Thursday, November 17, 2005

Correction

I had goofed up last night. Nothing to get excited about the word ‘night’. I work at night. I work when other people sleep and I wake up when other people are preparing for a siesta. And I don’t work in a call center.
Last night I had a correction in my story. I wrote million instead of thousands in a news story. And it hit the wire without any remorse. The editor also missed it.
I didn’t realize my mistake. Five minutes back I had just send the story to the editor. I was checking it on my own after I sent it.
I spotted the mistake myself and ran to the editor to tell him, look sir, kindly check it, I have written million instead of thousands. But just seconds before he had released the news into the wire.
It was too late.
I could see the pain in my editor’s face when I told him about the correction. I was sorry for him.
Writing million instead of thousands is a serious error.
My heart stopped when the good old man began to fix the error and run it one more time in the wire.
I felt the world came to an end. The word ‘corrected’ is practically a nail in the coffin. My first nail had been hammered in. don’t know how many more to go before the final one comes.
I couldn’t sleep whole night. I was worried whether the next day my job would be there or not. I have just joined this famous news agency and before settling things properly, I screwed up.
Was thinking how my parents would get it when they would hear that I have been fired. So many of my friends who joined with me walked down the stairs with their heads drooped.
My seniors, with whom I have developed a nice warm relationship by now, tried to encourage me. Indeed, their comforting words were slokas from geeta for me. It really comforted me.
Everybody has a correction man…they said. Cheer up. Learn from your mistakes, they comforted.
I went to my mentor. He is like an elder brother to me. And he is very aggressive about corrections. He threatened to kill me or chop my balls off if I did one. I thought he would scold me hard. But he grinned. First correction, he said, no problem, don’t repeat. And don’t let it overcome you. I have also got correction.
Yes I will, I have to.
And here was that ever laughing fellow who tried to cheer me up with his example, correction is my second nature man…and don’t think about what you have done. You are a man, you should proudly proclaim yes whatever I have done, I am right, if I get a chance, I will do it again. And congrats for your first correction. Welcome to the world of manhood.
Thanks buddy.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

when I came to know abt the correction I felt pretty bad. I too got damm worried. I wanted to chear u up but didn't have the courage for that. Believe me the night was equally terrible for me as I felt very bad. It should't nave happened and why with u. But then destiny is destiny. And then I woke up early in the morning thinking that it was evening. But now after reading the encouragement by the seniors I think it was not that bad. Perhaps we magnify our minor negative points and then continue to brood over them for a long, hence spoiling our present and also our future.
But now with dead confidence I must say it was just a minor stuff. Cheer up dear!!
Life is too majestic and grand to be spoilt over such minor things.

jarshad said...

Only you can make corrections sound so interesting. and thanks for all the good things you said about me.

thorswheels said...

The first correction is always very excruciating. But keep the faith, man.

Nana said...

Yup, the word goes around the bureau, the first correction is like a first scratch on your new car.
Next time (God forbid) am sure u won't lose sleep over it.
And as i always say "welcome to the club"

Anonymous said...

I think life is too short to worry about little things in life, and trust me this is perhaps as little as it might ever get.

What is dissapointing with most of the mankind perhaps is that they start giving one facet of their life too much importance, forgeting that the whole world is out there...

Well, i would say the best way to look past this is to think of much much bigger wrongs that could happen and probably will happen...or for that matter have already happened in your life. Suddenly you might realise that this is certainly not the end of the world...for the life is so much more... your life is so much more....

Njoy ;) and relax

Rimi said...

"You are a man, you should proudly proclaim yes whatever I have done, I am right, if I get a chance, I will do it again. And congrats for your first correction. Welcome to the world of manhood."

now i'm terrified. do you think i'd have been fired 'cause i'm a girl? *quakes in shoes*

Bone said...

I work at night. I work when other people sleep and I wake up when other people are preparing for a siesta.

so i'm not the only one, huh? as for corrections, don't know if this one is truth or a tale but still, i mean... don't we like do that so many times? i probably didn't even notice my first mistake until my editor caught me by the ear and pointed out. ah... but that's another story.

and by the way, i really didn't believe you'd rewrite that comment on my blog. that's so sweet of you!

ghetufool said...

"Life is too majestic and grand to be spoilt over such minor things."
anon 1 thanks for those encouraging word. and yes by now i have taken things lightly.
though you and anon 2 are not anonto me but still, since you choose to keep your name hush hush. i would not refer you by your name.
yes life is indeed too majestic and grand. but its all the more majestic when one has a spotless record, like you.
thanks for dropping in.
cheers

anon 2, you said
"for the life is so much more... your life is so much more...."
thanks for reminding me that. i had nearly forgotten it.
otherwise how can i forget i owe you a party, for starting your own blog. from next time comment on your blog name otherwise i will delete the comment. samjha kya bidu?

ghetufool said...

hi jarshadda,
guruji, thanks for visiting my blog again.
was that interesting? may be that's because you are a very interesting character.

ghetufool said...

mr fool and mr nana,
you were the seniors who encouraged me during my time of deprssion.
i am grateful to you both.
and nana, you are a funny guy. ever smiling. i have never seen you sad. keep that smile forever.
it has medicinal values. it treats depressed patients.
thanks

ghetufool said...

rimi debi,
so you are very angry with me. dont be so. debi proseed, proseed debi.
i not for a single moment said am lobbying for or glorifying men.
actually among my colleagues, there were girls also who were thrown out.
dont direct it to a different channel (i fear feminists).
actually the title of 'manhood' is conferred to absolute scoundrels, like me.
we do mistakes, our stories are ridden with corrections. still we are shameless.
for a few days we repent, but then, we are at our best.
we are a bunch of shameless creatures. we do corrections and proudly proclaim that we are erronous. so behaya we are that we write about our corrections and glorify it. see, what shameless nana said, welcome to the club. he is another shameless addition. and now i am a part of the shameless club.
that is something a girl will never do (that's why i love girls). but the fact is i, like other scoundrels, am proud of my manhood.
and never think that yiu would be given clemency because you are a girl. nope, our company is rather merciless.
you will realise once you join it.
join it fast so that i may invite you to the club.

Roshomon said...

i know this feeling...
the first time the headlines didn't go I felt like I would jump from the top of a building...even though it was a mock show...
felt like I would never be given Headlines for the rets of my life...

ghetufool said...

halloa
mandy
thanks for coming to my blog again.
yes, indeed its a truth. i did a correction and was in the line of fire.
i read yiur article about a children's paper.
so you write in a paper. aspiring full-time journalist i hope.
well, we are all journalists here, fool, nana, jarshad, anon 1 and 2.
and we have worked in every famous paper that yiou possibly know.
its a fun profession. u write well, you have a bright chance of success. u dont have to toil very hard.

and the difference between your correction and ours is that we work in a real time news agency. whatever we publish goes hits the internet instantly and is accesed by readers worldwide. we dont get time like newspapers to check and re-check. also our work is also very fast and challenging. we work under immense pressure.
since its a real time thing. there is no forgiveness for a correction.
yes when i was working in a newspaper, my stories weere spotless. cause subbies used to check it properly. they knew i dont check my stories after writing.

and about that post, well, i took it as order. you have gor very good pen in your hand.
i am scared of swords. and a pen is mightier than a thousand swords.
(and a feminist is a thousand time mightier than a pen, rimi, dont mind)

ghetufool said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ghetufool said...

hi roshomon,
a warm welcome to my blog.
its very heartening to know that someone of my own fraternity from new delhi sympathises me.
we suffer from the same pains, cause we know the tit-bits of our profession.
thanks comrade.
do visit again.
p.s. and i am reading your posts for long. but never commented. i like your writing style, subjects.
cheers

ghetufool said...

shut up...
you misguided youth who thinks himself a phoenix

Anonymous said...

first correction is like first love..u willnever forget it ;-) n it will hurt like hell no matter how long it takes to get over it..cheers! relish in the feeling :-D

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