Way back in 1996, after my 'O' level exams, Mr. Jain, the richest man in the incredibly small town Dad was posted in, came to our school to attend the havan that my school was performing in celebration of the good results. After the havan, Mr. Jain patted me on the head and said, "Well done, beta. You've done our town proud." and gave me a cheque.
For a thousand rupees.
I stared at it in disbelief as my proud parents and sister beamed at the smiling faces around.
Someone had just given me a thousand bucks, just like that. I had not asked for it. It was not my birthday. It was not Holi or Diwali. And I did not have to touch anyone's feet for it.
A thousand rupees. Just like that. Whoa.
I was holding a freakin' thousand-rupee cheque. It was, in some sense, my first 'earning'. I stared at it again and again until I could not look at it any more.
Years passed, I passed out of school, came to Singapore, finished my degree, and finally joined the workforce. Got my first pay cheque. The second cheque of my life I stared at.
The amount looked big. What a contrast against the thousand-rupee cheque that I had got at the age of sixteen.
And yet, that cheque from nine years ago was more special to me than any cheque ever can be. That cheque will stay on in my memory forever.
And here's something fun -- what's the smallest amount you have seen on a cheque?
Can it beat this one that came to me via mail some time ago? 
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Cheque list
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27 comments:
There's a famous dialogue that comes to my mind from the movie _______ (fill in the blank please)
"Tofe ki keemat nahin dekhi jaati. Deyne waale ki neeyat dekhi jaati hai."
(ok so I haven't got the dialogue spot on - but its along those lines. So stay away mistake finders.)
And yeah - that cheque should have not been encashed and should have been framed on your wall. Wish I had done that with my first earning.
Hey Sash!
Just 2 days back, I received a $4 amount from my auto insurance company:D
iam third
actually im bored :|
#Sahil,
Wah wah kya baat hai. I dunno which movie this is from though! :P
I can't remember what I did with the money, but I do know that I spent it! :P
#ROS,
Hahahaha! Now that kinda thing should be framed. At least with a digi-cam :)
#Spammy,
//iam third
And that's all you have to say?
//actually im bored :|
Ok here's the thing. I'm gonna pretend that this statement of yours has nothing to do whatsoever with my blog post. Chalega?
ps: I sense deep thoughts, Spammy. Perhaps it's time to create the blog?
"gave me a cheque.
For a thousand rupees."
Rupee Value of the Cheque - Rs 1000 /-
"That cheque will stay on in my memory forever."
Value of Nostalgic memories associated with that cheque - Priceless.
that was some amount Rs 1000.. i remember getting Rs 100 as Prize Money.. and all i could do is buy some icecreams...thats all, but there are things that came free and are priceless...like confidence, praise, passion for work, and above all "the celeb status and treatment" ..Man that was awesome..nothing compares to that... and most of all when dad said "i m proud of you" ..man i'd have died.!!
BTW i too have a blog ...:)
If i remember correctly...i have received a check in cents :)
awwnnn how sweet :"> PRICELESS things in life . . .
you remind me of this thing in school. United Schools Org (USO), branch of UNESCO conducts this global GK Quiz every year. I had once secured 99th merit in world and 4th in India and they didn't even gave anything :( Still the pic they published in their magazine was priceless !!!!!!!!
Though school by itself, put a price to that and gave me a 100 bucks, obviouslly that went in icecreams and sweetmeats :">
to fao--
fao 2 virdi.."yeah, pretty hands n all that...but sshh..focus!...the ENTIRE collection? weally? :-) u gonna share the happiness?"
n da legendry sahil leg pulling..really thot u r a guy..guess im 2 naive 4 da cyber world..anywayz dere r other fish in da sea..life is butiful..blah blah..n i guess im ok.. :-(
I got a cheque for 14 cents !
Isn't it baffling & amazing when things fall in our hands when we least expect them? :-)
Smallest amount...something within the dollar, and I remember laughing. I don't remember what I did with it! :-)
#Jay,
Hahaha! That's so cool! Love those ads! :)
#Pradyot,
Yeah, you're right! :D
#Aethyr,
True, the celeb status and the look on my parents' faces was indeed priceless and unforgettable! :)
ps: Am going to check your blog out right after I post this comment! :P
#Bhole,
Really?? What was it for?? :D
#Ashish,
Haha... you should scan the mag and write a post about it!
#Anon,
My heart breaks for you, Anon.
Fao, got an identical twin brother for Anon here?
#Keshav,
14 cents?? Haha! What was it for? And what did you do with it?? :D
#Harshi,
//Isn't it baffling & amazing when things fall in our hands when we least expect them? :-)
Oh, that's so true! Here I was, already so elated, and outta nowhere, I had a thousand bucks in my hands! :D
ps: Girl, long long ago you said you wanted to create your own blog some day, remember? Anything happening there? :)
Sayesha..., I know..I know (Big, wide smile). It has been on the back burner for a while now :-)
My thought-threads seem to be quite entangled at the moment :-)
I felt the same way when I received a reward of 3000 Rs for my 10th standard marks. The thought "This is MY money.. I earned it" stayed in my head for a long time. It was fun buying my family stuff with money I could call my own... and not from the pocket money I got.. :-)
#Harshi,
No worries babe! Hum intzaar karenge :)
#Leon,
Hey hey, you're still here as the 'selfish reader', huh? :P
I know exactly what you mean by the 'This is MY money'! What an awesome feeling! :D
hi sayesha
all i could remember i received a nice scolding by my dad for getting a B in SPM (equivalent O level) in M'sia though got 9 A*s in other subjects last year
talk about our Desi parents,lol
nice post !!
Aaaah Sayesha!
I think it can be beaten.
And, infact it has been beaten.
I remember about a year and a half ago, MTNL had sent my dad a check for 1 rupee and 5 paisa or something like that.
Infact, it's still lying somehwere in the house cause my dad never cashed that(obviously!).
one of my friends got a cheque for one rupee by post. and the stamp on it was for 2 rupees!
It was for some interest for some deposit (interest - 3$ something) minus some tax deductions etc ...woh 14 cents ko aaya...I have the cheque...didn't deposit..woh processing karne ko hi zyada effot lagega shayad :). Waise kya kar sakta usse ? tumko gift doon ?
i got a cheque for RS.50 wen i was in 4th grade for sum poem tht i wrote fm a children;s fornightly magazine..:) my mom framed it :D
still have it..
..p..
Sayesha, i know i'm digressing here. Anyway, when i checked http://www.business-opportunities.biz/projects/how-much-is-your-blog-worth/ it says your blog worth is $41,211.42. So should we all expect a party on this occasion?
#Navin,
Haha! I agree, man! :)
And thanks!
#Tequila,
Hahaha! He should auction it years later when the rupee is out of circulation! :P
#Anon,
That's hilarious! :D
#Keshav,
Haan haan, mera worth toh 14 cents hi hai na... thanks a lot man!
#Priya,
Wow, perhaps I should have framed it yaar. But it seemed like an incredible amount of money for a 16-year-old not to spend! :P
ps: I just remembered Target magazine gave me 50 bucks for some stupid poem I wrote which they published! :P They sent cash though.
#Humjoli,
Arre yaar... The cheque obviously didn't say 'Sayesha' na! That's why... tum bhi na...
#Shuuro,
Ooohhh... would you look at that! :P
Two options:
1. I wanna sell. You wanna buy? :P
2. I have already sold off my blog, and the cheque in this post is what I got -- $1.25! :O
How on earth can they put a price on a blog yaar?? Does it even mean anything??
#Humjoli,
Hahaha! :D
#Nutty,
I got this after lodging an online complaint about my malfunctioning travel card. Apparently, they found out they had overcharged me by $1.25 so they sent me this cheque! :D
y is it that all blogs that i am reasing today are on deep memories?
nice one though
Well, I had read about few people who earn their living solely through blogging. They are so popular that their blog is a medium for advertisers to reach their blog visitors and by allowing them to advertise on their blog they earn revenue.
Its not about selling or buying sayesha, its about popularity. Anyway, Even if i'm not unemployed, i can't buy your blog because its your postings that causing your blog worth to raise and not your blog itself. :P
So i guess we are not getting any party!
#Koi Pahailee,
Most blog posts are on memories, or derivations of them, isn't it? :)
#Shuuro,
Party toh hogi, lekin Singapore mein! You don't wanna come here yaar, what can I do? :(
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