Disha Diaries

Part 4

It was almost like a stone had dropped into her stomach!She felt dizzy.She gripped the handle of her swivelling chair for support."This can't possibly be happening!!What the hell is he doing here?Am I hallucinating??".She pinched herself,"Ouch!"."What the...?",Trupti looked up.So did Shilpa.She didn't miss Disha's pallor.Disha was turning almost white.Shilpa quickly replied,"I'm sorry.The christmas decorations should have been taken away.It's 15 days past new years'.It is those prickly decorations..."she walked up and covered Disha from Trupthi's view.Trupthi went back to her screen.She then quietly asked Disha,"Want to go outside?"

Disha nodded mutely.She quietly followed Shilpa out of the ODC.Once they were out,Shilpa said,"Perhaps you should go wash your face.You are sweating like crazy.Do you want to see a doctor?"."No.",Disha finally found her voice,"I'm fine.Just exhausted.Thanks."

Shilpa replied,"Very well.Stop staring at the new guy like he's some kind of ghost.It is very noticeable."

Disha froze.Shilpa looked her in the eye.It was one of those inexplicable moments when magical friendships are formed.

Disha said,"Thanks for covering me."

Shilpa replied,"Never mind that.Not everyone in this world is as bad as you think,you know."

"How did you know that I think so?",Disha asked,wide-eyed.

Shilpa smiled,"I didn't.You just told me!!"

They laughed.And it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

Disha Diaries

Part 3

"What's your New Year resolution?",Trupti asked."Huh,What?",Disha's conciousness descended to that within the ODC(for the uninitiated,that means Offshore Development Centre)."Jesus!Girl, why do you look so lost always?It's almost like you are from some other planet!!"."Ya,it's a place called the Earth.Of course you wouldn't know,considering you definitely aren't from there.....",Disha mumbled to herself."What did you say?",Trupti asked."Nothing.Do we have a Knowledge transfer session scheduled for today as well?",Disha asked."Not sure.Rajesh didn't mention anything",came Trupti's reply. "Well that's a first.Since when does Rajesh schedule KT sessions?Has he finally decided to give up his pretence?Is that his new year's resolution?!!!...What am I thinking,I should be thinking of resolutions,not miracles!!"."Hehehehehe",she giggled aloud.

Trupti rolled her eyes and looked meaningfully at Shilpa. Shilpa slowly shook her head from side to side and resumed staring at her monitor.Unlike the boisterous Trupti,Shilpa was the silent type.That,did not mean that she was a pushover.She simply avoided confrontations as long as it was humanly possible.Besides,it was a lot easier to agree with Trupti in order to get her to shut up than to argue with her.Shilpa could argue.But with reason and logic.And Trupti,well...just used her volume to a criminal extent.

Shilpa secretly admired Disha.Although Disha was a natural misfit in the team,she was the only person who could successfully render Trupti speechless,without resorting to violence.She didn't even need to raise her volume for the purpose!The event,however was a rarity in itself,and so all the more enjoyable,whenever it occured.Shilpa hoped to master the trait someday .

Then something inexplicable happened.Disha froze.He had arrived,and in that very ODC.

Disha Diaries

Part 2

Her Project Manager walked up to her. "It's Christmas Eve , Disha. You still working?" Disha gave him the most disdainful look she could manage. Then quickly rearranged her facial features to what she hoped would pass off as a smile.She Replied,"Yes, Rajesh. I should be done in 10 minutes."

He gave her ,what she deemed as the most fake smile she had ever seen.Of course,it was a smile every manager has to master in order to get their "team" to deliver,on time."You must not work such long hours.It is not a good practice you know". "Yes Rajesh",she smiled back sweetly.Only that she was hoping something really heavy fell on his head at that very moment."Of course I do know that,you fool!!But if you endorse such words of wisdom,either have reasonable dates of delivery,or stay out of my hair!!!Stop crying about deadlines!!",she thought.

All of a sudden she felt very sad.While graduating her 10th std,her slam book read:

Likes: Honesty,Assertiveness

Dislikes: Liars,Hypocrites

Motto: Never compromise on your personal values.

She thought,"I was so sure of myself back then. I wouldn't bend, even under extreme duress. I had my pride, and I was one satisfied person.And now,I am perhaps the biggest hypocrite in the world!I mean,look at me - I have no friends,I don't talk to my family and I hate my job. I am only hiding from my failures and running away from problems. I would be a successful escape artist,only if I wasn't a prisoner of my head".

Then ,she thought of him.She always thought of him when she felt low."If only....",she shook her head."Shake it off!!You told you wouldn't go back there!He's gone.It's better off this way.You know that.",said the voice that only woke,when she needed to be alone.She obeyed.

And then a tear rolled down her cheek.She wiped it away ,just as she had done,so many times in the past.She resumed with her coding.That's the good thing about corporates.There is always enough work to numb out any feelings.

Disha Diaries

Part I

Disha had been hunching over the monitor for most of the past 2 hours. She felt a slight pain shooting up her back."Maybe I've managed spondilitis..finally",she thought.She leaned back and flexed her fingers. It was 7 p.m. But being a developer in the IT industry,it only translated to 'the day was still young'. 'And you are growing old',thought Disha,cynically.

"Age is just a number. A state of the mind.You are as young or old as you feel".Disha remembered having endorsed these words very earnestly,at an extempore.The words that captivated the audience back then,somehow failed to impress mommie dearest.

Mom had taken to chanting -"Why won't you get married? We aren't getting any younger you know?Your dad will retire next year.Don't you want to settle down? I have seen this boy for you...really handsome..your horoscopes match too......"...and mom went into one of her irrelevant tangents that Disha had skillfully learned to tune out now. Disha smiled wryly to herself.

Disha,at 23, had dark circles around her eyes,once she relieved them of her glasses. She had a perennial smattering of acne on her face. She never knew whether to attribute it to pollution,stress or her genes.(Genes were a poor excuse.After all,her sisters had very clear skin.) Her hair,in her own words,"was a nightmare".Limp and lifeless."But then again," she wondered,"aren't they dead cells anyway?".

She was often told she needed a "makeover"."Yeah right",she'd scoff at them.And then discreetly check the next object capable of reflecting her face.The reflection merely scowled back at her."Stupid mirror!It is the inner beauty that really counts",she affirmed to herself.For the umpteenth time.