INNOCENT LAUGHTER

HUMOUR IN COMMUNICATIONS—PART 4

The very young and the very old—the subject of my concern in more than one article—share a common innocence that mysteriously goes underground in middle age.

HUMOUR IN COMMUNICATIONS—PART 4

Take my 9 year old niece. The other day I was talking to her on the telephone when she shocked me by asking why politicians were ‘ promiscuous’.

‘What did you say?’I asked nervously, afraid she might burst into gupt gyan !

‘I am seeing TV and always some politician makes promise after promise ‘

It was then that I heaved a sigh of relief. She meant that politicians are always making promises!

The other hilarious experience I had was when my grand nephew based in Boston who is all of 5 years old spoke to me on the long distance. I was aware that this boy was precocious and was more aware of the world than most kids his age.

This boy shook me out of my chair when he asked me why the US could not enforce a ‘no fly zone’ over Chennai apparently aware of what the US is doing in Libya. Chennai is the only Indian city he is familiar with.

‘But..’ I stuttered for words.

A long moment of silence followed. The boy realized that he owed me an explanation.

‘There are too many flies and mosquitoes over Chennai ‘ he explained !

I was working at the computer at a relative’s house sending emails when an elderly relative, almost in her 90’s, bent upon the computer. She noticed the cursor that was shaped like a housefly—the tamil word for which is ‘ eee’

Suddenly she stood erect and announced in the Archimedes- out- of- the- bath- tub spirit ‘Is this why you talk of email?”

She pointed at the eee shaped cursor.

When I was a bachelor my parents decided to scout for a girl for me .My father and an elderly cousin of his visited a well placed gentleman at his residence at Chennai.This gent made every effort to convince the two man delegation that he hailed from a ‘ well connected’ family. He listed his IAS connections, film star cousin, industrialist son in law ,and a top politician uncle —obviously confident that we would fall for the bait. My father being of humble status was stupefied and doubted if I would fit into that family—I was then and still am a guy with nothing to boast of.

But my father’s cousin was a man of modest means and status but not afraid to take the bull by its horns. He did not want to give the impression that my family was any less ‘ influential’.

‘SAAAR , my cousin’s brother in law’s son is a head clerk in the deputy tahsildar’s office in Thanjavore!

Did I marry that girl?Guess!!

K.R.RAVI