I didnt have any clue about what it was about and neither did I watch the promos. So I said to A, " I think Abhishek Bachchan's name in the movie will be his real name. He will be dumb and won't be able to speak anything. Unaware of his situation Ajay Devgn will keep saying Bol Bachchan to him." Well, the movie turned out to be quite different, altogether something else. Back then I didn't even know that the phrase 'Bol Bachchan' meant something.
    But this time, I am sure I am right. 'Disco Deewane' will be like 'Koi Mil gaya' of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and one of the guys will realise he is in love with the girl. And 'Ishq wala love' will be like the title track of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Let's wait and see. Will review the movie after watching it!!

Ishq wala love

Ever since this song has been aired, I have been humming “Ishq wala love”. I am totally in love with this song. Eagerly awaiting the release of the movie too. Last weekend, we were on our way to the railway station. A was coming to drop me off. I was listening to this song in the car. I turned towards A and said, “You know all these days, I was searching for words to tell you how much I love you. I love you more than the words ‘I love you” can express. Now, I found the right thing. I ishq wala love you.”

After this romantic confession, I expected A to say “I ishq wala love you too” or at least, “so sweet of you.” As an anticlimax to my efforts, he said “You have completely lost it.”

Well, not something new. Whenever I come up with something incredibly cheesy he feels that I have lost my mind. On some occasion, he said, “Do you want to go to Noor Manzil right away or after a few days?” In all innocence, I replied, “We will go next week. Are we going on a holiday?” To which, A had replied, “No, I will drop you and come back.” Then he started laughing uncontrollably. Only then did I realize that he was up to something.  After prodding further, I came to know that Noor Manzil was a mental asylum. I had assumed it to be some monument like the Taj Mahal.

Price of Love

Courtesy: Google Images

When you love someone a lot, someone else pays the price for it. Confused? An example will help clarify my point. There was a father, who loved and respected his father. So, when a son was born to him, he named him after his father. It would have still been okay if the name was a common one. However, the name in question was, Kurapati Veera Venkata Suryanarayana Murthy. In the era when names like, Rohan, Raj and Sam are common, this little fellow had the burden of a long name. Needless to say, throughout school and college, his friends mercilessly teased him. When he complained to his dad that he wanted to change his name, his dad was furious. How could he even dare to dislike his father’s name? The kid has to pay the price for his father’s love.

                Similarly, suppose you fall in love with a guy. You get married to him against your parent’s wishes. Or, you get married to him after a struggle, with their half hearted acceptance. He has a language, culture, customs, food, etc different from you. You are open to make all the adjustments because you are deeply in love with him. But your parents have to adjust too. They are a generation old and have been accustomed to a few things. Suddenly they are shaken out of their cozy cocoon and their comfort levels are put to a test. The parents have to pay a price for your love.

                There are two girls who have been best friends since childhood, say ‘A’ and ‘B’. Both of them fall in love with the same guy. The guy likes one of the girls,’ A’. She comes to know of her friend’s feelings towards the guy. So, she asks ‘B’ to marry him. She keeps her feelings a secret from ‘B’. Citing her love for her friend, she convinces the guy too. So, the hapless guy has to pay the price of ‘A’s love for her friend.

                These are not major things. It is not as bad as killing someone. This is just to show that love comes with a price. And the price has to be paid by someone else. So, try not to impose your love on someone else. This doesn’t happen consciously, but it is always best to keep your feelings in check and to know where to draw a line.