For our eyes only – blind man’s bluff

There comes a time in the life of every person when he or she wants to enact a role that is not his original self. One of these is that of a blind person. In fact, this instinct of role reversal begins in childhood. That is when children cover their eyes and play blind man’s bluff. A group of them gets together and one among them has to become ‘blind’ by getting his or her eyes covered. The others then move away and hide in nearby places. When indoors, these could be behind walls, doors, or cupboards. When outdoors, they could opt for trees, shrubs, or any similar object. Once they have sought out apparently safe ‘hideouts’, the blindfolded child has to move around and locate at least one of them and catch or at least touch him or her. The game becomes interesting as the children try to confuse the ‘blind’ kid by giving wrong directions.

Incidentally, this game is not meant only for the children. Even the adults enjoy such activities, especially when they go outdoors. Here the elders have a field day recollecting their childhood. The usual procedure is to blindfold the individual, who has to break an earthen pot. He or she is given a long bamboo stick and the pot is placed at a distance. The ‘blind’ person has to break the pot. Sounds simple enough but the barrage of directions given by the others make it difficult to hit the target. This game is usually scheduled before lunch and provides unbridled fun while it lasts. Incidentally, this is a gradually vanishing game because such outdoor picnics are rare nowadays. Such modes of relaxation are outdated in the age of smartphones because social sites like Facebook provide much more variety.

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Lord Shiva and his tandav dance (satire)

Lord Shiva is, as we all know, a bohemian character – and he was unhappy. No, it was not a marital tiff – he worshipped the ground that Durga walked on and, Durga also knew that her husband was in a special league because he was a bohemian. She also guessed that he was worried.
‘Want to share your thoughts?’ she asked him.
‘My life is miserable,’ he lamented.
‘Why?’ Durga asked.
‘Killing of tigers is banned and my stock of tiger skins is running out,’ Shiva said.
‘Artificial tiger skins are available online. I have shown you how to order online.’
‘What about ash? Burning ghats are vanishing, where do I get the ash to smear on my body?’
Durga laughed.

‘There are thousands of body powder in the market,’ she said. ‘Take your pick.’
‘And the bel pata, leaves of the bel tree? They also are not seen – the trees have been cut down to make space for multi storied buildings. Ganja is banned, no one dares to cultivate poppy anymore. My devotees have changed their outlook,’ Shiva sighed.
‘It is but natural,’ Durga said. ‘They now live in a world of make believe and want to grab more than they can digest. That results in indigestion.’
‘What about me? No one celebrates Shivaratri any more. Staying up all night watching movies is a thing of the past.’ ‘You are mistaken. They do watch movies throughout the night. They watch it on their smartphones.’
‘You mean movies depicting me and my lifestyle?’
‘Well – they live in a world of their own and have their own idea of Shiva.’
‘Yes, they only love my tandav dance,’ he said. ‘Both the boys and the girls shake their bodies in a way that I could never have imagined.’
‘Always look at the bright side,’ Durga smiled.
The Lord sighed.
He does live in a world of his own. He loves to smear his body with ash instead of sprinkling talcum powder. He loves to smoke ganja even though people look down upon drugs which have ruined many lives. He loves to stay in the burning ghat which is more attractive to him than the banks of the Ganges. And, he loves the company of bulls that follow him as does Bhringi, his man-of-all-seasons. (to be continued …)


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Three cheers for Didi – the Jill of all trades (satire)

Didi is a unique leader and has no parallel – she is a wonderful orator, she can paint rosy pictures sitting on the dais, she can swing votes in her favor, she can sing songs for almost any occasion – she is, in short, the Jill of all trades.
Suddenly her smartphone rang – it was Moo Cool, her trusted lieutenant.
‘Yes,’ her voice sounded tired. She had just returned to her office after inaugurating one dozen Durga pujas that evening.
‘I know you are famished, ‘Moo Cool was apologetic. ‘But – there is one more inauguration.’
‘But I have completed the schedule for the day,’ Didi was irritated.
‘This is not a puja but a toy train.’
‘In Darjeeling?’
‘No. In one of the pandals. You have inaugurated the puja but missed out the toy train. And – the kids are crying. They are waiting in queue and want you in the driver’s seat.’

Didi sighed.
She could not antagonize the kids. They were the future. Who knows, one of them could very well become her Nemesis and the reason for her downfall.
This Durga Puja had been hectic for her. All her fans wanted her to inaugurate the pujas and she did not have the heart to refuse. The popularity of movie stars faded when she came on the stage. And Tollywood had accepted the fate.
Didi had accommodated many of them into her menagerie and had never worried about the age factor. There were those bent down by age alongside the youth bubbling with energy. To her, the ability to draw crowds was what mattered.
As her car moved towards the venue, she remembered that she has yet to paint more pictures, sell them and make money to bring the Eiffel Tower into Kolkata. She had already brought the Big Ben and the London Eye was on its way. Now, it was the turn of the Eiffel Tower.
That was the feedback from the social media circuit as confirmed by Dee Wreck – he managed her internet interaction.
She was the only woman leader who could paint, write poems, sing, and walk – and hold the stage on her own. She could hold her audience spellbound with her oratory powers. She was, in essence, a Jill of all trades. (to be continued …)


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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