Skip to main content

The 4th Mistake of his Life

if you are yet to say hi to Chetan Bhagat's '3 Mistakes of my Life' then fun is not guaranteed.

A conversation between Chethan Bhagat and Govind Patel....(my adaptation)



CB: Hello

GP: am I am speaking to Chethan Bhagat?

CB: How did you get this number in first place?

GP: A friend of mine works at the Rupa Publishers.

CB: Then whom do you think you are speaking to? Ajmal Kasab! No Sir.

GP:...
CB: Hello? Are you dead?

GP: Not yet Sir, but would be soon...coz I am popping a sleeping pill after each sentence I speak.

CB: Cool. What brand?

GP: Calmpose

CB: Okay. Now would you mind backing your insanity with a bit of logic?

GP: I committed 3 mistakes....and now I feel so terrible that I feel ought not to live..would you listen to my tale?

CB: I am all ears

GP: My name is Govind Patel, and I am a businessman from Ahmedabad.

CB: Okay

GP: Ish, Omi and I were friends right from childhood, Ish was a cricket frantic and Omi a priest's son.

CB: Tell me the 3 mistakes.

GP: The 3 of us wanted to open a sports shop at Ahmedabad...we had invested all our savings to buy a stall.

CB: Then?

GP: The whole complex went down in a fire...we lost all our money.

CB: Hardly a reason to die. Next?

GP: I used to take Math classes for Ish's sister Vidya. In due course we fell for each other and one fine evening I gave her life lessons....

CB: I didn't get the mistake part.

GP: Well I quite forgot the old saying 'Prevention is better than abortion'

CB: You shouldn't have...then what happened?

GP: By God's grace nothing awry occurred...but Ish found out and since then he has not spoken to me.

CB: Nothing happened! Man its pathetic! Seriously I don't think there's any reason why you should continue to live.

GP: Before I tell my third mistake I must tell about Ali. He is such an abundantly gifted kid with the bat. I still remember how he thrashed Ish all over the field!

CB: Ish kaun? Ishant Sharma??

GP: Ish...Vidya's bro...

CB: What does Ali have to do with your mistake?

GP: A few years ago communal riots were a commonplace here...bloods of innocent people were shed in the name of religion...we lost our Omi in the bloody fight...To retaliate, Bittu Mama and gang started finishing off Muslims, literally setting them on fire. We tried to rescue Ali for he was a budding talent, but I reacted a bit late considering my own safety and Ali got a cut on his wrist...I am such a self centered duffer!

CB: Is that all?

GP: Yeah...would you consider this for your next work?

CB: I would definitely look into it...

GP: Thank You Sir. Good bye.

CB: And Govind, RIH.

GP: Isn't it suppossed to be Rest In Peace?

CB: Not exactly. I meant it to be Rot In Hell.

GP: It seems calling you was the 4th mistake of my life.

CB: I knew it right from the beginning...
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Out

  “Hey, I don’t see you around these days!” “Ohh hi! Well, I have been quite busy you know…now with the new job and all” “Even on weekends? You know I got a place quite close to your work right? I handle all these spots so that you can hang out whenever you want.” “Umm yea I guess. Maybe next week?” “Next week is what you promised me three months ago.” “Ugh…I will…try to come! My parents are coming every week anyway right?” “Your parents are good people but I care about you as well. Don’t you get it? Is there something you wanna tell me? I have seen you sharing some pretty controversial stuff about me online.” “Wait a minute. I do not think we follow each other on social media. How do you see my posts?” “Come on, you know I work in mysterious ways!” “I am not sure if I am entirely comfortable with that invasion of my privacy” “For my sake do not fret about it! Here, I have a gift for you. Wear this when you come to my place next week.” “What is this? A headscarf? Why? You know I don’t
Post a Comment
Read more

Chennai Tidbits

‘2/14, Salvation Army Guest House, Doveton St, Chennai’  this address followed by a ten digit phone number was all that I had of Mr. Nageshwar Rao, who was to become my roommate in my new 'home' that Chennai was. Vipin Das is my name, an employee of All India Radio, and I had been transferred from New Delhi to Chennai only a few days ago. So there I was, just outside the Chennai Central, drained and haggard after the grueling train journey that gifted me two sleepless nights. I approached an auto-rickshaw with baggage in my hands, and showed him the address I had. He asked me to get in, and I was traveling through the South Indian metro, a first time in my life. It was only six in the morning, and the city was just waking up. Some young professionals, probably long distance commuters, security guards, newspaper boys on cycle, trucks and light traffic were all I could see on road. I took out that card and dialed Mr. Rao. No response. Maybe he was still sleeping. After all, it
2 comments
Read more

Oh my God!

Dear Jesus, How are you, my friend?  Received the letter you sent me the other day. Well, how are things down there? I hope everything is okay, though I’m quite sure it is not a walk on the cake. Do not worry friend, the case is not much different here. Apparently people have become more demanding of late. It is really tiring to constantly hear their persistent requests, demanding one thing or another. No matter how much they already have, they simply need something more. Of course, the demand ranges from health, wealth, fame, to more materialistic ones like physical looks, good looking partners, cars, and houses, so on and on. It is always good to dream of a better life. But, what they forget often are that dreaming and praying for their goals is not just enough. When would they realize that they need to wake up and work for it, too? Hadn’t I told you about that college kid who did not believe in us? Right before his final exams, I saw him praying for an easy test. It re
4 comments
Read more