JOURNEY FROM CHENNAI TO BANGALORE VIA KOLKOTA AND USA

It was the last day for one of the my friends Kishore(KD) to stay in Mysore. He thought that by the time he comes back to Mysore again, may be just a few weeks later, most of them would have separated and would have gone on their duties. Kishore had been posted to Chennai and was intimated to join the IBM group on the 17th of june. Let me slightly move to the history of the offer letter. I dont remember the exact date when he was intimated about this. But, as far as I remember, it was during the last week of May, i.e the time when the VTU exams were on the run. He was a little pissed off when he heard that he had been posted to Chennai, because his heart was always beating to stay in Bangalore. At first, when he heard the news, his first reactions were like "99 percent, I'm not going man". On the 6th of June, we had gone on a short distance, short number class trip to Meenakshipura, not more than 15 kms from Mysore. I guess, we were only 10 of them, and all from our class, thats the reason why I called it a class trip even though the trip lacked the quorum. When I called KD for the trip, he refused to join us as he told that he had to attend some career counselling being delivered to him by one of his cousins. Since, a career is always more important than these even though we would'nt see us altogether as a class, probably for the rest of our lives, I did'nt force him too much. The previous day, he was 99 percent sure that he wont take up the job. I dont know what brain washing did his cousin do, the next day, there was a 199 percent shift and he was 100 percent sure of taking the job. Since, he was 100 percent sure of taking the job now, he thought of organising a small farewell at Yampa in our college. I bet, you cant get a better place to hang out than this, and KD has some unforgettable memories just in front of the Yampa counter. So, for the last time, he wanted to experience those hangouts with all his friends. But, that morning, i.e the morning of 15th, the IBM people had mailed many of them that their joining date has been postponed including KD. KD was waiting for a confirmation, in addition to the mail, he had received. Now, the odyssey of KD begins where he travels to Kolkota and then to USA back to Bangalore.

You can notice the lack of knowledge in VTU students, but definitely not intelligence and aptitude. They would have used all their brain for playing and trapping many pranks, for the whole of 4 years, nothing more than that. You dont need to give ideas to them for playing pranks. All of them will be knocking right in front of the opportunity door. We thought of trapping KD with a trick. I dont remember whose idea it was. Let it be anyone's but that idea was exemplary. I asked Vikas, an IS batchmate of our college to call KD and speak in disguise of an IBM official. He spoke to KD and informed him that his next joining date would be on 22nd of July and that he would need to join them at Kolkota. This offset his happiness of the postponement completely and probably more than that. He was almost in depression. To exalt him, Vikas called him up again and this time it was not an IBM-GBS guy speaking to him, it was as an IBM-ISL guy. KD was informed that "....IBM-GBS people have forwarded your resume to us, and it seems very interesting and we are very much interested in making you one among us. So, could you tell us whether you can join us at USA and you will be paid 2000 dollars per month....". The conversation ended with KD saying "....I need to ask my parents and I dont have any problem with VISA....". This time KD was so much excited that, where Vikas had told him as 2000 dollars, he came infront of us and informed us as 3000 dollars. Probably, after he heard the word US, he was not in a position to hear anything properly due to excitement. If you ask him now, he might say anything that he didnt beleive and all such bull shit, but one thing is for sure, he was indeed flying in the air after hearing the news about posting in US. Many of us would have sailed in the same boat as KD did, no surprise. We decided not to overwhelm his masqueraded excitement and took a hat from someone there and put it on him, before revealing this prank. I dont know whether he was upset or not, since I left the place immediately after KD was crowned "BAKRA" putting the hat on him. He had by now traveled from Chennai to Kolkota and then to USA. Then, came the true and authenticated information to him that he had been posted to Bangalore and that he need to join them on 17th itself. Thank god, we told him there itself about the prank. If we had'nt revealed, he would have definitely scolded the actual IBM official about his posting to Bangalore.

I would like to thank you, Mr. Kishore, for taking us on an inter continental trip. All of us would cherish those events in your journey for many more years to come and I hope, you can never forget it. Atlast, you have now two incidents in front of Yampa that you can probably never and ever forget in your life time!!!!!