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Dosa chattuvam or dosa ladle

“Thunder showers soak Hyderabad  city” – news paper report this morning. 

We, in Habsiguda Central Park area had only thunder and lightning, but no showers but I  enjoyed the thunder sound, lightning flashes and strong wind waves. I Was in fact excited, when the night sky’s mood  suddenly changed sending down cool wind, giving unexpected relief from the hot waves. 

The power supply went off.  I lighted a candle, pulled out a chair, sat outside to enjoy the bliss. 

‘Anna, idi idikkarthu, ullae vaa!’, warned my brother Vicha. He wanted me to get inside fearing that I might get stuck by lightning. I didn’t move an inch. I was enjoying the changed mood of the sky.

‘How nice it would be if I could die now! All my responsibilities are over’. I thought, ‘of course, Vicha is there; God will take care of him’ . 

It is no my habit to worry about my death; somehow, I believe it is not applicable to me! But, now the condition was so favorable, attractive, to quit for ever!

I thought I was thinking but I expressed my desire, rather loudly which reached the unusually sharp ears of the obese woman in the opposite side, who screamed, ‘ullae odipom, pavi Brahmana!  Omma thalaelae idivizunthu ennavathu aana, enakku pochu- rush inside you sinful Brahmin. If struck by lightening, something happens to you, I will be the loser!’

Instantly, my desire to quit the world vaporized. Here is a lady, may be fat, but still charming, who will miss me, if I quit’

I got up from the chair and shouted, ‘Paru, you will be the loser! How on earth?’. 

I longed to hear from her a long lecture or even a poetry from Changanpuzha’s love story, Ramanan or a cinema dialogue or at least the tamil cinema song:

‘PokAthae, pokAthae en kanava! ‘ though I’m not her kanavan, husband.

But crisp was her reply. 

‘Dosai chattuvam!’

Her dosa ladle is with me! I had borrowed it and forgot to return!

For women, their  kitchen vessels are more important than anything else including the sacred life of a sadhu in the opposite house! 

 

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A question of wives

‘Loppudu raavochaa, can I come in, Sastrygaru?’

‘You’re already 10 yards inside my house. And I’m not a Sastry or Sanyasi, madam’

‘From the day I came as a tenant in your opposite house, I wanted to ask you one question ‘

‘You came there just a few hours ago. Anyway what is that you wanted ask me? Want broomstick or drinking water? ‘

‘No Sir, you are a witty person’

‘No, I’m a dirty person to the neighbors who invade my house early morning. Your question please, old lady’

‘You’re young?’

‘You’re not old? Your question? ‘

‘I wanted to ask you why I don’t see a woman in your house ‘

‘There are three, all my wives. Sleeping in the top bedrooms.
Anything else you wanted to know?’

‘You seems to be angry . You’re perhaps hungry too. Shall I get you some food from my house?’

‘Yes, please get me chakkara pongal and chakkaravattu upperi . That is what I take for breakfast’

‘I haven’t heard those names even’

‘Then don’t bother me. I am waiting for an important guest’

‘May I know who he is? ‘

‘Not your concern. The visitor is a ‘she’

‘Then, I won’t interfere. I’m out of your way. Before I take leave, can I see your kitchen, please?’

‘Why not my bedroom? Why are you troubling me, madam?
On the very first day of our meeting, you have earned my dislike’

‘My intention is to say hello to your wife and not to trouble you, Sir’

‘Which wife? I have three ‘

‘No, Sastry garu. If you have three wives, you would have been talking to me nicely, softly, sweetly. Your eyes will be glittering seeing a new woman in the neighborhood and she, on her own will, approaching you to say, ‘hello’. You have only one woman and that is why you find life wanting in charm

Can I enter your kitchen and say ‘hello’ to your wife now?’

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A Pre-dawn coffee meet

‘Older you get sharper won’t be your intelligence, but vulgar should not be your tongue ‘, reprimanded my neighbor when I reminded her politely that her body is getting expanded but not her mind. The reason for that was, she knocked my door at dawn, when I was in sound sleep and woke me up- purpose- for borrowing a match box! I searched and found one in my pooja room shelf, which I gave her. It seems there was only one stick in the match box and that too was damp. she therefore came again, Pressed the bell and asked for another match box.

‘I don’t have another match box, sorry madam’, I was trying to shut the door at her face when she stopped me.

‘What house keeping is this! You have just one match and that too with a damp stick!’

‘You didn’t have even that and that was why you knocked at my door in the wee hours. With that one stick, I would have lit one thousand oil lamps around a temple ‘

‘With a damp stick how will you light a thousand lamps? Anyway that reminds me an old popular Malyalam cine song:

‘നാഴിയൂരിപ്പാലുകൊണ്ടു നാടാകെ കല്യാണം
നാലഞ്ചു തൂമ്പകൊണ്ടു മാനത്തൊരു പൊന്നോണം ‘

You watch movies?’

‘ I don’t, but I have heard that song and like it’

‘Shall I sing another song? I’m in a mood to sing’

Hearing the song, Ammalu came to the hall
‘What is happening here ? Won’t you people allow me to sleep peacefully ‘

‘Ammalu, our new friend woke me up for a match box to light her stove. She is habituated to have a hot coffee before the sunrise )

‘She doesn’t have a gas lighter? Or is she using a kerosene stove?’, enquired the lady of the house.

‘Yes, Ammalu, I’m using my kerosene stove. I gave my gas stove to my daughter in law, when she quarreled with me and went away, last night’

‘You gave her willingly or she took forcefully from you?’

‘Shall i sing another cine song?’, asked the lady from the opposite house.

Ammalu’s eyes turned moist. She encouraged , ‘yes, please go ahead. I shall make coffee for us all’

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