Woh din

I think I have a good memory when it comes to remembering dates –and if my friends are reading this I know they would be nodding their heads in unison. Ya I know it’s a boring skill and probably unappreciative. Let’s move ahead. So this skill actually makes my life… fun (maybe?)

I look at a date and if it’s important I kind of relive the event that would have happened on that same date, years ago. Some days…. we all agree are special –maybe a birthday of someone in the family or a friend. Then we have anniversaries… our own, parents’ siblings’ or friends’. I of course remember a lot of these dates that are associated with my near and dear ones. These are all happy days which have happy memories associated with them. At the same time there are certain days where you wished the grounds caved in or the skies sucked you. Yes these are not so happy days or memories… but they cage events which have brought you where you are today.

Career Progression

Second week of June was the last week by when all the appraisal letters were being distributed in the organization. Like every other employee, Suman was expecting not only a progression but a generous increment in his paycheck as well. And if you go by Suman’s dedication and focus towards the current assignment at hand, he deserved every bit of it.

Suman has been associated with this India IT firm and came to the United States on a work permit just after the global slowdown in 2008. Being based out of New Jersey he had to travel in the metros to his work place in Manhattan and he enjoyed that. He enjoyed the fast life… the crowd, the concrete jungle and his Chicken teriyaki Subway foot-longs. It would be rare to find our dude have anything else if he happens to visit Subway… which would be at-least twice or thrice a week.

Our New Tenant

Mr. and Mrs. Ramalingam have lived a major part of their married life in a lot of cities in India –thanks to Mr. Rama’s job. But despite the influence of multiple cultures Mrs. Rama has kept her orthodox ways still alive. Mr. Rama on the other hand had no such preferences but to avoid any conflict of interest agreed to Mrs. Rama –always.

After having traversed the length and breadth of the country they settled down in the erstwhile garden city known as Bangalore. With the upsurge in IT which brought more people into the city a lot of residents saw an opportunity in earning additional income from a rental property. The Ramas’ were not to be left behind and had joined the bandwagon to construct the first floor of their tenement. Not a single house in the entire colony was single floored. But as luck had it, Mr. Rama never had their first floor occupied for more than three months by a tenant. Some or the other issue would come –a few within their capability but most of them out of their control- and the first floor would have the “To-Let” sign board hanging out more often than not. Moreover it would not have been this bad a feeling had at-least one family in the colony been in the same situation but alas, all the other houses had a rich tenant occupancy history. With old age and nothing else more demanding the Ramas’ took this as a personal challenge and told themselves that the next person inquiring about the house would not be leaving without signing the Rental Agreement.