Damodaran has been one of my biggest enemies in the past one year..
Now, the catch is that I don't know Damodaran..I don't know if he is short or tall, dark or fair... I don't even know if he is a good or bad person.. But all that I know he has been troubling me for the past one year..
It all started when I took a prepaid mobile connection, upon my return from Belgium in March of 2012.. I made sure I spent enough time looking for the best number, one that rhymes, easy to remember and even tried some astrological advices to ensure that it is the best number.. You don't get a lot of choices when you search for a mobile number.. It is not like getting a registration number for your car.. I can pay some half a million and get the number of my choice.. But paying such money for a mobile number.. Naah.... Who would do that...? So I had to search, again and again, and found one that perhaps matched 6 out of my 10 criteria..
Two days after the number got activated, there was an SMS from Globus stores on a promotional sale.. I felt so happy that I am being pampered for taking a mobile connection.. But was crestfallen when the message read " Dear Damodaran, please avail this 50% discount.. Please don't forget to bring those coupons we sent you by mail.."
Well, though I spent few years outside India, that does not mean the government can change my name... I am still Mr.X, the same Mr.X that I was before leaving the country... I have the same passport where my name is Mr.X.. And about sending coupons via mail.. No one sent me anything.. I felt so humiliated and chose to ignore the Globus guys..Even took a pledge.. Will never go there, even if they offer me a 100% discount n everything..
And then after two days, there was another SMS.. This time it was from Twin Courtz apartments, and read " Damodaran, please pay the maintenance dues immediately as you have not paid for last 10 months.. Else we will be forced to take legal action.."
( SMS messages won't be so long., will they ? Well guys, this was also not so long.. But when you narrate a story you can't mention short ones like "Damn, pl pay mtce imm. Else police.. " and leave the readers guessing what that meant..)
Well.. Coming back to the story.. This was when I was really perplexed.. I never stayed at any such apartment, leave alone not paying maintenance amount.. By nature , I am normally a good person, honest and truthful, though sometimes my close friends would disagree.. But , honestly , I am such a guy..And the mention of "police" , "legal" et al, normally gives me the jitters..
That was when somebody told me that if one does not use a mobile number for 6 months, it can be re-assigned to some other innocent guy.. And this exactly has happened in my case..
This was just the starting point.. There were many threatening messages from HDFC credit cards, ICICI personal loans, some loan sharks.. It seemed these guys knew my real address , except the Globus guy.. I even thought I saw some odd looking guys, like the one you see in movies wielding knives or guns, roaming outside my apartment.. The Globus guy still sent me SMS on discount sales and as always, sent coupons to Dear Mr.Damodaran..
And then, one morning at around 0430AM, there was a call in my cell phone.. Cursing the early morning caller, I took the phone and said hello..
The 70+ voice of a woman at the other end was weak.. But it was overflowing with affection and it called me.. "Damoo..", it said.. " Damoo, where are you..? Why don't you call?"..
I did not know what to say.. I knew very well that I was not Damodaran.. But then would the 70+ voice at the end, believe that ?.. I chose best to disconnect the call..
It called me again, and again.., when I was in meetings, or busy with my work, at lunch and early mornings when I was sleeping.. The loan sharks and the credit card guys still sent me messages and threatened to find me.. But there was nothing like this old woman looking for "Damu"...
I haven't found Damodaran yet. I don't know him at all.. I don't know if he is short or tall, dark or fair... I don't even know if he is a good or bad person.. But all that I know is someone is looking for him.. Someone, for whom , he means a lot..
I haven't thought about changing my mobile number.. I am afraid of those guys looking for Damodaran, who might find me in the end.. But still, I think some day, I will have courage to tell that 70 + old woman that I am not Damodaran, but that I would help find Damu some day..
Now, the catch is that I don't know Damodaran..I don't know if he is short or tall, dark or fair... I don't even know if he is a good or bad person.. But all that I know he has been troubling me for the past one year..
It all started when I took a prepaid mobile connection, upon my return from Belgium in March of 2012.. I made sure I spent enough time looking for the best number, one that rhymes, easy to remember and even tried some astrological advices to ensure that it is the best number.. You don't get a lot of choices when you search for a mobile number.. It is not like getting a registration number for your car.. I can pay some half a million and get the number of my choice.. But paying such money for a mobile number.. Naah.... Who would do that...? So I had to search, again and again, and found one that perhaps matched 6 out of my 10 criteria..
Two days after the number got activated, there was an SMS from Globus stores on a promotional sale.. I felt so happy that I am being pampered for taking a mobile connection.. But was crestfallen when the message read " Dear Damodaran, please avail this 50% discount.. Please don't forget to bring those coupons we sent you by mail.."
Well, though I spent few years outside India, that does not mean the government can change my name... I am still Mr.X, the same Mr.X that I was before leaving the country... I have the same passport where my name is Mr.X.. And about sending coupons via mail.. No one sent me anything.. I felt so humiliated and chose to ignore the Globus guys..Even took a pledge.. Will never go there, even if they offer me a 100% discount n everything..
And then after two days, there was another SMS.. This time it was from Twin Courtz apartments, and read " Damodaran, please pay the maintenance dues immediately as you have not paid for last 10 months.. Else we will be forced to take legal action.."
( SMS messages won't be so long., will they ? Well guys, this was also not so long.. But when you narrate a story you can't mention short ones like "Damn, pl pay mtce imm. Else police.. " and leave the readers guessing what that meant..)
Well.. Coming back to the story.. This was when I was really perplexed.. I never stayed at any such apartment, leave alone not paying maintenance amount.. By nature , I am normally a good person, honest and truthful, though sometimes my close friends would disagree.. But , honestly , I am such a guy..And the mention of "police" , "legal" et al, normally gives me the jitters..
That was when somebody told me that if one does not use a mobile number for 6 months, it can be re-assigned to some other innocent guy.. And this exactly has happened in my case..
This was just the starting point.. There were many threatening messages from HDFC credit cards, ICICI personal loans, some loan sharks.. It seemed these guys knew my real address , except the Globus guy.. I even thought I saw some odd looking guys, like the one you see in movies wielding knives or guns, roaming outside my apartment.. The Globus guy still sent me SMS on discount sales and as always, sent coupons to Dear Mr.Damodaran..
And then, one morning at around 0430AM, there was a call in my cell phone.. Cursing the early morning caller, I took the phone and said hello..
The 70+ voice of a woman at the other end was weak.. But it was overflowing with affection and it called me.. "Damoo..", it said.. " Damoo, where are you..? Why don't you call?"..
I did not know what to say.. I knew very well that I was not Damodaran.. But then would the 70+ voice at the end, believe that ?.. I chose best to disconnect the call..
It called me again, and again.., when I was in meetings, or busy with my work, at lunch and early mornings when I was sleeping.. The loan sharks and the credit card guys still sent me messages and threatened to find me.. But there was nothing like this old woman looking for "Damu"...
I haven't found Damodaran yet. I don't know him at all.. I don't know if he is short or tall, dark or fair... I don't even know if he is a good or bad person.. But all that I know is someone is looking for him.. Someone, for whom , he means a lot..
I haven't thought about changing my mobile number.. I am afraid of those guys looking for Damodaran, who might find me in the end.. But still, I think some day, I will have courage to tell that 70 + old woman that I am not Damodaran, but that I would help find Damu some day..
Dushta...Damodara...
ReplyDelete