Wednesday 21 May 2008

How We Are All Losing It

Lahiri, like Dill, is a fellow whose head teems with eccentric plans, strange longings, and quaint fancies. On the way to office last week, we saw a taxi – a Fiat Uno, unlike the Fiat Premier Padminis which overrun Bombay roads. On the back screen of the car was a sticker saying “Same Fare Taxi”. It was meant to assure the world that nobody would have to shell out extra fare for the privilege of travelling in a more advanced make of car. This much was obvious to all of us, but not to Lahiri. “Maybe it means that the taxi will charge the same fare, regardless of your destination,” Lahiri suggested. The next few minutes were spent in an interesting and pointless discussion on the possible ramifications and commercial viability of such a scheme. I think nine continuous weeks of law firm work are taking their toll: we are all starting to lose it.

If further proof is required, witness the slogan Mrunmayee and I came up with at lunchtime the other day: “Either you’re with us, (slight pause, sheepish look) or you’re not with us.” We both laughed our silly heads off, and repeated it to everyone in sight, but no one else found it funny. In fact, even I don’t find it that funny now. Oh dear.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Abhiroop said...
Honourable Mention should also be made of...

1. Ayan the Mayan, who as we speak, is preparing for Doomsday according to the ancient Mayan Calendar and will smite non believers with his passionate rhetoric....

2. Kinzal Ghose, who still gets associates to sign his grub bills for dinner....

3. Mrunmoyee Malobika who keeps humming My Immortal while listening on headphones, oblivious that to the rest of the world she sounds like a kitten wailing for milk....

4. Semanti, who gets assigned to a team eight weeks into the internship...

5. Shailja Intern who continues to do the good deeds, notwithstanding the end is near....

6. Kunal Gaurav, who sends an article describing Investment Bankers as Pimps first thing in the morning and that to to the Mayan, when Mayan Sr. happens to be one himself....

7. And of course, there is Arun.

To sum it all up....

We are like sheep without a shepherd
We dont know how to be alone
So we wander round this desert (read AMSS MUM)
And wind up following the wrong gods home
But the flock cries out for another
And they keep answering that bell
And one more starry-eyed messiah
Meets a violent farewell-
Learn to be still.

If only we did learn!!! Sighh.... please let the 10th week come soon!

ayan said...
It is not just the Mayan calendar but also the I Ching, the Egyptians and even some Hopi (or is it Hobi) tribe. When the world ends you will remember my words. Judgement Day cometh. All hail the return of Quetzalcoatl.

Abhiroop said...
Ayan the Mayan, people!!! I stand vindicated! We only need Malobika to start her plaintive wails and blogdom can all see what we're talking about. Come on kitty kitty kitty.... :)

kinjal said...
Mrunmayee made the most philosophical comment of this millenium "jab tak woh aj aj na bolte hai, hum kal, kal bolte rahenge"... might just be picked up as a baseline for the next Mithun Chakravarty potboiler. However, she intends that comment to be the inaugural lines for her treatise on "Fundamentals of Procrastination".

mrunmayee said...
"sore"yan...and larry ..
for yur life yu do care
for kittens do scratch
not that scratch is a scare
now now let me tell yu
if its war as you say,
n fr all I care
not everyone is falling for
yor self obssessed publicity fare

Doubletake, Doublethink. said...
becoming a lawyer looks like an awful lot of fun.

yes, i know what that sounds like. but i meant it.

Sroyon said...
@abhiroop: You've covered the ground much better than I did. But you missed out on the other avatar of Ayan the Mayan, to wit, Ayan Pankhawalla, who livens up the duller moments by aiming a Polar Stormy at each intern in turn.

@ayan: We believe you, dude, we believe you.

@abhiroop2: Oh boy, you are SO going to get it from Mrunmayee.

@kinzal: That sounds like Schopenhauer in Hindi. What HAS the kitten been reading?

@mrunmayee:
When a kitten
Is smitten
Its verse
Grows worse.

@doubletake: It eez, girl, it eez. Every moment of it.

Abhiroop said...
Mrunmayee’s the wailing Cat
Her shrieks are shrill and foul
And happiest she’s when her day begins
With a cold, bloodcurling howl

But as the sun goes high and far
And somnolent noon sets in
Her plaintive moans seem to reach
Crescendos, violent and mean

It’s bizarre and strange how every time
How sharp her roars can be
For while all around are bussing their ears
And cowering; but not She!

For the kitten has around her ears
Headphones, with which she sits
And blissfully hums on Death Metal
While we are stirred to bits.

Is she around? Does she hear?
Or submerge in cowardice, feline?
Thy wrathful yells have led us all
For a Trappist monk, to pine!

AND THAT IS HOW, KITTY POET, A POEM IS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE! (snorts)

mrunmayee said...
i thought i would stick to wht i wrote (well abt not falling fr it)...but then a poem in my honour/dishonour...
...my my ...i was wrong ...thers no self obsession...
they are obssessed with me!!!!!

sreem said...
This comment does not pertain to this post per se; I had no idea you blogged and having found out today, I read all your posts one after the other in the span of fifteen minutes and this is hence a comment on all of them together. I loved your posts on your favourite sportspersons, the one titled 'miracles', the one on the fish (the particularly diabolical looking one), the ketchup conspiracy, the terribly drab paint-card title and 'Hey there Delilah.."; but that's just being specific and probably implying that I didn't think much of the others which is ofcourse not true as not one of them failed to make me laugh(no, not in the laughing-at-ridiculousness-of-it-all kind of way). Thank God you think the way you think and above all put them into words the way you do. By the way, it's impossible to ignore you.

Rahul Saha said...
So you guys are still working?! By the 6th week we had started refusing work. Just say your'e doing something for Cyril. After all, your sanity depends on it.

P.S. The library is a wonderful place to hide. Its close to the canteen too.

little boxes said...
hmmm uh huh...
no wonder ram jethmalani's like that.
umm..i am sorry if you respect him and all but the dude said "hello young gentlemen...yes,i talk to myself" when he came for the annual speech at college,in his effort to add humour to his speech.

p.s: mine's a women's college in delhi.

speedpost said...
Same Fare Taxi.... That's original. Calcutta cabbies should try this one out.