How are things otherwise?

Well I just couldn’t resist myself to write on this...

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

now when we do not know what else to ask or are left with no other details to share or no other topic to discuss about… bang… here comes the ace question

"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!