Remembering Bapu - 2 (Chapter title ;-) -> The Signature of Simplicity) First part -> https://facebook/groups/186953831400882/671209889641938/ In 1997 or 98 - I dont correctly remember the exact year - on some official tour, on my way to Bangalore, I was changing trains at Madras Railway station. There was some 3 hours gap then between the arrival of Calcutta-Madras - I think - Coromandel Express at, and the departure of Madras-Bangalore train, which I had to catch, from Madras Central station. It was evening time (Gap: 6 pm to 10 pm). I wanted to utilize that time in the best possible way. Any run-of-the-mill ;-) male, who doesnt truly ;-) love his family members, would, during such times, immediately rush to T Nagar to buy Kanjeevaram saree from Nalli Silks for his wife, and some lousy electronic-toys, whose price-tag contains such figures, which were thrice ;-) the bargainable rate at which they could be bought from a big and ostentatiously-and-so-concomitantly-tastelessly ;-) illuminated electronic shop opposite/by-the-side of Nalli Silks. (Those were awesome ;-) times when even Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal ;-) were flipping the karts ;-) in real brick-and-mortor shops ;-) . Those also were the awful ;-) times, when electronic goods bought from Metros increased the esteem of their holders in schools vis-a-vis those, who had them from tier-2/-3 cities, like Vizag/Kakinada, etc.). In that way, ordinary males covered up lack of their true-love ;-) for their family members using commercial blitzkrieg at every opportune moment. But, I need not do such things. Oh! Please dont come to a conclusion that I truly love my family-members to the zenith/hilt ;-) . Rather, I am intelligent enough to camouflage it (true love ;-) ) . The camouflages need not spend on cover-ups because the cover-up for them is as natural-from-birth as Kavacha (armour) and Kundala (ear-rings) for Daana Veera Soora Karna - the tragic super-hero of Mahabharatam ;-) Then, it flashed in my mind. I should meet my heros Bapu/Ramana. I knew by then that both were residing in the same building. Immediately I rushed to cloak room and deposited my suitcase over there, and then to a telephone booth, and sought Telephone directory (good old book with part white and part yellow pages). No sooner had I got it than I started flipping pages to B with as much ferocity and quick-silver movements as with which my daughter does the local supplement of Deccan Chronicle to go to movies-and-cartoons-page ;-) . There I found Bapu artiste. When I tremblingly and fumblingly too dialed the number - obviously landline phone -, from the other side, Bapu garu answered. When I told him that I wanted to meet him, he listened and worriedly replied Would you not be hardpressed for time for our house is not nearer to the station - I think his house is in Greenway extension. But, I remained adamant and told that I would hire a to-and-fro Taxi. Then, he so self-deprecatingly advised me Dont ask anybody on the road for my house when you come to our colony to locate our house, nobody might be knowing me. Ask for the location of Mammoottys house. My house is opposite to it. ;-) All the doubts in my mind whether he was really the real Bapu or not vanished into thin air. Who can make such an indelible signature in simplicity and hilarity? ;-) (Aside: It reminds me one of the finest comic capers of the inimitable Raju Shrivastavas mimicry. Raju was a salesman, and Dharmendra comes inside the shop to buy - I think - neck-tie. All the salesmen obviously become very excited to meet him. Then, Raju out of bewilderment, amusement, wonder and doubt (he uses his body, eyes, hands, oh! so wonderfully to convey all those emotions), asks Arre, Dharmender, Saab, aap Dharmender hein, aslee, aslee hein. Then, Dharmender replies while contorting his face and bringing his clenched right fist upwards with its point-finger - tightly curved with tip looking up ;-) - towards the face of Raju, with his signature voice - the throat pulls back the sounds, which simultaneously are thrown out by tongue ;-) - Kutte, Kameene. Immediately, Raju becomes very happy and tells all Aslee hai, aslee Kutte boolaa, samajhgayaa, aslee hai, aslee hai ;-) End of Aside ;-) ) Then, I happily and merrily came out of the station, and took a taxi and anxiously awaited to meet both Bapu & Ramana while sitting excitedly in that moving taxi :-) (To continue ... )
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 03:10:39 +0000
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