‘Grrr…grrr…’
‘Rahu! Get up, Rahu…Get
up baba!’
‘Hmmm...No momma! Let me
sleep for some more time...’
‘What does this boy do, staying
up late nights I don’t get it?’
‘Grrr…grrr…’
‘Watches FTV, what else!!
Idiot! Keeps me up as well…’ I cursed scampering under the tube-light plank; my
long-slick tail wagging out.
‘Grrr…bow…wow…grrr…’
Moily was keeping a keen eye on me. Growling incessantly;
threatening to pounce anytime on me with those dark-brown sullen look of his.
‘Madamji!’
The unmistakable frail voice of the humanoid broke
through, early morning. He was fighting hard to sneak his head through the
door; a sky-blue turban and a pair of eyes the only parts visible.
‘Mannu!! What’s up? So
early! It’s not even seven...’ a pleasantly surprised Madam enquired. Hairs
rolled up she was busy adjusting the pallu of her cotton sari.
‘Grrr…grr…’
‘Madamji, please catch Moily!
Please strap him away in another room...’ he pleaded, his voice trembling.
‘Grrr…bow…wow…grrr…’
‘Down boy, down!’ Madam
commanded. ‘Don’t worry! Come in. He won’t do anything. I am here.’
‘Come, come…’
Mannu instantly felt confident. Madam was there
to protect him. Sibu, Chidu, Pornie and Tuna marched in behind him. The emergency
cabinet meeting was on.
‘Your eyes are red Mannu!
Didn’t you get to sleep last night?’
‘I couldn’t sleep all
night, Madamji!!’
‘But why? Sit, you guys!’
she directed the gang.
‘I am feeling unsafe,
Madamji! Will they also take me to Tihar?’
‘Don’t worry, Mannu…No
one can touch you till I am alive!’ Madam assured.
Mannu heaved a sigh of relief. His pot-belly
deflated, strange noises were leaking out from inside.
‘Why is Rohu baba
sleeping on the sofa?’ Pornie enquired.
‘He is not a fish Pornie!
Get over it! Rahu…Rahu is his name!’ Sibu corrected.
‘Badabadi hoche Sibu babu! (Don’t act too smart Sibbuji!)’ Pornie warned;
his tone stern.
‘I am fed up of him! I
don’t know what this boy does late nights!’ Madam mulled perching high on her
bar stool.
Rahu was sprawled on the sofa. The rest had huddled
intimately on the opposite one. Dear Madam had no place to sit in her own
house.
‘He is a good boy Madam.
Don’t worry.’ Chidu stated.
‘Well Mannu did you speak
to Mr. Hazare? What do you think; will he call off his fast today?’
‘Well, Madam I…’
‘Aye, Tuna I gave you hajar taka (thousand rupees) na yesterday
for Petrol, when will you be giving it back to me?’ Pornie demanded pointing
his double-ringed index finger at him.
‘Don’t speak rubbish!
When did I take money from you?’ Tuna retorted grabbing his lungi. He was ready
for a fight, just in-case.
‘Aye! Faaltu kotha maat boko… (Aye! Don’t speak nonsense…)’
Squeezed between Chidu and Sibu a steaming Pornie
tried getting up. He failed, his butt was stuck in-between.
‘Pornie! Stop the
nonsense!! We are discussing on an important topic here!’ Madam scolded
eyeballing him.
‘Sorry, Madom…’
‘Start lowering the
prices I will return the money to you in instalments.’ Tuna mocked.
‘So, Mannu what do you
think? What should we do with Mr. Anna Hazare?’ she asked again smiling.
‘Well, Madam I…’
‘We should put that
rascal in jail Madam!’ a furious Sibu intervened.
‘What do you say Mannu?’
‘Well, Madam I…’
‘I agree with Sibu! He is
destroying the law and order situation in our country.’ Chidu remarked.
‘Ohaat (What) about the Mumbai blast? Ohen (When) you will be catching the kaalprits (culprits)?’ Pornie challenged.
‘I have some leads…’ Chidu
replied coolly. His eyes fluttering, head rocking.
‘And may I know Ohaat (What)?’
‘Before the blast they
ate idly-sambar in a restaurant. I have sent the plates for DNA testing. Don’t
worry we will nab them soon!’ he predicted.
‘Ok! Fine! But what about
Baba Kamdev then? Mannu? What should we do with him?’
‘Well, Madam I…’
‘Just leave it to me
Madam! I will take care of him. He is just a fly for me!’ Sibu assured, digging
his nose.
‘Ok! Fine!’
‘Rahu baba get up! It’s
eight o’clock. Remember, we had a deal on a basketball match…’ Tuna coaxed. Lungi
folded up to his knees he was set to dribble.
‘So, Mannu! Whose turn is
it to go to jail today?’
‘Well, Madam I…’
‘I think Moron is next!’ Chidu
jumped in.
‘Dhurrr…moshayee!! From Ohen (When) is this case ranning (running) I
don’t understand!’ a miffed Pornie denounced.
‘Don’t get hyper Pornie!
It’s all because of that idiot Maja…’ Sibu cursed, patting his aroused
colleague on the back.
‘Rahu baba get up…’ Tuna
continued.
‘So, Mannu you will be
coming with us to Raj Ghat tomorrow?’
‘Well, Madam I…’
‘I will not be able to make
it Madom. I have to go to the phish (fish) market.’ Pornie interrupted excusing
himself.
‘Rahu baba get up…’
‘Mother-promise until
Maya is kicked out of UP I will not become PM…errr…any minister…’
His eyes shut, Rahu finally responded to Tuna’s
calls.
‘Ok! That’s it then!’
Madam cried out jumping down from her bar stool. ‘Mannu, do you have something
to say?’
‘Well, Madam I was trying
to say that I needed to use your toilet…It’s an emergency!’ he begged.
‘Why didn’t you tell me
earlier? Go, go! Hurry up!’ she cheered, giving him an immediate clearance.
Mannu tottered racing inside, unlacing. His
Pajama wasn’t coming off.
‘Use the bathroom in the
backyard!!’
