10 Things To Know About The Most Dreaded Question In a Conversation.."Or Batao?"

Kathleen: So... Or batao?
Joe: Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm????

1      The "Or Batao?" question springing up in the middle of a conversation in this era of instant messaging (or should I write free chatting) services is as much a certainty as Luis Suarez’s digging of teeth into his opponent in a football match. Ok. Spare me for the World Cup Hangover.

2       It is capable of irritating even the most patient of the lot.

3       Often it’s a sign of how the conversation has stalled with none of the sides having anything to steer the conversation ahead.

4       It almost always follows 2 minutes of silence, used by the speaker to not mourn the death of conversation but to think of all the prospective topics that can be used to reboot the conversation. But when nothing comes to the mind, comes out the “Or Batao?”

5       The dreaded question signals the giving up on the part of the speaker who cleverly through those two words pushes the ball in the court of the next person.

6       Its validity depends on the patience of the person on the other side. On an average, its maximum 2-3 times valid in a conversation, after that you can’t blame the next person if he/she decides to throw a can/glass/vase (all virtual, thankfully) at you with some choicest of expletives.

7       If you’re too adventurous, then you can use this mechanism to test the patience of your date or your new girl/boy, but be prepared for the worst in that case.

8        If the reply to your ‘Or batao’ is ‘Kya Batau?’, then just gauge the mood of the person on the other side for next 2-3 minutes and wrap up the conversation for the better.

9       However, sometimes, this ‘Or Batao’ thing can become incredibly sweet between two people. It becomes a nice little way of letting the next person know that though you cant really find a lot to talk despite your best efforts, you still don’t want to end the conversation.

10   It not always kills the conversation but can even keep the conversation alive. One can use it to tease the other person and get a slightly irritated reply, which can most of the times set the conversation right on its path to recovery. J

So…Or batao? :p