"An interview"

              Prita was desperately looking for a job.At 9am she was busy scanning the local newspapers for classified adverts .She was especially awake early by an hour on this wednesday morning for this task . She checked the tImes Of India & mumbai Samachar columns hurriedly, while her mind was busy, simultaneously preparing answers for a possible interview. Not that she had any great hopes of immediately getting any offer calls.....but one never knew !
             Prita wanted a comfortable position , decent salary & stimulating people to be around. Certainly she was not amongst the nine-to-five mentality people!She was enthusiaistic , lively,intelligent & quick on the uptake , so she wanted a placement that respected all theese attributes of hers !!! Prita uniterruptedly scanned the classified columns & star marked a few advertisements in red felt-tip pen . She  thought they suited her . Prita was trying out fields different to her past experience & was open to concrete openings , that's why she preferred to do the search by herself & not go through any placement agency- where they charged  a hefty fee , for giving out inflated credentials of a prospective company!She  had substantial experience in the field of garment exports & insurance. Why ---in her merchandising stints she had designed some fine new innovative garments for the company ---so what if they were a little modern for the common persons taste! Even her insurance job had won her lot of praise & accolades from her seniors for her contacts , persuasive ability & pick-up . So she was confident of doing well in a new field of work & was eagerly  looking forward to it ! 
                 With the job profile , timings,travel time & co-workers attitude were also important to prita.After the last
few months up-heavels & nit-picking attitude of her bosses , she now wanted an easy,mundane desk job . certainly where none of her exceptional skills were called into play ,nor was there any pressure to perform !" She also did not want unnecessary competition from underqualified colleagues at better salaries ".There were few openings with these kind of demands ,except maybe a secretary,receptionist or a fancier designation of an office assistant ! All were beneath her -intellectually speaking - but they offered her the easy routine that she could handle, where not every moment was  squeezed with deadlines & made use of her social skills for a change!
 Even the posts were not too far from where she lived & that mean't less commuting time. Prita was ticking all these  aspects in her mind ,while reviewing the ads.
             She immediately found a god-sent opportunity -that of a teacher at a  local school for english! Prita circled 
the advert & kept it aside ,for  a few minutes. She needed time to think, to prepare what to say for the interview & what to answer . Certainly she had no teaching experience but she had given tuoitions some years back in college.......remembered prita vaguely .Would that suffice - she asked herself mentally ?That would have to do -her mind replied descisively ! By then it was 9.30 am & prita went for her morning bath. She finished  at  10 am & still had to have her breakfast , which she hurriedly gulped down. Without even combing her wet hair, prita dashed to the phone  at 10.05 am & dialed hurriedly .....one ring...two....four...no answer.?
        Prita tumbled the receiver into its cradle dejectedly&  walked towards the kitchen despondently  ....when the phone pealed...
 She ran & grabbed it . 
The voice on the other end  enquired......"somebody called me from this number on my mobile".
 "Oh yes ........it was me ....who was calling in response to your advert.......replied Prita ". 
She asked the mandatory questions like....what qualifications.....were required....answer ....only english skills "What are the.. timings ....asked prita.....again a reply from the opposite end ....part-timefor four hours came the answer " 
Prita : is it a tuition class ?
no ...it is for an NGO .....voice on the other end '
 Oh lovely ....exclaimed prita & narrated her own experience of working for blind children ,which added weight to her experience & she was asked to come in at 2pm sharp for a demo session. 
              After that prita hurriedly finished her chores & tried to rest for half an hour before leaving home.She dressed carefully in a crisp cotton kurta-churidar & blackened the few wisps of white strands at her temples for better impression....all the while mentally preparing what she would teach the class, what would be the spellings ,correct grammer etc. Prita took the local bus  & walked the balance 7minutes to reach the school , where the ngo ,was located.
            It was a dirty muncipal school, wz classrooms for the kids in basic shape. The rooms were big & airy ,but dark. the children sat on the floor on mats  & most of them looked under-nourished & un-obedient. They were whispering among themselves ,when the co-ordinator from the ngo " mitali " came forward & introduced herself. She was a short dark girl wz  a mobile phone & leather hand-bag.Prita was taken aback at the least enthusiasm on mital's face for her job!She asked prita some routine questions & was not much affected by the replies . Mitali then introduced prita to class seven students & asked her to take an impromptu session on grammer with them.

Prita did so hesitatingly at first & then with increasing confidence ......as it had been some ten years ,since she had left school & given tuitions. Her mind was filled with all sorts of apprehensions & doubts. She finished the session .....and  time just flew by !.She had enjoyed the time wz the class & had taught them adjectives & nouns & pronouns .It ahd been an interactive class ....with some kids shy....some mumbling.....some whispering & some promptly answering ! She personally thought she had done well & the kids faces also seemed to echo that thought........
            So prita was completely shocked............when mitali said " i am sorry.....but prita something was lacking. She then tried to tone down the disappointment by saying....you were good.......your style of english was also good .......but .......something was amiss ......
              Prita was too stunned & overwhelmed to take the answer  in........ was her grammar bad......'no but right now mitali had said' ....it was good.....was she too fast......'but mitali had not commented on it'.......was she too strict with the children......'but the kids were all smiling' ..........
             Prita just mumbled a mundane thank-you for the opportunity to teach ......& walked back home ....hurt ....confused & in a analytical frame of mind. 
THE INTERVIEW WAS OVER........IN A MATTER OF FEW MINUTES.........SHE HAD BEEN REJECTED.....NO MATTER THAT SHE WAS EAGER ....ENTHUSIATIC ......CAPABLE......NO CONCRETE REASONS WERE GIVEN.....
NO REGRETS CONVEYED OVER HER LOST TIME......... & OPPORTUNITY . .........AND MITALI WAS ALREADY CO-ORDINATING THE NEXT DEMO SESSION ........PRITA ALREADY FORGOTTEN !!