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SAADHU AAYA BHAAGO

Our company has two locations in the same city little far from each other. The one which is better and very well within the city is my office 'JVP'. Another office, so called 'Campus' is nearly 5km away in different direction from Gachibowli stadium. If I could assess correctly it must be just over 20km from my locality. That means, on any bad day if I decide to go to campus, it will be almost an hour journey for me including traffic and not-so-good roads on the way. It has always been some pain visiting Campus.

But yesterday I have to go through that pain because it was my PM’s (Phaltu Manager) call for a conference hosted by some Big fish(Saadhu) in our company.

I was given that notice a day before to attend that conference through mail and that read invitation to all people working on Java and BI(Bekaar Intelligence) technologies. I asked my PM(you know who!) to excuse me for this conference because it was scheduled sometime at 10am and most of you might know that I only wake up at 12noon these days due to my shift timings which is from 4pm to 1am. But my plea was heard and then unheard. (Heard, because I was asked not to come for that conference; Unheard, because I have to be there for second meeting which would start at 2:30pm on the same day and that would also last for 2 long hours.)

Yesterday, I was up early and went to Secunderabad(place with some posh lanes) and then came back at 15 min to 2:00pm. I got ready and was waiting for an office cab to pick me up for a LONG drive to campus. I was walking leisurely and watching here and there waiting for the cab. Then suddenly, PM’s ghost stood in front of me and sounded "tomorrow, we have a conference and it is mandatory that you come". I came out of a shock after that snapshot and I looked at the time. It read 2:30 and then I knew, I was into BIG trouble.

Right then, I started calculating few plans in my mind:
Plan A:
I: "Hello PM, I am so sorry to inform you that I might be late to the conference because the cab has not shown up yet. I have not started and I am still waiting for a cab."
Anticipated PM reply: "Oh! that is not good. You do one thing come by your own vehicle and come immediately."
Plan B:
I: "Oh! I am afraid, its not possible PM. Actually my bike is in showroom for servicing."
Anticipated PM reply: "Oh! in that case, don’t worry, come at 4 to office. No need to come here for the conference."

My master plan should work perfect, I thought. But my PM had different things to say:
Actual reply: "Don’t worry Sukhveer; we have just started. You can come late and join us."
I: "OK, I am coming"
But let me tell you, I had my Plan C in my mind right then.

As I have already discussed it. It took me over 30 mins to reach campus and over 5 mins to reach the conference hall walking. Finally, I was there at the venue.

I found that hall very calm and only one person (Saadhu) standing and speaking java seriously. I was very nervous like hell to enter that room. Somehow, I walked in and got my all-time favorite seat, last row and corner seat amongst the crowd. Everybody was busy listening to Saadhu’s lecture. I was busy too, to get noticed by my PM (let me remind you if you have forgotten… Phaltu Manager).

Slowly, I asked my fellow seated person, "Is this meeting intended just for Java people?"
He nodded his head saying "YES".
I sighed, "Oh, no!"
Then again I asked the same person "Will there be any break?"
He looked at me for a while and that’s it, he burst out laughing little loudly disturbing most of the disciples there. I was almost there for 10 minutes and felt like 3rd degree torture. By the grace of god one person in front of me raised his hand for a question to the Saadhu’s comment on some Java stuff. I sensed, this could be the chance for me to get my PM’s attention because I knew who ever asks any question in any conference that person will get most of the peoples’ attention in the house. I straightened my back little high and took my head above the eye level to catch PM’s sight. Luckily he looked at me and smiled, which was more than OK for me to signal "I am Present sir!".

I messaged one of my friends there to come and see me at café. And then I was ready to implement Plan C. Let me reveal my plan C to you all. Whenever you are trapped in a meeting/conference and if you want to escape, just follow my tips:

Note: you can just walk out from that house but that looks crime. Just follow my tips to look good and smart and to feel good.

• Firstly first, cough ALOUD such that everybody in the house hears it.
• Then, you repeat it just one more time.
• Then, you take a rhythmic cough continuously little softly.
• Then, you get up from your seat and go out of the room and cough there if the doors are transparent.
• Then, just walk away happily, smiling and do better things outside as I did.

I then went to meet my friends whom I regularly meet whenever I visit campus. One of them was missing in the group because he went hometown for Dusshera vacations. After spending sometime (spending time here means PJ war among us) with friends, I went back to my office. But to my dismay, that left out person was actually there in campus and was angry rightly for ignoring him.

Well, that’s it now guys.. see you again in the next blog. Take care