Kuch kariye, Kuch kariye…..Kuch kahiye… kuch kahiye…..mumbling of an old man with young daughter, Vasundhra.[May 20, 2020]

Background: Vasundhra was enjoying her peace in solitude on the terrace of the building where she lives in an apartment with her parents during this critical lockdown times. Coronavirus, Covid19 has taken its toll on the young mind. It was a relief. However, it did not last for long. The uncle slammed the door (literally on her face, may I say in this e-way). She is still sulking, often seen sitting alone in the corner of the room, sorry at the far end of the sofa in the so-called 12x15 hall, sometime watching TV showing plight of migrants working trying to go home from cities. And yesterday it was Ram vs Ravan debate after a great discovery of ancient ruins of temples, findings of extraordinary value in his birthplace [In this country, great inventions and discoveries are made public through newspapers and TV channels]. And keeping this tradition on, some patriotic TV channels were having great debates on these findings excavated (or collected) from the surface with tractor drawn plough [as no deeper digging was shown]. On the contrary, the non-patriotic TV channels were showing the same visuals or additional visuals of migrant workers, boring oft repeated stories. Flip-Flop of TV channels now and then showed that Vasundhra was least interested in either of those TV channels.

Me: Come on, Beta (my male chauvinistic bias now that she no longer resists)

Vasundhra: What?

Me: You need to forget …. (and forgive).

Vasundhra: (in her burdened voice after a few sobbing and ‘don’t care’ look) who cares for me?

Me: what do you mean?

Vasundhra: The sound of that drill is felt through my ear drum.

Me: Come on, My daughter. Thanks you only heard that drill sound. I hear ARNAB for a moment and it remains for ever. I haven’t seen his REPUBLIC since long, may be more than a year.

Vasundhra: Welding of that door is still fresh.

Me: You mean like Freshness of Ponds, lovely visual Ad.

Vasundhra: Shouts at me [realising my mischievous smile]. And that visual of LOCK

Me: ……….LOCK….LockDown….times……………………………………... Still nursing the wounds.

Vasundhra: [mellows down as she watches her mom]. Hum…….

Me: It is elder’s decision to close the door of terrace.

Vasundhra: (now more composed) and the wise decision that they took years ago.

Me: Yes, it is in our best interests.

Vasundhra: Yours or mine (children like me).

Me: In the best interests of all residents… including their families, after thorough long…..deliberations.

Vasundhra: But I heard the other day, an uncle talking about drinking party

Me: Which one?

Vasundhra: You mean there are many more?

Me: Oh, you mean, that one, to celebrate victory in the elections for MC three or four years ago

Vasundhra: Not that I know of that……Not sure of that……

Me: It is far in to past to remember. Just forget it.

Vasundhra: Forget it, I don’t have a short memory.

Me: Ok, It was to celebrate monumental victory in the history of the Society….But it is reported to be a short function, probably for which even a receipt was issued for hall use legally and ethically.

Vasundhra: What a justification…

Me: You must learn to respect the elders. In our Bhartiya Sanskriti of 5000 and more years, we have been respecting elders and never questioning their wisdom.

Vasundhra: And what about the one, the boys had under the bathroom light in the common hall few days ago.

Me: I heard of it too. But other uncle justified it in the meeting by saying if the boys of this age do not enjoy it at this age, when will they?

Vasundhra: To show their parents, they are so advanced.

Me: Please do not stretch it too much.

Vasundhra: Oh, it is boy’s right……………..a long pause….. helpless, [the same way our administrators show while facing formidable adversary like HE.MAN……S….].

Me: Yeh, that is it.

Vasundhra: And the reasons for closing of terrace years ago?

Me: It was used for drinking and merry making. I am told by a very high Official. Our boys used to bring girls from outside. And it is bad….[Obviously, these girls were of lowest status in the Indian society. Will any one of high status will come to meet our boys for merry making? Other way round, Will our girls get the boys from outside? Sawaal hi nahi uthatha jeeee…….These thoughts are mine, not to be spoken in front of Vasundhra].

Vasundhra: Why did not they act against those misusing it

Me: Simply because, those are Dabang or children of Dabang, and the society is Helpless to take action against such people. And hence, it is blanket ban. Na bajegi basuri na rahega bas.

Vasundhra: Yes, this reminds of your facebook posting, just 2 years ago. Papa, you had collected water bottles and few beer bottles thrown around by so-called civilized residents of our Society on one Sunday morning.

Me: Yes, it is because I felt the Society deserves to be cleanest (not about its being purest).

Vasundhra: How come beer bottles?

Me: They came from the garden.

Vasundhra: Who were drinking beer in the garden and when?

Me: Obviously, (dabang) boys (or men) and during night [My thought: Our girls don’t ]

Vasundhra: not girls.

Me: No, our girls (women) are sati-savitri like Sita of Ramyana fame. You saw that in recently TV serial, Great Serial of Ramanand Sagar. The whole nation was glued to it this time too, forgetting pains of lockdown.

Vasundhra: You are still living in Ramayana times  !

Me: My dear, I have to…We have to…………….[Ram is our God and Ramayana is our Sanskriti; Good that topic of Mahabharat is not yet opened by any one of us].

Vasundhra: Why?

Me: Stigma attached to girls (daughters or wives) is socially and mentally unbearable. Our Bharatiya Sanskriti ….

Vasundhra: I now understand as to why uncle was justifying boys’ drinking in the common hall on the ground. He has only sons.

Me: Probably,

Vasundhra: But, the other uncle has only daughters. How come, he too was colluding with him?

Me: I am not sure. Probably he kept his diplomatic mum….I am not sure as I don’t know.

Vasundhra: Probably it is family that matters.

Me: In essence, it all boils down to family izzat.

Vasundhra: You mean, family izzat is inherited through son only. And it enhances with sons’ doing anything and daughters barred…….

Me: We need to adjust to the ETHOS of the Society we live in. Don’t you remember that I often tell your bhaiya to live a life there, not of Indian in that far off land, but like Romans do in Rome?

Vasundhra: Papa, you too are old, losing your conscience.

Me: If it is so, it is.  [ I am now feeling guilty,… miserable…Now there is no way to stop this tu tu…mai mai…. I am helpless….]

Vasundhra: With a bit of victory over papa, and composing herself, What about that lovely video?

Me: Oh, the one where a teenage girl was shown dancing to the tunes of music

Kariye, kuch kariye………...Chak De Chak De India….. Oh… Chak De Oh De India….. English tunes….….. great music…. …What an inspirational video for all Indians??

Vasundhra: Let us see and listen to it carefully. She is dancing and exercising too.

Me: Yes, great …..

Vasundhra: OK, Can I do it?

Me: My dear Beta, Yes you can (I am now realising a trap laid out). I have already opined for our Society children too.

Vasundhra: Where?

Me: I keep mum ………

Vasundhra: No comments on that motivational post?

Me: No beta, Probably, Ram vs Ravan TV Debate has occupied mind space of our kartas.

Vasundhra: Let us find space on the ground floor.

Me: Sure

[We use lift to go on the ground floor. We search for the space for dance …..the only space, we find is often used for playing badminton. No space in the parking lots where cars are lined up}.

Vasundhra: [Looks at me, clearly aware of my disappointment].

Me: Never mind, Beta.

Vasundhra: Papa, I forgot to mention that It was of Rishika of Punjab performing in that video.

Me: Yes, very true.

Vasundhra: (amusingly) It applies to Punjabi girls, or Girls in Punjab.

Me: smiling……

Vasundhra: We are in the National Capital, Great Capital City of India (sarcasm at its best).

Me: ha….ha… Yes, beta….And that reminds of Chak de India….great movie [Yes, too good a movie, not a single world cup hockey winner after 1975-my thoughts only]

Vasundhra: We saw that….we saw that film ….Kabir khan…..building up a hockey team of women, for entertainment sake. Neither men’s or women’s hockey has won the World Cup after 1975. Piercing remarks.

Me: let us watch it on TV again and now.

Vasundhra: [Got in mood too.] Yes, papa.

[We watch the movie. Fortunately, kuch kariye…kuch kariye…. has actually meant to be kuch dekhiye… kuch dekhiye…..for our girls, kuch kariye ..kuch kariye… for our dabang boys. In this lockdown, we got a full dose of streaming services……Hotstar….coldstar…Netflix….Betflix…Amazon prime…and prime minister’s addresses….….and finally this video of Uncle. Thank you for uplifting our mood…].

And, We are going down to sanitize our hand with a ‘handsoff contraception’ a very good development in the Society. Kuch kariye, Kuch kariye…….ringing in my ears. Kia….Kia…..resonating…

Disclaimer: I declare

1.     I do not have any evidence recorded of any meetings, merry making, drinking party or names of uncles, aunties, boys, girls, administrators etc. etc…neither of any records of our Sanskriti…. All characters are imaginary, including my daughter, Vasundhra (aka-daughter of this great planet, earth, as legends tell us).

2.     If anything related, it is purely coincidental in nature.

3.     Of course, I have malice towards none. DIL ko Mat lag lo, bhaisaab and Behen jeeee……..

4.     This blog is purely my imagination.