To the 9 of u..from, the 10th one!

People came and went;
They strummed the strings of my life-
Some strummed sweet soft melody,
And some struck the chords with strife.

What does strumming and strings and melody got to do with all of us? - You may ask me; I asked too. No, I didn’t have to switch my faculties onto the ‘introspection’ mode to dig an answer for this one..

Amongst the ppl I’ve met in life some have struck the chords of my life with sweet melody, while some have struck the chords with strife-with disharmony.. and some have passed my life without touching the strings at all.. I’ll be more than glad to sit back at some point in my life and listen to the sweet melodies that each of u have struck in my life. I’ll savour and cherish these melodious memories for a long long time……… there would have been disharmonies also amongst us..maybe someone struck the chord with strife..but then there is no friendship with its own share of sweet li’l quarrels and consequent patch-ups and make-ups! (hold it gals, please don’t rush to the wash room for ur routine ‘make up’) If I have struck an unpleasant chord in any of your lives, knowingly or unknowingly, I apologize..

Now, the biggest question was...WHAT DO I BLOG ABOUT? Pappu has already given a nice intro and he’s turning into a professional blogger(though, his blog site did get a major boost when he included my glamorous photo in it). Shwets has scripted down lines of farewell in her blog...i wasn’t left with too much of dry area to set my foot on. So I thought of this:
With the memories that are lingering in my mind right now,..i thought, I’d create a profile for each one of us…..so that each of us at some latter point of time in life, can come back, read, and laugh at and admire each other too!

A tribute and acknowledgement to Animal Kingdom subjects (Tarun and Denzil) for providing inspiration through their blog! Thnx dudes!

No holds barred. No strings attached. Here I go: (alphabetically, of course)

ANURAG GUPTA Ji a.k.a Anu, a.k.a MYSELF, a.k.a “Obra ka Chokra”

First thing he says when he opens his mouth:

“Myself Anurag, from Obrah, UP….”

Always found at:
New joinee’s desks!

Who is he?
Ask the new joinees! They can tell u better! The only guy amongst us with the ‘decent’ tag conferred on him by the ladies. Moreover, this Siddha sadha bachha is the first one who’s gonna get married amongst us guys..and have bacchas of his own! Close sources reveal tht his parents have already found a bahu and he’s gonna get married b4 december this year! Whtvr, he is a really cool chap..hats off to u. The way u tolerated our jokes with u being at the receiving end -is really amazing..but hey don’t u relax coz we r not gonna leave u at this. There’s more to come!

Alternative career option:
Hair-dresser, HR Executive

Five years down the line:
Software programmer with three wives (the first smart, the second beautiful, and the third – an engineer!) and ‘n*’ kids.
*n à n is variable and it tends to an unknown value……
and most importantly, u cud see a playground on his head...tht shining takla of anurag!


JOSCELINE MASCARENHAS a.k.a Jawz, Jawzziee, Jo, “Squeaking Creature”, etc..

First thing she says when she opens her mouth:
??????? UHF sounds are not audible, sorry!

Always found at:
Not just Jazz by the bay, Swimming pool, diggin away the beaches with Junior…..blah blah blah

Who is she?
A vivacious girl..likes salsa and jiving..can be found ‘salsa’ing away in the office on Fridays and Saturdays. Can work late hours with amazing regularity and then immediately fall ill too ;-). This gal aims to make it big in the field of writing…and we all believe – she can do it. All the best Jawzzie! And thnks for providing all those chocolates, the warm ‘unz, and the ‘mwaaahs’!

Alternative career option:
Circus joker(juggles things very well..i remember the coffee cups on my desk)

Five years down the line:
Skill Head, either at L10 or some e-learning organization….and may be with some cute li’l ‘juniors’ of her own too!


MINAL a.k.a Minaal, Minu, MILAN, ‘kadhi-kadhi’, DOMBARIN,et.al.

First thing she says when she opens her mouth:
(Pls read in marathi)
“tey kay mhantat?”

Always found at:
Her godmother’s, PG’s, desk!

Who is she?
A poet and a shayar par excellence! Known to wear emotions on her sleeves! The way she jumps abt taking her decisions, could give the ‘jumping jack’ a run for his money! She’s currently looking for a better-half on the other side of the world! If shwets is leaving, she has to follow..thts why there wud be a goodbye frm her too, soon! Wud be always remembered for the tag team she formed with Shweta and the way they did “ankhon ankhon mein ishaara” and suddenly burst out laughing! Milan should alwys be kept awy frm mirrors coz once she sees one, her hands involuntarily get into action trying to redo her hairstyle and make-up! So wud-be suitors, please note!

Alternative career option:
Make-up artist, poet, shayar, et.al.

Five years down the line:
An MS in writing! Settled in the US of A juggling with __ no of kids(Milan please fill in the blanks after 5 yrs) and her free lancing career as a writer too! And a new hair-style too!

NISHANT a.k.a “Marathi” Salvi, Salvage, Nishi…

First thing he says when he opens his mouth:
(Pls read in marathi)
“chai la..”

Always found at:
Infy ka canteen! U call him anytime and ask “nishi where are u?”, pat comes the reply, “Canteen”!

Who is he?
A well-rounded personality, full of wit and vigour! Famous arnd in L10 for his witty one-liners. Was also famous for winning the “Lazy-Friday Contest”..i still remember that prize-winning caption “Oye Basanti, In kutton ke saamne mat nach”..proudly displayed his prize on his desk and I believe, still does so at infy! More famously, he’s linked with the “Kushalappa” sisters of Banglore and is known to date both the sisters!!!!!!! Aww, and he also specializes in arranging accommodation for the besahara gals of Infy……”jinka koi nahi hota unka, ‘marathi’ salvi hai na!”

Alternative career option:
Con-man – can easily dupe ppl with his words!

Five years down the line:
Smiling on the front page of Ascent, “Hi, I am Nishant Salvi, and I’ve been with Infosys for the past 5 years….blah, blah , blah…….

PRADEEP a.k.a Prad, Pdip, Somu, Silver mani, kamina,

First thing he says when he opens his mouth:
Aaannnnn!!! Kamineeeee...

Always found at:
Sahil’s desk or the desks of the myriads of his female admirers!

Who is he?
The only one amongst us with the 24X7 flash on his face! A total entertainer and a comedian par excellence. Known to have had multiple affairs on the Microsoft side of L10. Wud go into the history of legendary love stories as a wonderful romantic pair along with ‘NOORIE’. We wud describe this story to the next generation as, ”..and finally, Pdip and Noorie went their own ways(or graves? For Noorie!) and they lived happily ever after!” Wud be always remembered for “the mail” that he sent to the DH (Lunia) and how he tried to salvage the situation! Proud owner of many proprietary one-liners: “what you say will be used against you” being the best(shwts and minu can vouch for this!). Has been accused by all for infiltrating our vocabs with the word “kamina”! Kamineeeeee Pdip!

Alternative career option:
Camera flash-man, Entertainer, et.al,

Five years down the line:

At the Sahar airport, with an MS in Telecom, settled in the US of A, married to a babe frm his own university, some junior pdips tugging along, Pdip says to his Mom, “Sorry mom, yeh aapki bahu aur yeh aapke pote-potiyan!!!!!!”

SAHIL a.k.a Grumpy, “Cutest-one-eye-browed-frown-in-the-universe”

First thing he says when he opens his mouth:
Sheeeeeee...kya hai yeh?????

Always found at:
His own desk! Or at the max at Pdip’s desk! He’s got this amazing capacity to affix himself on his chair with something more adhesive than a ‘Fevicol ka Jod’!

Who is he?
The star amongst us – touted to crack one of the IIMs this time, but we would vouch for ‘the one’ – IIMA! Has been diagnosed with the “Cutest one-eyebrowed frown in the universe”! Has found in the RKs, SKs,et al, many ardent admirers and die-hard fans of his enigmatic personality. This chap has been the quintessential grumpy amongst us displaying his grumpiness at every opportunity available. Kamina, though he is, and does all this NAKHRAS and grumpiness, he’s one invaluable friend that each of us is proud to have. We wish we’d photographed him when he imitated ‘RK’ – it’s so real!!!!!! He’s the only one amongst us who was fascinated by the canteen food and with amazing regularity he offered us treats at Siddhi Caterers after 8:30! And he’s known to posses amazing table manners too –the way he dug a pit in the rice plate and ate just like a bird pecking at grains! ;-) His undying admiration for ‘SS’ on the Microsoft side has become a part of the folklore here! And finally, he’s the one who’s known to dance like a star when he’s got the true ‘Spirit’ inside of him! Infamous for often venturing out on clandestine dates with you-know-who!

Alternative career option:
Grumpy No.1 (Nothing else suits him!)

Five years down the line:
An IIM grad, sporting the cutest one-eyebrowed frown on the cover page of some magazine that announces him as the next ‘big thing’ of the Indian business scenario!

SAPNA a.k.a Sappy

First thing he says when he opens his mouth:
“Mammaaaaaaaa…”

Always found at:
Her own desk! Or at the max at Minal’s desk(not much of a difference anyways.

Who is She?
A core member of the team of “the Three Gossipers – at the smoking zone”! Held in high esteem by the PMs for being regularly irregular at work. Holds the dubious (or undubious) distinction of taking more leaves than she was entitled to. I am beginning to wonder whether the number of days she worked is more or the number of days she was on leave?? No prizes for guessing this one folks. She’s been very busy lately (ever since V**** was in town). I have strict instructions to keep under wraps any further information. So, sadly though, thts all about Sappy. For more information, please contact sappy personally.

Alternative career option:
Audience for stage shows and dramas (bcoz performers appreciate audience who are or seem to be attentive and earnest!)

Five years down the line:
globe trotting – Singapore, germany, et. al. with a couple of kids running around crying “mamma, mamma……..”

SHWETA a.k.a SWAY-DHAAA, Shwets, Shweta Aunty, Jane Iyer, and now, she’s Mrs. Shweta!

First thing she says when she opens her mouth:
“Shuddup”

Always found at:
Minal’s desk, plotting and hatching conspiracies and mega ‘kaands’!

Who is She?
Oh my! I’ve been trying to find an answer for this question since long..she’s the tag team companion of Minal – a partner in crime for their ‘ankhon-ankhon-mein-ishaara-and-bursting-into-laughter’ crimes. She’s managed to pull off this ‘ishaaras’ quiet frequently - even to the point of compelling me to seriously doubt her sanity or for that matter, corroborate the facts abt her insanity! She’s been instrumental in pulling off ‘mega kaands’ along with minaal, some visible and the others invisible! Was the self-proclaimed and (un)unanimously accepted leader of the L10 group. She did initiate all our movie trips and meet-ups. Thanks shwets! Was very famous in L10, for delegating work to others!i’ve heard even the ‘grey saree’ brigade used to write her ISDs ;-) and did u hear tht? She’s the first employee to get transferred frm L10 mumbai to Chennai! And pssst psst, did u hear the other one?? She wore a saree worth Rs. 250000000000000000000/- (shwets kitne zero hain yaar usme?? Mein bhool gaya!) for her wedding! gulp! An ardent admirer of Jane Eyre and Jay Sitaram - Dreams of emulating these idols of hers….all the best shwets! Has been honored and conferred with the title ‘laziest-person-around’ by the L10 group.

Alternative career option:
PM of our new company (hardly works), Singer (btw, she sings well; I heard her singing at her wedding and ever since I’ve become selectively deaf – I am deaf when shwets sings ;-) ...), Agony Aunt, et al.

Five years down the line:
PM at L10 chennai, planning to kick-off a start-up, and when u call her after 5 yrs, this wud be her reply: “shuddup, shuddup, shuddup - please don’t disturb. Arre, try to understand yaar, mere chotte chotte chotte chotte bacche hain re”

TARUN a.k.a Pappu, Puppy, lambe, Darling, “stiff ka saala”, GIRLFLOWER

First thing he says when he opens his mouth:
“Kya”(with two hands raised at an even level to show surprise!)

Always found with:
Girls, girls, and more girls!! Oops should it have been...PMs, IDs, and more PMs???????

Who is he?
Pappu the darling! He’s the ‘dahling’ of masses (please note that ‘masses’ includes only females!) Known to kill (literally, please) the female species thru his chocolate face (shee, ladkiyan bolte hain, not me!) and cute smile (somebody changed the definition of cute, I guess). Is very popular amidst the lady PMs and IDs. One ID, particularly S*, is completely smitten by the ‘Tarun’ bug. And this bug has again and again gone into ‘regression’ on her course. And obviously, she is way too happy abt the regressions! (overheard one netg girl saying to a MS girl) – “arre pappu’s cho chweet, I can have him as a sweetner in my coffee!”(poor girls, alas, they didn’t knw tht pappu doesn’t have tea or coffee – this puppy just drinks milk with Horlicks “aepang, opang, jhapaang!” and the biggest news: he’s got a brand new nickname: “GIRLFLOWER” when in e-learning field, we need to give appropriate analogies. So, just as a sunflower follows the sun, the girlflower follows a GIRL!!!!! Reliable sources confirmed tht once he did a stripping act for a college function(confirmed frm evidence on two blogs). And he has agreed to repeat tht feat for the next Netg party. Wow! Thank heavens we’ve left L10!. But, all this apart, he’s climbing the corporate ladder fast. And boy! It is real fast. Whtvr he’s with girls, at work, he’s An efficient and sincere person. Hats-off(I dont have any). Within a year, we envision him in the PMs corner busy coloring excel sheets!(obviously as a PM and not as a house-keeping guy – now, who did think otherwise???)

Alternative career option:
A puppy! (gals can cuddle and cootchie-coo with him whenever they want to ;0) )

Five years down the line:
A PM at L10 tech with a FAT pay packet and n NO, n+1…er um…its become n+2 now…….whoa! whtever…lets put it as n+n girlfriends! Alternatively, he could have even kicked-off his own start-up!





Your Absence should be long enough so that Somebody misses You.
But it should not be so long that. Somebody learns to live without You.
So, Keep in Touch.