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 (1) The day which God created God (probably through Mitosis or Cytokinesis) 12.12.12

(2) Wishes to tomorrow's Tamil Nadu's throne (Only to the throne??? And not to the person?!?!?)...:-)...

  (3) 12.12.12 - A wonder born on a World’s wonderful day.

- Pavala.

Last Working Day @ iGATE...

On my last working day, I reached office at my usual time. Till the previous day I was a bit sad with senti, but on my last day I was fine. I felt feeling better after I had sent the Adieu mail to colleagues in iGATE. A couple of clearances were pending and I started working on those. But in-between got to know about a critical situation for a known person from a colleague. This colleague is based out of SIPCOT office. I tried to do something through my known contacts to revert the situation. Though I will be not in office to see the after effects of my efforts, it gave me satisfaction that atleast I did something from my end and I believe whatever happens will be for the good.

The clearances work converged and I got almost all of the clearances. My plan is to say a "Bye" to every known person in-person and start to home. Around 11:50 in the morning, my friend Aravind called for the morning break. While getting tea, he said "Last morning tea for you" just to create senti. I just smiled.

As usual when I was heading to the 9B cafeteria for lunch, I found my friends coming out of it and were heading towards Block-5 food court for lunch. I got shocked. I had a hidden agenda in 9B cafeteria. The hidden agenda was to prolong the lunch as long as possible if time and everything else favors. They started compelling me to come to Block-5 with them, which was un-imaginable. I told them that I will go in and take a look and come back. But after going in and taking a look :-)(pun intended), I couldn't come back. I called them over phone and asked(actually pleaded) them to come back to 9B cafeteria. I requested them to consider my request since its my last working day there. They got into a sort of senti and obliged. Luck favored me and got a good seat. I enjoyed having the lunch :-), and appended it with a mint juice, just to prolong it and started drinking it in very small sips. My friends lost their patience after sometime and literally pulled me out of the cafeteria. I left the cafeteria with a heavy heart.

After the lunch we all went to our usual place and took rest in the lawn. After that we all went to block-5 and had ice-cream in the "Milky Way". After that when I went back to my seat, I found that time has just flown away, and just 2 hours were left. I just went around the ODCs to bid "Bye Bye". But contrary to my plan, many were not in seats, due to tea break time, and some had already left for the day. I just bid my bye to whomever I met and in the meantime I got a call from Nanda asking me to come for the small fare-well party that they had arranged in 9B cafeteria. I told him that I will be there in a while.

When I went across the ODCs, my colleague Bala asked "Pavala, everyone is talking about your dance... Just put a small step for me..."
I managed by saying "Bala... I need music and the fancy light for dancing... Its tough for me to dance in a calm environment like this..." He just smiled and said "Ok".

I expected that in the last moment, someone might ask me to dance. Now that someone happened to be Bala. In-fact I was ready to dance or perform a small step, but that was a very formal environment and also feared a small crowd might gather. Still I was a bit sad that I dis-appointed Bala and promised him to share a clip with my dance steps. Nothing much happened in that ODC and I waited there till some left. After they left, I had no work there. Then I went to 9B cafeteria for the fare-well. There I found my friends waiting with a Gift. The leader, Aravind gave me the Gift, followed by a small speech (a mokkai one from me), then we went to 9A cafeteria for my last tea-break get togther with friends in office.

Then I submitted my ID and access card, and came to the main door. My friends also accompanied me up to the gate. In the main gate, I bid "Good Bye" to the main security there and shook hands with him.
He smiled and replied "You are Pavala... Govindarajan... no"
I said "Yes..." and started wondering how he knew my full name.
Then he continued "Dance aduneenga illa..." (You danced no...)
That explained it... :-)...

Bye Bye iGATE... I will be missing you...

- PAVALA.

The Last Day...

Yesterday was my last working day in my third company. While coming back from office, I remembered my last working day during my training days in Trivandrum. It brought back lot of memories. I joined TCS as a fresher and was put up for training in its Technopark branch, Trivandrum. The training was for about 2 and half months. In the first few days, I had a hard time adjusting to the new place, office environment, and the military discipline followed there. We were given accomodation in hotels in the city and we commuted by company arranged cabs to and from office.

On the second day afternoon, during lunch time, I thought of making a phone call. In those days only a very few had mobile phones, and I didn't have any. So, I have to go out to the phone booth and make calls. I asked the main gate security about the nearest phone booth. He told me where it is and also told me that if I go out, then after making the phone call, I can take my luggage and go to my native straight. In short he was telling that if I dared to go out, then I will not be permitted inside again forever. As a fresher I got scared and went inside and I never dared to go out again & I never spoke to that security again. It was a strict military rule there.

Later I got to know that most of the companies treat freshers more or less in the same way. They keep threatening the freshers, as freshers are the only people who can be threatened. And the situation will be worse if the freshers have a bond with the company. We were split into different batches. Most in our batch became close to each other. We had lots of fun.

The last day arrived. On that day we had to complete a lot of formalities like some documents submission, signing in some documents and similar activities. One particular girl in my batch was intentionally coming to me again and again and was asking lot of questions about me and my family. She kept on asking irrelevant questions till the end of the day.

Towards the evening a sort of senti-mood was spreading among my batchmates. Around 5:30 in the evening, I dont know who started it, but suddenly I could see three girls crying. Along with them 2 guys also started crying. Then slowly one by one, almost everyone in our batch started crying. But I didnt. I had no reason to cry. Infact I was eagerly waiting to return back to my native or to Chennai as soon as possible. I didnt want to see the crying faces. I didnt want to remember those faces with tears as my batchmates. So, I immediately returned to my room, took all my lugguages, and started walking towards the main road to get an auto for the bus-stand.

In the bus-stand another of my batchmate also joined with me and we had booked tickets in the same bus. After getting into the bus, he asked me.

"Pavala, do you know why (telling her name) was talking to  you again and again..."
"No."
"I told her that you have a crush on her..."
"But why...???"
"Just for fun..."

I never spoke with him again. Making casual comments about the looks of a person, and that too at that age, doesnt mean that I have a crush on that person. I never spoke to him all through that 12 hour journey. During that phase of my life, I was already into a critical commitment and was facing a lot of issues in my personal life. I never spoke to him till I got down from the bus and I never spoke to him till now in my life. But now I feel that I have been so immature to behave like that. If I ever meet him again, I wish to apologize for my behavior on that day.

- Pavala.

Dance Floor - DJ Party in Office...

In the first week of November, when the DJ party was announced in office, I got so exited and decided to enjoy it to the core, as this probably is going to be my last Dance Floor in this office.

The same day I jumped into action. All evenings were spent in front of the TV on Sun Music and Isai Aruvi, carefully watching the steps of various songs and practicing them. Also I downloaded a couple of songs from YouTube and kept seeing them  again and again. Around the same time, I got to know about the "Gangam Style" of PSY and enjoyed watching his funny moves & steps for this song. I immediately started liking him, as he is also more or less about my height & weight, except that we are exactly opposite in complexion. I am fair & he is not that fair (The truth is exactly the opposite and replace "not that fair" with "dark"...:-)...).

It took me sometime to get hold of his steps and at one point I was able to dance like him for the whole song. My little friends Dhanesh & Deepak also joined me in the practice sessions. They picked up some of the steps more quickly then me and I have to learn it from them. Anuska Akka's "Kathal Vanthale...(Singam)" and Ruppa Manchari's "Makayala Makayala..." steps became my favorite, as they are easy to replicate & its fun dancing like them. I also tried to learn Surya's steps, but they were too complicated, and Vijay's steps are almost un-replicable, as they were Prabu Deva's steps, which only he and Vijay can dance.

I and my friend became busy on the previous day of the event as I have deligated the task of selecting the costume for me. She suggested a shiny shirt, white pant, with lot of gold jewels, as she said that the gold jewels will gel with my complexion.

On the day when I entered the main building of our office, I could see many smiling softly within themselves on seeing my costume. It happens :-). Some of my friends and colleagues asked "Is this outfit for the dance floor...", for which I didnt give an answer, but just smiled.

It was announced that the DJ party will start at 4:00 PM onwards. At 3:30 PM, I went to the venue and found that all had been set and they have started playing the music. As I like listening to songs at a high volume, I enjoyed listening to those songs, but came back to my seat in 10 minutes. Then again I went at 4:00 PM, but no one was there. No performers, No Audience. The DJ host and his team were anxiously looking at every passer-by, but no one entered the dance floor. Due to some senti, I do not want to enter as the first person. So, I waited. Time crossed 4:10 PM, still no one entered. I started loosing my patience, and the music and the fancy lights were pulling me inside, but still I decided to wait until someone enters. The momement arrived.

Around 4:15 PM, a group of guys saw those lights, and one Guy in that group got so exited that he went it in and danced for a few seconds. Waiting for this moment, I also jumped in at the same time. I started with very little steps, just to warm up. But, Alas, the Guy and the group left immediately. I hesitated for while, but then, I decided to continue. There was no audience too. I looked at the HR, DJ and his team, they were also anxiously looking at me. Not to dis-appoint them, I finally decided to continue. With no audience and no one else on the dance floor, I went on starting with "Venaam Machaan Venaam intha ponnunga kathalu..." song. Very simple steps.

Then came my favourite Anuska Akka's "Kathal Vanthale". This time a small audiance had formed. I went on with my attempt to dance. That was a solo performance for a brief time. Then a small gang formed and the main-stream dance floor started. I too started enjoying the fun and pleasure of dancing, forgetting myself.

A short time later, a Gang of Girls, who were intially discussing and whispering from behind a pillar, seemed to have taken a final decision that rather than to see fellows like me dancing, that they themselves jump into action and then they jumped into the dance floor with such a force that we Guys were actually thrown out of the floor. But still we managed to enter again. Then, slowly many entered and it was more fun.

After that I do not remember much of what happened and I got fully into dancing. That was a divine experience. After sometime I realized that I was deep inside the crowd. Since an audience was there, and since I am shorter than average Indian Guys, I thought there is no point in just dancing like that in the crowd. Like very other job, if you want to be a good entertainer, you need to show visibility. Thinking so, I soon came out of the crowd, found a place outside and continued. But soon I forgot about that too, and focussed only on my steps and enjoyed to the core.

When I tried the famous Ruppa Manchari's steps for "Makayala Makayala...", I could hear one Guy shouting "Dei... practice pannittu aduraanga da..."(They are dancing after practicing...). On hearing this, I turned back and found a big crowd behind him. In the mean-time, I could find some capturing the moments in their mobile phone. Later when I saw those clips, it was so funny that I couldnt stop laughing... The fun went on and on and on, and when it reached its peak, the DJ evening came to an end. For me it appeared as if it has just started, and before I could dance properly, it has ended... I was sort of dis-appointed... But still I was happy that I enjoyed the event to the core as I had planned... Finally after the event got over, I went to the DJ and thanked him and his team. He thanked me in turn said "It was you who started it with a Pillaiyar Suli...". Actually, it was not me, I was the second, but I got the credits :-).

The next day was bit different for me. Whenever I went I felt as if everyone was noticing me. I was getting a strange attention, whereever I went, with many complimenting my performance(???) on the previous day. This type of constant attention was strange to me, and I was finding it tough to handle it. At that same time I was wondering how Girls were able to handle such attention for the most part of their life. The ultimate was when the HR told me "You were the performer yesterday... I really admired the way you performed...". That showed the extent to which I had jumped on the previous day... But all these faded away in the next couple of days, as it happens to any entertainer, but these memories are going to stay in my mind for a longer time...

 Edit on Dec 5, 2012:
1) The Gang of Girls were dancing in a way that resembled the Arabic hip-hop style with awesome symmetric steps, due to which I stopped for while, watched their performance ;-) & then continued.
2) I got to know later that my performance had got me a lot of fans :-)...
 
- Pavala.

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My Experiments with Dancing

Though even in school days I have witnessed many dance events in the Annual day functions, they didn't attract me much. But when I was studying UG in PSG Tech, Coimbatore,  there used to be a function called Calypso, an inter-college meet of all PSG Group of institutions. There I saw a groups of Girls from PSG CAS and GRG dancing on the stage. That was a well-rehearsed, practiced stage show.
Still that was interesting. On seeing that I used to feel that someday I too should dance like that. But I know very well that I may not get a chance to dance on the stage.

Driven by the desire to dance (or) to learn dancing, I used to try some little steps in my hostel room, seeing which at times my roommate used to laugh. But within a few days this landed me in a trouble. One day I was sleeping and it was around 11:30 in the night. My roommate woke me up...
"Pavala... Pavala... Wake-up... Wake-Up..."
"What da..."
"Our seniors asked me to bring you..."
"For what..."
"They got a  chance to participate in tomorrow's event... They got 10 minutes, and they can do whatever they want in that 10 minutes..."
"And why they want me to come..."
"They are going to dance and they want someone to teach them..."
"Ohhhh... And who told that I can dance???"
"Me..."
"Deiiiii... I cant dance da... I dont know how to dance..."
"Dont worry... Just teach them what you know..."
"I know nothing..."


It became clear that now there is no point in arguing with  him. As you know during college days seniors are demi-Gods. I woke up and we both went to their room in the B Block. Once I entered their room, I found a huge crowd, roughly of about 30 people waiting for me. A senior, who is known to terrorize his juniors was summoned to explain me what I am supposed to do. I told him that I cant dance... I dont know how to dance... At once he changed his tone and started threatening me... Some others started convincing me... And finally almost all of them started pleading to teach them whatever I know... I was giving different reasons that I could not dance, and this went on for about 40 minutes... After 40 minutes it became clear to me that I cant go back to my room, without dancing and without teaching them something...

They played the song. It was some English song, which I didnt know. With no other option, I  had to jump into action. I heard the song once, asked them to play it again... and started dancing... Keeping my legs in "Stand At Ease" position, I moved two steps to the left, then two steps to the right and again two steps to the left, two steps to the right, then turned sidewards and spread my arms horizontally... It seemed that they got impressed... And I had to do the same steps again and again for the next 30 minutes,  until they learnt it. Eight Guys stood in two rows of four each, and they kept practicing. In the mean time they found out another Guy from some other department and brought him there. Then we both worked together until 3:30 in the morning. My primary job being learning the steps from  him and repeating it again and again until our seniors picked it up... In the mean time I started enjoying this work... The practice sessions went on in the next day afternoon too...

Next day evening the function started, and I was anxiously waiting for my seniors to arrive on the stage. After a very long time, towards the end of the event, they appeared. The stupid announcer, announced in the mike that that was the last performance for the day. Half of the crowd dissolved on hearing that. They stood in two rows of four each... the music started playing... and they started moving two steps to the left, two steps to the right... exactly in the same way I did on the previous night... and when they turned and spread their arms... almost all of the audience dissolved and dis-appeared... Only a handful of people were left... Though the steps were funny, it still made me happy... may be, because of the joy of creation... I and the primary choreographer stayed back till they completed... clapped and then we too went to room back...

Then while doing PG in NIT, Trichy, there used to be a function called "Version" in our department. In that some were given chance to dance on the stage during dance events... We Guys used to take this chance and dance, in the front, right below the stage, exactly imitating the steps on the stage... And this imitation and dancing reaches its peak when gang of girls dance of the stage... Due to this type of training, now it is very easy for me to learn and imitate the girls steps...

Then I joined for work. My first company was TCS, training in Trivandrum Technopark. Just one week before the training was about to get over, my batchmates arranged for a party and a get together. There they had arranged something close to a DJ party... In a big hall, with fancy lights & loud music, people started dancing... I was entirely new to that type of situation and I kept on watching... After a long time, with lots of hesitation, I too entered, by which time almost all had stopped and only a few were dancing... I started dancing and in order to encourage me, my colleague Gurleen Chawla, just came in front of me and accompanied me in the dance... I was sort of embarrassed, and tried to stop and go out.. But she kept dancing according to my steps and I too continued and this went on for more than 15 minutes... Right at that moment, my another colleague, who was carrying a camera, caught that moment in a flash(pun intented :-)...)... Finally we both were the only ones dancing and all were watching... When we stopped there was a huge round of applause for us :-)...

Then at work, I never got a chance again and I almost forgot about dancing, until one day a DJ party was announced in my third company iGATE. That was sometime in May 2012. I went there 30 minutes after the party started and was just watching it... But after sometime after hearing the loud music and the fancy light, I couldnt resist and just jumped into the dance floor... It was there that I rediscovered my hobby again... I thought of going out in 10 minutes... But I stayed back... and tried to dance till the end of the party... But only a very few were dancing and there was no much audience... I enjoyed that day...

A sample clip for your view... :-)...

 
Then again another DJ party announced in office in Nov 2012... Finally that became one of the most memorable day of my life, which I will explain in a separate post... 

- Pavala.

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