THE TALE OF A VISITING CARD

THE TALE OF A VISITING CARD

The peon brought that visiting card and placed it before me. I glanced at the card and said, “Look, ask him to wait. I will get back to him as soon as I finished the meeting.”

After about ten minutes, I asked the peon to let the visitor in.

He entered with a big Namaskar. Neatly dress in a sherwani and pyjama, this tall man attempted to assess me through his piercing vision.

‘First, Sir, I am sorry to tell you that I didn’t expect this from you.’ He said and I was shocked.

 ‘What do you mean?’ I asked.

‘Did you see my visiting Card?’ he asked with a bit impatiently.

‘Of course. I did.’

‘Did you see that carefully?’ he continued

I looked at the card another time and placed it on my table.

‘Yes…I have. ’

‘What does it say?’

‘It indicates your name.’

‘And then…’

I was annoyed. ‘Tell me. .”

‘Doesn’t it say that I am a Padmashree?’

‘Of course. It does.’

‘Then, why didn’t you call me immediately?’

‘Does your card say that a Padmashree should be called in immediately?’  I shot back at him.

‘Are you joking? Is this the basic courtesy you offer to a Padmashree?’

“Certainly no! But you must understand that I was busy in the meeting and you have come without an appointment.”

I didn’t want to pick a quarrel. ‘Please tell me the purpose of your visit.’

‘I just want to know from you whether you can get an admission done for this Padmashree’s friend’s child.’

I looked at the card again. It gave a profile of the man., the chairman, Advisor…., Treasurer…. And. much more.

The purpose here is not what happened. But the incident created a curiosity in me to look at the visiting cards whenever they are given to me by someone.

The long cards, the folded ones, the glazed ones, the colored ones, the plastic cards, the screen prints, the designer cards, cards having pictures of political bigwigs, cards depicting birds, animals, computer, machineries, sometimes their own selfies!

The designer cards do have a good market.

A few ideas have been suggested for the designers and their clients.

If A.R.Rahman would have to design a card, may be he must do so like a piano and the card on opening should play ‘Vande mataram’ !

If Aishwarya Rai would design it could be in the form of a lip stick and a free sample embedded within!!

If a Karate Master would do the card,it may be in the form of a fist, which on opening could give a punch on the face!

I know of a youngster who served a visiting card along with his name and that of his wife printed on the lunch plate on the occasion of his marriage. I was wondering why 1It took a few minutes for me to know that it was a large pappad served with lunch displaying the names of the newly wedded! It was very crunchy and cracked easily !

A middle aged businessman, who had sought an appointment with me, gave me a piece of paper as he entered.

I asked him immediately ‘What is this folder for?’

The smart man said ‘Sir, this is not a folder. This is my visiting card!’ Well, it contained his curriculum vitae! The only thing that was not printed was the name of the applicant!

Once when I asked someone to print my visiting card, the printer did a good job, but decorated the card with a black border.

It would have been a good print for a condolence meeting!

I do introspect a few times on the objectives of a visiting card. What should it contain? What should be the salient features? How can we usher creativity in designing the card?

Don’t forget to stuff in your entire C.V inside the card. The little things you do.. if possible with a chip having a google map to locate where you would be, whenever the person opens up the card.

Many put in their degrees within a bracket, which really means that they are yet to complete it. But I have been receiving this card for ten long years to show they are still very much committed to that endeavour !

Some do indicate whether they are Lions, Tigers, Foxes or members of any Clubs!

Some have a long list of awards won by them, right from their street corner to those for which they have paid a couple of dollars!

Many do search for new letters in English to put in the cards, as they have used all known letters!

Some strongly feel that their profession should be projected through their cards.

May be, the doctors visiting card could be designed in form of an Syringe, it could be soaked and dried in dettol !

The Inspector’s visiting card could be designed in the form a pistol; dipped and dried in blood!

The lawyer’s visiting card could be printed in black in the form of a bow and could smell the sweet of his client!

The principal’s visiting card could be in the form of a stick and soaked in ink and smell chalk! It could also carry a P.S. “ No Admissions” !

There are enormous possibilities of designing the card!

A loving husband designed a visiting card for his wife, who was a computer engineer. The card was designed to picture a pregnant woman!

He smiled and said, ‘Is this not cute? A nice gift to her for she is in the family way!’

Well, friend, you must also know to whom you give your card.

Recently, I received a letter from one of the Principals stating that she has done the admission of a child as requested by me. I called her up and said, ‘I never sought any admission of a child in your school’

‘But’ she continued, the man showed me your card!’

Once when I was traveling in a bus, it was for a long distance. The passenger who was sitting next to me initiated a discussion and in the course of it, I mentioned where I was working though I did not reveal my name or designation. Immediately he started narrating about a person he knew in the office who was quite influential and if I need any help he would take me to him. Out of my own curiosity, I asked him who that person was. He pulled his wallet, took out a visiting card and showed the name of the person with whom he claimed a lot of familiarity. Shockingly, the card was mine!

While alighting from the bus, I thanked him for the information and just asked him how he managed to get the card.

‘Lo! It is quite easy. I went to one of my relative’s daughter’s marriage . I was given the job of unpacking the gifts. I had the fortune of seeing a couple of cards which could be useful. This was one of them. I tore of the card from the gift packet!’

Now-a-days, I don’t attach my visiting card to any gift packet – I only write my name with an ink pen!

One evening, one of my office colleagues barged into my room.

‘Sir’ with a smile on the face he gave a card to me.

‘Is it you new visiting card?’ I asked him politely.

‘No sir, this is my daughter’s marriage invitation’.

I was amazed. ‘Why waste paper Sir, I want to cut costs’

The visiting cards could convey a lot of sense. Many people keep boxes of visiting cards of the people who had come to meet them.

An eighty-year old man was once showing how he used to collect the cards of people who visited him ‘Ninety percent of them are dead. Their cards are alive!’ What a great sentiment.

Next time when you want to give a card, think –

Don’t give it to a salesman – he may go to your house in your absence and sell his product using the power of your card.

Don’t give it to a man who is driving fast – he may give it as his card to the traffic warden and you may get the challan!

Don’t give it to a young romantic lady - you are mistaken when her father sees the card in her wallet!

Don’t give it to a dying man – for he uses your card to book your accommodation in advance when he reaches the hell!