Courtesy: The Hindu |
My wife and
I are celebrating our 17th Wedding Anniversary today with sambar. Sambar is a good dish when Chicken Manchurian
is outlawed by the institution in which we are working. We are law-abiders.
I liked
Rahul Gandhi’s speech at the Congress Chintan shibir or whatever it is called. Poor fellow, I thought. He has a vision. He wants to take the power from the wicked
old people who have amassed enough and hand it over to the youth who are
struggling to make both ends meet.
I wanted to
thank my wife for tolerating me for 17 years.
She would have enjoyed a chicken dish.
I donned the senile turban of worn out traditions and said, “My love,
thank you for bearing with me for 17 years. Please bear with our institution for a few more years. I’ll feed you karimeen (a fish that is likely to become extinct) to your heart’s
content …”
Rahul Gandhi
came in between. With his tears. His past.
I felt sad. So much feeling, so
many emotions. How do you deal with life
with all that burden of the past?
“Forget the past,”
said Maggie (that’s my wife). “Why not
look at the future?”
Give the
power to the powerless, said Rahul Gandhi.
And he had travelled much in India before he said that.
I’m waiting
for that promised power.
“Aren’t you
the dictator here?” asks my wife.
“Ok, let’s
have a sambar dinner, dear. Who dictated
chicken out?”
Mrs Sonia
Gandhi cried on the shoulders of Rahul Gandhi.
Wonderful read. All said and done, I, too, was greatly moved by the emotion displayed by Rahul. He has good intentions. But will he be able to have his own course? That's million dollar question.
ReplyDeleteRahul has a good heart. I'm sure of that. I know nothing more than that.
DeleteExcept this: a good heart is bad in politics and religion.
happy anniversary sir
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteOops...am late here...happy anniversary!
ReplyDeleteNo, Priti, you're not late. The blog is about things other than the Anniversary.
DeleteHi Sir,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, a very Happy Anniversary to both of you, may you see lots of anniversaries in the future as well (I know you'll say that you don't want to see any more but you'll have to see more anniversaries)
As far as Rahul Gandhi is concerned, he's got star power and a very caring mother who wants him to get a direct entry into the history books to keep the flame of the Gandhi family burning bright. I agree, he's a good person with good intentions but then again the promises which he makes are based on the poor foundation of Indian Bureaucracy. Let's see where he takes this country.
P.S. Do check out & vote for my entry for Get Published.
Regards
Jay
My Blog | My Entry to Indiblogger Get Published
Yes, Jay, Rahul has good intentions. Our system is such that he won't be able to deliver much!
DeleteHappy Anniversary :) God Bless!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha:)
ReplyDeleteA very happy anniversary, Matheikal and Maggie ma'am!!
Thank you, Amit, and thanks for sharing my sense of humour.
DeleteMany many happy returns of the day..........
ReplyDeletehttp://debnature.blogspot.in
Thanks Debopam.
Deletehahahaha! What a neat post--love the juxtapositions! Don't care too much for the institution of marriage...but definitely salute you both for making it this far...:)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bhavana. We are more of friends to each other than the traditional couple!
DeleteThat Has a Kafkaesqe feel! Loved the intertwining.
ReplyDeleteI was in a light mood thinking of the years past and suddenly Raghul Gandhi made his entry! Our life is not all that independent of what happens in our society, country... and, yes, there is indeed something very Kafkaesque about our life whether we like it or not.
DeleteCongratulations, sir. You're far too kind.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shovon.
DeleteIt was a very small gesture on my part and you're most welcome.
Wish you many more Anniversaries together. !
ReplyDeleteWe have to give a chance to Rahul Gandhi, as we have given to thousands of others.
Pattu, Rahul took too long to prove his credentials. Given his background, if he had any political skill, he would have been the king today in India. I don't think he will make it. Otherwise whe will be another Gandhi, the Mahatma. And I must say he shows something in that line. There is something of the Mahatma in him.
DeleteBut does India want another Mahatma?
Wish you many happy returns of the day! Let's see if Rahul is able to rise above promises!
ReplyDeleteMeenakshi, Rahul may be far above the ordinary. But promises? Who cares in politics?
DeleteLOL...Many more wonderful returns!Coronation over...now let's wait and watch! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm the best waiter and watcher, Panchali.
DeleteI am going to Washington, D.C for your wedding anniversary, not just the local Jaipur (may be you both should go there next year).
ReplyDeleteJust the day before your wedding anniversary, Obama too gave what is tagged a challenging speech, challenging the opposition, the Republicans,that is. So, who among the two of you is the Democrat and who the Republican?
Have Chicken Manchurian on me for your next anniversary!
RE
Raghuram, best wishes for the trip to the land of dreams which is not strange to you. My dreams are destined to be lived out in India, a country I love for various reasons.
DeleteI'll, however, have chicken manchurian outside the campus with my wife whenever she and I will feel like having it. So, we are neither democrats nor republicans!
Happy anniversary sir !!!!
ReplyDeletesir I m not sure if mr Rahul Gandhi has good heart heart, he is in politics and from a family which is totally political and full of diplomats ...so i doubt that he has a good heart .....i don't see vision in his words or speeches .. this is not because i m not a supporter of congress but because i seriously do not see any vision in rahul gandhi
Ranesh dear,
DeleteWho are you and I to judge Rahul Gandhi? You are speaking of a family (dynasty) problem. I'm aware of the same at a different level. Rahul may not be a good leader in the political sense. Beyond that, I don't want to say anything now.
This has become a blackboard for anniversary greetings.
ReplyDeleteLet me greet you too, tho' belatedly... mainly because of one more thread of affinity between u and me... I too call my wife with 19 years of interdependence Maggie...lol