That's Life - 7

That’s Life – 7 Mail-O-Mania

So I walked into SoftSol in Bhubaneshwar one fine day. A word or two should go here about my computer awareness. Though I could “crack Unix passwords” in college, I knew nothing about desktop PCs and Windows OS at that time. Internet and Email were not even heard of. (This was in 1998).

When I got the appointment order, I sent an inland letter to my friend who was working in a rival software company – “Dear Satish, Great news! I got a job in SoftSol. In a few more days I will be having my own email id. Then I will upgrade it to Hotmail.”

That pretty much sums up my Great Internet Dream.

Within one week, I realized that e-mail was something special and that e-mail didn’t use houseflies for sending information. (In Tamil, ‘ee’ means housefly.)

They gave us our email ids. I didn’t know what to do with mine. It was like presenting a Television set to a Mexican cannibal. He poked it with his dagger and when the Missionary switched it on, the cannibal was terrified. He ran away like a .. well a Mexican cannibal… from the camp. People gossiped that the Missionary was later eaten by the enraged cannibal. There is at least one reason to believe this story. The Missionary was never seen again.

I of course, did not run away from the computer but I didn't touch the email application (Lotus cc:mail) for a week. I stared at it from a safe distance.

What was it? How good it was? Would it crash my computer if not properly used?

(Later I found it could. I will explain it some other time.)

Manjula laughed at me the following Monday.

"Yeeks.. You don't know how to send an email?"

That was indeed insulting. What could be more insulting to a guy than getting a remark like this from the most beautiful girl of the batch?

I was determined to explore this enigma called email. I had to do it one day anyway. I double-clicked on the icon 'Lotus CC-mail' half expecting a loud explosion. The coffee cup I was holding almost fell on the keyboard.

My God! What if it made me invisible?

I put the cup away and waited for the explosion.

It didn't explode. It just asked me for my password. I called up the CCD (Computers and Communications Dept.)

"Vaishali CCD Operations" a sweet voice answered.

I took a deep breath, introduced myself and told her that something had gone terribly wrong with my PC.

"It's asking me to enter some password" I told her.

There was absolute silence for two minutes.

Then the sweet voice boomed again, "Enter your password."

"What the heck is my password?"

"How do I know?"

"I don't know either."

"OK.. You've never used mail before?"

"I have.. I have used mail all my life .. Since I was a kid."

"Really?"

"Yep! My grandmother used to send me jokes and other stuff."

"Your grandmother!"

"Yep! Such a nice lady she was.. Even when she was eighty years old she could find time to send me jokes."

"Wait... Your eighty year old grandmother could use the email application?"

"Application? What application? Address change?"

"Err?"

"Yeah I think she used an application to change her address once.."

"Venu!"

"Yes Vaishali"

"I think we need to talk"

"What do you think we are doing now?"

"We are gibbering Venu.. That's what we are doing."

"What do you mean?"

"Wait a second."

A minute later she appeared in front of my desk. Half an hour later I stared into her eyes with hero worship.. err... heroine worship. "You are great Vaishali."

"Nope I am not."

"No no .. You are great.. You set up my email. That is a great thing you know."

"Nope Venu, I just reset your password. I did nothing else."

"Where did you learn all these things Vaishali?"

She looked out from the third floor window. Then she looked at the parapet wall. And then she looked down at the concrete basement. Then she shook her head.

"SoftSol taught me all these things Venu." She said slowly.

"Oh" I said, "Did they?"

"Yep they did."

“Wow”

“Yes! Wow!”

"Then why are they not teaching me those things?"

She looked at the parapet wall once again and walked up to it. "You don't need to know them Venu. I am here to help you only."

"But you won't be there with me throughout my life Vaishali, will ya?"

"Excuse me?"

"Thanks for the help Vaishali."

"Venu"

"Yep Vaishali"

"Who interviewed you during your recruitment?"

"Arinjay Jain"

"Oh! I see."

"What?"

"Nothing"

"I smell fish"

"Cook it Venu."

With that she was gone.

To be continued…