30 May 2016
28 May 2016
DRUG OLYMPICS
27 May 2016
MISSING WIFE
MERA NAAM JOKER
AND
A MISSING WIFE:
His name was Sudarsan, an absent minded doctor. He would take out other
doctor’s ambassador car and keep it in his own garage without realizing his
mistake. He would wear other doctor’s shirt after coming out of the operation
theater. Not once but twice he went out to station one day after the train had
left , because he got confused with 00:30 hours but was very particular about
money matters.
Once he took his newly married beautiful wife for a night
show film at Razak Talkies of Rourkela. That locality was like the Kashmira
Gate area of Delhi, dangerous at night. The film was Mera Nam Joker, a long
Hindi film with two interval produced
and directed by famous Raj Kapoor which
Indian public failed to understand. The film ended at 01:30 hours .Sudarsan had
got a Vespa Scooter as gift which he had taken to the cinema hall, a soundless
scooter.
After bringing out the scooter from the stand after
producing the receipt from his wife’s bag he came to the main road. It was an
early winter night, Sudarsan was wearing a muffler to counter act the cold wind
while driving a two wheeler. His wife Preeti was very thin, hardly 47 kg in
weight, very shy type of lady. Wearing a sari means one had to sit with the
legs to one side, foot resting on a foot rest and holding husband’s belly or
the hook behind the driver’s seat for a balance. Sudarsan without looking back
presumed his wife has occupied the pinion seat and drove off the scooter and
started talking with his nonexistent wife about the film and asked her to keep the
house key ready. After driving for about ten minutes Sudarsan was annoyed
because Preeti did not answer about the dinner they were going to eat at night?
He searched for her soft hands with his left hand but it was a blank seat! He
stopped the scooter and made an about turn to the same place where he had left
his wife amidst ruffians. A newly married lady with a red sari and gold ornaments
meant a dangerous combination at night asking for trouble. He was imaging many
things and was more worried about the banging he would get rather than her
safety.
Sudarsan returned to the same spot where he had left his wife. She was
guarded by few male volunteers of that locality for her safety; time was 01:45
hours. Remember no mobile no PCR those days. Preeti with tears in her eyes kept
quite but those people around her scolded Sudarsan in all sorts of slang language.
Sudarsan did not utter a single word and kept a deafening silence, he knew it
was a big mistake and anything could have happened to her but he was lucky it
was not 2014 but 1974.
Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy.
20 May 2016
WATER TANKER
16 May 2016
FAMILY RADIO:
FAMILY
RADIO:
Our family’s most exciting purchase was a Phillips electricity
operated Radio at Baripada house, during 1955-6. The specialty of that set was;
it had a 13 meter band. On that particular band one can listen to radio
Australia cricket news and commentary. There was a standing instruction for
everyone, not to operate the radio during father’s absence and during thunder
storms. There was an external aerial fixed at the top of the house with two
tall bamboos, still then the voice had many breaks and cracking noise as the
technology had not developed much. Fixing radio Australia was an art, which
needed delicate movement of the curser and lots and lots of patience. Two other
powerful stations adjacent to radio Australia, China and Moscow would change
the wavelength very frequently. That was the main attraction of our house for
the neighbors. Our grand father came all the way to Baghda Road residence of
Baripada, from village to watch this costly purchase of his son, a miracle.
Father’s radio infused interest in our family, so much so that three of his
sons played cricket at the university level and two at zonal level. With a
salary of 165 rupees that radio was a big purchase. It lasted for many years
without any repair.
My elder brother took it to Calcutta Philips house for
repair, where the mechanic told him to throw it at Hooghly River. My brother
brought it back to Balasore and a small road side fellow repaired it for two
rupees and that Radio was in working condition even after 25 years. Those days
the present culture of use and throw had not spread amongst the old timers. The
wife and even a shaving brush lasted for their life time. Today’s technology
might have improved tremendously but it’s engineered in such a way that after
five years one would be compelled to sell it or buy another in exchange. There is
some news of wife swapping in certain segment of the society; hence time is not
far-off when the exchange offer may be legalized like gay marriage, and this
‘swapping idea’ may catch up with the next generation?
Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy.
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