Monday 9 June 2014

THE CURIOUS CASE OF RUNAWAY GRANDFATHER.....


Many have asked me how a Malayalee family ended up getting settled in Bhopal. Yes, it was work that brought my grandfather here and subsequently settle, but why would he search for work in a land far away and live with people whose language was Hindi to him?

It all started with a slap. A slap in the courtroom where my grandfather had filed a case against his neighbour for stealing an important stuff. The stuff here is irrelevant. What matters here is the stealing. My grandfather filed a case before the magistrate and when the accused was brought before him, he bluntly denied stealing the stuff. Since all the evidence  produced was to his benefit, the magistrate declared him as not guilty and just then, my grandfather lost what they call self restraint and reasoning . He sprinted towards the accused and gave him a thunderous slap, which my grandfather once told me was right below his right ear. And then he ran the race of his life.

People those days didn't have the macho attitude that men these days pretend to have. My grandfather at 22 was like a scared Pomeranian and so was his family. Anticipating arrest for contempt of court, his mother packed his bags and asked him to run away and never look back. And he did run away. All the way till Kashmir, were he worked as a Hotel waiter.

But Kashmir is Kashmir and he was already a scared boy. A sight of police would cause temporary paralysis. So he ran some more. Ok took the rail! Bhopal happened and he became a hospital ward assistant. From washing soiled bed sheets, to dumping used diapers and bandages, he did it all. A whole year passed since the slapping incident and yet he anticipated arrest. I shouldn’t call my grandfather lame, but yeah.

And then Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, wanted clerks. Anyone and everyone could join with no requirement of a background check. If only those people tasted recession.  My Grandfather joined BHEL and now could converse in Hindi with the help of sign language. Now he was leading a secured life and like every mother whose son has finally found a decent job, his mother too found him a bride. My grandmother. They got married and he recommended her to his department. Just like that she too became a part of BHEL. Jobs were seriously growing on trees.
A house was built. A home was made. Three kids happened who too eventually got married and had kids. One of them being me.

And what did I become? A lawyer. My grandfather ran away from the law, and I joined forces with law.


IRONY. Maybe Destiny?


P.S- Last week was tiring!!!!!! This week shall be good. Little brother and grandmother coming down. :)

149 comments:

  1. :D wow what an interesting turn of events ! May be the person who got slapped by your grandfather cursed him that his generations shall hold hands with the law ! :-o

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    1. Thank you for being the first to read!!!!! Maybe he really did curse :D

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  2. Aaha :) That's a nice family story . I was also wondering how Bhopal became your home :) Yes, destiny that law joined forces with you :) :) Loved this, Red. We know a little more about you now :)

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    1. I am so glad you read sreeja!!! Sorry for a late reply to the comment.

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  3. Wow!! Really unbelievable!

    Did your grandfather approve of your choice of profession?;)

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    1. He died when I cleared the exam. But I am sure he was happy with my choice.

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  4. Hey my grandfather too had a kind of similar story, but he ran from village to stay away from factionism :).. Good Post dear

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    1. wow...our grandfathers were cooler than we thought.

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  5. Hahaha.. that was a fun read! Life comes a full circle? :P

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  6. Ok.. Destiny has a way to surprise us.. I'm sure your grandfather would be proud of you :)

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  7. interesting! Life in those days esp securing jobs was simple and now...gosh!

    :)

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    1. ya I wish jobs were grown on trees even now!

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  8. DESTINY for sure!!! Wow what an amazing and serendipitous set of events. All of this from a slap :)

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  9. Wonder how your grand father feels about your choice of profession :D Nice family story Red :D

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    1. hahaha I wonder too.. He left us the very next day I cleared the exam.

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  10. I would be burning up in scorching heat of Udupi if not for my grandfather. He retired in Coorg and decided to settle there :) Lucky me, I get to enjoy the weather and the awesome atmosphere and also get to make loads of people jealous.. :) :)
    Nice story Red. I too have wondered how come you got settled in Bhopal.. :)

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    1. I am so jealous of you right now!!!!!!! COOORG!!!!!!!! I have been there once and how awesome is it!!!

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  11. I'm laughing out loud and wondering if there is anything that you can NOT turn funny :)

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  12. Imagine if he hadn't run away! Your life would have been entirely different... So it's kinda good that happened :) Nice post Red! And have a fabulous week with your brother and grandmother! No more home sickness for a while!

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    1. Yes...they just left...it was a crazy weekend! I am so glad u read!

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  13. That was a really entertaining read, Red. Somewhat similar to my dad's story. No, he didn't run from the law. He ran away from home, the rebel he was (and I'm so glad he did) :D :P Have a great week ahead <3

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    1. hahaha rebel he was! Damn gutsy too! You must be so proud of him :)
      I am sure u r a little rebel too :P

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  14. one small correction.
    it's temporary paralysis..not paralysation..

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  15. nicely written piece as always

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  16. I am not going to talk about the grandfather nor his athletic abilities. I am going to talk about her granddaughter and her extraordinary funny bone which I envy immensely and at the same time, respect just as much. I would urge her to keep writing and make me even more envious of her writing in times to come! Here's to the granddaughter of the runaway grandfather! Cheers!

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    1. how supremely generous you are with your kind words. Thank you so much!!!! I hope to keep writing...not to make you envious..but because you said I had a funny bone. Made me happy :)

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  17. LOL... must really be DESTINY (or did you bring it on? Wink wink ;) )
    have fun with your granny and li'll bro.... your brain needs a temporary getaway from the Barbie shelf and pink walls..:) :)
    Loads of love...:)

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    1. haha destiny indeed...or like u said..may be I brought it on :P
      I so needed a break and I got it!

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  18. Grandfathers have always got a good story or two about their lives. When we compare with them we have pretty boring, monotonous lives. :-)

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    1. MONOTONOUS TO THE POWER INFINITY. I need to run to kashmir now!

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  19. Looks like everyone's grandfather had this running away thing...

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  20. Seriously, it was damn easy to get jobs those days. Well, all this is destiny. You are a lawyer and he is a runaway grandfather. Hope there is limitation on his case.

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    1. limitation there is.hahahahaha!!!!
      Thank you so much for reading Saru!

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  21. LOL! I imagined this whole scene playing out in my mind in weird sepia toned imagery... :P This would make a cool Sajid Nadiadwala movie :P

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    1. hahaha Sajid needs to take up this case ! hahaha..I b rich!

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  22. LOL, looks like Karma aunty is all set to play a wicked game :D

    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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  23. Giving a slap to the defendant in the court room after losing the case was an audacious and instant justice rendered by your GP and concurrently cocking a snook at the legal system must be the only of its kind in the annals of that court room.It is indeed an amusing irony that his granddaughter has chosen a career to uphold the very law he had scant regard for!!!!.I enjoyed the post

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    1. instant justice indeed...hahahah!! Maybe this was the way I rebelled. :D

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  24. sounds straight out of the movies!! what a turn of affairs! my dad landed in Nagpur too from distant Coimbatore..but that's another story for some other day!

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  25. Seriously? ROFL! What if he had somehow settled in Kashmir?

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    1. Then I must be the owner of a 1000 shikaras!

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  26. By far I feel people who have left their home town (especially Kerala) have made it well, leading a decent life.
    Kashmir in those days must have been real pretty.
    Talking of law, I happened to see this movie Jolly LLB on TV. A well made movie and the guy who did the judge's role got a national award.

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    1. I did see that movie...ARSHAD WARSI did an awesome job! I think slapping the manand running was the best decision my grandfather made! :P

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  27. Your grand father is not a runaway. He is a survivor. Your grandfather made just one mistake. Instead of the culprit, he should have slapped the judge who proclaimed him not guilty. I will tell you a real life incident happened in USA.

    A school boy was bullied by his class mate. The mother of the boy complained to the Principal in the parents’ meeting. The Principal said your son happens to be in front of the bully and there is nothing I can do about it. The mother gave a huge hard slap in the cheek to the Principal in front of all parents. She said: I am angry now and you happen to stand in front of me. There is nothing I can do about it.

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    1. That was one awesome PARENT!!! But who knows..maybe the man in our case was really innocent. I do not know the details.

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  28. Strange affinity that Malayalees seem to have with running. My maternal grandfather (Mallu again :p) had lost his parents when he was very small and had run away from his uncle's place. Ended up in Andhra, where he eventually joined the armed forces and met my Naani (an army nurse), and settled in Secunderabad.

    I guess Mallus know where to run :p

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    1. damn!!! That is one awesome story he got right there!
      And we definitely knew were to run.

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  29. and life comes a full circle. :) He made it really well after all.

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  30. Oooooh!!! It sounded so fascinating, although it must have been difficult for your grandfather at that time.
    O_O Seriously???? One could get government jobs so easily back then?
    I guess it was fate. I read first few lines and thought the same thing that you concluded in the last para. Such is life, so full of ironies! XD

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    1. hahahaha must have been difficult for him back them but he gave us a story to pass down the generation!

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  31. hahahha.. .. karma aunty hanging on your head so i would pray for.. no slap in your fate :P :P

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    1. hahahaha....karma aunty better not be a bitch!

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  32. Seriously? this is a true story? I had no idea it is an offence to slap someone in courtroom... I hope no one can charge me for slapping people outside the court... i've been wanting to do it since quite sometime now.. for some of them :D :D :P

    Bhopal is very close to my hometown too! :) So you are another southie settled in the north, eh... Like it! :)
    And lets how Law turns out for you.. ;)

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    1. Of course it is an offence...slapping itself is an offence :P
      You better not be charged against :P
      Were are you from?

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  33. Destiny indeed! :D

    Did your grandfather run with a lungi? #JustAsking :)

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  34. destiny indeed .. you know this is coincidence.. the SLap part.. only in my case my Grandfather GOT a slap from his father for not doing the work he was supposed to do when he was 16 or 17.. he ran away from home and joined as a soldier in indian army.. but then started studying and did graduation and then became an officer and rest is history :)

    my regards

    and I would not say he did wrong, the other guy deserved a slap. which he got for sure


    Bikram

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    1. COINCIDENCE MUCH!!!!
      Hhahah your dad the rebel!! heh..and soldier!!! DAMN THAT IS AWESOME!

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  35. Well, did this really happen? I mean your grandfather went to Bhopal fearing that he might get arrested for contempt of court? :O

    And man, by running away he has had the time of his life I guess. And about the jobs growing on trees, if only they would do so now. Actually I have gotten myself into this lazy mode and I want a job where I get paid for doing nothing but eat and sleep :P Yeah, call me names but the heart wants what the heart wants :-/

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    1. If you find such a job...please refer me too!!!
      I so want a job like that!

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  36. Oh wow! What a story! Loved the way you narrated it! :)

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  37. if u look at it, one or probably two generations before us, most of the Malayalees had a very colourful history. I actually have a similar story to narrate but I will save it for a later date, methinks :D

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  38. Racy tale, Red :)
    Destiny coz you got to blog about it :)

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  39. "Jobs were seriously growing on trees." - he he. Your lines always brighten my mood :D

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  40. See how the wheels of justice turned with time, Red:)

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    1. YES INDEEED!! Thank you for reading Sir! :)

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  41. I think from a malayalee standard your grandfather is very brave or else all I have seen they are very humble. But the most interesting thing is that I think you should be a athletic runner. Your father ran from south to north just like that then you can run on track like wind. He he he.. Just kidding. Nice post. :)

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    1. I love to run...on treadmill....provided my lungs do not give out after 5 minutes. :(
      Thank you love!

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  42. Enjoyed reading this one. Terrific post. This must be grandpa/grandma day, for I just received another post by her friend, about her's.....

    http://cocktailsandconversations.wordpress.com/2014/06/11/amma/#comment-79

    Try it. I'm sure you'll love reading it just as much as I did.

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    1. Thank you for reading.. On my way to the link u mentioned!

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  43. Such an interesting tale with such a splendid twist in the end! ;)

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  44. wow!!.. loved the fun take on the family saga .. :)

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  45. Seriously Red, this was funny! :P Has your family read this? They ought to :P

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    1. hahahah they do not even know that I have a blog.

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  46. Wicked destiny. Such a fun story, Red. :D

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  47. I think everyone who started working around partition has a great story. Struggles make stories... recession does too! You make memories when you were reckless and bold enough to explore. We've become too complacent. Our grand children won't have any stories!

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    1. I wonder what my children and grandchildren will talk about me. SIGH! I need to put my game on!!

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  48. Don't know why, but I love your gramps, Red! Justice delivered right in the Court. So...this is the story of how you got enchanted with Bhopal;)

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    1. hahaha I had a love hate relationship with him.

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  49. Haha. What an interesting story Red. And thank God your grandpa came back to get married and all. You wouldn't have happened otherwise. :P

    Now, reopen the case of that thing stolen from grandpa and bring the guy to justice. Show off you awesome lawyer skills. :)

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    1. hahaha yup..my existence is because of him :P
      I cannot reopen..barred by limitation :P

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  50. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  51. Hope you don't remind and scare your grandpa! Just kidding! ;)

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  52. What a tale. Circle of life, I say? Jobs growing on trees, indeed. BTW, my maternal grandfather and uncle were renowned lawyers in my mother's hometown in UP -- criminal lawyers. My dad also did a year of law before he got into Civil Services :D.

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    1. wow...I am the first lawyer in my family..family history actually. lets see where this leads me to.

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  53. litrally naukri pedh pe ugti thi :) and seriously, cant stop laughing at the thought of the chor neighbor get slapped, by the hero of our story

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    1. heheh would have made for a nice masala movie!

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  54. You could write a book about that. Seriously though, funny stuff.

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  55. You know, I click on the link to your blog and I know I am about to read something interesting. Even after my absence, I wasn't disappointed. I do miss the older template though.
    Stay Blessed ^_^

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    1. I am so glad you are back...I am happy that your liked what you read.
      I miss the old template too..but I love this one too. :D

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  56. Your grandfather slapped because he did not get justice. I think it is good that you are now fighting for truth. :) Interesting to know how your grandpa ended up in Bhopal.

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  57. You had one badass of a grandfather. I was never able to meet mine because he died early, but I have heard a story or two about him, and whoever says the older generation did not rock does not get it.

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    1. They rocked...and we lead a monotonous life!!!
      I hope we leave some stories for our future generations to blog about too. :P

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  58. Not sure if serious or trolling Grandfather's fate.

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    1. It all depends on how he feelsabout it. :D

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  59. He slapped the accused??!!! One daring man I must say!! And what an amazing life he led after that.. ;) And as usual, your writings are hilarious and sensitive at the same time.. :)

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  60. Wow.. This was super interesting to read. :) one thing I liked the most was.. Your grandpa let your grandma also work.. That to in the same company. Rare it is to have seen ladies in those to go and work..

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    1. Yup...actually he was just a 10th pass and she had a degree.And he wnated her to work.

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  61. Irony for sure :P And seriously, were jobs that easy ??? Sigh !! We should have been born during that time :P

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  62. I'll call it divine coincidence - both of you fighting for what you though was right. It's another matter he took it upon himself to seek what the law had failed to provide - justice.

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    1. Divine coincidence in its highest form. Thank you so much for reading!

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  63. Similar stories across malluland. Mine began when dad failed his 12th. He reached Jamshedpur before the newspaper reached home :)

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    1. hahahahahahaha....that was soooooooooooo cute!!hehe!

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  64. Is this story for real! Wow...
    I had a Mallu friend from MP and we used to call him Fake Mallu :D. I shall ask him if he had a similar past :)

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    1. maybe I might know this friend of yours. :P

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  65. Awesome! What a lovely tale to keep telling at all generations!
    Lovely writing!

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  66. Now, that explains a lot. A lot of things. I've been curious about the Bhopal connection too. And the story in true "Red" fashion. Still grinning about your reference to your Grandpa being like a scared Pomeranian. :)

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    1. hahaha ok he wasnt a scared pomeranian..:P
      God bless his soul!

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  67. First thought, "That escalated quickly."

    Second thought, "Job heaven."

    Final thought, "Destiny is just a polite way we sometimes, use to refer to irony." :D

    P.S. - Great post! And this has to be the shortest comment I ever left on your blog. No ranting, hurrah! :)

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    1. I love your comments...whether short or long..I love you toooo!!!!

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  68. hahaha! Did you bring it on?? haha ;)
    Nice MAN! :)

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  69. Ahaaa...so you to my long-lost Malayali sahodari. :-) That thunderous slap sounded like a kaan ke neeche baja ke diya. :-D And yes, getting into BHEL those days was such fun. I have been to the BHEL campus in Bhopal quite a few times on my personal trips to my mother's sister as well as on official trips. I must say, you live in heaven. Will catch up with you sometime when I'm there in Bhopal. :-)

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    1. Bhopal is heaven...the lakes and foood!! I miss home now!! I have to wait till diwali to make a trip nw.

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  70. Particularly loved that 'conversing in Hindi in sign language' having done that in Delhi myself:) I am revising my intent to meet you if we ever are in the same city at the same time. Who knows - your lawyerliness is ONLY education but slapping is in your genes :P

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    1. haha I am glad you could connect. Do not revise...hahah he slapped...I take people to court. :D

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  71. fate they say...hahahahha...

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  72. Interesting post... Loved the narration.... :)

    I have nominated you for an award. Please check the details here - http://momentsilike.blogspot.in/2014/06/my-second-liebster-award.html

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  73. Hahaha! What a cute piece! I'm visiting via Rachna's blog!

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  74. We all have life offered to us in a platter. Even my grand dads were self made men and have shared their travails with us grandchildren many times. The credit for our secure lives goes to them :)
    BTW jobs indeed seem to have grown in trees then :)
    Very well written post. Enjoyed reading it!

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  75. I learn something new every time I visit your space. Thank you!

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  76. See what a slap did to ur grand father and can do to us. Speak about pushing the self to extreme limits and there are so many things that we can learn from the older gen-the wisdom, determination and ability to survive on limited means.

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  77. Interesting piece-i enjoyed my first visit here :)

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  78. You were destined to be his granddaughter Red. Guess its time for the thief to run now :D

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  79. I am so smitten by this story. I could imagine all of these happening, inside my head.
    And no it's not irony, I am sure it's destiny :)

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  80. This was really an interesting read...
    Actually, I wondered the same... What a South Indian doing in Bhopal when I saw your profile in Google+!
    Between... Dropping here first time and I have to tell you that I fell in love with your blog!

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Spit It Out I Say !!!