WHAT TO DO -III

CONTINUATION FROM II

ON MOST SUCH OCCASIONS --He right away leans on   to the neighbour unmindful of gender. If the neighbour happens to be of the opposite gender, a lesson is taught by the neighbour by dislodging self and making the man fall violently. Before he gathers himself, he has a bulge near his temple area. Hiding the ignominy, our man with a yawn floats a question “has Villupuram come?” The question is not addressed to any one and he is not particular of any answer either. No one replies. The few children around enjoy the comic sequence and whisper something into the parent. The parent cautions the child by a frightening jetting of the eyeball suggesting ‘don’t be stupid’. Sleep is an infective phenomenon and many droop like dried leaves. Now, one person appears with a bunch of printed letters and places one each on the lap of all and moves off. The man looks speech- impaired on all such occasions. The pamphlet left by him tries narrating the cozy background of the man and how he got orphaned by a natural disaster like Tsunami. The narrative is printed on the name of some leading personality appealing for liberal help. Why such personalities do not take steps to have him rehabilitated? The man is speechless to enlighten us on this. Obviously, these are some techniques of making a livelihood through a factor of sympathy. The man reappears and tries to ‘collect’ from everyone both the pamphlet and some dole. The service rendered by the pamphlet is to wake us up from the day time nap. A new ambience sets in with “no holds barred” attitude discussing about dole seekers. Ironically those who doled out something keep off the deliberations and those who got out of the forenoon nap or sleep dwell at length on the ineffective railway system in containing such intrusions. Once again the ticket examiner comes looking for any new traveler. None talks to him about the intruders.

By now people seem to assume familiarity and different topics get discussed without any conclusion. Invariably, the items are political decadence, cinema, artistes and some important temples and the prowess of the presiding deities there of. It is time for noon meal and people find their own niches to “open” their food packets. Some look for the caterer’s supply. There is silence as mouths are otherwise engaged. Soon a change in the ambience is visible with exchanges of magazines and newspapers. In less than half an hour many coil up into afternoon sleep while some pretend to desist it as a bad habit and keep chewing or smoking to ‘avoid’ the sleep. They prefer worse to bad. 

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