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My Friend Sancho
My first book, My Friend Sancho, was published in May 2009, and went on to become the biggest selling debut novel released that year in India. It is a contemporary love story set in Mumbai, and had earlier been longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2008. To learn more about the book, click here.
If you're interested, do join the Facebook group for My Friend Sancho
Click here for more about my publisher, Hachette India.
My posts on India Uncut about My Friend Sancho can be found here.
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23 August, 2007
The HSBC Call Center Blues
A raging nostril and a parched throat has deprived me of much sleep over the last couple of days, and I slept at five this morning, and went back to sleep after my maid came a couple of hours ago and finished her work. Obviously I did not want to be disturbed. At 9.26am, my phone rang.
Me: Hello?
Female voice: Hello, may I speak to Mr Amit Kumar?
Me: (Exasperated) I am not Amit Kumar.
(Long pause, in which I can almost hear the woman tilt her neck down and check the name again. Then:)
Female Voice: Oh, Amit Varma. May I speak to Amit Varma. I am [forgot-name] calling from HSBC Bank.
Me: (emphatically) No you may not! (I hang up.)
So I’ve put the phone back and I’m off to sleep again when, at 9.30am, the phone rings again.
Me: Hello.
Male Voice: (Shouting) May I speak to Amit Varma?
Me: Yes.
Male Voice: (Shouting) I am Rocky calling from HSBC Bank.
Me: Rocky, why are you shouting?
Male Voice: (Shouting) My colleague called a few minutes ago and you shouted at her. I have to do the same to you, no?
At this point, allow me to express my sincere hope that Rocky gets lucky with the colleague on whose behalf he shouted at me. Where can one find such macho men these days?
Posted by Amit Varma in
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