As You Like It

Dad possess a tendency to execute things funnily. Such conduct has become more pronounced in recent years. Signs of the gradual return to ‘Second Childhood’. I presume. And on numerous occasion, these incidents have been a pivotal source of flawless laughter and hilarity. It has made him much endeared, loved and adored. Narrating brings the warm far from his fold in “everyman’s land”.

This happened on my last visit home during the summer vacation. Folks were busy preparing, packing, patting for my departure. All the while, Dad never involved himself deeply, preferring to observe from the sidelines. The situation was welcome. Dad meddling in the affairs mean something going wrong. Suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, he grabbed the bottle containing dried-crushed meat and began his adventure. He took a spotless paper, sticked it to the bottle and wrote something. Glued to the chores at hand, he was not paid much attention. Then out of nowhere, Bem burst out into uncensored laughter…….’ the bottle on her delicate hands’. All began the ‘free for all’ mouth-widening teeth-showing exercise. I enquired what the matter was all about.

Atop the bottle was written, ‘CAW MEET’. Dad’s intention was to print ‘ COW MEAT’. All had a hearty laugh. A minor error. Yet, it regaled us for the day. ‘Life Is Beautiful’. My initial reaction was speculative. I opined there was a Citizen’s Welfare Association (CWA) meeting and Dad was engrossed with it. Lo!! Ironically, it was something related to ‘Mother Dairy’……the salted dried meat. The silver lining ?. I was stationed in Haryana at that time ( The Land of Orthodox Vegetarians ! ) and noticing a bottle inscribed ‘Cow Meat‘ would not have been the most palatable encounter for the denizens. Let’s assume, Dad being an ex-military patriarch knew the travails of being too honest with one’s culinary habits. Whatever the intention, it was a blessing in disguise. The ‘content’ was a great hit among my hostel inmates and friends. I had a nice time relishing the delicacy with them. And for a moment, I was home again.

Father was no exception. Scores enroll in the ambit of his genre. The fledge-ling tales are equally entertaining. An acquaintance once received a letter from his dad. He addressed ‘Patel Chest’ as ……Guess what? ‘Peter Chest’. Well, Dad. We do have a Christian background. Pun intended. Someone call it yet ‘Battle Chest’. Wow!! Still, another Oldie committed a hysterical blunder. Addressee belong to Hans Raj College. The college name has been subjected to sporadic distortion. Once addressed as ‘Hons Ray’ and on another occasion as ‘Hans Rak’, the addressee was left dumbfounded a couple of times. Eventually, all these incidents contribute to the merrier moments in an otherwise vapid life.

Laugh all the time you can, while you can, when you can. Face challenges in life with a smile. There is HOPE in the LORD. Laugh at the grand Oldies and ‘Oldas’ now. Some day, your very turn will ultimately arrive. Your progenies meting the same jocularity to you. When that reckoning hour come, take your chance and play the dice well. Make your mark and don’t hesitate to leave a lasting impression. Experience a fruitful endeavor. Uniquely. As You Like It.