In October, whilst attempting to churn out
a good school book for ToI, I wanted to do a story on private equity
investments. My research was meagre, and the resources that came up were either
unwilling to talk or rather hush-hush about it – “प्यार भी यहाँ लगे है गाली” types. After innumerable attempts, I had to give up, के हट साला नै हो रहा है. Time was running out, the deadline loomed awfully close, book
बंध.
It has been nine months since. The baby is
ready to come out. I’ve just read a comprehensive analysis of the K12 business
around the goddamn world. साला no one can ace me on it now. And I’d probably
be able to vomit out not just a story, but perhaps a whole goddamn pamphlet on
it! All this out of an annual report का MDA.
And then I met an old college acquaintance last night! And
that was a seriously IYWTF moment. We actually stay just across the street from
each other. And that is a scary prospect, cuz we didn’t even bother speaking to
each other in college, beyond the passing acknowledgement of a smile to suggest
any of the following: 1. You too are human; 2. You exist; 3. Er...; 4. *royal
roll of the eyes*
So from avoiding, if we could help it, to
adding each other on Facebook and meeting for ice cream last night, we seem to
have come a long way – in growing up perhaps, having an hour-long civil
conversation – ice cream, and walk, our only companions. In a strange land, it
is funny how two people belonging to totally different worlds unite in some
ways: noticing the transvestites that dot the street, thinking how funny is all
the make-up and beef cake that suddenly spills out post-9 ’o clock on the
streets, missing food, adjusting with new company, being slaves of a job that
you somewhere have begun to love, and a guy who we both met about two months
ago for the same purpose (only his was served and mine, well, I was destined to
be his neighbour).
No, I don’t find him as much of a pain as I
did all those juvenile years ago. He even ventured to call me a friend he was
out with, to a friend on phone. He was gracious enough to hang up on a call and
continue speaking. To me. And listening. Wishing for some quiet. Looking forward
to returning to our comfortable grottos in a while.
Takes me back yet again, to that passage we
read in school about Tolerance by Forster?
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