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Mumbai rains and Mr. M

Ok, you have been looking at a lot of scary and gloomy pics on the news channels. We too were in a fix, but what we went through yesterday morning was one of those days when you have tons of laughter for free. My room-mate, whom I will call Mr. M here for anonymity(unless you know him already) was the hero of the day!

Day before yesterday, at night, there was a flurry of SMS-es from colleagues, etc. The content was something like this: "Please confirm at XXXXXXXX before leaving for office tomorrow". Now, as you can imagine, if you get a chance to skip office on a fine Monday morning, you don't mind getting up a bit early and trying to find out if you are being asked officially to skip it for the day.

[Monday morning, 7:00 a.m.(in the room): Mr. M gets busy on the phone, calling up scores of people after the number that was circulated is found out to be busy].

The transcript of the conversation with anyone is roughly as follows:
M: Hey! take a look outside... why would anybody in his right mind want to go out of his home today? Arre even the government declared vacation for the schools and colleges. Are you crazy to be leaving? It is raining in torrents here. I cannot even see the trees out of my room properly.

(Of course, if there were trees in the first place there, he would have seen them)

[7:30 a.m. (in the room): Rains blowing a little less than last night, tolerably ok. Mr M is already dressed up and ready to go to office, again to the same person on the phone]
M: These project managers and office folk are nuts! They expect us to be there even in this rain! I am simply **** (unprintable, but you can fill in the blanks) ... someone should sue these people for asking us to leave in this weather. I will mince no words when I make them realise that today... just let me get there!

[8:05 a.m. (in the office bus): Mr. M is talking to the same colleague on his phone again]
M: Come on, man... you can see as well as I do that the rains are not so furious now. Now imagine what will happen if you are the only person who did not come to the office today... huh? Of course, all of us are going! We are all in the bus already! Come on... this is not the college... you cannot bunk! If they did not ask us to skip the day, there must be some reason. There are no morons sitting at the office, you know! They'll find out if you did this on purpose.

[This person, I am told, has started off for the office, following Mr. M's example]

At about 8:20, someone from the F&S desk in the office has called us up in the bus, and we are asked to go home as the roads near the office are flooded and we cannot go in, anyhow. Our bus does an about turn and starts off for our homes, to much wholehearted clapping and cheers from the folks.

[8:25 a.m. (returning in the office bus):Mr. M is back on the phone, out of sheer human feelings]
M: What?? You are already halfway through?? Turn around and go back! You don't want to be caught in the Mumbai wilderness on a day like this. Arre the office is flooded! You must go back. We have been specifically asked not to come. Are you crazy that you are venturing out today? If they categorically asked us not to come, there must be some reason. Get back if you value your life....

[8:35 a.m. (we are in a tea stall near our home): Now this person has called Mr. M up]
M: Hey! I asked you to go back... what do you mean you are in the office?? Arre I am already at home. I am not going out today, no matter what.
[At this point of time me and my other room-mate Mr. Q are already rolling with laughter, in the tea shop itself]
M(continues): Arre never mind the people who are doing anything here. I tell you I am back at my home and you must run for your life. Run away from the office if you want to live. Don't get out of home today. Chalo catch you tomorrow if you are alive.

This person, I am told, literally fled like singed cat. And all this while Mr. M was smiling like the sweet innocent 'maasum' being, telling us that all he wanted to do was to help his buddy.

Comments

  1. hi! bad to know about your toefl. btw i have posted the list. :) feel free to comment. btw tui ekhon office e jachish ki kore ?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Reshmi, although that comment was more like an ad for your own blog, thanks for dropping by, anyway. I have put in my comments at your place.

    Gratisgab, thanks a lot! Guess I will be in Boston next Fall :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aboo, I think you came here from Ankit's blog. But cannot go to your blog, yaar... your profile is not visible. Send me your website's URL via email, and I promise to check it out sometime. Oh, BTW, I know that my posts are quite long.. let me see if I can be a little less verbose.

    ReplyDelete

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