Life has changed

The person who delivered milk at my house never knew me. But this time when I went home, I received a big ‘sahab namaste’ from him. Oh yes I remember, I have been selected in IAS and if I exaggerate just a bit, I can say that my entire city knew it.

Life has changed. From anonymity of being a student to that of being selected for the post of biggest babu of government, change is in something that can be called drastic. The incidences I would mention here may be totally irrelevant, but to me they appeared as a constant reminder that something has changed.

I became an interesting news item, or at least an item ‘worth’ reading. I got coverage in three four news articles, got my picture published in them, also did a live one hour TV interview (so what it was a small local channel), answered hundreds of viewers how they should prepare for civil services, what I am going to do for the country, how many hours I studied a day, whether I studied during the day or night and if I am going to take dowry in my marriage.

Not everything was good about this achievement. I got a sense of superiority complex. I felt confident while driving the car without my driving license. I imagined that if any traffic policeman caught me, I will say haven’t you read today’s newspaper, don’t you know me.

Whenever an unknown person stared at me, I felt he is trying to recognize me since he would have seen my picture in the newspapers. But to my dismay no one has recognized me till today and I am still waiting. Why people dont read newspapers seriously.

A big disadvantage of any big achievement is that you are made to meet all your relatives whom you have been able to evade for years in guise of studying. In last fifteen days I must have touched feet’s of at least five hundred people. I know this a good exercise for my back but I fear that it may be an overdose.

Another constant irritation is people asking constantly what happened in my interview. I don’t understand why people are not satisfied when I tell about my real, simple interview. To tell the truth, they are disappointed. My description comes an an antithesis to their imagination about an 'IAS Interview'. I have heard so many stories about IAS interviews that I am sure I will write a blog on it and mind you my original interview was'nt even half as interesting.

One thing I can see that from now onwards I have to be a people’s man. I no longer have the luxury to be confined in myself. But whatever it may be, I am enjoying all this.