The Two Sides Of A Coin...

The flow of people into the wedding hall had increased. It was 4 p.m. in the evening of the pleasant month of December. The music concerts were yet to commence in the city of Chennai. That explained the wedding hall getting full.

The occasion was the first anniversary of the Humour Club of the well known Multi National Company. The Club was the brain-child of one of the senior executives of the company –Vakul - who thought that one evening a fortnight should be set aside for the gathering of the employees who could laugh off their stress for an hour or so. This included the staff of all ranks. For that one hour, every two weeks, they rubbed shoulders without any consideration of hierarchy. Jokes and anecdotes were related. Some members mimed. I say, some, because, not all were members of this Club. There were those serious ones…who never smiled, let alone laugh, who behaved as if they were carrying the whole world on their shoulder. Vakul was giving directions to the caterer who had just arrived.

“Mr. Ashish, start distributing the sweets and snacks once people are seated. The Chief Guest will be arriving now and you can serve the people on the dais too. This is going to be very informal and a different type of meeting. You can serve hot tea finally after the function is over.”

Ashish nodded his head.

Jeeva, the Manager Advertising, standing next to Vakul said, “Hey Vakul the M D has also arrived. Only the Chief Guest has to come now. Hope he reaches on time. Normally he’s never late, they say.”

“Ha! Ha ! Unless he becomes “Late…”, isn't it ?”, Vakul guffawed.

This was not in good taste, thought Jeeva. 

But then Vakul was a great guy, sensitive to everyone’s problems; predicaments; ever ready to advise or guide some; would part with the small dough when someone was in dire straits; a real hit with the lady staff. A pucca gentleman. Well, it did not matter that the joke was crude, Jeeva mused.

One of them, a senior, was examining the seats and still going around undecided where to sit when the other tugged at his sleeve( this one had a quick repartee for every comment. They called him the Ph.D. in Kadi Jokes ) and asked,

 “Not able to decide Endha row, mahanubhaava ?” and the people around laughed.

The Chief Guest arrived and everyone took his/her seat. Hot sizzling bondas and jalebis were handed out and people dug into them. It was really very informal, as once in a while someone got up and walking up the dais, took the mike in his hand and related a joke.

It was a solid one and a half hours of sheer laughter.

Vakul beamed when everyone complimented him on the arrangements

"Vakul is a great human " everyone who was present, commented.

The people had a great opinion of him.

  * * * * * * * *      

Arvind was lounging on the sofa with the crossword book in his hand and munching chips. Sophie, the daschund was curled up snugly by his side,.

“Amma,” he yelled so that his mother who was making chappathis in the kitchen could hear him above the noise of the hysterical harangue of women shouting in the television, to which his grandmother Visalam was glued on to .

 “What is the seven-letter word ending with the letter ‘a’ meaning blood count ?” His mother Padma was a crossword addict too and very good at it. She came near him with the ladle in one hand, “What are the other letters you have got?”

He said, “The fourth one is ‘c’.”

She went back and after some time returned shouting (as if she had just discovered the  “Archimedes Principle”, ‘Hey! Didn't know this? So simple…it’s Dracula…the Blood Count!!”

Viju, Arvind’s sister was immersed in a  James Hadley Chase thriller. She was reading it with all seriousness, biting her nails and stopping the action each time Visalam shouted at her-

“Don’t bite your nail. Your age is four times the donkey’s and you still bite nails. Ugh !!” and went back to her serial, now showing an overdressed and bejeweled dame plotting an attack on another female.

The sixty-year-old servant, who had been with them for the past eighteen years was chewing betel and watching the television too.

It was the dog that initially heard the drone of the engine.

It cocked its ears, jumped off the sofa and ran to the doormat under the stairway and lay there casting a side glance at the door. The master disapproved of Sophie lying on the sofa.

 Arvind quickly hid the crossword book under the upholstered sofa and took up the Macro-Economics he had by his side and opened a page at random, poring through it or pretending to. The father disapproved of wasting precious time solving stupid crossword puzzles.

Visalam switched off the TV with élan and picked up the Treatise on Bhagavad Gita and opened a page. “Vandaachu Durvaasar (Duravaasa has come ),” she whispered softly. She did not want to hurt the feelings of her nice daughter-in-law.

Her son would growl,

“Watching third rate serials at this age? Can’t you sit and chant Krishna or Ramaa ?”

Viju hid the James Hadley Chase under the old newspaper rack and took up the Sree Sooktham her father had ordered her to learn by heart. She was getting married next month.

He was particular that she knew this chanting by heart before the D day.

The maid went behind and spat the betel mixture into a bush and cleaned her mouth and pretended to wash the imaginary vessel in the kitchen sink. The boss did not approve of her chewing betel. "Save that money and spend it usefully", he would shout at her.

"I wonder if I will ever see him smiling before I die," she muttered under her breath. "He has always been like this. Will pearls drop from his mouth, if he opens his mouth and laughs?" "

Padma opened the door. She had just completed preparing dinner.

He threw a glance all around .....

and said “Hrrrrumphhhhhh.”

What are you standing and staring at? Lay the table. I’m hungry,” he growled at Padma and went to wash and change.

Padma set the table. She sighed silently.

 She wondered if the day would ever dawn when she would see Vakul walking in through the front door with a smile .

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