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Blessings may go against

Habsiguda life is amazing
Ammalu, real fun, you’re missing.

She lived in our neighbohood, a pretty fat lady with a pretty long tongue. We met near the Central Park, last evening.

‘Pantalu garu, Namskaramandi’,
she greeted me. Pantalu is priest, pandit, scholar,etc. I’m neither and she knows that

‘Namaskaram amma!’ I returned her greetings.

‘Mee aseervadam naakku kavali ‘, she had a point. She wanted my blessings, as I’m a Pantalu. Pantalu means, priest, pandit, scholar etc.

‘Deerghasumangali bhava’. I fulfilled her desire.

She retorted, as if called her auntie or patty in Tamil.
‘My husband has eloped with a good -for- nothing stupid, third rate woman. Damn with your blessings’.

‘Sorry to hear that, madam. I forgot your name’

‘Saraswathy’

‘Apt name. You look like original Saraswathy. Only a Veena is missing ‘

‘I had learned Veena for three months, got mad and discontinued ‘

‘You could have continued. In due course, your madness would have vaporized’

‘It was my Veena teacher who went mad, not me’
She clarified. No wonder.

‘Mee painaroom naakku kavali’ – I want your top room for rent’

‘Sorry, Saraswathy . That is already booked’

‘Cancel!’ She was assertive. ‘Didn’t I cancel my husband?’

Somehow, I escaped from her.

This morning, a fat man, wearing a silk shirt and two or three thick golden chains, came to meet me.

‘Pantalu garu, I want your blessings’ He pleaded. ‘Last evening you blessed my wife’.

I blinked. ‘The only lady, I met last evening was Saraswathy with no Veena, wife of Engineer—‘

‘Athu patha kathayandi. That is an old story. Now, she is my wife’

I explained him my position. ‘Babu, I’m no more a Pantalu. I was yesterday but not now. My son tells me that I am an American citizen now. My blessings will have only the opposite effect’

‘You mean Saraswathy will abandon me and go back to her original husband?’

‘May be to him or to some one else’

‘Bloody rascal!’ He jumped from his seat and dashed out. ‘ I will kill him’

PS. Pantalu is a respectful word reserved for a Brahmin

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