A Tie, A Knot and a Guy.

It all began on distant and gloomy days of monsoon. Schools have reopened and with turning up in 9th standard, I was bestowed with a gift which was to define my future. A Tie, that was made compulsory as my school considered that it was to groom us as early professionals, and in a span of time it did so. I still have the rusty memories of the time when I fortunately learned how to make a knot.

It was during these monsoon days, when in the course of running to catch my bus, I made my friend to tie a knot for me. That was one of those moments when i realized that magic is just the work of fingers. Spellbound by the art I witnessed, added to a part frustration of keeping my tie safe as an artifact [So the knot stays intact.], I decided to grasp this skill. Now, it was my turn to act. I asked my friend to tie the knot for me, but this time on my neck rather than his. This pulled him into a confusion but he started tying up the knot which was on my neck and was exactly opposite what he was doing till date. In all his confusion, frustration and anxiety I attained the superior knowledge of tying a knot. And as they say, Practice makes man perfect [Don't know why only man.] and so i did. within a week or two i was up with my 'self-tied' knot. SUCCESS.

With a AISSCE certificate and notable skill of tying a knot i passed my school. After Loads of pressure from competitive exams I reached a college which fortunately had a dress code. For four years from that time, I was the only person of my batch who regularly wears a tie. This attracted amixed opinion from my batch mates. There were people who relished pulling my tie to even those who tried to tie me up with my tie. But some things are designed to always 'hang-on-your-neck' and indeedsome of them are good.

Finally the process reached its moral destination : professional world. My first few Mondays andTuesdays were with an obligation to tie knots for many floor-mates. By the end of the day, when they kept their ties as a relic to be excavated next week, I quiet enjoyed un-tying mine. Presence of tiewas a permanent and most frequent question posed in front of me. And what answer anyone can have,apart from 'i like it', for such silly fervency. Many people i met even admired it and even some wereannoyed. But through all it had been, it has turned out to be a habit now. many a times, when sitting for a meal i find myself avoiding my tie getting into my plate, even when i am not wearing one. Aptlyput, Habits die hard and so will be my frenzy to wear tie.

To end the note,
'And then it hanged happily ever after.'

Photograph courtesy : Sreeraj A