"Engineering" with me!!!

Becoming an engineer in a small town is a great achievement. It feels great that everybody knows you. "Wanna be engineers" come to take tips. Some over excited parents come along with their child and they would say,"acche se padhoge, to na bhaiya jaise banoge". Generally engineering college are in metros(or soon to be metros), so people think you have knowledge of culture prevailing their. Suddenly, your opinions are taken seriously and people listen to you and that too without any questions. Earlier people used to say,"abhi tu baccha hai, tere ko samajh nai aayega."

In this summer vacation, there was an incident with me, after which i think twice before saying,"i am pursuing engineering." I was on visit to my granny's house. She lives in much smaller town.

I was having evening chit-chat with her when one old man of her neighbourhood called me. His wife was standing beside him.

Old man: Your granny told me that you are doing engineering.

me: Yes, that is true.

Old man: So, what "type" of engineer you are?

I am dualite, but for people whom i feel i can't make understand, i say only of my BE degree.

me: Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

Old man: What do these engineers do?

me: They make computers, TV, radio......such electronic things....

Old man: inverters..huh??

me:(i felt that they are understanding)haan haan ...you got it right..inverters too.

After half an hour, the old man came with a lantern in his hand, calling my name. Yes, in Bihar, electricity is as scarce as water in thar desert. He asked me to accompany him to his house. I thought old man was seeking a company, so i didn't make many queries and quietly followed him. When we reached his house, he summoned me inside and then showed his inverter.

Old man:(pointing to inverter) For the last few days, this is not giving required back up. After 15 minutes, it starts piiiii.....piiiiii....piii.

Though i could say there, i don't have any idea about inverters. But then, i thought about homeopathic doctors. You visit them for any disease, they have medicine for that. I bet they will have medicine for disease which doesn't exist too. So, i remembered my "padosi" homeopathic doctor and started unplugging all wires. Then i plugged them again. I asked for hammer. They were standing with tester(to check electrical connection) and were amused at my demand. I stroke the battery terminals using the hammer. After all this, i thought there should be some technical thing.

me: You don't have voltage stabilizer attached to it. So due to voltage fluctuation, the battery junction was choked.carbon jam gaya tha, hatana parta hai.

Old man: Thank you, beta.

Next morning, i was preparing to leave. Old man came and said,"thank you..voltage is quite good now." I replied,"that was nothing...it was easy."

And once, i went to buy deodorant. I am not much into it and i went to shop to buy any deo of Rs. 100-150. Shopkeeper knows me. Here's the part of conversation.

Shopkeeper: When do you come?

me: 2 days back. I need a deo.

He placed two deo in front of me. One of Reebok and other one of NIKE. I was thinking to ask for some indian brand.

SK: kya bataye sir!!! yahan koi smajhta hi nai hai acche brand ka value. logo ko nike do to kahenge mehnga hai. Yahan logo ko "local" de do. usi me khus rahenge. Goa me to aisa nai hota hoga.

me: hmmm..there people have more money that here. So their purchasing capacity is greater.

SK: Which one you are taking? NIKE?

The albatross cross was hung round me. If i didn't take one from the two, he would brand me as common people. So to make him comfortable and for the sake of pride of my race, i chose the NIKE.