I am sure many of you would have heard this question or asked this to others: How are things otherwise?
The irony of this statement is: We speak it so casually and usually when we would have already completed half of our conversation.
Typically: we would start a conversation like this:
Hi, How are you? How are things?
Blah blah
Blah blah
"How are things otherwise"
The respondent would think well we have already discussed everything… father is ill, mother is on bed, sister last week ran away with our driver, I am suspicious of my wife these days, boss is not happy with my performance so I might get fired by the end of next week, mortgage is still an issue… but ya otherwise things are fine
Somehow, I have found this question common only in Indians.
May be we do not know how to end a conversation
May be we feel its impolite to end it and expect the other person to end it
Or may be we just have got addicted to this
So next time when you are left with nothing else to add and the question you have in mind is “how are things otherwise?”, Think again. Perhaps 'It was nice chatting up with you' and 'Goodbye' would be simpler and less cliche endings to the conversation ;-)
By the way how are things otherwise?
Cheers!
2 comments:
Well yes, you are absolutely right in this - I have found myself saying this many times and wondered if it made any sense. I guess it's just an unconscious way of finding the time to think of some new topic to talk over. Because many a times one who asks it doesn't even wait for the answer and pops up the next ques that hits his mind.
Fully agree and found itr quite common as well. Most of the times you cna see it coming with just that single world "aur"...(and). I guess there are two causes for it -(1) when people want to end the conversation or are kind of dis-interested, or
(2) When you are talking to someone who you regularly talk to and like to talk to as well but then sueenly find with no other topic to chat on...:)
I guess you should also think on writing about the other side of this - the answer that I have heard many a people say quite often..."not too bad"
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