The Home Stretch
At the outset a little senti I think is in place. This will probably be the
last Random Insane Mumblings before the 2s leave, and I know atleast a few who
will leave after the placements. Introspection, I thought, let that be the
topic of this parting gift so to say. Any lack of humour is purely
consequential and unintentional. Like Fatty's PPO.

It was Shaggy's signature that set me thinking of an old intellectual adventure
of mine. Sometime during my second job it dawned on me that the brain wasn't
all that it was made up to be. I mean I had three bosses, and not one of them
did anything to prove they had one. My belly button had enough IQ to do what I
did everyday. My elbow would give the CEO a run for his money. The brain was a
bystander, helpless. Sort of like me after class, waiting for Kabra's dbabs.
That Kabra guy is good. With one 4 word dbab he can lay my life waste. For
example, "Meet Rekha Jain. Now." Brrrr...

If I were god, I'd make Dilbert a prophet and the collected works my Bible. I
remember walking to my HR guys cubicle one day and noticing the softboard all
around plastered with A3 size sheets. There he was, poor Chidambaram, wallowing
in a sea of white with grey English and Tamil font. Upon interrogation, he
detailed a mirthful tale. The Company Inspector or some such character, upon
his inspection, noted a glaring shortfall.

"Where are the employees rights and minimum wage rules? They are to be
displayed prominently. It is law"
"But I dont have an office or notice board"
"I dont care. Put it up where you can see it everyday."
"But I only have a cubicle!!!"
"Cubicle, shmubicle!!! Then put it up on the walls dear man!!!"

Thus there was poor Chidambaram, sitting in his 5 by 5 foot cubicle surrounded
by wall to wall photocopies. It goes without saying that the sublime white
blended well with the olive green and wood stain decor present all around. That
day I knew I was meant for a higher calling. That I would do something that
would make me enough money to do all the things I ever wanted.

All the things I ever wanted:
1. Watch all the football world cups live. Be there, get surrounded by sweaty
bodies, drunk Colombians or cordial English hooligans. See someone score a goal
a million miles away at the other end of the pitch. Scream with a million
voices, stand up, sit down, do the Mexican wave. Replays can go to hell. Viva
Brazil!!! Viva Espana!!! Viva Kerala Police!!!

2. Buy a little cottage in Kodai and run a cafe. That has to be one of my
greatest goals. Retire to the peace and quiet of that pristine hill station.
Serve overpriced Cappucino and adulterated Espresso to German tourists who are
suckers for "culture" and such other rarities back home. Tell them it tastes
like that cos its made from organic ayurvedic "kundithevidiya" flowers. In
short a simple honest life. If them Germans dont like it, they can go to
Brazil.

3. Write a book. Make millions in royalty. And that too with no sex in the
book. I refuse to write romance. I think all authors who write sex in their
work, are bloody deprived. They are all just living their own personal
fantasies. What else can explain Stevenson's "Long John Silver"? Bloody
impotent I tell you. My book will be either a) "Obesity for Dummies" under the
penname Adipose Dev Prahlad or b) "Dress Sharp: Apparel in orange and magenta"
and my piece de resistance c) "Weightloss and other unexplained phenomena".
Bestsellers, all of them.

4. Make a movie full of mystery and suspense. I was thinking "The XXXL Files:
Your size is out there".

5. Invent something. Something so popular they'll talk about me in the same
breath as O.L. Johnny and Pattom Thanu Pillai (both world-famous in Kerala).
Something useful yet innovative. Like a software that replaces every word with
more than seven letters in a business document with "crap". Or, even better,
something that makes every woman you see look like Sylvia Saint, or Mulund if
you have the Muthu frame of mind.

Aaah... much indeed do I have left to do in life. And thankfully I dont have to
be an investment banker, or a consultant, or even spectacularly employed to do
a lot of it. And thus I deftly come to the fag end of my mumblings.

The last few days, what with shortlists coming out, and all. Its been ups and
downs for a lot of people. Which reminded me of a fable, if you could so call
it, my placecom prof. at college told me. Dr. Mathru was a kickass prof. Rich
in metaphor and anecdote. Though I do not know how appropriate it is, I might
as well give it a shot. He said, your job is like arranged marriage. When you
start looking for the woman/man of your dreams, you want everything, family,
money, beauty, booty, minimum siblings, maximum property, education or cooking
skills etc.
And no one ever gets that one in a million special person they're looking for.
They try real real hard, but they never really make it. And then finally after
months, years of hard work marriage happens. Sometimes in all the wrong ways.
And then it all doesnt matter anymore after a while. Years down the line, you
dont care two hoots about all that you wanted and all the wonderful alliances
that didnt happen. You just praise the lord for what you have. And its the best
thing in the world as far as you know. Four years ago it made great sense to
me. If it doesnt to you, its ok.

Best of luck to all of you guys. Go forth brave and return victorious. No
"alliance" is worth clouding your last few weeks here at IIMA with doubt, fear
or regret. Shortlists will come and go, offers will come and go, and in keeping
with the trends, this Random Insane Mumblings too has come... and gone...

May your alliance make you praise the lord as well...

God Bless. Make us fachchas proud.
Fatcat.