2017.

Quora question- How is life at 25?

Pallavi Khurrana.
Forever procrastinating.

Answered 1 minute ago.

Well, going by the format of an average Indian at that age, a person at 25 would probably be:

- Pursuing a post graduation course in India or overseas.

- Pursuing a regular nine to five job that has the ability to drain half of your lifespan in a year.

- If you happen to belong to an old traditional family, chances are, you are living the life of a thirty year old. A veteran at sex and love in marriage. Who knows you might be expecting your first child... or second, depending on your husband's erm, seed.

-In rarest of the rare cases, you are struggling in your career of passion-- a rockstar, a singer, an actor, a writer, desperate to become the next Durjoy dutta, Ayushmaan, Manushi Chillar... or Mira Rajput if you're lucky enough.

- What if you fall into none of the above categories? If you happen to sit at home, jobless, aimless and hopeless then congratulations, I'm your long, lost sister.

Now I don't want to turn this into a sour note since I'm doing fairly well in entertaining you guys so far, but I have to. Blame this world you may.

I did get a job, you know. After graduating with a passing grade from the Bangalore University, I wasted another two years drinking like Kabir Singh. Just kidding! I did PGM (post graduate program in business management). It was distance education so no chance of meeting any prospective guys. Anyway, after some awkward, failed interviews, I finally won the hearts of the HR's in MCL.

Impressive, right?

Calm down, it was just a basic management job.

But since it was my first job, I did my best to not mess it up. And I didn't. I was praised for not taking leaves. Praised for not making mistakes. Believe it or not, I was one of the good employees.

For five months.

Just about four months in, I, along with other nine employees received a letter that they would make a few employees rebundant next month since the company was running low on finances. To put it mildly, it was a letter of termination. No one had it coming. We were shocked and betrayed. The ones who were employed directly by MCL were spared, while fools like us were terminated. It was hard bidding goodbye to the friends I made in the past five months, including the mild crush I had on one of my batchmates.

One year, two months, and five interviews later, I'm where I was before this job- Within the four walls of my bedroom. Sometimes it's like these walls speak to me. They warn me from stepping outside, because then, I'll really see how fast the world is moving, compared to my stand- still world inside. It's true. Everyone around me is either option one or two. One of my friends just got promoted in her third job. Third job! Can you believe that?! And just four months ago, one of my college mates got married. She must be blissfully busy in honeymoon activities right now.

It sucks, looking at the world move on inside your window. I don't want to admit but I'm quite a weak willed person. Failing three interviews back- to- back was more than enough to shatter my spirits. By the fourth interview, I just wanted to go home and resume watching 'Oh my Venus'. It's easy to dive into the fictional world than reality.

Usually in TV shows and cartoons, the protagonist has an endless burning spirit. They never give up, despite the curve balls life throws at them. They struggle at all costs till they win in the end. Then why am I not like them? Why am I not like millions of people who are going at their jobs? I just have to crack an interview, be regular at a job and the rest will follow. How hard can that be?

But it is for me. The interviews are the scary, the ones taking it are scary, the challenges are scary- the whole world is a nightmare. And even though, it pains living at home all day- sometimes I want to keep staying.

Thank you for reading this contradictory sob story. If you have any suggestions to give you're welcome but please refrain from commenting along the lines of 'if xyz did it, so can you', 'take small steps', or 'never give up' kind of thing. I'm long over that shit, baby.

Adios!

*

Pallavi's answer on Quora managed to generate some views after the weekend. Some comments offered a cluster of advices and links to motivational videos, while others asked to submit her resume to help her out. Her favorite comments were the ones who related to her situation of being clueless and jobless. She plucked up her courage to chat with the people she found interesting. It would have been an inspirational story if I said that Pallavi found a newfound inspiration after this. It didn't last long. Eventually, she sat down the table as usual and started drawing.

* * *

"Pallavi, here!" Aradhana called, waving her hand over to a lost Pallavi admist the market circles of Rajiv chowk (Delhi). Pallavi followed the direction of the voice and smiled when she spotted Aradhana. Her smile turned into a grin as she plunged into Aradhana's arms. When Pallavi refused to let go, Aradhana forced herself out of her grip. "Alright, alright, that's enough. Any more second and we'll become lesbians in public eyes."

Pallavi feigned hurt. "I thought we already were in a relationship for the past six years, babe."

"Uh- huh, Six years and nine months." Aradhana corrected.

"Now that's a tough competitor right there."

Pallavi followed the direction of the soft voice to Aradhana's right. A man in navy blue stepped forward to extend his hand towards Pallavi. "I've heard a lot about you from Aradhana. It's nice that I can finally meet you, Pallavi."

For a moment, Pallavi found herself adrift by his unique appearance. A square shaped face, light brown eyes and skin as fair as milk. Not to mention his ripe, red lips. Aradhana surely got the best of men.

"Same here, you know. It's nice to meet you too, Harshid."

Soon, Pallavi, Aradhana and her boyfriend, Harshid took the lift to the third floor of the building that nested a bar. Though Pallavi wasn't new to drinking, she was definitely new to visiting an all out bar. Adored with brick like walls and furniture, along with soft jazz. The ICC cricket cup was playing in the background. It helped them pick up the friendly mood quick. Aradhana ordered two bottles of whiskey and snacks right off the bat. The three of them conversed for a while, until Harshid excused himself to the washroom.

"So how is he?" Aradhana asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"From what I gather, he's a fine gentleman, yet is not afraid to make double meaning jokes at times. He's caring and attentive. Something that your ex wasn't, I suppose." Pallavi concluded. She wanted to mention how she preferred Aradhana ex boyfriend more than Harshid but she refrained from saying it. Their breakup was a consequence of numerous small fights, all due to Saurabh's ignorance towards Aradhana. He was more focused on his life and his friends than Aradhana and would barely give her the time of the day. And then he would apologize, only to repeat it a few days later. This cycle went on until Aradhana was forced to block his number, just because he wouldn't break up with her. Pallavi remembered how Aradhana cried like hell that day. To this date, she's still salty about it.

Years later, Aradhana met Harshid as colleagues in the same office. They instantly hit it off as companions and months later, got in a relationship. Harshid was soft- spoken, humble yet mischievous when he wanted to be. He was also an avid lover of shayris so that helped in keeping their romance burning. He was like a cocktail- sweet with a pinch of salt.

Seeing Aradhana smile blissfully, made Pallavi fill with momentary envy. She took a sip of her drink before speaking. "If you're my best friend, then donate one of your men to me."

Aradhana rolled her eyes, "You make it sound as if I keep a horde of men in a secret shed."

"You do. Remember that hot chef you almost had a relationship with? He was crazy nuts about you and oh- so- handsome. And, and, that-" Pallavi was trying to recall. "Revati from your internship."

Aradhana placed her glass of beer down. "Babes, just find somewhere to work again. Working women are much more appealing in this era."

"Sure, why not? I have tons of call letters at my disposal."

"I keep telling you again and again..." Aradhana shook her head. At this time around, Harshid came back and asked her what. "I tell her to join a BPO company for a while. It will help her gain confidence and improve her personality, like it did mine. Believe me, you can crack any interview after that."

Pallavi face- palmed. "And how many times do I have to tell you no? I had enough of voice processing job in that one month itself. I can't bear any more customers barking my eardrums." Just recalling those gruesome days of continuous phone calls made her wanna cover her ears.

Thereafter, Aradhana and Pallavi spent time with their mouths engaged in drinks and conversations. Harshid, too, gave his input in between while at other times, he would watch them with a smile on his face. The girls decided to take one step ahead by ordering hookah to their tables. At one point, Harshid became gutsy enough to peck Aradhana in front of Pallavi. Aradhana was ready to receive a range of envy filled expletives from Pallavi but none came. She was too busy, letting off smoke from the pipe. She was trying to imitate a bad girl but would end up coughing instead.

When Aradhana point blankly stared at her, Pallavi frowned. "What?"

"I think I'm allowed to be in a state of shock at your lack of rant about singlehood."

Pallavi shrugged nonchalantly. "Meh, I learnt not to care anymore. Seriously, after living for twenty five years, I realise the term 'boyfriend' is just not in my dictionary. The only lover I'm going to encounter in my life will be my husband. I'm not saying your love life has been easy either. Just that our lives are different."

Aradhana blinked once. Then twice. "Are you sure you're Pallavi?"

"Of course I am, bitch!"

"Ah, I kinda miss my old Pallavi now. "

"Fine, then, Harshid, give me the number of your male friend you recommended earlier..." Pallavi retorted, making all of them chortle.

The two besties departed at six in the evening. Pallavi had to leave a bit early as her house was far away. She watched as Aradhana and Harshid walked hand in hand, probably deciding on a restaurant to dine tonight. Their silhouette shone as the sun set ahead of them. If it were the old Pallavi, she would have cried for never having dinner with a boy but that's not what the tears were for. She was going back to the shell she came from- Her room.

She could hardly care about her hobbies, obesity, boyfriend, marriage or society. At this point, she only desired one thing. Something that she was craving for a long, long time:

A life outside her home.

* * *

(A year later) 2018.

Pallavi was playing games on her Android when her father entered her room, carrying a humongous smile, in contrast to her monotonous one.

Mister Khuranna plumped down the edge of the bed and offered his Android to her. Pallavi immediately stopped playing. "Attend a call for me."

"Call? What call?"

As if on cue, Mister Khuranna's phone ringed through. He gestured his daughter to take the call. She looked back at him, bewildered.

"Simply tell them about your qualifications and experiences." He answered one of the many questions Pallavi had in mind.

"Wait, what? Wha-"
Before she could protest, he pressed the receive button, almost making her jump from her seat. Pallavi muttered an abrupt hello, her mind still puzzled about what's going on. A female voice greeted her on the other end, introducing herself as the HR. As stated by Mister Khuranna, she started asking about Pallavi's qualifications. Since it wasn't a direct face- to- face interview, Pallavi managed to answer those questions.

"Hmm, alright then. I looked at your CV that your father sent me. There are gap years in between, but that's still manageable..." The caller said as if deciding on something. Pallavi could almost hear the sound of the mouse clicking from the other end.
"You are scheduled for a face- to- face interview, today at twelve. Okay?"

"T- today?"

"Yes, actually we require a person to help with the documentation immediately. Our company.... " The HR continued on describing the specifics of the job profile and the company but all those words flew above her head. All Pallavi heard that she was giving an interview today.

And she had less than two hours to spare.

"I'm not going!"

"But, why?" Pallavi's mother intervened and went on to explain. "It's a nice opportunity, beta. The company is close to our home, plus it's a training program, not a full- fledged job."

"It's a training program for an engineer, Mummy!" Pallavi corrected. "They are going to ask engineering questions to a girl who
doesn't even know the E of Engineering. Not to mention, it's a Korean mobile manufacturing company. I almost never cracked interviews with Indians.
No way in hell I'm going to score one with foreigners. "

As for Mister Khuranna's connection with this Chinese platinum, it was actually Mister Rupak who recommended it to him. Mister Rupak was a recruiter, who helped in getting job opportunities for clients. Pallavi happened to be one of those clients. Although in this case, it was Mister Khuranna who appointed Rupak and not Pallavi. It was Rupak who got Pallavi's previous job, too. Unlike Pallavi's unwillingness to try afterwards, Mister Khuranna was determined to get her a job. Not because of money, but because a working woman was more preferable to a groom nowadays. You could almost see him mapping his daughter's near future from the sidelines.

So when he heard her protesting against this, naturally he was aggravated.

"No ifs and buts, Pallavi. You are going, whether you're clearing the interview or not. You're my daughter. Have some guts!" Mister Khuranna said, his words absolute. He went to pick his phone from the table. "Get ready in one hour. I'm calling the driver."

When Mister Khuranna spoke like that, it was meant to be followed. He was the head of the family after all. Pallavi stared at him in shock. Eventually, tears started to well up in her eyes. She knew it was pathetic to cry over a goddamn interview but she couldn't help it. Her normal day just turned around 180 degrees in a blink. It wasn't like she didn't want a job. Infact, no one wanted it badly than her.

She just couldn't bear another failure.

Just what did her father got herself into?

--------

Author's note

Ek toh job dila rahe hai aur upar se complain krti hai ladki. She's a spoilt child. Just spare her, people. You can say the story is heading towards the main stage to start. Do comment your thoughts and vote. ⭐ 💭