After Office Hours

Big Boss!

I thought branch work is unending. Yes it is. I thought Boss’s orders are unending. Yes they are. I thought wife has her own way. Yes she has.

After the staff leaves at 5 pm you feel a bit relaxed. Have a look around in the nearly empty office – Boss-1, Manager-1, Officers-2 & generator wala-1. For a moment mind goes blank & you close your eyes & take a deep breath.  At first start looking at pending work then at Boss sitting in the cabin. Hmm, he has taken out his cigarette & seems to be in a good mood. Must have had a beer or something -stupid fella. Nevertheless Yours Truly suggested to him:

-Sir, Samosa with tea?

-Not for me, you people go ahead.

 So, I thought, we could close shop by 6. But no. Boss barks:

-You better see that this statement is sent to HO, loan file of Gupta is completed, a note on Visit Report is prepared, letter on Income & Expenditure is faxed and Audit observations of last month are attended to. Call me before closing. Bye!

-Bye Sir! (Yours Truly tried to say –stupid- but voice did not come out ). 

All present are summoned, offered Samosa & shown the list of work to be completed. Their reactions turn the taste of Samosa into that of Karela.  Officer Taneja-Sir how long it will continue like this? Officer Baweja-Sir I wait & wait & wait for Sunday as if waiting for a new girl friend.    

-Common you are Officers of such a big organisation with a long carrier ahead of you. Maybe you shall be GM / ED/ CMD one day & then change the working style & late sitting. So let us finish it & quit by 8.15 so as to reach home early today!

Part work done Yours Truly called home:

-By 8.30

-Early today?

-Boss has disappeared after handing over a list which will take a week to comply -stupid. So coming by 8.30. What’s for dinner?

-No subzi at home. Bring Karela, onions, a bit of ginger & garlic & coriander leaves & of course don’t forget tomatoes. Or better bring  ½ butter chicken if you like.

-Abe yaar it is Tuesday! Ok Bye! (Yours Truly tried to say –stupid- but voice did not come out).

Such is the fate of a man!

Do patan ke beech me sabut bacha no koye!

What is in a name?

Name the tower in New Delhi

Foundation of ‘New’ Delhi was laid down a century back and yet it remains ‘New’ to this day. And within New Delhi we have interesting names of shops, roads, buildings etc. Take for example Tilak Nagar area predominantly occupied by Punjabis who migrated during partition. We have a popular milk vendor ‘Lahore Dairy’. Obviously must have come from Lahore where also he might be selling milk & paneer.

So is Des Raj who runs a shop ‘Pishori Tailor’. Hailing from Peshawar & specialising in Pathani suits. He is grand old man now & has been in touch with his friends in Peshawar. He says that similar names are being used by his friends there – ‘Dilli Tailor’, ‘Lakhnavi Kebabs’ etc. 

Then we have ‘Pind Baluchi’ restaurant whose owner hails from a village in Baluchistan. There is a ‘Frontier Bakery” of a family from frontier near Afghan border & a popular eatery ‘Pindi Chhole Bhature’ hints to Rawal Pindi. They also serve a sweet dish ‘Karachi’ Halwa.

Certain house building societies (HBS) of Delhi have odd names origin of which is based on places in Pakistan – Mianwali Coop HBS, Bahawalpur Coop HBS, Bhera Enclave. Near Bhera Enclave there is a bunch of flats named Nagin Lake Apparments! Neither there is a lake nor Nagin!

In western Delhi there is Najaf Garh & Bahadar Garh(in Haryana). Story goes that Najaf Khan & Bahadar Khan were brothers & Subedars in attendance of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last mogul king, who rewarded them with land around these two villages. These villages have grown into tehsils now bearing names of Najaf Garh & Bahadar Garh.

After coming of Metro, Delhi is dotted with ugly pillars. Interestingly the  shop keepers are using such pillars in their ads & visiting cards - ‘Opp. Metro Pillar No. 420’! Metro disappointed while naming certain stations as ‘East’ ‘West’ like in Janakpuri East & Janakpuri West. There was no dearth of names but Metro didn’t bother. Entire list of names of Nehru / Gandhi family are available for christening pillars, stations, buildings, airports, canals etc.

Then there are Gates in Delhi, beginning with landmark India Gate. There is Ajmeri Gate, Lahori Gate, Mori Gate, Kashmiri Gate & even Dilli Gate!

There are some exotic names which you may not find elsewhere in India such as Karkardooma, Patpar Ganj, Gali Paranthe Wali etc. Adchini is in south Delhi & has nothing to do with chini the sugar or chini the Chinese. The name Shalimar Bagh is an improved version of Saalamar Bagh where Saala (brother in law) of a local nawab was got murdered (by the nawab) in that Bagh!

This couplet is already circulating in fb & narrates similar views:

यह कैसी है दिल्ली भाई।
हमको कुछ समझ न आई।।
पहाड़गंज में 'पहाड़' नहीं
दरियागंज में 'दरिया' नहीं।।
चाँदनी चौक में कहाँ चाँदनी?
और धौला कुआँ में 'कुआँ' नहीं।।
नई सड़क पुरानी दिल्ली में।
और किला पुराना नई दिल्ली में।।