Charlie, Job Satisfaction & Life

Charlie ko ab apni job achi nhi lagti hai. Wo utsukta nhi bachi hai jeevan me. Chod dena chahta hai wo ye sab. Roj roj ka rona dhona ab use nhi bhaata. Uska bas chalta to kal hi parcha fenk deta. Wese to use ab job culture hi raas nhi aata. Sochta hai "kya hi rkha hai isme, kitna bhi kama lunga lekin gaadi aur ghar to EMI pe hi lena padega".

Charlie ko ab ghar jaane me bhi dar lagne laga hai, family functions me appearance dene se to usne saaf mana kar diya hai. Pichli baar jab apne mama ke ladke ki shaadi me gaya tha to uske papa ne kai bujurg logo se milvaya tha use. Sab ko apni work details, bio-data ityadi batate huye usko kuch gadbad hone ka ehsaas ho gya tha.

Gharwalon ko ye samjhana ki abi bhi uske jeevan ke 3-4 saal bache hain Parle-G biscuit ko rebrand karne jaisa mushkil hai. Kuch soch kabhi nhi badli ja sakti. Isliye hamare desh me jab ladka/ladki  apne 25 saavan dekh chuka hota/hoti hai ya use ye feel aane lagti hai ki uske ghar wale use settled samajhne lage hain to uske paas do se teen option hath me reh jaate hain. Charlie ne bhi inke baare me sochna shuru kar diya hai.

Pehla....IAS/IES...in exams ki khasiyat hoti hai ki inki pehle level ki screening exam dene se pehle hi ho jaati hai. Pattern or previous year papers dekh kar hi Charlie ko apne potential aur required efforts me mismatch dikh gaya.

Doosra...GRE/GMAT..in exams ki pehle level ki screening bhi kharcha pata karne pe ho jati hai. Yahan Charlie ko financial terms me deficit dikhayi diya.

Teesra...CAT..ye option hamesha se safe hota aaya hai. Isliye Charlie isko 4th year se leke betha hai. Aaj bhi umeed ne dam nhi toda hai.

Itna sab sochne ke baad bhi Charlie ko kal fir se office jana padega, manipulated data ke sath reports banani padegi, code likhna padega, wo sab kaam karna padega jo uska boss uski taraf fenkega.

Lekin...ek din aayega....

(Note: Charlie ek kalpnik patra hai.. lekin iska vastvik jeevan se samabandh intended hai)

Always

She was dressed in the turquoise outfit. It didn't reflect her self, but his choice for the occasion. Actually, a present. A present he brought for her when they last met at the dockyard. 6 or 7 months ago, she thought. He had taken her to the ship, to show her his workplace.

For last few years they had this kind of relationship, meeting for a few hours after long periods of time. He was always to leave for duty. She, always upset for the same reason.

But today they had all the time they wanted. He was off duty, she had taken a long leave.

She got into the garage and was about to get into the driver's seat when she thought of giving it a routine check. Unlike herself, like him. She didn't wanted to be late anyway. "First, check under the hood. Are there any leaks? Are the battery terminals clean? Does the drive belt looks worn out? Pull the engine oil dipstick out, wipe it with a clean rag or a paper towel and insert it back fully. Pull it out again and check the level - it should be close to the "FULL  mark on the dipstick." He always took interest in letting her know these things. "There's always a telltale sign" He always emphasized. " Oh, they run great" She used to reply.

Everything was OK. She halted at the newspaper stand, asked for the day's issue of local daily. It were always the small things in life that made him happy. A few good articles with the morning coffee. Anyway, today was big. He had an article published on him . She had a glance at the picture with the article, payed the person, then took to the wheels again.

It was his birthday today. Valiant Captain's 35th birthday. They met at the God's acre, behind the city church. She sat beside the tombstone and read him the news. "It's a day for the youth to take inspiration from Captain Abhi who departed while serving for the country....."  He was as stoic as he always was, she pretended to be as vivacious he always wanted her to be. They had all the time they wanted today together. Not the kind of they had always...