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Fool khiley hain gulshan...
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April Fool's day has its own share of fun-filled moments, despite disappointments
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SO, WE all think we are the smart Hyderabadis. Brought up on a staple diet of biryani, Irani chai and a dιcor of black metal statues and pearls that continue to enthral — we cannot be fooled. Read on... and find out more of the Hyderabadi intellect.
Khan Saheb, our postman, delivered a nice large packet with my mother's name written in bold. It was quite obvious that it was an envelope carrying good tidings. It was apparently from one of the top corporate real estate firms who promise a lot of gifts along with their plot of selling plots.
The envelope was quickly torn, the postman's "Inaam looks" ignored, and my mother's cup of joy was overflowing. She had won a gift of three tolas of gold, and even before she had laid her eyes on the gold, the designs at Meena Bazaar, etc., were up and about. Phone calls were made to all and sundry to convey the news.
The icing on the cake was that the letter also communicated the good news that the person who had initiated us into the plot scheme (a close aunt) were also to be given a surprise gift.
The surprise element only adds to the glamour of the plot. Not till the boss of the house (he obviously has my mother's permission to be) came and threw some light on the gold plot did most of the family realise that it was April 1.
Office environment with its pressures of targets and deadlines offers enough opportunities for April Fool antics. Having been closely associated with RWA (Resident Welfare Association) activities at Hyderabad for quite some time now, dropping names of the MCH Commissioner, Metro Water Board Chief is second nature.
Not a surprise
So, the fellow staff did not take it as a surprise when an act of receiving a phone call from the MCH Commissioner's office was enacted. In loud overtones, it was made clear to all within listening area that the MCH Commissioner was all praiseworthy of the Mapping/GIS work done by our company and that he wanted to have a closer look at the LIMS (Locality Information Management System) developed by us.
The fact that the Commissioner had planned his visit on April 1 was conveniently ignored by the euphoria of the visit. That the phone conversation with the Commissioner was a one-sided one was only understood when yours truly went underground.
Hyderabad, hot bed of information technology has helped nurture and sustain a number of computer professionals.
As is wont with professionalism, seeming opportunities for career growth are never given a go by, even if the lure is on April 1. So Monika, SPA, IIT, JNTU, et al (as professional as you can get), received this innocuous reading email which talked of a conversation with a senior GIS professional about six months ago regarding rewarding offer in the Middle East and that the visa was ready and all it needed was a `yes' from Monika.
The pro got really working and images of being in the box at a Indo-Pak match at Sharjah were quickly conjured up. It was almost after a week when there were no follow-up mails did she realise that professionalism on April 1 is wrought with a lot of uncertainties.
On fooling issues it is often said, "You can fool some people all the time, all the people some time but not all the people all the times." Some politicians might disagree in keeping with the true philosophy of Indian democracy — fool all the people, all the times.
Nevertheless, April 1 is the time to take it cool and have some clean fun.
MAJ. SHIVA KIRAN
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