The 99 Club

Sharing a beautiful story of our lives...
Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was neither happy nor content. One day, the King came upon a servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant had so much joy.

The King asked the servant, "Why are you so happy?"
The man replied, "Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don't need too much - just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies."
The king was not satisfied with that reply. Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted advisor. After hearing the King's woes and the servant's story, the advisor said,
"Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club."

"The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired.

The advisor replied, "Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep ."

Done.

When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his house. When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy... So many gold coins! He began to count them.

After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were only 99 coins.
He wondered, "What could've happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!" He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin was elusive. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to earn that gold coin and complete his collection.

From that day, the servant's life was changed. He was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated his family for not helping him make that 100th gold coin. He stopped singing while he worked. Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled. When he sought his advisor's help, the advisor said, "Your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club."

He continued, " The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never contented, because they're always yearning and striving for that extra 1 telling to themselves: "Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life."

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We aren't different from the King's servant...just that nobody needs to leave a bag of 99 gold coins outside our house to make us join the '99 club'. We are already part of it - struggling to get higher pay cheques, better homes, better life style, running from milestones of comfort to luxuries to lavishes! Most of the time I am amongst everybody running in this never ending marathon of life, but sometimes I do pause to give myself a breathing break, and say 'Will this ever end?' I am pretty happy and content with what I have but still the search for the last coin would never end in our lives...

Rishte yeh pakne do...Raakhi spl! :)

Rakhi (Rakhdi in punjabi) - No doubts for it being the most awaited festival for all girls! :-) Not just because they keep on waiting for the gifts that they would get, they like to get it from their brothers and its a special occasion to tease each other before gifts and Rakhi are exchanged.

I think Cadbury well identified the charm of this festival in Indian crowd and that explains their lovely ads that just come up some days before Rakhi - "Cadbury Celebrations - Bandhan" Ads and their Tag line "Kyunki rakhi par sirf shagun kaafi nahi..." is enough to tempt both brothers and sisters to buy them! The ads are available at Cadbury's site at
http://www.cadburyindia.com/downloads/ads-celebrations.asp
Check out the Cadbury Celebrations - Bandhan ones..The second one is my fav which came in 2004. There are two gifts lying on the table and the elder sister is tying Rakhi to the brother. The younger sister meanwhile swaps the order of the gifts so that she can get Cadbury Celebrations hamper while the other gift which is wrapped in a decorative paper (now on top) goes to elder one.

But the brother swaps it again and gifts the Cadbury one to elder sister. The younger one sadly ties the Rakhi, making faces but then is so glad to see the same but bigger hamper under the gift cover! Beautiful expressions, nice direction..
A must watch! :-)

I just watched it and I am still humming the song (written by Gulzar for Cadbury) that plays in background...

Rishte yeh pakne do..

Aankhon se chakhne do..
Dil agar dhadke to..
Seene mein rakhne do!

It has been almost four years I havn't been to my home on Rakhi. And my sis courier's it to me every time. I usually do my part online, a month earlier than the event..Thanks to ICICI Bank's online facilities! :-) The transaction normally used to be converted to what she wanted when she visited Market next time. If ICICI Bank comes to know this I am sure they would come up with some sweet advertisement next year...Transaction hone do! :-p

With a Rakhi that I get from my sis every year, I also get a nicely wrapped small packet of Dry Fruit mixed with elaichi (replacement for the sweets that she can't courier me) and a hand written letter in her beautiful handwriting where she almost says her heart out. She always writes and hopes that we are together at this occasion next time, but last four years have always kept me tied in my job and life, rather than to be back home at this time. Anyways going home at Rakhi meant losing my chances of getting leave at Diwali which again was not acceptable, so I chose to be guilty at this occasion.
Her letters/greeting card is what makes me feel special for this occasion...

I hope I would be actually getting my Rakhi tied from sis next time, rather than my right and left hand playing the role of brother and sister!
Rishte yeh pakne do...

The 'luxury' of paid leave

Have often seen friends discussing about the number of paid leaves that one gets from their offices. Attending personal chores and still getting paid for those days! Aren't we lucky?

Since I am on leave these days for my post-surgery recovery, I feel myself to be lucky for having them. Was just thinking today that we have enough of bank balances that we don't need to worry about anything when we take a off from office. What about a daily wage labourer? Can he take a leave and be paid for his day as well?

There will be so many of those in this world who need to arrange for their night meals on the same day. And so many out of them who even after working hard all day are not able to meet the bare minimum to support their family.

These two paras from two different Jagjit Singh's ghazals suddenly come into my mind:

Bhukhe bachon ko sulaane ke liye,
Maa ne bhi paani rijhaya der tak.
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and the other one...
Ai khuda ret ke sahera ko samandar kar de,
yaan chhalakti hui aankhon ko bhi pathar kar de

Aur kuch bhi mujhe darkaar nahin hai lekin,
meri chaadar mere pairon ke barabar kar de.

The S-Day (Surgery Day)

Finally the day is here!
You must have heard the D-Day, but here is..what I call and will remember as the "S-day" - 'The Surgery Day' of my life..

7th August
11:00
"I have a surgery scheduled for today.."
"Please go to 4th floor from back entrance"
Various thoughts hustling through my mind as I move towards back entrance. Till now the surgery feeling had somehow not been able to creep into my mind. Had just been cracking jokes with my frnd Gokul who was accompanying me. We were thinking of asking the doctor to give me Sanjay Dutt's black color eye cover like in Khalnayak instead of normal green plastic one! :-)
Almost took a promise from Gokul that he would not rush downstairs to recieve a call from his fiancee, as there was no network on the operation theater floor. I told him..Doctor bahar aake bol dega ki yeh medicine la ke do abhi...aur tum nahin hue to??..Kahin mat jaana! Gokul got my joke instantly..and replied..Arre Amrit ji...aisa sirf filmon mein hi hota hai! and we both burst into into laughter, while I was thinking in my mind....Mujhe to lagta tha surgery bhi sirf filmon mein hi hoti hai! :-)
After making the payment, I was taken to another floor where I handed over my belongings to Gokul and from here on I had to be alone. Watch, cell, bag, wallet...I removed my 'Kadda' but instantly put it back on my wrist....didn't want to be operated without it.

11:45
As I was entering the hall I noticed a person in blue gown with cap on his head and mask covering his face, mending a door knob with a screw driver. And this was enough to give me jitters! and I thought.... Are carpenters doctors as well, or are doctors also working as carpenters with screw drivers!! Whichever way....none seemed to be comfortable!
Was instructed to wear a dull brown gown. I somehow liked the pale blue gown which doctors were wearing but then I would never be offered that one :-) After all they knew how to mend a door knob! :-D

12:15
Finally a nurse tied a 'friendship band' arnd my wrist with my name, blood group and MR Code (unique code to identify each patient) and pasted a green colored sticker on top of my eye which was to be operated. I really thanked God for this thought, which would allow doctors to know which eye to operate...just in case I fainted! ;-) and of course I kept on checking if the sticker was in place after every minute from then, to make it sure doctors are not confused!

12:30
The anaesthesia room was far below my expectations or rather my dream surgery. Tubelights!! I was thinking of round big lights as in Hindi movies...a red light outside the hall indicating that operation is going on..
Hi, I am Dr. ....., I am Anaesthesia specialist. We would be giving you local anasthesia so that you don't feel any pain during the surgery.
And the child in me immediately asked: And what about the pain after the surgery?
He laughed a little and continued...We would give you pain killers...Don't worry..
And that cruel fellow injected two syringes around my eye. A cap was put around my eye which had actually hurt at that time, but I had to bear it as I was told that that was the only pain I would have to suffer all that day.

12:45
All my imaginary drawings (expectations as well) of Operation Theater were coming alive as I was being shifted from Anaesthesia room to Operation Theater. Big lights, swarm of doctors all with their faces covered with masks, Nurses, medical equipment...'Perfect bad dream'...and irony was that ...I had paid for it! :-'(

13:00
I was covered completely from head to toe including my face, leaving just a hole exposing my eye for the surgery. I was asked if I am fine and if they could start the surgery. After their first stroke someone confirmed with me, if I felt any pain. The anaesthesia was in full effect giving them all the powers to proceed. While the surgery was taking place all I could feel was the voices of the doctors falling over my ears. They discussing in medical terms as they operated me..Doctor asking for medical equipments after every few minutes, with in between demands of cotton and buds.

13:30
I was feeling tensed...how is surgery going on?? Would it be successful? Me praying while it was happening...Trying to look for the voice of the main doctor whom I had met during all my appointments to make sure he was still there taking part in my surgery and had not handed over the task to his interns.
Finally the voice of a female doctor.."Room lights...Cotton...Eye Cap"
The surgery was over. The doctor said it was successful. Though it would take around 2 weeks for me to heal completely.

13:45
Gokul must have woken with a startle when attendant called his name in the waiting room. His sleep deprived eyes (the result of late night phone conversations) always confirming he will soon be married. But as promised he had not gone downstairs to attend his fiancee's phone call..not sleeping was anyways not part of the deal! :-) He instantly smiled at me for I was wearing the same green plastic eye cap and not the Sanju baba's Khalnayak black eye cover! That meant no Madhuri dance for us! ;-) Thanks a ton to Gokul for being there all this while, and help me stay cool on my S-Day.

I am at home these days, still recovering from the swelling and redness in the eye. Am glad it was successful...after all I lived a whole life in the operation theater. Will be joining my office on 18th Aug..Hope I am fine by then....

Request or a Greedy bet??

Since childhood I remember people praying to God, wishing for something and offering whatever they can as a token of their faith and respect towards him.
But the story seems to be changing when I hear people say...
"Mera yeh kaam poora ho jaye to main aake Naariyal chadaungi!"
"Main hazoor sahib de darshan karan jaunga bas meri eh dil di muraad poori ho jaye!"

Doesn't that sound like people trying to tempt God by offering him some materialistic thing which again is gifted by him to us? Does he really listens to us when we 'gift' him something?

Shouldn't the situation be otherwise:- A naariyal/ A trip to holy place, as a token of worship and praying for whatever you want, leaving for God to decide what he wants to do later on? :-)