The Interview

It has a hectic day for me. It was my first day to join the office.

Aakash! submit your documents. Human Resources officer instructed me.

She is young. Talkative and smart. She had her post graduation from one of the best universities in India.

She is checking my documents and asked me a question.

What is your address?

I have answered it. She interrupted while I pronounced palle.

What is this palle? She asked me.

I said it means village. We call village as palle in Telugu.

She re-read my village name again and again and laughed.

She even invited her colleague to laugh about my village name.

I don't find anything funny about my village name I want to say. But my voice did not come out.

Is it because of my first day?

Or I became am shy?

I don't know.

But I learned that respecting tradition, the culture of others definitely not associated with a great academic portfolio.