Thursday, September 16, 2010

The transformation of Siva Rama Krishnan (Part 1)

He wasn’t any different than any of you who are now having your eyeballs glued on this text. He was inquisitive, had a self esteem and was a good person at heart, untouched by the cruelties of the “smarter people”. Traditionally born and brought up in a traditional Iyer family, he had his share of idli, appam, dosa and sambhar’s. When someone asked his name – his answer was “Mudalipuram Venkatanarayanan Siva Rama Krishnan”. And by the time he could complete his name, the person who made the mistake of asking his name was already a year older or perhaps gasping for breath to at least catch the tail of the Hailey’s comet called a south Indian name!

Siva, fondly addressed at home by this name, though born and brought up as a shy, god fearing, ashes-smeared on his forehead traditional prototypes had hatred to his own name. He was neither a hit with the daughter of the neighbourhood Marwari aunty whom he used to secretly admire nor with his friends. The reasons were aplenty, but the one he felt strongest was his name.

It was a year after engineering, once he started working in Bangalore in one of the well known IT companies and getting almost Rs. 1000 more per month than the nosy aunt’s son who lived next to his house when he transformed. He transformed overnight from a veshti draped lad with stains of sambhar on his t-shirt and a forehead smeared with ash to a guy wearing tight jeans that fitted the crotch so perfectly and the latest attitude T-shirt with a smart tag up his chest. Wirey eyeglasses with lens as thick as diamonds were replaced by flimsy lenses which could help change the color of his eyeballs per his dreams, wishes and fancies. The Atlas Goldline cycle was replaced by a smart bike with big tyres and all that was missing was a girl on the back seat to make the “vroom” complete.

It was during these days that during one of the weekend trips back to his hometown in T-Nagar, Chennai in South India he accidentally met the beautiful neighbourhood Marwari girl – his childhood crush. As he was just about to walk into the courtyard leading to his house, the rickety sound of a rickshaw chugging smoke into the air made his head turn. And a head turner she was. After all, hadn’t her father named her Mallika when she was a kid? Siva was still unsure if she is the same girl he had a crush on for so many years. But the new found confidence in himself, made him take a bold step to walk backwards and ask her – “Aren’t you Mallika?” and she replied “Gosh, aren’t you Siva?”

His response was “Call me SRK!”

To be continued..

3 comments:

Meenakshi Deepak said...

Wowww!! Great start DC :) (pun intended) :D

Vishius said...

Good one ... for a moment i wondered if it is based on a real life character in your life

Anu said...

Nice one Deepu....GO on build up and deliver part 2 ;-)