The last few months have been different.
For many reasons; with each of us developing our own coping mechanism and trying to make the best of the situation- the proverb of life, lemons, lemonades and all.
In the midst of this, I was getting phone calls from complete strangers who seemed to know all about my spouse and son and wanted to offer admissions in all kinds of courses in some wonderful places. Lakes, Hills, Forests, Cities were proudly mentioned as locales. They seemed fabulous at least as far as their names went. Initially, I felt rewarded. Due to his hard work, all these wonderful people were CALLING us, some of them repeatedly, and literally pursuing us for admissions. Wow! Then, as the naivety wore off, reality struck. It was a marketing exercise and we were literally rupiahs in their eyes.
I went into Sherlock Holmes mode. Who shared my mobile number? My name? My husband's name? My son's name? His class scores? etc etc. Was it the examination conducting authorities and Boards? Was it the school?
The unsuspecting callers were happy to tell.
The transformation from chirpy, grateful mother to suspicious, not-too-happy-to-be-disturbed angry old woman was quick.
Hence, one evening when there was a stranger on the line, I assumed the worst. It turned out to be Ms.Bhakti Kothari from Indian Masterminds. She was the recipient of a full blast of my wariness, as I interrogated her on how she found me, my number, etc. While her answers were not very satisfactory (You see, dear Watson, the dots simply did not connect!) I found the website to be authentic. Their efforts to show civil servants as normal women and men with hobbies, interests and facets other than the common image in public- a nameless, cold, plodding, red-tape-trapped robot- came as a refreshing change.
Here is a gist of my interaction with them. Article by Indian Masterminds
The timing was perfect, almost pre-ordained as I get ready for the launch of my 2nd book- The Awasthis of Aamnagri. 😊
You can read the article here:
