The other day, my friends and I decided to meet over lunch at an Indian restaurant, our fortnightly activity. During such meetings, besides food, our main concerns about India and the world at large take most of our time in our animated discussions. Let it be Obama, Modi, Gandhis, kejariwal or even the Yadav duo from Bihar, Laloo and Nitish, we do not spare anyone!
We have perfect solutions for all the problems and sometimes, in my quieter moments, I wonder if we should not seriously take up matters with these guys! The main hurdle in this plan of action is how to approach them. There must be millions of well wishers like us wanting to do the same. How many of them got through to them? I have no clue! It is not like you just send an email to friends to get together in a restaurant for lunch. I have tried signing up petitions but those people just have no idea about the enormity of issues like we have! Can I start a petition of my own? Not sure really!
So I came back to the quote about helping my wife doing the dishes. Let me start at home with small gestures, I thought! The first thing I noticed in the kitchen was the sink full of dishes, plates, cups and spoons, all lying haphazardly. I decided to suggest to my wife that she should keep all these items separately, systematically to make it easier to load the dish washer. When I did that, she came back saying that is my problem, why don't I do it myself? She can do it only her way, she added!
Observant as I am, I noticed another thing in the kitchen, the refrigerator. It is always overloaded with leftover food. Why do you cook so much, I asked her. Try making limited quantity which we can finish the same day, I suggested. 'So you want me to cook every day and forget my cards sessions!' she retorted. And sure enough, she said why don't I take over cooking? 'You are retired now and have nothing much to do!' In an moment of insanity, I said, 'OK, I will cook one meal at least, every day starting coming Monday'.
The day of the reckoning was just three days away. On week ends in any case, we mostly go out to eat. So I had enough time to prepare myself. In the past, just for fun, I had learnt to make a couple of dishes from my wife. I rehearsed them in my mind. And I could always ask her if I forget some important point like how much salt to add! Can't I? She is a sport, I know! Monday arrived rather too quickly. I was going to cook the evening meal. But I started developing cold feet in the morning itself.
I took my own time to return home from my morning walk when my wife, looking rather happy, announced, ' your cooking in the evening is cancelled!' Though her words warmed the cockles of my heart, I tried to look belligerent. No, she said, I can not cook today or for the next one month. What happened, I asked. 'My mother is visiting us for a month. I just got a call from her. Now get ready in time to go to the airport. Her flight arrives at eleven'.
My mother in law was coming and that too for a month! For the first time in my life, I was so happy with such a devastating news. It was a real windfall, you will agree with me!
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