Sunday, May 2, 2010

My first date

February 14 is Valentine's day.

As per Wikipedia, Saint Valentine's Day (commonly shortened to Valentine's Day)is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 500. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

By the time I was 27 yeas old I had known something about Valentine's day. How Lovers celebrate the day and how some Indian culture lover punish some of them. I had a doubt that when everybody accept love of lord Krishna and Radha, then why few people are objecting celebration on valentines day. Krishna and Radha never married each other. May be their love was pure and they never thought of marriage. Business establishments those get benefited by Valentines day celebration make a hype. Since I got my first e-mail address, I get lot of mail before valentines day suggesting me to gift something to my valentine. As I did not have any valentine till year 2007 so I could not gift anything to anybody.


On 12th February 2007, my brother called me from New Delhi telling that he found a good match for me from a matrimonial site. Actually he created my profile in matrimony site and used to search for a GOOD girl for me. As per him the girl was university topper in Economics and was working in financial banking sector. I was reluctant for marriage because I thought my salary was not enough to give my would be wife a comfortable life. Vishalakshi, my colleague did not think the same way. She told all girl do not see what a boy is earning. Some girl look for attitude, behavior of a boy and a good family. My brother told 'you will not have any financial problem as long as I am there. What I will do with the money I have?'. A very good brother indeed. Even I was fascinated to marry a topper. So I did not want to miss the chance. Though my brother was on a business trip in New Delhi, he found time for meeting girl's family. I felt happy. My brother booked my flight ticket from Hyderabad to New Delhi on 13th Feb 2007. Eventually I had to meet the girl on 14th February.

Actually selecting a girl for marriage is very difficult task.I wanted to marry a highly educated girl. There were lot of opinion that I had to remember while selecting a girl. My mother wanted a homely girl. My brother wanted a fair, smart and tall girl for me. My sister warned that fair girls are lazy and egoistic, so preferably I should marry a brown girl. My brother-in-law said me the danger of marring a working lady.One good thing about my brother-in-law is that, he always backs his theory with example. He told me how his friend's life was in mess after he married to a working lady. 'The time you think your wife's money as your money, then problem starts' he quoted I thought of satisfying everybody. So I wanted to marry a girl who is highly educated, homely, fair, smart and not egoistic . But, again there was a problem. My sister felt that I may not get a girl having all the desired quality. She told if I wait for such girl I may not marry at all. That was disheartening. But this girl,Mona Mohanty had all the qualities we were looking for.I was very optimistic. I thought she could not get a better boy like me. And I was little nervous before meeting the girl because I was thinking my low salary might be a problem.


After completing my work at office, I had to take a flight to Delhi. While coming from office to my room, one person handed over me an paper with some advertisement on it. Advertisement was on Telugu. Though I had learnt speaking Telugu, I did not know reading Telugu alphabet. The advertisement paper seemed to be waste for me but I did not throw it as it would have hurted the person who gave me the paper. Then I got a phone call from my friend and who gave me phone number of another friend. I wrote down the phone number on the advertisement paper and kept it in my wallet. After reaching home I hurriedly went to airport and caught a flight for Delhi. My brother and sister-in-law received me from Indira Gandhi Airport, New Delhi. That night we stayed in hotel and and next morning we had to see the girl.

On one occasion my brother had advised me to read a book, "Men are from mars, women are from Venus". Though I started reading the book I could not complete it. Before, I see the girl my brother gave me few more tips for my first date. He told I need to represent myself as a jovial person and not as a studious person. I should not hurt her and try to understand her feelings. I myself had few important questions to ask her. I tried to recall all the questions and memorize it. I though of asking such questions like 'Do you know cooking?' very old person's attitude and wanted to avoid such questions.

When you meet a girl and fall love with her, people tell that as 'love at first site'. But, what you would tell when you watch photo of a lady and listen some praise about her then start loving her? 'Love at first first photo?' I do not know. Actually I had started loving Mona before I meet her. Even I developed a fear to loose her. You do not fear of loosing some body unless you love her. Love is very mysterious. You love a lady by seeing her photo but you can not love your classmate or female colleague. Always I dreamed of loving somebody and the marry, but I could not love anybody? Why? Did I lack time? Always Dr. Prasad suggested me to get some free time for party and wooing ladies. I could not do that. Did I lack confidence to propose any girl? Or I feared that I may get rejected? Every thing is fair in love. Even you can enjoy rejection if you truly love somebody. The best thing about me what I believe is that I could not love anybody. Now I was in love with Mona so I felt very happy. I was anxious to meet her and could not sleep properly in the night.


Next day, I was dressed with a red cotton shirt and a white pant. My brother did not think that was a good combination. He gave me a pink colored silk shirt. Seeing me on that dress he was happy. Brother, sister-in-law and me went to girls house at Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. We reached her home at 9 am. Her family was staying on 5th floor in a seven-story building. Mona's father Mr. Pabitra Mohanty was waiting in the lawn to receive us. I could see that Mona was trying to watch me from window but I could not see her properly. We reached her home. Would-be-father-in-law declared our arrival to all family members.

Mona's mother, her younger sister and brother came to meet and greet us. We sat in the drawing room and started discussing formally. After 15 minutes, mother of mona called her.She came with cool drink and her mother brought sweet. She was dressed with a pink Saree with red boarder. Fair and slim lady with Long and dark hair. I just could not take my eye away from her for few minutes. I became conscious when her mother asked her to offer us drink. By this time her sister and brother had gone. After offering drinks to others, she came to me. Now I could she her clearly. dark eye, pink lips, sharp nose caught my attention. While taking glass my finger touched her finger, she felt little uneasy. My sister-in-law asked Mona to sit on sofa put opposite to me. I wanted to see her as long as possible. I could guess that my brother is laughing at me. I became conscious and started drinking cool drink. Mona's parents and my brother were talking on various issues which was boring for me.

My sister-in-law suggested that Mona and me should go out and talk freely. My brother advised that we should go to Mughal garden of Rashtrapati bhavan. Her parents did not have any problem and I was looking for such a chance. So we both went to Mughal garden. Mona was driving and I was sitting beside her. Car was filled with her perfume. New Delhi, that day brought me more cheer. We reached Moghul garden by 10.30 am.


Mughal garden of Rashtrapati Bhavan was created by British. The garden beer an impression of Mughal architecture. The garden have a main garden along with Terrace Garden, Long Garden or the 'Purdha Garden' and The Circular (Sunken or Butterfly) Garden.The garden remains open for public in February-March of every year. Visitors are allowed entry to the garden from 9.30 A.M. till 2.30 P.M. on all days except Monday. The garden has an ever green texture. There are water fountains in the garden. Evergreen fragrant shrubs and creepers like Raat ki Rani, Juhi, Golden Showers, Gardenia, Bougainvillea, Climbing Roses etc are planted along the terrace walls. There are more than 250 varieties of roses including black, blue and green roses. The garden is among finest rose garden of world. In the evenings Peacock with their consorts can be seen leisurely moving around.And then there are parrots, mynahs, dovesm piegons who bath and bask with an ease of manner that evokes envy and admiration in all onlookers. I had seen Hanging garden of Mumbai, botanical garden of Ooty, Lalbagh botanical garden of Bangalore and Brindavan garden of Mysore, India. But, Mughal garden was superb and incomparable to other gardens (take out light show of Brindavan garden).



After 2.30 pm we went to McDonald at Connaught place.I could have taken her to any five star hotel near Connaught place as I had my brother's credit card with me, but she preferred McDonald.It was not the taste of food for which I went to McDonald, but it was the interesting story behind making of McDonald.

As per McDonald's website,in the late 1940’s, Dick and Mac McDonald were searching for a way to improve their little drive-in restaurant business in San Bernardino, California. Rather than tinker with the business, which was bringing in a very comfortable $200,0001 yearly, they invented an entirely new concept based upon speedy service, low prices, and big volume.Ray Kroc was 52 years old – an age when many people begin thinking about retirement – when he founded the company that has become the McDonald’s of today. But Kroc, who dropped out of high school at age 15 to drive a Red Cross ambulance in World War I, was a constant dreamer...a salesman who never stopped looking for the ultimate product to sell. He began by selling paper cups to sidewalk vendors in Chicago, took a fling at Florida real estate, and had ultimately built a good business as the exclusive distributor for “Multimixer” milkshake machines. It was the sale of Multimixers, which first drew him to the McDonald brothers’ hamburger stand in San Bernardino, California. After all, if he could discover the secret of how they sold 20,000 shakes each month, how many more milkshake machines could he sell? But when Kroc showed up at McDonald’s one morning in 1954 and saw the rapidly moving line of customers buying bags of burgers and fries, he had but one thought: “This will go anyplace. Anyplace!”. After the McDonald brothers explained that they didn’t have the personal desire to oversee the expansion of their concept across the nation, Ray Kroc became their exclusive franchising agent for the entire country. A great salesman had discovered his ultimate product. Kroc formed the new franchising company on March 2, 1955 under the name of McDonald’s System, Inc.Till now McDonald have more than 7000 outlet all over the world.


Since, morning I was thinking of an innovative idea to propose Mona. I did not have a courage to propose with a rose while on my knee. Few days back i had searched internet for different ways of proposing. I knew different ways to propose, but the problem was I did not want to utter a word. What will happen if everybody around us know that I proposed and she rejected? or if she gets upset with my proposal. Everything was seems to be perfect for proposing, but I did not have the courage. Suddenly, one idea came to my mind after Pizza arrived on our table. I wrote 'ILU' on my mizza by tomato juice and turned the pizza towards her so that she can read. I was thinking whether she knows meaning of 'ILU' or not. I thought if she knows the meaning and object then i will eat the sauce immediately, so that I will not be embarrassed in front of others. To my surprise, she wrote 'I2' on her pizza. My effort was successful, my first propose did not go waste.


After lunch, through India gate we returned to Mona's home. She played some old romantic songs in stereo. I gave her my visiting card containing my phone number and e-mail address. I told to my brother I love Mona and would like to marry her. My sister-in-law gave Platinum ring to Mona as our approval for marriage. The same night I returned to Hyderabad. My brother instructed me not to call her till Mona's family call us. I kept my brother's word.

For two days there was no call from Mona's house. That day evening when I was coming from the office I got same advertise paper, some thing was written on the Telugu, and on the other side there was some thing written on the English. I started reading. What was that? It was advertisement of a clinic treating Sexual diseases. Now I can remember that when giving my vising card earlier advertising paper was dropped in Mona's car. I forgot to collect that advertisement paper. If Mona would have studied that she would have thought that I was suffering from sexual disease. She would have thought that I preserved that advertisement as I needed to go to that clinic for treatment. Which girl would marry boy a guy with sexual disease? Now, I was clear that the advertisement paper broke my marriage. I never told this thing to any of my family members.My brother would have scolded me for my carelessness and stupidity. That day onwards whenever I see a person distributing advertisement paper I try to avoid eye contact with him, so that he doses not give me an advertisement paper. Even if any person puts a advertisement paper on my hand, I try to put it on dust bin as soon as possible. And I keep some extra plain paper with me to write down any phone number. I prefer my friends to sms me any phone number.

I have lost Mona, but I cherish all incidents that happened on 14th February 2007.



















Album
home, brother, father with politicians

To be completed

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