Sunday, November 16, 2008

The CHOVVA DOSHAM (A Star War)



TAARE’ ZAMEEN PAR…!!!

If it weren’t my own television set I would have smashed the screen with the remote control I held. Preity Zinta will no longer show off her dimples for BSNL. Instead the long legs of Deepika Padukone are going to lure customers from now on.
Am I happy?

A press on the remote control drives me to a round table conversation, the topic…”Shouldn’t the drunken minister have slapped his wife on her left cheek rather than the right?” Some of the nation’s best thinkers (and that means those thinkers who have nothing else to do) spit out their ‘precious’ opinions.



ME: MAMMMMAA I hope you are not booking tickets to Switzerland to get chocolate.

MAMMA: Kuttu, be patient!!! Chocolate milk is on the way. Ooo…c’mon sonny, you are 21 now…do you know that?
ME: Yeah! And what is that supposed to mean? A quarter of my pals are now employed and messaging me their salaries. And who the hell forced me to join a medical college?

MAMMA : Aha! Okay it’s me. But see the advantage.

ME: Advantage?!

MAMMA: Yeah. You have a reason for not touching the daily newspapers.

ME: Yupp.

MAMMA: Because no economic depression or Tsunami is going to deprive you of your bed coffee.

I had nothing to say. I switched off the television.

ME: Do you know mamma how much it hurts to see them suffering?

MAMMA: Them?

DAD: “Me? Great…this is the plight of every married man sunnie…” Dad popped his head out of ‘Business Today’.

ME:Dad…I said THEM, not HIM…grrrr…
DAD: Ha ha…Okay continue….

ME: I have to wait near the colossal Silver Jubilee gate of our college every morning to board the bus to the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology. I stand there…watching their miserable lives.
MAMMA: C’mon can you cut the suspense off from this?



ME: They earn their bread selling toothbrushes, towels and stuff…Some are paupers selling notes worth lakhs or crores.

You know mamma, some moments it’s a special warmth you get watching them enjoying giggling at each other, fighting with customers (The Bargain Rajas). My sole competitor for the shade of the gate is a self proclaimed healer who assures the mass around him that what he holds is a panacea that can cure all illnesses.

Bravo…I would say…a panacea being hawked right in front of the State’s official gung ho of registered healers.

Of the many vendors is a mother…emaciated out of poor business knack…perhaps her dingy looks held back customers. Her kid, half naked, is playing with a stray puppy…no…not Dobermann or German Shepherd…well it’s up to the Municipal Corporation to decide it’s breed. She has spicy vadas and samosas. Poor lady…!!!


The next moment, sometimes, I would see fear in their eyes. They would pack their ‘shops’, wrap up the articles and run away. After a few minutes, once the jeep of the ‘Flying Squad’ had cleared, everything went back to normal. My bus would come by then.


DAD: C’mon don’t tell me it’s this that bothers you.

ME: What the…? Dad…it is chaos everywhere…the world is really a bad place to live these days.

DAD :Not ‘these days’ son…the day Adam or Eve or whoever walked in, earth was contaminated!!! But what is philosophy doing here at this time of the day…

ME: A pal of mine called, a while back.


MAMMA: And that worried you? What happened sonnie? DAD :Hi…hi…she said no to your proposal?
DAAAAAAAAAAAD.
I was ready to jump over him. But hey…there must be a spy somewhere in my class…did dad really get the news?

MAMMA: RAAAAJ…c’mon…who is the grown up here…? (Mamma interferes)

Sonnie…which gal was it anyway?
ME:Mamma…et tu brutus….Gosh…


MAMMA: Hi Hi.

ME:K. It was Rekha. My school mate.
DAD: BINGO…Wow…your ex??? …she wanted to invite you to her wedding…right son? Howz ma guess?

ME: C’mon this ain’ fair.

MAMMA: Raaj…cut the crap please… (Thanks mammaa….)

ME: Well mom…dad’s right…it’s her wedding…but she says she ain’t prepared. She wants to take her job at Microsoft and earn some bucks for her own before getting ‘wed-locked’.

MAMMA: Aha…but what’s the rush? She’s of your age na?

DAD : Darling…bad memory…the gal is exactly a year older…remember kuttu’s face on that 14th of February? She had rejected, telling “Hey…you are still a toddler”!!!



(If it weren’t my dad I would have poured a bucket of water over him for reminding me about that black Valentine ’s Day.)


ME:Well mamma…’astrology’ screwed her…they found a “CHOVVA dosham “…and that means a groom should also have the same ‘dosham’. And the parents are worried since they can’t risk throwing away the current proposal. They say it’s tough to get everything rightly placed at a time -“Nair” (a Hindu community), “Handsome”, “Chovva dosham”, “Profession”, “Family background”.
MAMMA: What is the problem with the current proposal then?

ME: The guy is 10 years older than her. Mamma…a 31 year old engineer cum bachelor must have some kinda defect

MAMMA: Well…kuttu..31 years…hmmm…you are right…the fact is… A 24 year old Engg.graduate will have a bank balance of his own…but a 24 year old “just MBBS” doctor will just have passed out of his college. I would demand an age gap of at least five between a couple. Am I right Raj?
DAD: Yes Senior

MAMMA: Whaaaaaaaaat?


DAD: Hey I was kidding honey. Well,Kuttu. You know what. Even the most liberal dad will spare time for a second thought when his son falls for a gal of a different community or a religion…


Even the most stringent atheist will wear a mask or use the time of a power cut to visit an astrologer to cross check his child’s ‘fate’ before marrying him off.


But don’t you worry son. Your dad is an odd-man. What is the big deal with all the ‘star troubles’? Even god is a concept manipulated for our own greed.

I don’t even worry about the dowry. Hi hi…a ‘doctor’ son will automatically win a few kilos of gold and at least a Chevrolet…well more ‘degrees’ means…Mercedes or BMW…HI HI…!!!


ME: That’s the spirit dad…that’s the spirit. You know mamma…did you notice our new neighbours? They have a gal…name’s Rhazia…and she’s just entering her college.

It rained last week. I had an umbrella and she didn’t.


Dad, she wants me to hurry…a muslim…she says her dad is already out, searching for a groom.


(I didn’t wait to enjoy the bewildered look in my ‘liberal cum hardcore communist-by-the-heart’ dad’s face. I rushed back having returned the empty glass to mamma.)

40 comments:

Priya Joyce said...

haha...fultoo masala post ..though in the middle I felt u r gonna put and turn it into a social..philosophical post..but but but U didn't do tat..

haha the valentine day stuff was cool.

lol on that Chovva dosham..
:)

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

Hey thanks ! :-) this was inspired by few "real" events.

Anwesa said...

1st tell me,u wer talkin about vendors or gals????crazy stuff!!

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@Anwesa
:-) first tell me did u "read" de post well? :-) it's more dan "gals" mate...i was tryin 2 ping some ridiculous stuffs runnin around us;meaningless news discussions,un wanted police intervention,de blind concepts of "chovva dosham",de "community""religion" stigma tampering luv n relations.
:-( CRAZY ha! :-)

Meghna said...

wow....this was one of the mst unique posts I've read...love ur blog...will visit often111

My sympathies bro :)

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@meghna
hey is there a cloud ten :-) hi hi thanks pal.hi hi keep in touch.n mind u i've recorded that line, i'll make sure u visit often :-) n yeah Welcome 2 my blog officially

peter said...

he he he
Poor you ...and well narrated post ..i hope it was real ;)

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

Yupp no peter! God... :-) it's fiction...! Realty is there...! :-)

Cinderella said...

Lmao !!!!

Now that was some discussion, which btw reminds one between me n my dad just a few days back.

4 years ago (when I was in 2nd yr grads perhaps) a rishta came for me, which I aptly rejected. Just a few days them guys come to my town for a visit n visit my dad too, and voila broach the topic again. And alos go on to add that the guy can come down here to meet me !!

When dad told me this I like " All these years n he dint get a girl ?!! Smth's got to be wrong with him." Dad said, "You just might be an obedient son you know, unlike you !"

Later I learnt he was all of 5'-3" !! LOL ! I guess I understood what was wrong. Wil tell this to dad when I get home. The fun will be lost over phone !!

:P

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@Cinderella
:-) hi hi.that was somethin cool!

Pooja said...

i guess ppl dese dez r mor worried abt suprstitious crap dan dey wer earlier...n v r supposd 2 b mordern!!!

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

Pooja
it's de end products of de blak n white era [de "elderly"] who r more concerned....fortunately v r de future!:-)

Resurgence said...

Hey.... this is my first visit to ur blog and am spellbound wid the writing skill..... good going man... and haan to interweave so many things into one single post is a commendable job..... kewl... keep up the good work..... :)

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@resurgence
:-) wow welcome 2 ma world mate! Thanks...do keep in touch!im searchin 4 a cloud ten!

--xh-- said...

LOL... ithu miss cheythirune nastam aayene.. paavam achan.. kidu post da machu...

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@xh
fictiona ketto.:-)

SMRITI said...

I am back commenting...Hope this thing holds up..here goes..

Now Now Now...Kochu dear what have we here... :)
Started out with Vendors, me thought, there'll be more to it..then to the social dilemmas...told in trademark Kochu style of course :P

So Kochu packed in a lot of things in one blog post...and it was a fun read...I was trying to imagine my folks have that sort of conversation :D Boy I love your "Imagined Realities" :P

Nice post...need I say more?? :P

P.S...Razhia imaginary too??

SMRITI said...

P.S...

Loved the blog title and "TAARE" Zameen Par :P

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

half de things (yupp no comments on de rain n umbrella!!!) r real...!!! de 'slap' incident (i dont exactly remember which minister)...den de hardship of de vendors is what i see daily on ma way 2 college...n yeah de 'star' trouble (chovva dosham) is abzoulutely reallll (de valentine incident happnd 2 one of ma batch mates!!!!)

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@smriti
finally bak in ma comment form ha!!! :))))

JustMe said...

that was a very good read... man u r getting better with every post...!!!

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@firebird...

yeyyyyyy...thnx buddyyy....ive just hit de roof ..oops....ttttto

Hemanth Potluri said...

hahaha..had a good laugh man....soo full of fun :)..

urs..hemu..

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@hemu

i was thinkin wer u wer..all dese days..!!! :)

Unknown said...

hey masal undenkilum nammude malayalam cinema pole oru reality ulla story ha ha ha
do post wat happened after this!!! hee hee

Unknown said...

hey masal undenkilum nammude malayalam cinema pole oru reality ulla story ha ha ha
do post wat happened after this!!! hee hee

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@divyasree

hi hi...!!!!

Karthik said...

Ha ha!! Had a gr8 laugh man!! U knw tamil?? Does it happen in ur frnd's or ur's life??

Meghna said...

Hey...I need ur help, if possible bro....an yea...I certainly will visit often yaar LOL!

Pls chck tis:

http://meghnaspages.blogspot.com/2008/11/i-need-your-help.html

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@karthik
koncham koncham puriyumappa! Tamil movies thaan ennude tutor!...n part of de tale is fiction...part is my life...major part belongs 2 ma pal...

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@mekhna
will surely do pal.now im at college.that means browsin from mobile which ain't smooth :-)

joie de vivre said...

mastt..
fun to read..

n now its my turn to slap u..grrrr..hehe i lik dis u kno
not commentin on my blog..

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@joi
:-) oh lord...is this true? Miss.brevity read de "longest" article i've written recently.yippie! Thanks mate. N ouch! Ouch! Slaps accepted :-)

Sameera Ansari said...

Lol!You don't spare anyone,do you? :P

Thanks for coming to my space to inquire about me,had been off to India for a month and then didn't feel like getting back to blogging :)

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@sameera
:-) n that means v hav 2 drive u outta India asap !

Saranya S said...

Well written post Nithin :), as always!!
Enjoyed reading it! Keep up.

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

Hey u r late :-)

Anonymous said...

motham fiction aanallo! each time i come here hoping to get some juicy tidbits abt u. and each time what happnes? u fiction writer!!!

k.ø.c.h.ü said...

@ammooma
aaru paranju fiction ennu? Fifty percent is real :-)

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