Classmates!!!!

Welcome back!
Just recalled another interesting occurance from the "tales of Kottaram" repository! :-)

This one dates back to the good 'ol 80's and requires as much patience as the ability to keep a straight face while reading this.

Ok. where do I start?

It was around 2 months after Kottaram joined the workplace and spent around the first few months in an unassuming and nondescript existance till one day we got the first peek into Kottaram's colorful life.

Kottaram started his day with replying to a lot of emails and loud conversations on the cell phone.

One conversation went on like this (you might think that there was eavesdropping going on but Kottaram was just plain loud and that's the only truth).

Kottaram [after dispensing with the regular hi and hello's, gets on with ...]: Oh! you're coming down to bangalore?

Kottaram [brief pause..]: good man .. it would be great to meet up ... after a long time.

Kottaram [a very brief pause..]: of course.. I don't know where the tv channel office is .. but we can find out. Call me when you get here. take care.

..And he settled down in his seat to continue with his perusal of his daily emails.

as a very brief time passes by he gets up and pointedly asks his neighbor the question ..

Kottaram: do you know where the Star office is?

Good 'ol Neighbor: No - I don't know.

Nosey Parker Neighbor: Hey - I know where it is. the Star office right, they have something on lavelle road.

Kottaram: can you tell me how to get there? I'll need to drive someone down there in the next few days.

Nosey Parker Neighbor: Sure!! [taking a sheet of pen and paper, proceeds to draw a detailed path of getting to lavelle road]

Kottaram: thanks man .. I'm sure I won't have a problem finding the place.

Nosey Parker Neighbor [turns around... pauses briefly ... and then jumps up to enquire]: why are you going to the Star office? You can't get a job there :-)) [desperatly trying to get some information out of Kottaram..].

Kottaram: oh .. nothing .. my friend is coming down and she wanted to go to the star office. you know ... barkha expects me to take her there and I don't want to tell her .. i don't know where the place is ...

Nosey Parker Neighbor [catches on to the obviously emphasised word and ... ]: Barkha? Barkha who?

Kottaram [in a matter-of-fact way] : Barkha Dutt! Who else?

Nosey Parker Neighbor [doesn't believe the guy but what the heck..? ]: who is barkka dutt ...?

Kottaram [ jaw dropping moment .. ]: man .. you don't know her ... she is the ace tv reporter .. blah blah blah ... kargil .... more blah ... and blah .... yea.. she is awesome..

Nosey Parker Neighbor [not to be outdone ... ]: sure I know barkha Dutt!! I just wasn't sure if we were talking about the same person. [yea right ... like we all don't know .... what you are up to].

Nosey Parker Neigher [Not one to give up and wanting to deflect attention from the fauz paus ventures out with .. ]: how do you know barkha? [we're on first name .. reference aren't we? ]

Kottaram [ with the confidence of a 1000 elephants]: she was my classmate and a good friend ... we all studied at St. stephans - barkha, my wife and I.... all best buddies. she was there for my wedding too..

Nosey Parker Neighbor[ Stunned... momentarily .. but recovers to ask .. ]: umm .. so how come she is your classmate .. you guys don't seem to be of the same age group ..

Kottaram [ not one to be bothered by details .. ]: well .. she was my wife's classmate ... and I got to know her quite well .. during the time i was going around with my wife.

Nosey Parker Neighbor [ gives up now ... ]: wow! nice. would it be possible for me to meet her too .. ?

Kottaram [ comes up with a nice and final touch .. ]: sure ... let her get here ... i'll invite you over for some drinks ...

and there started one of the first few invites and promises for meeting up for drinks with a personality cum classmate.

To this day, no one knows if Kottaram knew Barkha Dutt or Barkha knew his wife, but the confidence with which it was presented laid the foundation for more stories to come .... on the classmates track.

Sure its great to meet a celebrity, its even great to meet someone who knows a celebrity and its even more condescending if you know someone who knows the celebrity's email address!!

:-))