Of Canteen Boys and Flashbacks

Many have wondered why Vinod is so good to the canteen boys. Unlike other colleagues, this Mallu dude never berates them or cribs about their service. Well, the mystery may have been solved.

It turns out that eons ago, Vinod's father owned two restaurants in God's own country (Kerala) and our dear Foreign Affairs expert used to occasionally serve at tables there.

Vinod had to put up with some ill-tempered patrons who revelled in finding fault, blissfully unaware that he was the son of the proprietor.

That experience was to remain with him all his life and taught him a valuable lesson - People who serve us in canteens are humans too, Treat them with respect.

Of Classicial Vocalists and Radio Sets

Not many know that Sumathi Chandrasekharan is an accomplished classical vocalist.

She hasn't had her arangettam - the first public performance - despite her guru's protestations because the diva feels she isn't ready for it.

Don't ask Sumathi to belt out some forgettable Bollywood ditty, the Mallu damsel rather prefers the sublime strains of Mahesh Dattani's Morning Raga.

Believe it or not, she even has Hindustani classical music on preset 1 on her World Space satellite radio set.

Of Marriage Pics and Pesky Photographers

Giving in to her mother's demands, Hanit Kaur finally agreed to get some glossy pics clicked for prospective Punjabi grooms.

But she had a run-in with the photographer who kept insisting she pose next to a pillar a la Bollywood sirens.

Hanit lost her temper and ticked him off proper. Fortunately for the photographer, matters did not take a serious turn and the Punjabi maiden later agreed to let her hair down (literally) for the photo-shoot.

Of Film Freaks and Suspicious Knives

Talk about being a film freak. Sunandita holds the unenviable distinction of having watched at least 30 movies in one week - during the Kolkata Film festival.

The Bong lass, who also holds a certificate in film appreciation, was recently "apprehended" with a pen-knife at PVR Plaza.

Despite her plea that "it was all a mistake" and she "was certainly not a terrorist," the manager was not convinced and Sunandita had to deposit her beloved pen-knife with authorities. What's more, she even had to go through the rigmarole of signing an undertaking just to get it back.

And what has Sunandita learned from the incident? She now meticulously checks her handbag for any weapons of mass destruction before venturing out on a film-watching spree.

Of Stolen Jewels and Tasty Parathas

Swaty Prakash didn't have a memorable trip to Patna after all. She and hubby Manas came back to find their Shipra Sun City flat burgled and jewellery worth 25,000 bucks missing.

But there was still a ray of sunshine. In his hurry, the burglar who rifled through their apartment failed to notice a separate packet kept behind the stolen stuff. And thus Swaty managed to salvage some jewellery and cash.

To hide her heavy heart, the Bihari dame is now practising her paratha making skills and forcing her creations down unwilling throats.

However, reports from the scene of the crime revealed that people partaking of her parathas were seen licking their lips and asking for second helpings.

Of TV Journos and Allegations

Now, you can get even more of Mriganka Dadwal. The IIT damsel recently became sole anchor for her TV show on Wednesday evenings.

Catch her showcasing the latest gizmos and accessories on Ab Ayega Mazaa which airs at 5.30 pm on Zee Business.

By the way, Mrigs has declared that this blog has degenerated to the level of the Page 3 supplement in a national daily.

Well, we beg to differ and if the Kanpur lass continues to compare us to that infernal publication, we promise to see her in court.

Of Holi and Eggless Escapades

Tomojit Bhattacharjee had quite an unholy introduction to the festival of Holi in the capital city. While waiting at the office bus stop, the Bengali lad was the target of hooligans seated in a Honda Accord.

The unruly youths, possibly under the influence of bhang, threw an egg at him. Fortunately, their aim was rather lame and the missile hit an innocent bystander squarely on the forehead.

We know you won't be interested in whether the poor guy used Surf Excel to remove the stains but Tomojit is certainly counting his blessings for an eggless escape.

Of Perfect Stories and Journos

Recently, the office canteen witnessed a unique event. Dining at the same table were Parul Sharma and Sukanya Mohapatra - the only two journalists whose work has been praised by our ombudsman editor Bhaskar Menon.

While a story edited by Sukanya last year was lauded as the perfect example of a news story, Parul was feted recently for her take on the lives of Delhi's sex workers.

And don't you dare suggest this is no big deal. After all, Menon has found only two exemplary stories worth mentioning after a year of pointing out mistakes in our files.