Daadu Tales - What's in a name (Part 2)

2008

Daadu had the knack of changing peoples names as per his fancy . 

His wife Kamal, he called her Bill (in typical punjabi style accentuating on the last syllable ). Wonder if it was connected to an unpaid bill.
His son Fatehjang was called Jang (the only suitable nick name, for he dare not take panga with Fatehjang).
His younger son Rajbir for some unknown reason is called Bunny, which continues till date 50 years hence.
My house helper Janaki was called Jankidas
Kavita was called Poem
Aryaan was called - Aadu
My lovely name Jasmin was change to Jessmen 

Most of the family members stopped replying when he called by his fancy. But he would continue to call till our ears went sore.

And then one day my little daughter Armaana, barely 5 years,  came crying to me .... Daadu is changing my name to Air-Myna.

This was the last straw for Jessmen. Her kids names being destroyed, right in front of her eyes and ears ! She would not let that happen.

Jessmen: Daadu, Armaana likes her name, please don't call her Air-Myna .
Daadu: But she eats nothing . And is light as air . 

Quite logical. But by now Jessmen had become illogical.

Jessmen: This nick name is upsetting her. What if some one called you..... Hair-Jeet instead of Harjit ? 

There was a silence.

And since that day, Armaana was spared from being called Air-Myna.

Daadu Tales : Price Wise

08-12-10 Daadu had had his fill with the grandkids and wanted to return home to Chandigarh.  He was returning home with a heavy heart as one of his mission’s during the stay remained unaccomplished.  He had not been able to teach our 3 month old pup ‘Mac’ how to say  “NO”.  (The breeder had advocated the beagle as a quick learning intelligent breed, but  it was disappointing that Mac had not learnt to say “no”  inspite of Daadu repeating it 100 times a day.)  Being a very price conscious person (unlike his son/my husband), he insisted we book his ticket Delhi to Chandigarh in a NON-A.C. train.  We booked it in the A.C. chair car train. (A.C. = air-conditioned) The ticket was kept away from his sight till as long as possible.  On the day of travel, as soon as he received his ticket, he checked the price and mumbled...... “Unnecessarily you have paid 5 times the amount I paid to come from Chandigarh to Delhi ”.  “Lets leave”, I said.  Has the autorickshaw come ? “No, the taxi is here”, I said. “Why taxi?  Autorickshaw will be one forth the price.” “Yes, but I called for a taxi because after you board the train, I will need the car to take me around for some work ” I lied.  “Joothi”, he said.  We got into the car.  On the way, the price of his ticket was still nagging him. “My ticket from Chandigarh to Delhi was only Rs. 90. And now my return ticket is for  Rs. 575”. At the station, an alert coolie came running towards our car.  “How much for these 2 small attachée (suitcase)?” Daadu fired the question to the coolie.  The Coolie took time to calculate (the cost of Daadu’s suit & boot) and then said......   Rs. 150.  “You will have to put the luggage in the train at his seat” I said. “The train still has 30 mins to arrive, so it’ll be extra for the wait........Rs. 250 for the bags to be put into the train”  the coolie summed up. “Why don’t you charge Rs.500 to avoid the hassel of returning the change” Daadu told the coolie.  Unable to decide whether  to laugh or to leave, the coolie stood still. We moved on to another coolie. After much haggling between Daadu and a few other coolies, finally the deal was sealed in Rs. 50. The deal was sealed in Rs. 50 , but  the price of his ticket was still troubling him.  He boarded the train, got comfortable in his seat, and once again repented the cost of his ticket, “Being winters,  the weather is cool and there was no need to travel AC class. Other than price there’s no difference in class of travel”.  “The difference is that you will get a better crowd of passengers, you will get bottled water and food, as well as news paper to help you pass the time and above all.... cleaner toilets” I reasoned with him.  “You cant expect much in Rs.90”, I said. “ But ‘I’ expect a lot in Rs. 90” he said shaking his head.   We both had a loud laugh before the train left.  After 18 years, I may have cracked the formula to handle father and son.....mathematically. For Daadu..... I have to down size the price by 5 times,  For his son, I have to multiply it by 5 times. Henceforth I shall remember to be price wise,  To calculate the price for father and son, it’s a formula of (-5) X 5. Sometimes I may need to reduce, or sometimes I made need to hike, But the price must match each of their psyche.  ********************

Naturally Man-Made?

29 Aug 2017

Bombay drowns in Floods due to record rainfall 

Ahmedabad and Delhi in floods, with just an average rainfall.

Weather or Weatherman, Batman or Superman 

who shall we blame in this floody game? 

Floods or no floods, Dirt, Filth, Diseases thrive in India. 

How and why do we continue to live in such conditions in India ? 

Is it our education or lack of it ?

Is it because we have been labelled "tolerant and resilient" we continue year after year in such conditions? 

Or is it just easier to live in a general state of indifference ? 

Is it due to the hopelessness that nothing will change, so the best we can do is continue to earn our bread? 

Or is it the fear of political clout that could make your life miserable if you legally protest ? 

Is it because of our well planned concretization ? 

Or is it due to neglect and organised corruption ?

Is it due to haphazard buildings that continue to erupt when it should have been stopped, even if they were sanctioned years before they were made? 

Or is it that we have no sense to envision before we create ? 

Is it because we don't want to change

or because we don't want to Be the change ?

Is it because traffic, construction, hygiene, flooding, sewage, drainage 

are confused with natural or manmade ?  

Or is it because we are mentally prepared and stubbornly dare to continue to live like this 

in any of the Indian states ? 

Most of our issues ..... however natural, are they man-made ?

--------------------------------

Incredible is our India for daily living. 

Valentines Day

This Valentines
Let nature be your valentine



Tread slowly,  look closely
you will see
Lil hearts beating in tiny lil beings

So, wear a kind heart on your sleeve
And nurture nature
Endlessly

Moth Silhouette

Uneasy lies the head
That wears the crown !

  

It was a dark night. 

The moth fluttered and settled on the glass window.

The lighting made the antennae look like a crown

  and the silhouette of its wings resembled a cape on the queen's gown.  

 

 

*****

Aiyo

"Aiyo!" the ubiquitous South Indian word is now part of the Oxford Dictionary ....

for the Brits have realised that no word in the english language hath ever expressed the wide range of emotions as does "Aiyo !" 

The endearing "Aiyo" ….

omnipresent, self expressive, all pervasive, universal, global, prevalent, predominant, common, popular, extensive, wide-ranging, and far reaching !

Recognised as...

the most apt word for expressing surprise, joy, shock, grief, fear, relief, disgust, disbelief. Also used in place of  "uh-oh, oh no, oh dear, goodness gracious....."

Next in line could be .... 

"AIYIYO !" an expression for even greater joy, wow, shock, grief, fear, pain, disgust & disbelief. 

After which the next word in consideration may be ....

"Haila" – an expression in Marathi, an equally versatile expression for conveying emotions varying from surprise to disgust.

(Beware... 'Haila' gets auto corrected to 'Laila'.)

AIYIYO !

 

********

2017 - The Dawn of a New Beginning

Hey Diddle Diddle

Hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle 
Man rocketed off to the moon
The little dog laughed at the trail of pollution 
While the Kite looked down 
from above the moon. 

The Thirsty Crow

1. One afternoon a big black butterfly flew into my house 

    and settled on the window glass

    He was mostly black, with few spots of red.

    Is this the ‘common crow’ butterfly? I scratched my head.

(the butterfly fluttering around the big black pot reminded me of the tale of the thirsty crow) 

2. His wings were broken, almost gone.

    I wondered what could have gone wrong.  

     

   Had he been in a fight to woo his winged delight ?

   Or escaped a predator and flapped his wings to save his life?

   Hard to tell, amorous fight or a flight for his dear life?

3.  I extended my hand, hoping we’d be friends.

        

4. With his antennae, his proboscis and his feet 
    he felt around, to ensure he was on safe ground 

    Then he unrolled his proboscis and gave me a lick

    in hope of tasting something sweet

                                                                              

     

                                                                      

                                                                                                                                

5. A thirsty crow, or so he seemed

   So I offered him some juice from a fingertip 

   He sipped, slurped and relished every bit,      

refused to get off my fingertips.  


   

  

6. He seemed comfortable and secure

    So he posed for some clicks. 

                                                                                                                                                                                               

7. With every click I discovered 
    he had more colours 

    much more than black, white and red.

    He had splashes of iridescent blue green as well.

 

Gaudy Baron (male)

Ahh! He was not the thirsty crow as earlier christened

He was a beautiful ‘Gaudy Baron butterfly' 

who probably lost a wing fighting for a beautiful Baronet.  

******

Common Crow Butterfly

O Tina!

Many years ago I was introduced to Tina at a friends place.

Tina lived in the neighbourhood and was always feared for her attitude. The problem was that Tina always misunderstood. 

Whether you asked her a general question or dared to have a polite conversation with her, she always interpreted the opposite than for what it stood. It was difficult to talk to her beyond 2 minutes. 

After many many years I met Tina at a wedding. 

Hi Tina, how are you? 

One may wonder insanely what can be misunderstood in such a simple question. But let me take you through the ride of her Q and A, which brought back all the memories. 

Hi Tina, how are you?

Why? Do I look unwell to you?

Er, no, just generally asking.

You are looking good today. (I tried to be on the safe side.) 

So you mean to say on other days I look terrible ?

Ooops ! let me try another topic!

So, Where’s your husband these days?

He is out of town. Why do you ask about him when I am here?  

Oh ! Ok, er, so have you been up to anything lately ?  

Do you think I am a good for nothing person who has all the time in the world? 

I struggled hard to think of topics in politics that would keep the conversation light and neutral, without involving emotions and mood swings.

But no topic can be neutral with Tina. Every topic is taken personally and the poor person who tries conversing with her is left wordless. 

I started squirming in my chair. I craned my neck to look around for my friends who had conveniently disappeared. I smiled at guests whom I did not know and tried to strike a conversation with them.  

Gosh, cant you sit straight? You are very fidgety, she said.

How about a drink? I asked.

Yes, get one for me too, she said. I am too tired to leave the chair. You have no idea what I have gone through to come to this wedding she said. It took me over an hour in the cab.

Tina, It took all of us the same time as you did to reach here. Did you have to push the cab ?

You are mad (one of her favourite lines), she said.

This was the only correct statement through our entire conversation. 

I was going mad with this conversation.

I think I’ll get my self a drink. I said. 

Get one for me too, She said. 

But first I need to visit the loo and saying that I ran out of her sight, and played hide and seek for the rest of the evening. 

O Tina! If only you’d see things a little more ‘seedha’. 

***********************

There was a lady named Tina

Who always made Eeena from Meena

What ever one did say

She'd take it the wrong way

making it all terribly Ulta of Seedha.

***********************

Ulta=Opposite 

Seedha=straight / as is