Well, I got time after so long for posting this article. It is an article that I want all my friends (or at least the once pursuing Engineering with me) to go through. Bitter truth guys, we gotta accept it and find ways to tackle the difficulties that we encounter or may encounter in near future due to the fact that we are Engineers, the most technical brains around. Well coming back to the post, I don't remember where I found it from, but aah yes, its not written by me. Anyway, leave comments.
I remember the incident – I was in a restaurant and one girl
in our group was especially charming. So I, like any other male, tried to put on
a wooing act. You know the routine, a nanosecond extra eye contact, a few more
nods to whatever she says, and attempts to throw in those one-liners which you
know you wouldn’t if she weren’t there. And it seemed to be working. She leaned
forward when she spoke to me, and every now and again, we’d have a small
conversation of our own, separate from our group. She laughed at my approach
with the fork and knife, and I teased her about her hair band, which had little
teddy bears. Yes, we were flirting.
A while later, she asked me the question what did I study? I
said engineering, without any particular meaning attached to it. And then like
a cold metal rail, she went stiff.My jokes weren’t funny any more. Her eyes
wandered to everyone else.
What was it?
Why? Why? Why?
Two days later, I still couldn’t get over my great start
that had dissipated listlessly upon mentioning my education. Engineer? What was
wrong with that? My mom had wanted me to become one since I was five! I had to
call her. ‘So what happened to you that day, hot and cold, missie?’ And then
she said, trying to be nice, ‘Well, it’s just that I am skeptical about
engineers as friends. I don’t know, they can be, you know, very logical and
everything…not very touchy feely’.
Not touchy-feely. Now what the heck did that mean? Well, she
obviously did not mean it literally, since girls don’t really suggest that sort
of stuff, certainly not in the first meeting across the table. I guessed it was
something to do with feelings, sort of having an emotional side. The stereotype
being, the nerdy guy who sees relationships like laws of physics, to whom love
is just a bunch of chemicals going crazy in your brain, and getting to know a
person means obtaining their bio-data.
It’s time to set the record straight.
It’s true that a lot of what engineers study (and they end
up studying quite a lot), has to do with formulas, laws and numbers. No matter
how hard we try, some of the vocabulary we read all day gets into our language.
So when my mother said, ‘Are you getting married next year or not?’ I was
liable to say, ‘Well, at this moment in time, the probability is relatively
low,’ and felt it was completely normal to say it. And when my sister went sari
shopping and couldn’t explain the shade she wanted, I told the shopkeeper the
percentages of pink, orange and red in the sari.
Yet, ladies, I don’t think we’re bad at relationships, love
and getting to know people. We too, can be touchy-feely, as that is part of our
education as well. The reason for this is that most engineering students live
in the this ‘touchy-feely’ thing. Relationships.
Imagine eating, sleeping, brushing your teeth, bathing (ok
rarely this one) and partying with the same people all the time. So, when you
are kicking that bathroom door down for the tenth time, or when you stand in
line for ‘gulab-jamuns’ in the mess, and when you are done with the vodka
bottle and sharing all your secrets, you know it is good practice. Yes, hostels
maketh the man. So, next time you are in a flirtatious situation with the
techno types, go on, flirt a bit more. Of course, I am biased towards my kind,
but if you find the conversation turning too geeky, just ask them, ‘So, what
were your hostel days like?’ and chances are, you’ll see a heart behind the
calculator.
Coming back to my missie, I thought of what would make me
win her over. Flowers… too cheesy. Music… don’t know her taste (nor trust
mine). Teddy bears… don’t even go there.Desperate for some good lines, I just
turned it right back at her. ‘Yes, I know what you are saying about engineers.
The thing is, unless people with depth like you start hanging out with us, we
won’t get any better. Can you meet me some time for some touchy/feely… oops, I
mean coffee/tea?’
She giggled. When they giggle, you have won...
