दिल मांगे मोर

Whom to call for dinner?

                                                         After a long discussion my wife and I decided to call a close friend Hareram, for dinner. He immediately switches on his phone and wished us good morning. When I called him for dinner he said he is at Hyderabad, would return after the delivery of his daughter in-law which was expected after 7 to 10 days. He thanked us for the invitation.

                       Then I thought it’s not a bad idea to call my aging brother in-law, a retired UGC Professor. But my sister told me he has gone to Paralakhemundi.One on an official work and inspection.

                           Lastly I called my friend who usually never says no. My wife said “do not invite them, both are vegetarian and they do not want to come to our house because of the distance.”There are other hurdles on different days like Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays,                                       That was it. We stopped the idea of inviting any one and finished the prawn (from frozen world) biriyani and dal makhani cooked with out most care by my caring wife.

                                           Now a days with our aging relatives and friends with CRF, stents and TKR we find it difficult to have a get-together at home. But they are willing to come if invited to star hotels, the reason best known to them. The society has narrowed down to a sick husband and an aged wife no young members. They stay in duplex or in three or four bed room apartment in posh areas of Bhubaneswar. No good news come to any one, it’s mostly accident or cancer news—quite depressing. This might be one of the reason why Indians—Odiya are not happy. If the body is sick no one can be happy. There is a gloomy atmosphere in any house one visits. दिल मांगे मोर, may be the reason of gloomy faces one meets every day. They wait for the evening for the “What’s-up” just to talk to their children(majority do not like it), even their grand children do not recognize their grandfather nor do they remember their names! This is Kaliyug man—said my parrot instead of “Ram—Ram”.

Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy