The Stranger

Ahh just couldn't bear that afternoon heat, I was returning home from work, walking on the railway station bridge thinking whether I'll be able to catch the next coming train or not. There was the train on the platform and up I was on the bridge. Down I came rushing and boarded the train, But the next thought on my mind was will I get a seat to sit? I searched for a seat to settle down but hard luck couldn't find one, but just when I was loosing hope that I would have to stand the whole way back home in the train I found one. I felt relieved. The person next to me was an old lady, I looked at her and she smiled at me, I smiled back. I really feel nice when a stranger smiles back don't know why but I feel good. After a while she noticed I had a red umbrella which I always carry to cut the heat, she said that it was very pretty, I smiled again. She began talking to me then. She told me where she lived, that she was a teacher, she was 74 years of age and that she was going back home after visiting her nephew. We both were sharing small details about our lives. It was a pleasant chat.

I have a lot of respect for elder people, don't know why some people just don't respect them. I love to talk to them, take advice from them. They have so much to talk about, share their experiences, you can learn so much from them. I guess I like to talk to them because I had never had grandparents living with me, they passed away when I was very young, I miss them. Let their souls rest in peace. But I really wish I had an elderly person to talk my heart out. Sometimes  there's so much I want to say but there's no body to listen.

All the elderly strangers I have met in my life so far, were all very good to talk to. Once I was with my friends just having a chat and we happened to talk about old people. I happened to tell them that I like talking to them. They laughed at me saying "you like to talk to oldies". I said they don't become useless after they become old, why do people think like that. I hate people who don't respect elder people.

Alright back to where I was, we got down at the same station. I waved her good bye and told her to take care. I couldn't believe the fact that she was 74 but still so young at heart. She said nice meeting you girl. I smiled again. It seemed like she had so many things to say and that I was just the right person to talk to at that moment. I wish I meet her again. :)

That's all that happened yesterday. Take care u all.. And respect all your elders. Have a beautiful day ahead.

The Bus Ticket (Post 9)

Just another evening some 3 days back I was coming home from work. I travel by train and bus both. I was in the train listening to music, I always do that when I travel otherwise its just boring, I feel. I got down at my station and it was now time for me to board the bus I traveled everyday back home. The bus was parked at the bus stop and it looked like it was overcrowded with people. I still had no other option but to board the bus. Everybody in the bus looked so tired and just waiting for the bus to start. 

It was 25 minutes the bus driver was not on the scene. The people in the bus were just going crazy with the heat and sweat. At last the driver arrived and the bus was in gear. Ahh what a relief. Normally it takes me 12 minutes to reach home, but that day it took me 30 minutes..Gosh what traffic.. the bus ride was tiring. 

There was a lady sitting next to where I was standing in the bus. She told me that she wanted to get down at her bus stop, and I could see that she was 7 months pregnant and she needed help. The entrance of the bus was completely packed with people and I couldn’t move even an inch. I shouted out to the people that this lady needs help, please give her way to board out of the bus. The thing was that I was coming in her way, she couldn’t board out of the bus, because I was blocking her way. I said to myself if I don’t get down she wont be able to board down from the bus. My bus stop was 2 bustops away. That lady was carrying a heavy bag with her, which had fruits in them. I took that bag from her, held her hand and helped her get down the bus. She smiled and thanked me. I told her to take care, waved her good bye and was on my way back home.

The next day in the evening I saw the same lady at the bus stop and we boarded the same bus again. She bought me the bus ticket. I told her you didn’t have to do this. She did that to return thanks, but I didn’t expect that because I had already received her thanks when she smiled at me. 

It satisfies me a lot when I help somebody who really needs help. You should have seen the expression on her face when I helped her get down that crowded bus, she felt so relieved. It made me happy, to see that smile on her face. 

Thanks for Reading, m sure you all will help somebody when they really need help!! :) 

Phew..!! A Busy Weekend!! (Post 5)

Well when we think of a weekend it is always lazing around with the morning tea, reading the newspaper, and relaxing yourself from the tiring week that you have gone through. This was what I thought I would do this weekend as always but to my surprise it was something else.

 Mother and sister had to go out for two days and brother and I had to stay back at home which means I had to do all the chores that mom did everyday. Well it actually excites me to live all by my own..its an adventure I guess..I always find that little fun in doing things my own way. So I had to take care of preparing the breakfast, lunch, dinner, and also doing the dishes and clothes. I have no idea how the time just went by so quickly, these two days were super fast or did the earth just rotate a bit faster??? Because it was time for my mom to return home. 

I wonder how she manages to handle all the household chores, because it’s not an easy task..I must tell you and also wonder where does she get all the energy from to do so many chores . My mom never gets any day off from all the household work. Everyday she’s up early in the morning and works round the clock till night. Hats off to all the mothers. Well I need to take a nap now..feeling a bit tired..cya later..enjoy ur week..And Thanks for Reading..!! Feel free to post your comments..it helps me improve. Bye now. 

But the thing is I had to do the house work,and be creative.

The Rock Flower (Post 3)

It was the last day of my 12th board exam and the last paper to be attempted was Math II, I had an aversion for math from my school days can’t help it, and it still hasn’t changed a bit. Well I attempted the paper and there I was out of the examination hall feeling relieved.

All my friends including me were supposed to go for a movie on the last day of exam, but I had to give them a silly reason about attending a pooja so that I could be able to go for an interview in an international call center. It was more than a year that I and my family were staying without my father. No one to earn in the family and two siblings and a mother whom I had to look after, this was the reason for attending the interview.

I got through the interview and then after that day my life completely changed. The Call Center, this term was new to me, I only knew that we still were working like slaves for the British. The British outsourced their work and earned profit, also had to pay the Indians in rupees and get all the work done in time. Well they knew from a long time back how to rule and get things done from us, it was not new for them. Working in the call center I learned a lot. The British accent was one of my favorite. We had to give mock calls to the team leader and my mock call was the best of all the recent new joiners. I was the youngest of all the people working in the call center. And my general manager appreciated me a lot for putting efforts and getting very good sales for the company.

The company had arranged a small function where the employers were supposed to be appreciating their employees I thought I wouldn’t be getting any appreciation because I was just a fresher, the team leader was hosting the function with loud music on the floor, everybody enjoying to the max, working in call centers you hardly get to enjoy apart from parties and appraisal functions. The team leader was about to announce the next award now and that was the Best Agent Award of the month with the highest number of transaction clear sales, which means that the agent who’s sales were quality check clear and the agent who’s given the highest number of sales in that month. To my surprise it was me who won that award. I was extremely happy that day, because I was rewarded and appreciated for my work which I was craving for. It was difficult working in a call center, the agents work at that time when all the rest of the people are fast asleep in their bed.

I would recognize the noise of our sumo car that came for a pick up at my house from a long distance away because I was so used to listening to that noise everyday. It was 3pm and time to go to work. The same old briefing of the team leader everday and she warning us if there are no sales no dinner break for you guys had become a daily routine now. I cleared my 12th standard and had to take admission not knowing what I want to learn ahead. I got myself an admission in the college where I applied for a bachelor’s course in Information Technology as I thought it was an emerging field. It had become a lot more difficult now. The college in the morning and the call center in the night. This is how my day began..

I woke up at 5 am to get ready for college as I had a morning college and a 7 am lecture to attend. The college got over by 1 in the afternoon, I always had to miss the last lecture because I had to reach home before 3, have lunch, rest a while and then wait for the sumo car to arrive and go to work. My call center shift ended at 12.30 pm sometimes it was even 1 am in the night, the time was not fixed as sometimes I had briefing sessions with the team leader after the shift also. It was almost 5 hours I slept at night everyday. It was becoming difficult day by day the night shift and my college studies everything just messed up. The Situation was getting worse in the call center, very less sales now. I thought as if my life was just coming to a standstill. The tension of clearing the math paper in the exam and whether I would get a sale today at the call center were the thoughts that wouldn’t let me sleep even in those 5 hours that I slept.

Well I cleared my math paper and it just got worse at the call center. It was a year and a half at the call center now and while I was working I was promoted as a Sr Agent and then as a Team Coach with more responsibilities followed by more stress and also working under a lot of pressure. One day when I was at my college attending a lecture, I didn’t sleep well the last night just thinking about how my day was going to be at the call center. I just went unconscious in the classroom , all my friends gathered around me to see what happened to me. A friend of mine had to come home to drop me as I was feeling weak, it was a horrible day I had at college, but I still had to go to work because I couldn’t afford to loose that day’s pay at work. It was a long nightmare I was just waiting for this nightmare to come to an end and yes it did come to an end after a year and a half. This 1 and half year nightmare ended when I decided I am not continuing anymore with my job because it was impossible for me to study and work. I had to be serious with my studies because I had to appear for my IT final exam and it was not a cake walk. I left my job when I was to appear for my 4th semester exam, just a week later I had my 4th semester exams and I ranked first in the college. I had a lot of time to study as I was not working anymore and was extremely happy that the nightmare had come to an end.

I completed my graduation and I am working at a software firm now. You must be wondering why I have named the blog as “The Rock Flower”. Its because my name means a flower and a flower is so fragile and so was I, but I became as hard as a rock after going through this phase in my life where I had to struggle for living and feeding my family. Its not easy for a girl who’s just 18 to live without a father, take responsibilities at such a young age. I had to work my ass off when all my friends enjoyed their college life, watching movies, hanging around with friends and all I did was just sleep for 5 hours at night , take calls, hear bad words from the British people on the calls , ruin my health. Life was just hell but being in hell was when I learnt the lessons of life. How hard it is to survive in this world, but I am thankful to my mother and secondly to God who gave me the strength to survive. That fragile flower became a flower but it was no more fragile but as solid as a rock so that explains my story and why I named the blog as
“The Rock Flower”.

Thanks And Take Care..and no matter what happens in your life..be strong and face it!!

D Dayzz I Remember D Most I (Post 1)

Hiee everybody this is Prajakta Mali. I am writing my first blog. Just thought of sharing some thoughts and feelings which always run across my mind whenever I think of my School. I am writing this blog because I wanted to thank someone. It’s not a person but many people I want to thank and all these people are my teacher’s. My pre-primary, primary and secondary teachers thank you for all that you have done .I dedicate this blog to them and my A.I.M.S Batch 2003.

I have named this blog as Dayzz I Remember the Most and I am sure everybody must be remembering these days and must be feeling like they should come back to school once again because they miss school life a lot.

I still remember the first day of school. It was scaring, staying at a place where you know nobody. The school bench, the books, the school bag, the water-bottle, the tiffin box, the playground behind the school, the school bell, the chalk dust, all these things are still fresh in my mind as if it was just yesterday. It was a place called “School’ were I was and I had to learn some of the most important lesson of my life here beginning with A,B,C..

“Learning” is a process that never stops, I am not in school rite now but this process has still not come to an end. This is what my school taught me “Learning never ends”.

Science , Math’s ,History, Geography, Languages, Drawing, Craft, Sports, Extra Curricular Activities, so much to do and just one soul. I loved school, those six hours were so tiring but we still had that energy to go out and play even after we came home from school and also complete our homework.

There was the school assembly which was almost half an hour and our body ached standing in the assembly carrying that school bag which was like 5 kilos in weight, the beginning of our day and we use to feel when the day in school will come to an end. The school bell, the talks between the lectures, the laughs, the giggles, the jokes, the comments, the mass bunk, the red remark in the calendar, the punishment, the teases, the favorite games period, and the most favorite Value Education period where almost every child completed their books or their previous days homework, the p.t period where we had to do yoga and meditation even if we hated it the most, the fish pond, the school picnic, the paper balls and chalks which we use to throw at each other  and then clean up the whole classroom as it looked no more like a classroom but a dustbin. The school mirror in which every student had to look into and see if their properly dressed, frankly speaking no one bothered how well dressed they are just concerned about one thing may it be a girl or a boy, whether their hair is alright or whether they look fine or not. I miss all this so much and I am sure you too miss it a lot.

Ohh School was so much fun! Fun but with discipline. We don’t understand the meaning of being in discipline when we are in school but once we step in this world where we need to survive on our own we understand how important it is to know everything that we learnt being in school. I remember my teachers telling all the students that you wont understand this rite now, but you will someday and you will thank us and that’s what I am doing now.

You must have remembered all those wonderful moments you have had in school while reading this. I know it was difficult for some of them but even they had fun, didn’t they? Some of them must be saying “Nai yar hum logon se kabhi padhai hui hi nahi”..agreed but you cant deny one thing and that is you have had fun when you went through this phase of your life which is called as School Life.

Well they are the most precious days of my life I treasure them and whenever all we school friends meet up we talk about all the fun we had in school, the incidents that happened, we talk about all the teachers that we had who taught us, they were all unique. Everybody had their own style of teaching. Some were funny, some arrogant, some who didn’t even speak English well, some who taught us very well, some who were very boring while they taught who ever they were however they were they were our teachers. You all must be doing the same I suppose.

Well there’s an end to everything and so is the blog going to end now. I hope I managed to take you back in time!!! Please excuse my writing because I am doing it for the first time. A kind request to all you people reading this never ignore your teachers when you see them walking down the street just greet them and thank them for what they have done and just see how happy they feel about this..alright alright enough from me now, I don’t want to take much of your time , Thank you  for reading my first blog please let me know if I made any mistakes.. all your comments are welcomed whether good or bad, because it will only encourage me to improve more, Take care all of you!! Enjoy n have fun!!! cya soon..coz I am going to write my next blog soon.

                                                                                                                        Prajakta Mali