Skip to main content

People Must You Crib Loudly

 People Must You Crib Loudly

DKK
My ears listen If it’s something juicy or interesting. They cut out the noise of others. And well if people must talk loudly and simply not understand that even among strangers, still somebody is surely listening. Specially if it’s me. We went off to a concert today, well, I think the electric candles were more effective in creating the ambience than the music list in some parts but that is not what this is about.
The interesting part was a lady in the row immediately behind us, talking away. And talking away. Clearly so we could hear. I think she had a huge issue with her hubby, in her late fifties she was in her elements, firing away. He is always in his house clothes and it’s so difficult to get him to dress up. He just does not understand that you have to look nice too, we could have people dropping in, all he says is this makes me comfortable and happy.,let the people come but I cannot allow it, she went on. He drives me nuts just sitting on the sofa all the time, he can spend an hour sitting on the sofa as if it’s a throne without moving and just looking at the paper without turning a page. I was actually writing it down !! Lest I forget !! I had a duty to share this after all!
Going on firing in multiple directions, breathless, she did let on she had just had a light lunch, being just peckish, a grapefruit, a grape salad, an avocado salad and then it was one more exotic fruit!! I forget which one, It was all too interesting. She even harked back to her marriage, if I understood correctly. That for fifteen days or twenty days after marriage she could not leave her house by herself, he (the hubby) had to tag along even if she wanted to meet her own relatives, long lost types in this city she wanted to meet. Or her sister in law would certainly jump in, even if she tried at lunch, the sis in law would be gobbling up her food, to ensure she had could tag along. It was juicy entertaining stuff, mind you, she was sitting in the middle of people and carrying on. I was thinking if there were more to come, there was one more of how the hubby now listened very obediently now, but that every husband, arrogant or otherwise, I think does more in direct proportion to his advancing age 🙂. But the she did say the hubby was told to be ready by Nine AM on Wednesday, for a marriage, and he was not only ready but looked better too. That she sighed, is all I want. Only the arrival of the musician quietened her, though she was whispering later too.
Rarely have I heard a voice so arrogant, imperial, condescending and yet complaining at the same time. My memory bank, I dredged deeply, could not recollect such a voice. It was in a niche of its own. And what a deep dive, from just after marriage go now.
And then in our park, a young couple walking along, and the lady saying again and again, we have to go to the Bhog (Post Funeral) Ceremony, they are after all your relations, we must be there. They were there at our wedding. The guy, whose relative obviously had passed away, simply nodded and said we have to drive 20 odd kilometres one way and waste an afternoon. When his wife again advised him, he was clear in his thoughts, the late Uncle being a prominent personality, a couple of thousand people or more would be there, minimum, we can always say in the confusion and crowd, with so many people meeting Aunty, we refrained from meeting you, we thought we would meet you later and convey it better !! We can message this thirty minutes after the ceremony would have concluded. By that time I decided I would cross them, the interesting part was over.
The world is only made more interesting by such people. May they always be there. At a funeral ceremony of someone I knew, I just had to take a call. Two guys were standing nearby and discussing politics and how Electronic Voting Machines had defeated them. They had it seems just arrived and agreed when the bereaved family would come out, they would do their condolences quickly and drive off. They both had urgent meetings.
All said and done, my only desire is to meet the guy who sits for an hour on a sofa happily. He is obviously an evolved soul, he has reached that level where anger or sorrow or barbs or sarcasm cannot impact him. If I find him, we could share a drink and I could salute him too. He deserves it.
😇———End

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Forgotten Unsung Heroes of the Battle of Madhumati. 1971. Bangladesh. 45 Cavalry.

  The Forgotten Unsung Heroes of the Battle of Madhumati. 1971. Bangladesh. 45 Cavalry. By Dinesh K Kapila  (Chief General Manager (Retd). NABARD (As discussed with Major General (then Major) Pramod   Kumar Batra, Retd and Other Veterans)   Just a Glimpse – Cdr 62 Mountain Brigade – “Pramod, I believe it is hard to maneuver PT 76 tanks in this terrain and waters”. Pat is the answer, “it is hard and I may struggle, but you will never see me to give up or fai”l. They stood together, on the edge of the swift flowing Madhumati, the staff and soldiers waiting. It was dark. Very Dark. After waiting for some time the Bde Cdr had said, “lets go”. Major PK Batra vividly recollects even now watching the Cdr's face as he looked at the map with a torch. He was calm and very quiet, showing ,no fear or afraid and maintaining a dignified silence. He remembered the old saying, "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown". It was a moment in not only the life of the Brigade Co...

A Knock on The Door and a Memory

  A Knock on The Door and a Memory A Short Story By Dinesh K Kapila  (written for a contest, had to start with Knock Knock ...) Knock knock. The sharp rap shattered the silence, jolting her from a restless daze. Who would knock so late ? Open the door ! The voice, urgent, cut through the stillness. Her breath hitched. That voice ……. Unmistakable. She froze, heart pounding, hand inches from the knob. It could not be…. It sounded just like Dheeraj. How could it be? Just could not be. She was wondering, in the meantime, the knocking continued. Sharp raps. Relentless. She stood back a couple of steps. Wondering. Thinking should she open the door. It was late. Very late. ‘Wait’, she shouted loudly. ‘I will just take a minute”. That would buy her time. To think. What did he look like now. It was now more than three decades since they last met. She had moved on and so had Dheeraj. Life, it gives chances, you grab some, some you let go. On an impulse she steeled herself and o...

Appearances ! Oh Chandigarh !

  Appearances ! Oh Chandigarh ! Dinesh K Kapila Appearances. The real self. The perceived self. The public self for the world to see, sometimes multiple selves. That is us. Surya felt only Chandigarh took it at times to another level. Surya was with his wife Annie at a house in a tony locality in Chandigarh. Visiting. For those who do not know, Chandigarh has a clear cut demarcation. Here localities are called Sectors. Sector 1 to Sector 30 are directly maintained by the Chandigarh Administration, they are visibly cleaner. Sector 8, Sector 9, Sector 6 are viewed as exclusive. It’s deeply rooted, this degree of exclusivity. The accents are apparently plusher and softer and lifestyles more lah de la, that is the refrain. Then come the other sectors. As you cross over from Sector 30 onwards, maintained by a private company, the perception itself changes, so goes the wisdom. One old timer, a hard nosed businessman from Sector 6 once told Surya, you guys in the Sectors such as 33,3...