Money Money Money

It was the day before my history annual exam; I was running for my life that day, behind me my father was gaining ground, I was caught red handed playing cricket. That day I got very good beating which I remember till now, for me then, it was a grave insult. In addition to the beating I got a one hour long advice on the importance of getting good marks – not that I was flunking in my subjects – but still I got the advice. Till date I am wondering why he gave me the advice when I was doing pretty well in the exams. All throughout our school/college days someone or the other would always tell you to study well and we agreed. The system in school or college too never helped, they would always people who did well in studies, if only they had acted otherwise, there were more things in life, much more than Integral calculus ever taught me. It doesn’t matter if you did well in your studies or not, all it matters is whether you had enough dough in you pocket to take you till America. While I was trying to figure out working of Klystron oscillator my lab team mate was out for a ‘dumm’ (smoke in slang). I used to wonder why he was like this then? Now he is someplace in US finishing his MS while I write this blog. If I think now, he must have been wondering why I was so much interested in finishing the lad on time.

No doubt the Hero Honda add in which a guy cries out “main aa raho hoon India” was created by a MBA grad who didn’t get his US visa. Since he couldn’t go there, poor guy settled down for some patriotic adds. Every thing is run by hype, if you don’t hype up yourself you might lose out in the competition, that is what I think US/MS has created now, also included in that list is onsite at work. So much hype has been created by people who have been onsite that those who are left behind for a variety of reasons are now looked upon with a sad expression which says – “ poor chap, I remember he used to be good at school, huuuhh .. life gets on, people lose focus, poor guy”. Little do they realize the kind of work that people in ‘onsite’ do, but at end of the day all that matters is the paper with gandhi’s photo on it. If you really get tough and ask people around questions on why this is happening, out comes the reply – hard luck guy .. take it easy, next year try again for your MS or maybe the next time such a opportunity comes along, you will be in it. Then there is the philosophical angle to it --- “ money is not everything boy, you will realize it later in life” .. ok I might realize it when I am above 60 unable to find out the difference between a Rs 50 note and a Rs 100 note, but not now, now is the time I require it, loads of it, but um hmm .. I am not the person, cos I was the topper, not for me atleast now.