Some days back I had this special and pleasant chance to be interviewed by CUCKOO. I want to share this experience with you all. Here in black are the questions by cuckoo and in green are my noble attempts.
Cuckoo: Good morning Mr Singh. Before we start, let me put a few things a little straight to you. As you know I would be taking your interview, you have to remain seated calmly without questioning my questions or no. of questions. There are going to be five main questions with sub-questions. Treat them as parts a, b, c etc. please be as detailed as possible. And please keep your face a little more cheerful. It looks like you have come here for mourning.
Preet: Hello Cuckoo sorry for delaying this wonderful experience for too long to say a civilized sorry. Anyway as I told you I was on road for too long much more than I had expected myself to be. Anyway I am back to blogging and as you can see your assignment is on the top of my priority list. I guess my smile is back now.
Cuckoo: Yeah, that's a little better now. Keep smiling like that. Here we go..
Cuckoo: Mr. Singh, you have been blogging since March 2006 and your blog is 77 posts old. Quite a long time that is. Can we know why this name for your blog? Is Chauke really a location or is it related to your interest in Cricket ? Does your family knows about your this nasty habit of blogging ? You seem to be very interested in posting your pictures. Is that a new way of matrimonial proposal ?
Preet: First of all you sound as sweet as your name ... Yes dear it has been really a long-long time … I could distinctly remember my first post … I was shivering in a similar way like I am doing today in front of you thinking how formal it should be what I should write. Will it go the distance? ... but then some smiling faces like Aalok, Jiwateshwar and you calmed my nerves … As far as my name goes Preet is short form for Harpreet and explanation for Zinda is quite controversial and I have explained it on my blog also let me get the link for you. Here it is... http://harpreetsran.blogspot.com/2007/04/preet-zinda.html
Chauke is the name of my ancestral village it has nothing to do with cricket. Family … chill baby speak slowly mummy sun lenge. Nobody in the family knows nor should they and as far as nasty thing is concerned I get to meet some sugar soaked girls like you then why is it nasty then? Nay pictures I posted are not for Matrimonial … I just wanted to share some of my pictures and this is a habit of photography which I am trying to pick up these days … but hmmm ... I can see a marriage proposal coming in some sort of hidden way!!
Cuckoo: Though I am NOT convinced, I'll accept that answer for the time being. You have mentioned you are a man of dreams. A dream collector?? Can you please give details what kind of dreams you are talking about and are they going to remain just dreams or are you trying to fulfill some of them. If yes, in what way? No, don't be afraid of that little tiger looking in your eyes. He is my pet and right now he is admiring your wonderful body.
Preet: I could see the dream in your tiger’s eyes of feasting on me. Anyway as far as my dreams are concerned first of all I dream to be a really good human being. Turning on more socialistic whatever my dream may be one thing I really want is to be of some use to the society. For fulfilling my dreams these days I am sort of doing freelancing for www.isport.in on Hockey. As I think sporting culture is indeed a basic block for the social well being of any country. So I took on this challenge of freelancing although I had no before hand experience except of course blog. It along with furthering a social cause for our National Pride Hockey is also serving in some ways to further my materialistic career. Recently I was involved in another case of looking uniting the family who got separated in 1947. Further some day I would like to get involved into a venture where education (from kindergarten to graduation) will be imparted to at least 10 children who can’t afford any sort of education. So I hope I have given some sort of insight into my dreams. I think I can be better utilized if I am left in the field than sitting in AC office of some software firm in Gurgaon/Noida. But all these dreams require some rebellious steps and some sort of independence for me from all the worldly infatuations and I am still quite far from achieving that state. But I promise you effort is on my side. Required is encouragement from friends like you.
Cuckoo: Thank you, Harpreet ji. You've written many soulful poetry and articles. What made you write all those and how do you perceive this? Don't you think that your work should see more light of this blogworld? Have you tried to promote your blog in any way?
Preet: Thanks Cuck, I guess I have a penchant for penning down my thoughts but what you have seen is not my work except two three writings. That all in Punjabi is either Punjabi folk (I collected all that from my mother or the older ladies in my village or they are just my manipulation of somebody others work.) But yeah I do think that whatever I write I should share it with all the people around me. Now that you have pointed it out, I will make sure that it comes out. No promoting my blog was never on my agenda neither I had that much time available regularly. But my friends read my blog that is good enough for me. For the time being I am content with that. If the time comes then I will think of promoting blog. More so I think promoting will help if I am regular with blogging. I kind of do it like KBC sometimes for 3-4 months I am posting daily or even 2-3 times a day and sometimes it takes months to make a single post. That is the Gemini effect on me as I gets fed up with doing one thing quite easily and moves onto another thing.
Cuckoo: Not bad. You are doing quite OK. And we have come to the fourth question. I saw in one of your posts, you have replied to a female but when a male reader commented on the same post, you don't seem interested enough to reply him. Why such a discrimination against your own gender or would you prefer female readers over male? Now, don't get into some other mode; that was a simple straight question.
Preet: Then that is good for you lady … as you getting attention from me is guaranteed. And about that reply from Kanupriya, if I am right, was just an odd one out incident he mailed the response to me instead of commenting here on the blog and that reply was special one also so I posted that here. Anyway the males who have commented on my blog have been generally my friends like Aalok Agrawal or Jiwateshwar Singh and I guess I more or less discussed with them on gtalk or yahoo. So not much replies too them but that question was quite a odd one out situation which you generalized. In the lighter vein for a young 20 something guy like me my preference to too some sweet chicks is quite normal.
Cuckoo: That was quite a nasty reply, warning you, you got to be better now with this one. Need I tell you my tiger is very hungry if you really want to know. You have written quite a few posts for your friends. What do you think of your friends and friendship? I could see you & your friend Aalok have posted on the same topic with the same picture!! Is it a coincidence or do you still share things sitting in different places which to me look quite dangerous for both your futures if it goes beyond a certain limit. Please elaborate.
Preet: At last … I was anticipating this question. As far as my friends are concerned I had a ballistic time with them in JIIT. From all the bottles gulped down, trips on bikes and buses to Jammu, Jaipur or Agra, and many trips which could not materialize or the chilly wintry nights along with my friends in the Hostel all the way down to stop start relationship with my roommates never to mention some bad times of last semester … Eveready friends to visit Makhanpur/Mamura that microprocessor labs with Abhishek Vimal … that 5 km walk with Ram to Niti-Khand for a cup of tea … discussions with Aalok … Balcony of my hostel room made memorable by the Jashan-e-Jam with my roomie … plenty of instances I could quote here with Himanshu Bhai … only-my-favourite Munish Sikka … these are the beautiful moments which my friends gave to me. I had a different kind of view for all my friends Aalok mostly came across as a soulful or elderly figure. Vimal as a leg-pulling guy who normally crossed the line between fun and furious, Jiwateshwar had a …??, Himanshu, Munish always had that calming presence around me … Even I would go to the extent that Himanshu actually earned to B.Tech degrees one is mines 2nd one his own. But in the end I would make it a point to mention that my best and worst moments came with Ram. I have given my best in all my relationships with these guys sometime I tripped fumbled but overall I guess I would have been an equally satisfying person for them as far as friendship is concerned. Most of my friendships have weathered the initial storms but a better answer will be 20-25 years down the line. The similar post with Aalok is just a coincidence. As far as Aalok is concerned in my view we have views which are poles apart on some issues but what is more important in our Dosti is the respect I have for him and the concern he has for me. Am I right Aalok?
Cuckoo: Thank you Mr. Singh, you may remain seated till I move my tiger away. I am pleased to say, as expected, you have passed with sailing (no, flying doesn't suit you sitting besides a lake) colours, now for goodness sake, stop shivering.. Interview is over!
Preet: Thank you beautiful lady for bestowing this honor of having me in this seat. It was a wonderful experience and you had a presence which was much more calming than I had expected.
