Dad with an unusual Job

I have already blogged about my dad's job ever since he retired about 7 years ago... but nonetheless with an IB man again at the help as NSA (2nd one after MK Narayanan), I thought it makes sense to write again about what my dad's job really meant to me at various stages of my life...

Stage 1 - Don't really know what that means

I was in primary school when we were asked to talk briefly about what each of our dads did for a living... and I was not really able to talk anything.. total blank.. all I was able to tell was my dad works in an office!!!! dont know which office.. those offices never really have an address!!!


Stage 2 - He does something scary!!!

This was when we moved to Guwahati... On my second day in Guwahati I woke up to the news of Rajiv Assassination and dad was away for a long time to office ... didnt really have an iota what the heck was all about.. overhearing a few conversations I could make out that the job was something really scary!!!

Stage 3 - Oh boy I love this stuff.....

This was a longer stage.. almost midway into our 3 year stay in Assam I had begun to develop some idea of the spy job.. at that point it meant they snoop on people who were bad ... this they did to save India....

Around the age of 12-13 only did I develop the full view of what IB is about and their mode of operations.. Back in Kanchi, it was a house cum residence and most of the times all folks at the office would be on field.. I was the unofficial phone operator...

Once or twice I was really in the thick of things taking messages on the log book about someone who was marked for either snooping or phone tapping!!! As a teenager that was really adrenaline pumping and jamesbondesque adventure....

Stage 4 - Ok I get it but Oh My God when will he return home safe !!

This was in the late teens when you really knew what was dad supposed to do in the week ... where there were sensitive political meetings or conferences where he had to literally crash uninvited or snoop some crackpot .. I still do remember in Crica 2002 Chennai Mayoral poll counting day, he went at 8 in the morning.. JJ rigged that counting heavily ( mind you polls were rigged still STalin was winning so this lady decided to rig counting) the counting went on for 2-3 days and dad was missing @home.. yup he did not return for 2 days straight... that was like nerve wracking

Luckily the Stage 5 didn't last too long.. some time during my college he went to work for Immigration and that was it...

But looking back I actually feel that he should have taken the extension they gave him and worked 1-2 more years back in the IB :-)....

Battleground MH

With the general elections finally decided and new government about to assume charge, many people think that the political dust will finally settle... To political buffs like me, theres always the next election to watch out for...

I have already simultaneously followed the South African elections, Afghan presidential poll round one and have started following Egypt polls.. up next are Thailand & Indonesia...

Moving back to India, the mother of all assembly polls is here... cut to October, we will witness the poll in Maharashtra ..my "home" state literally...

People tend to believe thats its curtains for INC-NCP after 15 years of (mis) rule....I think this poll will go down to the wire.. Notwithstanding the Modi effect, NCP can make a come back quicker than the congress and Pawars will throw every last resource available to hold on to their bastion.

Many have begun to write MNS off but Raj Thackeray is no pushover.. on the contrary, if he decides to project himself as CM designate, I think we have a match in our hands... Liberal view of RT is very distorted and people abhor his ways.. But he is a great orator with decent policies and can capture Modi like imagination among the public... Not to mention the fact that local BJP does not have a strong face in spite of Munde's presence...

Its best in BJP's interests to align with MNS else in case of a hung assembly or a slight UPA edge, media, opponents and pseudo liberals will pounce and denounce the so called bursting of Modi bubble...and they will be shameless to call for his resignation ;-)

It remains to be seen if this assemble poll is indeed a cliff hanger or a piece of cake for NDA...

Grass is always Green Abroad

The first time i went out of India was in circa 2006 to London for about 10 months. The duration of the trip was initially was for 6 months and then it got extended to a year, which I cut short to be back with my father as he was retiring... The first trip was all fun, I enjoyed... after that it has been mostly business trips with 2-3 weeks being the max duration outside India.. I enjoyed them as well as it would help me to see some places and have a different perception..This time in Switzerland for a trip, whose duration is again in the 6 months range...

I find it quite difficult. Primarily reason is the country shuts itself down on Sundays. Not even convenience stores are open. This is is like a bolt out of the blue for an desi guy who has been lured with the new shining malls that spring up in every corner of the city.. what would a poor guy who plans his shopping exclusively on sundays do... well grumble and change routine.. but as they say old habits die hard, I am still not yet up to terms with the Saturday shopping....its not about shopping.. on sundays its like someone has imposed Sec.144 curfew...

Banks have their own process.. Some documents can be collected from the branch. but the main ones will be sent via post. The post box should have the name as same as the one in the letter, else the letter will return. Now how do I tackle with tis. I have to follow up with 3 different people that too between Monday to Friday 8 AM to 3 PM exclusively.. I remember, the last time I shifted homes in Pune, I had to go to the banks once, put in a request and bulldozed them when there was an issue..

Public transport, though efficient is boring.. if u miss the schedule the frequency is less...

One has to mandatorily eat either chicken or egg or cheese.. else its really time consuming to find a vegetarian food..cooking is out of the window as I cant cook for 1 person and also I cant cook consistently ;-)

The best of all... pressing one's clothes by oneself.. I rarely do that but now thats the usual thing.. more than my family, more than anything else, I miss my laundry service provider.. the uncle who knocks at my door every saturday, takes my clothes, returns them neatly pressed, even safe keeps them when I am out of town... sob.. sob..

I really still wonder how people can sty 4-5 years and then easily fit back to the Indian lifestyle..