Being Siddhu

Even after staying in US for more than four years now, I still feel that my sense of humor is pretty much desi. It’s not about understanding the language; it’s about aligning your sense of humor with a different culture. There are people who do this seamlessly. At least they pretend to do it. But for me it needs effort which is no less than developing a high end algorithm (I don't remember when last time I did that).

Today I was in one such trap. The occasion was a party in buffalo wild wings thrown by my client. I am used to these types of parties and ready to take usual kind of jokes. I don't think that I have developed any taste for these jokes but I have learned to laugh at the right time and in the right amount. But I had a bigger problem in hand, the FIFA world cup. While I am still coming to terms why football is called Soccer in America and why the game which is called football here has hardly any use of foot. I am up with a new challenge. I not only need to enjoy FIFA world cup, I also need to know the history and Geography of each player. My client loves Soccer and my manager has already told me that though I am good in technology but I need to work hard on relationship management. I am sure I am not good in technology but I love when someone praises me. I am also sure that my manager’s presumption about my relationship management is correct. And if my client loves Soccer then I must have some view, if not love, for this game. I should be able to appreciate the game, its nuances and the jokes attached. I needed a guide for dummies on Football teams. I googled it, found one and went through it quickly. I realized that it is not worth. I should continue my technique of smiling and laughing as it is.

So at the end I was sitting in front of my client who was cracking some joke related to one player (I don't remember even his name) and I was laughing like anything. The trick is timing. You need to understand when the right time to laugh is. Once you get hold of this you need not to worry about what the person is saying. While I was laughing with full intensity, all of a sudden I felt like Navjot Singh Siddhu. What is the difference between him and me? Why I used to hate this person for his nonsense laughter? His primary job is to laugh and he laughs. I am not the anchor of any laughter challenge show. So to laugh is not my primary job and still I am laughing for my job. While I was returning from that party I developed a sense of respect for Siddhu. It is not easy to laugh on something which doesn't make sense. But it is even harder to lose your sense and start making sense out of all nonsense. Siddhu has achieved this state. I have yet to achieve Nirvana.