Tuesday 21 May 2013

One Influential Advice


On my first day in college, while my father discussed with our hostel warden regarding the admission formalities and all, it seemed the warden already prepared a bundle of advice for parents. He advised my father not to worry much and assured him the hostel to be quite a decent one. The warden even said that most of the seniors were extremely supportive and he himself used to keep an eye on each and every student, although it was a different matter that we didn't have enough opportunities to make ourselves accessible within the range of his eyesight, well we rarely used to see him in the hostel campus during our ragging days. My father listened to him with full concentration and felt pretty relaxed with his  wonderful words. He even asked the warden if he could report my activities to him on a regular basis?

The warden said that he could very well update him on that, but he sounded little reluctant and said that usually the freshers wouldn't discuss anything with him. He tried to convince my father on how the freshers would become smarter, that too, within just a few weeks after they join hostel. Our warden said that he would do his best and a little later,  he made my father realize about his responsibilities as a parent. 

The warden said "but as a parent, even you also have some responsibilities. I would like to tell you one thing very frankly, it’s out here, where everyone would learn to smoke and would master their boozing skills. The students usually fool their parents and would ask them for extra money. They usually give a very good excuse of buying books and trust me, Engineering books are damn costly. But most of the students wouldn't buy more than one or two books. They would either borrow them from their seniors or share among their batch mates. Of course,  some of the guys would definitely buy a few books, but you need to be very careful and whenever they visit home during vacation, you must check all the books for which they asked money from you. You should never send  any extra money  to your kids out here."

The warden continued with his commendable advice's for almost an hour. Later that day, when few of the hostel seniors allotted room for us, we tried to settle our luggage's. My father was about to leave and I, along with few of my friends came outside the hostel gate to see him off. My father acted quite differently that moment and he looked little shy, as if he was about to say something. After those last minute gestures, we  left him near the hostel gate and were about to go upstairs to our room, but all of a sudden my father asked me to wait. With little discomfort, but very politely he asked me to show how much money I had in my wallet? As soon as I opened my wallet, he immediately grasped it and started to calmly count the money. He counted it twice and then he kept almost half of the money with himself and returned the remaining amount to me. I was totally blank and simply wondered "What the F?" I felt so weird and tried to justify him, but he immediately interrupted and said “It’s OK, if you are short of money, just call me and I would immediately send it to you." 

After listening to those influential advice from our very own warden, I opted to remain silent that moment. But fortunately it only had a short term influence on my father and things became pretty normal from the very next month.



42 comments:

  1. Were u not missing ur father at the time of writing, u must be ! nice read.
    http://neoimaginations.blogspot.in/

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    1. Yeah Neo, u may be right :) I am glad U liked the post!

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  2. ha ha ha ! couldn t stop myself smiling in the end.

    How did the warden behaved in the coming years during your study there?

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    1. Hehe Gunjan :) I am glad U enjoyed the post. Unfortunately our warden couldn't be with us for a very long time.

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  3. u must have cursed the warden for making you loose half the weight of your wallet :)
    All Pappas alike ! :D
    Nice read !

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    1. Thanks Dude :) I am glad U liked the post. U are correct, all Papa's same :) Regarding my half empty wallet, aha! what to say? :):)

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  4. The relived part is that your father assured you that he will send money when you needed Or else you would have start cursing the warden. Damn lol :)

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    1. Yeah, that is correct. At least he assured me to send money whenever required :)
      Thanks for visiting out here Zeba, I am glad U liked the post :)

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  5. When parents are influence, they get confused what should they do ... in one hand they know you wont do such a thing on the other hand the influence just keeps on hammering the thought of being lenient .. nostalgic ! nice read Jahid Bhai !

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    1. You are absolutely correct. Parents are usually confused in such situations. I am so glad this post made U a little nostalgic :) Thank U so much dear, for visiting out here :)

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  6. All engineers relate to these moments. My dad himself an engineer though allowed himself to be fooled :P funniest incident was one of my frnds used to take 3517 as university fees(fake) from his parents each year in october. Each year he took to maintain credibility :P

    Richa

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    1. Very true, it's a story of all the engineers :) Ur dad didn't allow himself to be fooled, he only maintained the good old tradition :) Ur friend is awesome and I am so glad U remember the exact figure :) Thanks for visiting out here Richa!

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  7. money matters the most my friend and you should not have it in excess

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    1. True my friend, "Ek Dam Shayarana Andaaz" :) It's the excess money that creates problem!

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  8. The book thing is actually true. I used to buy all the prescribed books from Western Book Depot and that guy used to give 20% discount on a book. I used to keep those 20%. So every semester i would pocket around Rs 1000. That in those days felt like i won a lottery for a million. This is only time I was happy if the book costed too much money as 20% will be more on those. And funny thing is that my dad knew about it all along but he pretended he never noticed. He told me this much after i passed out from college. I remember this every time I buy a book and look for a cheapest place to buy the same

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    1. Hehe! We also used to buy from Western Book Depot :) I think you only suggested us that they give discount. Your Dad definately was aware of ur tricks, even he is also an engineer :)

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    1. Thanks Tomichan Sir, I am glad u found it interesting!

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  10. Hahahaha..This was amazing!!! The incident as well as the post, every line was intriguing :)

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    1. Thank U so much dear :) I am glad U enjoyed the post. Thanks for visiting out here!

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  11. Nice read as usual :)

    Jahid, the students of your era were lucky. They had their parents coming to oollege to get their wards settled at a new environ :)

    Talking about eighties -most of my classmates and me too had to manage the show on our own. Most of the parents remained an "Inland Letter" away (average 7 to 10 days). Most of them never had the opportunity or inclination to know our progress during the course. The environ in the college made everyone of us smarter within the ragging month and imbibed a family-away-from-family.culture into us. 'hope the good tradition still continues!

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    1. Thanks Mrinmoy da :) I can feel a bit of the 80's environment. It must had been quite raw, yet some what simple. Communication would have been the major challenge those days. There is no doubt the hostel environment made us, little smarter. Even though situation is changing very fast, but I think the good tradition would continue!

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  12. hahaha very nice post,Glad I was not in Hostel or else I would have met the same fate

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    1. Thanks Harsha,I am glad U liked the post. U missed the hostel life dude :) Hostel life is so much fun!

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  13. Boy! How eerily similar :D Loved it for those wonderful memories it brought back in a flood!

    Chanced upon your space thanks to Indiblogger. Great place.

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    1. Thank U so much Rakesh. I am glad U liked the post and it brought back some of Ur good old memories. Thanks for visiting out here!

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  14. Really funny

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    1. Thank U so much dear, I am glad U enjoyed the post!

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  15. I recalled my hostel days after reading this....... :))

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    1. It's really feels good whenever we recall our good old hostel days. I hope this post brought a smile on ur face :) Thanks for visiting out here!

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  16. Hahaha this brought back the memories of my engineering days! Though I always lived with my parents, I had to find ways to shell out some extra pocket money from them. And parents they are! They could always find alternative ways for not giving me any!

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    1. Aha! getting those extra pocket money was so essential, yet so difficult :) I am glad this post brought back the memories of my engineering days. Thanks for visiting out here!

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  17. Great story! Enjoyed reading! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thanks U so much dear. I am glad U enjoyed the post. Thanks for visiting out here!

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  18. Huh...i can't believe your father was influenced by the hostel warden...i think that warden is really talented to influence guardians... :)

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    1. Hehe.. Anjan, parents are usually like that, get influenced very soon :) There's no doubt that our warden was extremely talented to influence guardians :)

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  19. Haha, the warden was right though, wasn't he! I lived in a hostel and if my parents ever knew the things I did, they'd disown me!

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    1. Hehe.. the warden was absolutely right. But one shouldn't scare parents like that :) Hostel life would be the golden days of everyone's life. I can guess how U would have enjoyed ur hostel days? :) Thanks for visiting out here!

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  20. What an interesting warden. Couldn't help smiling.

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    1. Thanks KayEm :) I am so glad U enjoyed the post. Thanks for visiting out here!

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  21. Enjoyable and illuminating read.

    Reminds me of when my son would phone home from university - desperate for cash. Only, he had it well worked out, only phoning when he knew his parents would not be at home (mobile/cell phones then the size of bricks with a price to match), delegating the task of the money plea to his brother. Of course we forwarded it - but now I know!

    Anna :o]

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    1. Hello Aana,

      Students staying in hostel usually become desperate for cash in the last week of every month :) "mobile/cell phones then the size of bricks with a price to match" Wow! mice composition :) Even if U are aware of what Ur son do with those money, still u would forward him right? Thank U so much Anna for visiting out here!

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