kartik kannan's space on the web

Hi
I came across this forward (in red)….….thru a frnd of mine and have written my opinions on what I feel below …in blue .pls do respond back with what u feel on the issue.

The awkward first phone call..

The Scene:
The Girl is a 23 year old investment banker, working in New York. The Boy is doing his residency in Boston and was given her number by his mother, who is a friend of the Girl's aunt's brother-in-law's cousin's uncle's wife in Chicago.

Time:
Monday night, 10 pm

Girl: Hello?

Boy: Shit, she's home! Umm, hi! Is this Pooja?

Girl: Speaking.

Boy: My name is Karan. I don't know if you know who I am. God, what if she doesn't know who I am? I don't even know why I'm doing this!

Girl: Oh, you live in Boston, right?

Boy: Yeah. Ok, so she was told about me, that's some relief. I wonder what she was told - "He's a resident, tall, and fair and he graduated from Ivy League school!". God, she probably hates me already!

Girl: Yeah, my mother mentioned you had my number. I can't believe he actually called!

Boy: So, how are you? Oh yeah, that's real original, but what the hell else I am supposed to say- Umm, hi, I don't know you, but do you want to be my wife?

Girl: I'm fine. And you? Ok, this is off to a great start

Boy: I'm good. Ok, think, think! So, I heard you're an investment banker?
Oh, that's a real winner. Now I can be a bad conversationalist and an idiot!

Girl: Yes.

Boy: Ok, she is not helping me at all! Where do you work?

Girl: Merrill Lynch.

Boy: Hey, that's a great firm! I sound like a complete moron. I should just hang up except my mother would somehow find out and kill me!

Girl: Yeah, it's a nice place to work. God, this guy sounds like a complete loser

Boy: So... Stall, Stall!

Girl: So you're doing your residency in cardiology? Like my mom didn't tell me that 500 times already!

Boy: Ok, I can handle this... Yeah, I'm in my second year. Alright, now say something else, but what do I say? Do you drink? Cause if you want to marry me, you can't be one of those goody goody Indian girls who think that if they kiss a guy, they've practically gone all the waySo, what do you like to do in your free time?

Girl: Umm... get wasted... Oh, you know, hang out with my friends, go to movies...

Boy: Where do you like to hang out in NY?

Girl: Shit, what am I supposed to say? This guy could be some religious freak! I can't say bars - I'll say clubs, you can go to clubs and not drink... Oh, sometimes we go to the movies, or there's a couple clubs that are good... That was good, I made it sound like I like clubs, but I'm not really into them...

Boy: Ok, she goes to clubs, that's a good sign. If she was really religious she wouldn't do that. Yeah? I like to dance also.

Girl: He likes to dance- that's a good sign. He can't be that stiff! So where do you hang out in Boston?

Boy: Should I say it? Alright, I'll say it, what the hell! Umm, the same, bars, clubs, stuff like that.

Girl: He said bars! So he probably drinks. Good sign. I should explore this further... Are there any good bars in Boston?

Boy: Yeah, there are some nice ones, I mean, I'm not a huge drinker, but I like having a good time. Ok, that gives the impression of someone who enjoys drinking but is not an alcoholic - pretty good, if I do say so myself

Girl: That sounds really positive. This guy sounds kind of cool. But if he's so cool why is he calling me? Shouldn't he have a girlfriend? Or not need to call random girls his mother tells him about? God, what if he's completely ugly? Yeah, me too. Although I hope my parents never find out.

Boy: Yeah. I know exactly what you mean.

Girl: Ok, so he didn't freak out at the living a double life reference- another good sign. I just wish I knew what he looked like... So...

Boy: Or she could be really fat with a huge mustache. Well, there's only one way to find out! So... I know this sounds a little crazy, but I'm visiting some friends in NYC next weekend and I wonder if you'd want to get together for coffee sometime.

Girl: Coffee. That's totally safe. If he's totally nasty I can have a quick espresso and run like hell! Yeah, that sounds great.

Boy: Alright that went pretty well. Coffee's pretty harmless. And who knows, maybe she'll be cool. Now I have to get the hell out of this conversation... So I have your e-mail, should I just e-mail you soon and we can figure it out?

Girl: E-mail is sooo much better than the phone. Thank God for e-mail!
Yeah, just e-mail, I check it all the time at work, so - God, this is getting painful

Boy: Alright, I'll e-mail you soon. Meaning in two days, cause I don't want to look too desperate, but at the same time I don't want to look like I'm trying not to look too desperate

Girl: Cool. Well, I'm glad you called. I think...

Boy: Me too. Well, I'll see you soon. Please be hot, please be hot!

Girl: Alright. Bye. I can't believe he called! Too late to back out now.
Besides, maybe he's cool. He didn't sound so bad on the phone.

Boy: Bye. I did it! I am the man. I think she wants me. Yeah, she definitely wants me...


I actually wonder to Indian guys actually call girls only at the behest of their mother....and do girls speak to a guy only because their parents have asked them to.... it’s highly improbable that a guy/girl has not had a crush …over a member of the opposite sex…from school …to college …or even at the workplace……(dosent matter if u’ve been thru an all-boys/all-girls education ….



I actually find a good mixture of hypocrisy and desperateness characterized by Indians (guys/girls )these days . The current trend is some thing like this .... both of them wanna dabble with members of the opposite sex ....get mushy ...go out 4 cofee ....movies ....and after a point, meeting each other starts triggering emotions of a different kind ....where commitement and support would come into play ....they do a CTRL-ALT-DEL on the relationship and say the cliched bollywood kollywood line " actually I saw u only as my close friend " and pack off ...only to start a relationship with somebody else and go through the same procedure once again....uptil a point where age catches up with them ...and their parents decide whom must they pair up with ...and the boy/girl behaves as if they are the "obedient child" and quietly marry with the person selected by their parents. Now in this "official" marital relationship is more of a relationship where experimentation and actual flirting ,wooing and loving takes a backseat and "mutual respect" only stems in the relationship ....therefore the variety in life suffers... and extra marital relationships slowly tends to creep in .

And to add to the already ....love lost "respectful" relationship , add a couple of "saas bahu wars" and "dowry issues" ....and lo the marriage is heading towards a divorce ....and yo !!! the lawyers are getting business and so are the “soap opera enthusiasts like ekta kapoor and radan “radhika” who make use of the above clichéd formula ….to the maximum exploiting the public with their “ always glycerine coated” depiction of “THIS WAR COULD HAPPEN IN YOUR FAMILY !!! S A A S vs B A H U )

Its actually strange ......lemme stress the point of a threshold limit ..on the age below which any flirtatious move is inversely proportional to the approval of parents and after the threshold , when the "child" is hardely interested ....but the parents are egging them to marry ...and swearing by nike's slogan "Just do it " !!! ….such an irony isn’t it ……..

So that more or less charectrises the double speak …..mentality where one wants to have the cake and eat it too ….?

SO WAT SAY ???