F: Sir I am calling from Tata AIG Life Insurance.
R: If you are trying to sell me an insurance, the chances are very less that I will buy one.
F: Why Sir?
R: Because I think I am too young to be insured.
F: Are you under 18?
R: No.
F: Then you need to be insured.
R: The truth is I don't have enough money for myself.
F: Oh!
F* - Female caller with a sexy voice
R* - Raja
20 May 2008
19 May 2008
From a deflated wallet on an inflated economy
I have been with Raja for a long time now. He told me the other day that he has managed to save close to 10k in the two and half years that he has been working. I will not blame him. Prices are rising. The house he lives costed 6.5k a month six months back. It will be 10K from June. The other houses in the same building cost 12k. The owner has been very magnanimous to him. That is primarily because he does not drink or smoke at home with his friends till 2 am on weekends and wake the neighbours. The other day Jose, Raja and I were at a restaurant. After the two of them drank some coffee, Raja pulled 20 bucks out of me to pay for the coffee. 2 cups of coffee for 18 bucks. Atrocious. And a 2 rupee tip for that sweet milky cocktail? No wonder why he has saved only about 10k.
There was a time when I was fat and big. Varad always made sure I was fed full with 100s. Those were the days when Raja and I left home early in the morning and came back after sunset. Although we entertained ourselves in everyway we could, which included movies, splurging at restaurants, philanthropy among many things, I hardly lost a 100 rupee note. That was ten years back.
The parottas at the evening stalls which used to be 2 rupees a piece is now 4 bucks. What would you call that? Prices are soaring so high that the common man would be able to drink beer only once a week. I used to pay 100 bucks for 2.16 litres of petrol not long ago. Then it became 2.04 litres for the same money; and now 1.89 litres. I remember my dad telling me that Varad used to pay Rs 19.50 for a litre of petrol and 50 ml of oil. Rkay will have to get back to eating full meals as the Subway salads have moved past Rs. 200. This is exactly why Raja stopped buying free food to other people. There will soon be a day when he will stop buying them free beer too.
Of all the undesired things that are happening, the one thing that pains me most is that I no longer get to carry as many crispy 100 rupee notes as I used to. They are replaced by stale, smelly and old 10 rupee notes. However, I am waiting for that day, when 10 rupee notes will become extinct and when the crispy 100 rupee note will become the smallest denomination.
There was a time when I was fat and big. Varad always made sure I was fed full with 100s. Those were the days when Raja and I left home early in the morning and came back after sunset. Although we entertained ourselves in everyway we could, which included movies, splurging at restaurants, philanthropy among many things, I hardly lost a 100 rupee note. That was ten years back.
The parottas at the evening stalls which used to be 2 rupees a piece is now 4 bucks. What would you call that? Prices are soaring so high that the common man would be able to drink beer only once a week. I used to pay 100 bucks for 2.16 litres of petrol not long ago. Then it became 2.04 litres for the same money; and now 1.89 litres. I remember my dad telling me that Varad used to pay Rs 19.50 for a litre of petrol and 50 ml of oil. Rkay will have to get back to eating full meals as the Subway salads have moved past Rs. 200. This is exactly why Raja stopped buying free food to other people. There will soon be a day when he will stop buying them free beer too.
Of all the undesired things that are happening, the one thing that pains me most is that I no longer get to carry as many crispy 100 rupee notes as I used to. They are replaced by stale, smelly and old 10 rupee notes. However, I am waiting for that day, when 10 rupee notes will become extinct and when the crispy 100 rupee note will become the smallest denomination.
16 May 2008
115!
Balu says his bike can clock 100 kmph just like that. Mine is a Discover too. A 125. I however have always struggled to reach 100. 90 is doable in most roads. But a 100? It has always been the thing that you could do but you wouldn't do. I always feel the bike to be running out of breath beyond 90 and I hate bruising the machine. It was the same story, until a few days back...
I had to be out one early morning and as I reached close to the Tidel Park signal, something whizzed past me and stopped at the signal for the red light - A Suzuki Burgman 650. I had the bike serviced a few days back and was in no mood to crank the accelerator. But this was an open invitation.
A 650 cc machine pumping out 54 bhp looked like a gaint compared to my bike. But what the heck. That one looks like a scooter. May be a gaint scooter. And bikes are always faster then scooters. I had to race.
There is an unspoken language at all traffic signals. As you brake and look around, you always notice 'them', and 'they' always notice 'you'. Then all of you, together, crouch and look at your visors for a second, lift up your heads and gaze at the traffic lights. The light at the adjacent signal goes yellow. Three. Two. One. It's green and go.
It is familiar territory from here on. A straight road, trees on the side that look like a hazy splash of never-ending green, a bump in the road that is always ignored, a blurry image of bikes in the rear view mirror, a feeling of intoxication, joy and elation all at one go and the speedometer reading... 115! a one hundred-and-fifteen!
As I slowed down near the Madhya Kailash turn, the Burgman whizzed past me.
I told you! Bikes are faster than Scooters!
I had to be out one early morning and as I reached close to the Tidel Park signal, something whizzed past me and stopped at the signal for the red light - A Suzuki Burgman 650. I had the bike serviced a few days back and was in no mood to crank the accelerator. But this was an open invitation.
A 650 cc machine pumping out 54 bhp looked like a gaint compared to my bike. But what the heck. That one looks like a scooter. May be a gaint scooter. And bikes are always faster then scooters. I had to race.
There is an unspoken language at all traffic signals. As you brake and look around, you always notice 'them', and 'they' always notice 'you'. Then all of you, together, crouch and look at your visors for a second, lift up your heads and gaze at the traffic lights. The light at the adjacent signal goes yellow. Three. Two. One. It's green and go.
It is familiar territory from here on. A straight road, trees on the side that look like a hazy splash of never-ending green, a bump in the road that is always ignored, a blurry image of bikes in the rear view mirror, a feeling of intoxication, joy and elation all at one go and the speedometer reading... 115! a one hundred-and-fifteen!
As I slowed down near the Madhya Kailash turn, the Burgman whizzed past me.
I told you! Bikes are faster than Scooters!
Kiraned!
Kiran is touching lives. I was surprised to see this post in Balu's blog.
http://vishwassusikar.blogspot.com/2007/12/where-is-nail-cutter.html
No wonder! Everyone gets kiraned at some point of their lives.
http://vishwassusikar.blogspot.com/2007/12/where-is-nail-cutter.html
No wonder! Everyone gets kiraned at some point of their lives.
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