Sunday, February 23, 2014

Seriously !!!

As I sat down to write some mumblings on the most anti-happy people that I can recall, it kind of took me back to the lane where I grew up. A lane in a small town called Jaipur.

First serious kinds jinki #ConditionSeriousHai - that I remember - are the "time-bound" characters.

Every evening the kids had a routine to gather at the gate of this garden; waiting for it to open at 5pm. I still remember the gatekeeper - we called him Hawaldar ji - he had these huge mousse - never smiled and would always keep jamming  his stick on the ground asking all the eager ones to make a line. "I will not allow anyone to enter if you do not make a line".

Man - he was serious about the line business ! I think he sometimes even gave a solid on the tushy to few of those really eager ones - trying to climb over the walls !! Phew - get a life Hawaldaar ji !!!

Second serious kinds are the "routine-bound" characters.

So right across the garden was a Sindhi shopkeeper - we called him Mr. Gajju, I think he had very little hair, but I am not sure how his name transformed from "Ganju" to "Gajju".

He had a very sharp business of keeping few boys around who would capture all the balls that came towards his shop. He would wipe them clean, cover them in a plastic, put a sticker and keep them back in his shop for sale.

Kids would come around looking for their lost cricket balls - when they could not find the balls, they had no other option than going to his shop again to buy - and he would keep selling those "captured" cricket balls again and again !!!

Problem was his was the only closest shop - else one would have to go really far for a ball - and when the guys had a match going on - you really needed the ball right that instant. Even after making so much profit - I never saw him smile ever !!!

He always had the same words - "what do you need", which ball? "small" or "big", I dont have change, or go bring change. Damn - give us another serious word or sentence - Mr. Gajju !

The third kinds are those "serious gossip news" neighbours - ahhh!! What a delightful happily serious folks. "You know today I saw that kid/ your daughter/ son speaking with that boy/ or girl in that bus/ or that place at that time."

And the parents - go - "accha", hmm, ok - thanks for letting me know !! In their minds they are going - Dude - who are you?? And if those kids do have serious parents that do take those newsy neighbours seriously, the kids do have a very serious time - without any serials !!!

There are all the others too - that can never be happy when others are having fun, be it in a group, or a shop, or a mall, or a party - these folks have that face that is a wall of serious-ness !!!

I have always wondered on people with serious mannerisms, teachers, principals, admins, bosses and so many others - some tied by routine, some by their work, some by habit - but hey - those used to the worlds and words of seriousness are seriously not word-ly or world-ly !!!!

So till next time - what can I say - Chill people - Be Happy - Seriously !!!!

-Pankaj Purohit
 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Loved it seriously