Part 99
Getting over "Self"😭
Iyer Pride was not only dented it was annihilated😭
If she hadn't STUMBLED upon that glowing red CMU digital floor banner display... he wouldn't have EVER told her. The realization struck when she walked in daze like a zombie to her convention hall. He would have let her insult and take digs at him... pie on her face? Shame? Humiliation? Mortification?😭
EACH time she took pot shots at him, he had shrugged it off... he let her believe he was the typical bratty uncouth, Punjabi that drove a Porsche and mowed down sleeping homeless people on sidewalks near Moolchand flyover in a drunken stupor at night, spent his "daddyji's" wealth and didn't have a clue about how to hold a job... leave alone excel in it..
She didn't know what term described her condition best... indignity? He had gently pushed with one finger.. she plunged from her ivory tower... and didn't even bother to stand and watch or gloat as she fell down head first...😭
She desperately wished/prayed she would win the 30 under 30😭👏
She skipped snacks, she skipped dinner, the results were announced around 10 PM the girl from Assam was one of the 7 winners from East, she went home with a straight face, shared "everything exciting" about the day and went to bed... and stayed up all night... 😭
her head hurt again in the morning, being empty stomach for over 12 hours, she had her coffee and went off to work refusing breakfast, worked until 2, went down to the Daily Perk and got herself another coffee... walked over to the gym also on 5th, and weighed herself she had lost 9 lbs since her fever.. ... not that "anyone" cared...she went back to the Daily Perk and ordered a brownie and a side of chocolate cake took it back to desk and stuffed her face...Went to the rest room and cried her heart out... eating two grossly chocolaty things after being hungry for 24 hours didn't help her system...she threw it all up..😭
Took something for her second headache... in 12 hours..
She didn't respond to Amma or Akka's calls during the day... both left messages saying Srikanth was in town for the long weekend and wanted to see her, she sat in her reception area... leaned back on the couch and shutting her eyes... The piped music played sitar...😃
Iyer pride was GUTTED and decimated... Rakshasan had demolished it without a word... double Masters from CMU, she had applied to CMU for Grad School but was rejected, both for MBA and MS... he had gotten both his from CMU😲
Like a typical Iyer student she felt immense envy at his accomplishment... Iyers thrived on academic competition... they wore simple clothes, cotton salwar kameez and flip flops, braided their oiled hair, wore vibhuti and kungumam/teeka on exam days... boldly,... be it to IIM or MIT exam hall... they spent HOURS studying... ALWAYS lying about it though... when asked "Oh I don't think I am 10% prepared" 😡
It was an Iyer thing... to lie about preparedness before a big exam... for a culture that taught scriptures and preached honesty and integrity Iyer kids lied like nobody's biz...
Now HE had pulled a fast one on her...👏😃😛
Iyer parents advertized their kids' accomplishments, short of actually putting out a full cover page ad... Iyer mothers were frequently over heard bragging at temples and Kutcheris (concerts) about how Sriram is bummed at missing that ONE question that could have gotten him 100% in the 12th boards... or how Srividya had been accepted both at IIM and XLRI and was in a "terrible" quandary😡, or how Uma got a full ride to UCLA and UC Berkeley and how she was going to "miss" her kozhandai/baby for TWO YEARS (WHY did she apply if Amma cant let go? Well... we won't go there😆)... in Iyer families academic achievements trumped financial well being...
No matter where anyone was employed, or what the compensation was like, Iyers usually trumpeted the educational achievements FIRST
"So and so works for Google BUT MY Murali went to IIT"🤣
NOT one Bhalla/Batra had spoken about his achievements to her... she had known him/them for almost 8 weeks now?... she had met Ranjan many many times, even Sam, Manny👏👏👏
Did it not matter to Punjabis? If it didn't then why would he go acquire multiple degrees? Did it come easy to him?😭
That irritated her even more😭... she was intelligent, but was he GIFTED?😡 He was... She had heard of the 5th year Masters at CMU, it was one of the toughest in United States to get into. CMU itself had a 16% acceptance rate...😭
She called Srikanth and made plans to watch a movie Sunday, she ate little... still nursing her wound... didn't talk much AT ALL... he was shocked... ..."Is everything OK?" he asked
"No sure don't worry" she replied oddly... "No Sure?" u said "Sure?" he asked... looked at her face like she was preoccupied with something..
"Which University did u go to?" she asked
"BITS Pilani for Engg, and then Kansas State for Masters, and Ohio State for Ph D" he said
She smiled...sadly albeit...a Ph D was no easy feat... but something told her if Rakshasan had wanted to he could have pursued his Ph D as well...
He didn't take anything too seriously in life, he never once intro-ed himself as a CMU alumnus😳👏
An Iyer would say that before saying "Hello"😆
She walked over to the peripheral windows... and stared down at the quiet Saturday evening street below.. there were less than a handful of pedestrians...today.. 😭
She sometimes found him walking the busy Gurgaon office blocks during lunch hour or later, preoccupied as usual, texting or listening... or both... ... in his cargos and BR tee layered twice or thrice.. many times... the short sleeves always worn OVER the long sleeves carelessly😳
... donning a J Crew or Patagonia hoodie occasionally... with that three day stubble... and sun glasses...😳
The streets would be packed with the lunch crowd... no elbow room...his head would be visible well above the crowd
the precocious looking suited bankers and Dockers wearing tech geeks that walked along side him talked animatedly trying to appear "smart", or flashing their expensive phones...
Men ignored him concluding much LIKE II, "he must be a wannabe" since his clothes did not bear any brand name.. it must have been bought at Janpath from one o those "export rejects" heap... .as he sprinted across the street too many times... he would do finger kangi, as the draft from oncoming traffic blew his hair all over his forehead...young women though without fail,would pause and ogle... forgetting the 30 second green WALK sign had long slipped to a red "do not WALK"...😳☺️
She knew that hair, the fingers, the clothes, the Porsche, the house, his couch, his TV, the music passing through the ear buds... the feel of the tee..the tiny Samsung remote... the Monet, Lasya...everything...☺️
But did not know about CMU...😭
Edited by Nisha0604 - 10 years ago
