Mixed Feelings

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It is my thesis that when folks have mixed feelings, they prefer to show off their bold and tough in public rather than their timid and the tender.

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!946: Seaside Village:

I was 3 and my naughty elder sister 5. All of us were sleeping outside our house, of a summer night.

My sister woke me up shaking me early one morning and said sotto voce; "Let us go to the Kodanda Ram Temple and watch the Annual Fair".

I rubbed my eyes and followed her there. And we had lots of fun watching and riding free merry-go-rounds and eating Holy Prasad thrusting it in our unwashed mouths.

And when the Sun turned too warm we ran back fearing the worst aftermath of our escapade.

There was a crowd in front of our home, several Search Parties apparently reporting No Show since they looked everywhere like the Village Pond, the Bus Stand and the Rajareddy Gardens, which were our familiar haunts.

Except the Temple.

Father had his default moist eyes fearing the worst.

But as soon as he saw us, he dismissed the jubilant crowd, promptly shut us both in the Coal Cellar and bolted it from outside since he was the HM of the School and had a reputation for discipline to keep up in public.

Our loving aunt released us from our Prison and fed us our milk and snacks as soon as the HM's back was turned.

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Hyderabad, Saturday, 22 January 2011:

Pratik and his wonderful wife and daughter were here in Hyderabad and agreed to grace our Place and partake our simple lunch and exchange gas and gossip of KGP on Sunday,

And talk to lisping li'l Ishani whose pictures they saw on the web.

Saturday morning my wife and d-i-l discovered that our punctual Maid Parvati didn't turn up even two hours after her usual 9 AM In-time. And it was tough on them to start and do the dishes, clothes and brooms from 11 onwards, cursing Parvati for being AWOL.

Sunday morning, they both woke up at 6 AM for their Kitchen Work preparing the half a dozen chosen dishes for our honored guests. As the 9 AM Deadline approached their hearts were thumping with trepidation fearing that Parvati wouldn't turn up again, in which catastrophe both of them would be still in their workplace-dresses when the honored guests arrived at 11 in their Formals.

And praying to all Gods on either side that Parvati's problems whatever they were would have been sorted out in the intervening 24 hours (it turned out she was beat up by her hubby for the first time in their six-month-old marriage...she will have to get used to it by and by).

As soon as the doorbell sang Parvati's musical chime (every visitor has their signature chime) both of them heaved several embracing sighs of relief with broad smiles between them.

But as soon as they opened the Front Door, both of them fell on Parvati like a couple of starving wolves tearing her to pieces before hearing her story and sharing their hot Tea with her in their kitchen.

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1974 IIT KGP:

This Final Year Student X wanted to submit his Project Thesis early and quit IIT like a Bat out of Hell.

But his youthful Guide Dr Y living in our Faculty Hostel discovered that his enterprising student did too much faakee-baajee (copy-paste) and reported what he thought were spurious results.

And was damn angry and refused to sign his Thesis.

Which meant that X would lose one whole year, his Citibank Job, as well his US Schols.

When Dr Y returned leisurely at 10 PM to his Room after playing Bridge in the Faulty Club and having his Weekly Special Dinner and Yak-Yak Session in the Dining Hall, and opened his door, he found a fat envelope and pulled out a long letter from X timed 2 PM.

The crux of the letter was that if Dr Y refused to pardon him and sign his blessed Thesis by 6 PM, he would find his (X's) body hanging from the Ceiling Fan of his Single Room in RK Hall.

Dr Y got scared and cursed himself for not returning straight from his Office and ran to his HoD's Qrs by 10.15.

The HoD collected the Dean (SA), HMC Chairman and Warden, and all of them reached RK Hall by 11.30 PM. They recruited the Hall President, and a large crowd gathered in front of X's Room, which was found bolted from within and all lights off.

They knocked and punched and battered the Door for 15 long minutes without any response.

And were talking hush-hush of fetching the Police and Crowbars and the Mortuary Van.

Then the haunted door slowly creaked open and X came out rubbing his sleepy eyes and asking them in an offended tone what the Hell they were all doing there.

Everyone heaved several sighs of sleepy relief and quit.

But Dr Y confessed to me that despite his earlier Prostrations and Prayers to Lord Puri Jagannath, his first urge on seeing X alive was to throttle his Dear Project Student with his bare hands and kill him outright and feast on his dead body....

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