The Drift..
May be it was like a dream come true for me to get into an IT industry. Study between work was such an achievement for me!I was so proud about working while studying. Like my destiny was to get into IT. But I wanted to be secretive about the drift. For anyone who bumped into to my desk seeing the BIG BOOK I was reading and asked me “hey what book is that?”, my answer with a grin was “ahem nothing, just brushing up my knowledge..he he he” as if they were fools not to understand.
Top of that attending interviews was plain pain. It was ridiculous to get up in the morning after working in night shifts. Getting dressed in FORMALS(very difficult to categorise girls clothes into formal and casual, it should be called 'Formal Casuals' and 'Casual Formals'. Did not understand anything? Never mind).
Finally the “the day” came when I was selected.. I could not but believe I was through. After FEW rounds of interviews, and LOTS of rounds of re-thinking, they waved a green flag for my entry into the new company.
The first week at the new work place was a “WEAR ONLY FORMALS” week. For a work place where most of the employees are very conservative, I had to search for salwars and reluctantly wear them. I did not want to go with my anti-fits or skinny jeans though the work place did not restrict on wearing them during the week days. And Hurray, I managed to wear salwars for a week, but failed to look conservative. Why?... My hair!!! It, definitely was off-place. I had this LONG -BROWN- FRIZZY-CURLY hair and I could see most of them staring at me from the corner of their eyes(even girls did!!!) whenever I was around. All gave me that friendly, sweetheart smile and behind they looked at each other with “where did they bring this evil from?” question. Few even called me by name -“Annian”(hindi Aparichit movie) because of hairdo of the hero was identical to mine. One more thing grabbed everyones attention was my nose ring. Not that no girl in the company had her nose pierced, but they did not wear a silver ring like mine. So whoever i spoke to, had got a different version of story about me to tell everyone.
All I had to digest was the fact, that calling by names, mocking or laughing at a newly joined, little weird or “different from others” people is very common in all work places. I always tried to look as “sober” as I could, but looked like it did not work. I did not know for how many did my language was “disgusting” and “discomforting”, but nobody did react for the “informal” words flying from my mouth.
Things(almost) have changed now. Am writing this after exactly a year from when all this happened. U will see me in LONG-BROWN-STRAIGHT Hair, unlike the Annian way. Nose ring is still intact, happily resting over my stout nose and the language is not any better. But definitely the perception of my friends about me has changed. Now I know why mom always wanted my drift.
