arrrrrrgggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been down with fever and a very nasty throat infection. The kind when you are put on an overdose of anti biotics- from the ent doc and the gen.physician. So much so I havent spoken much in the past two days-understatement. I havent done much in the past two days. I hadnt slept the whole of last night and was trying to hoard all of my day's sleep for tonight ButI couldnt help but nod off for a few minutes when I was woken up by my mother saying there was a person on the line regarding the broadband connection problem.

I have been facing a broadband connection probelm. Within few minutes of connection, the line would disconnect. To my dismay I noticed my dad had a monster for a connection-DATAONE!!! It was Government service and I had to reach out to them for my problem. If my friend Arpita would would hear me talking like this she would kill me. She was always in support for the govt. Not that the private players were any good. Nevertheless.

So i got up all groggy, to attend this phone call.

The whole conversation is in tamil...

akila: hello?

##$$:(in a very tamil accent...and high pitch) hallo.... There has been a complaint from you regarding your broadband connection.

akila: yes..(am sorry i made a complaint....will you forgive me??)

##$$: Is it a USB or an ethernet card?

akila: Ethernet

##$$: Okie now switch on the computer.

akila: excuse me...but i have picked up the extension from downstairs and I cant transfer it back, so can i call you?

##$$: what??? how many phones do you have?how come you cant transfer back and....a slurry of other useless questions.

akila:what???! is that like important??

##$$: of course it is, you live in that house and you dont know how many phones you have??
do you atleast know to operate the computer?I am the JE talking here.

akila:(i think to myself...jay...what a nice name for a horrible sounding guy!!)

and answer" i think i do, but just a little bit. "

##$$: okie i will call you back....

so I dutifully go upstairs and wait for his call. 5 mins, 10 mins.No call.

I looked at the watch and realised, it was 5:30. Of course he was not going to call back!!!

So I called dad and got this ##$$'s details and called him back and told him it was the same old me. and He continued the conversation right from where left it.

##$$" so have u atleast switched on your computer?
Akila:yes your highness I have

##$$: What is the modem that you have- the white one or the black one?

Akila: ha...the white one.

##$$: the white one? then it has a maroon bottom
Akila: how techno savvy...yes...the white one with a maroon bottom.

##$$:hmmmm that means it is a MT841?
Akila: yes it is Grandmaster.

##$$: Now right click the icon that connects to broadband.

Usually when some one says right click, i generally presume it is to check the properties but the grandmaster had other plans

##$$: what does it say?
Akila: it says connect, status, cut copy,.......

##$$: okie okie...now connect.
Akila: okie....

##$$: Now after it has connected, open a website- anything, yahoo google, anything

Akila: Thank You kind master for giving me the liberty to open any site.

##$$: see, it works doesnt it?? Thats it. It is very simple.

Akila: Okie, but i have a problem

##$$: you still have a problem???

Akila: crouching in fear...yes i do. The connection gets disconnected after 10- 15 mins.

##$$: on it's own?

Akila: ya rite....i disconnect it on my own and go through this pleasurable conversation with you....

##$$: okie, here is a number. Call up these guys and ask them to find out if there is a problem locally.

Akila: so there is no problem from your side then?
##$$: of course not. It has connected hasnt it? Thats my territory until then. I will not move my freaking butt beyond that.

Akila: Okie.Thanks for being so kind and patient with me. Bye.

So I call up this new number and a lady answers a phone.

Men are okie but ladies in government service are scary. The other day i called up the telephone office for some reason(why do i have to do all the calling i wonder at times) and this lady picks up and i tell her my sms-es are not going to a particular number(selective ignorance;)) and she says ,"oh, is it? okie maybe you should come and meet the Grandmaster personally. Only he can solve your problem"
Akila: oh is there no customer service number i can and they would look into or something?
Lady ##$$" OH i just picked up the phone because it rang. You have to meet the grandmaster personally and find out what is the number"


anyways back to our l'il conversation with the new lady. I repeat all my problems to her and what the grandmaster had told me and goes

" We have customers from tiruppur, ooty, udumalpet...... they have no problems. How come you have?"

Akila: oh damn. I didnt realise it was I who was the sinner!!!!

##$$lady2: okie now , you go call the grandmaster and tell him not to blame me and it is actually his problem with the phone line . My territory ends right here"

the line goes blank....Think she went off to claim overtime for the 5 mins she spent talking to me after 5:30 PM.

I was almost in the verge of tears and went downstairs to rant all this to my mum and complain and savage the government employees and get some self pity for getting shouted at for no reason.

MY mum wouldnt even hear me.

She just said "they are like that. You want to get your job done lady then you got to accept it"

I tried calling my dad to explain what happened I even tried to convince him to get a touchtel connection. He wouldnt even hear me out. He just said" They are like that and we need to accept them"

Of course we do......

This morning I was watching the news about the reservation issues and decided I had to take a stand. What was my opinion? Were reservations necessary?

I saw medha patkasr demonstrating and thought to myself what was my stand?

Having lived amidst social orkers for 2 years it was important i took a stand on things. I was either here or there. If not i was not there!!!!!!!!

But I dont have a bloody stand. I dont. I have just become too tolerant and indifferent to have an opinion. Does it really matter what I think. Ya maybe in a 10-15 min GD for a job interview or something but otherwise it doesnt make a difference what I think.

It is one thing for Madhavan to wax eloquent in RDB about how youth have to change the nation and another thing where we are taught to accept things the way they are......

I studied and made my way through a state which has 69% reservation when the national rule says it should not be over 50%. I studied in a state that is the only state to support the reservation issue openly and wants it to be implemented over and above the 69%!!!!

I dont care a damn actually.

I am just plain indifferent.