Tuesday, October 18, 2005

A quick tale 86

Moral of the story

Your shirt is creased badly. Again. Whoever ironed it hasn’t bothered to do it properly and you now have three crease lines running parallel to each other from shoulder to wrist. Today is also the day when your socks decide to lose their elasticity and slump listlessly around your ankles. And I hate to add this, just this morning you discovered a small bald patch on your crown.

In short, it has been a miserable start to the day and while sitting in your car, waiting for the traffic lights to turn green, you remember that you’ve left some important papers behind at home and you’re already running late. So you curse some more. Precisely at that moment, a little boy comes up to your car window and points to his mouth and stomach and begs for your kindness. A few coins please, saab. I haven’t had food in three days, saab, he pleads. He’s not lying, you can tell. The caved-in stomach and sunken eyes and scrawny legs and the strong smell of poverty he reeks support his claim.

You know this the point in the story when you’re supposed to feel grateful for the shirt on your back and the coins that jangle in your pocket and quit moaning and make peace with your life and be misty-eyed and remorseful and all that. But no. You don’t feel anything. And to be honest, you’re still pissed off about your shirt.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

u r the classiest!

Phoenix said...

Feeling happy for you having shirt, money and food by looking at someone who is not having all of them. I dont know how to categorize that "Happiness", if at all it exists. But I dont blame someone for not feeling happy by comparing him to a person who doesnt have food.

Maybe i am missing your point too I dont know

kay said...

i know i am lucky to have all that i have, but all these material things do not equal happiness.

but that doesn't stop me from giving to the poor.

oh wait, why am i talking about me?

great story. :)

monu said...

great story!
i love the way u describe them all.......narration, rather..
:)

that was something i was thinking about too...the other day i was carrying a huge luggage(laptops can be heavy) and hesitating to take an auto to save up some bucks and wishing that i had an unending source of money......

and saw this little girl balancing herself on her knees on a plate on a rope tied high between two poles...and my unhappiness disappeared..but there was a guilt of finding happiness at the thought that someone is less blessed than i am......

your story reminded me of that....

apu said...

Ungrateful soul :-) But nice story...(i liked the content more than the style this time btw)

Satchitananda Sai said...

Woah! You are good! I just came across your blog meandering in from Praveen's and was totally..um...totalled!!!

Excellent job! I am gonna blogroll you! And make sure I read all your archives as well! 85 quick tales eyt to be read...I better get started!

Shammi said...

Regrettably true to life...

Harish said...

:)

Lost in trance... said...

i'd lamented wen my flite to india was delayed coz of the mumbai floods.was more worried abt that than the thousands who suffered.can totally empathize :(

Anu said...

hi, you have been tagged..Please visit my blog..

Jeevan said...

Very nice. all beg for ther life.

Nachiketas said...

So true, so very true....u simply rock!!!!

Ramasubramaniam Srinivasan said...

U are really good and original...

I admire the practical feel...

Hats off

Ram

Anonymous said...

Long time reader, first time post-er.

Most stories would've ended with the person forgetting about his shirt, bald patch etc. Your story is more real life!

KRTY said...

whoa !!i thought the milk train stopped. Great.. good you are back, and looks like missed a lot of QTs..

BTW, irritation/frustration on the beginning of the day is a great feeling. Seriously..

ammani, unga inspirationoda i wrote this.. can you feedback ? :)

Anonymous said...

"Just another day for you, you 'n me in paradise"! Good piece.

SAUMYA

Sookraj said...

Wow, it's amazing how reading a Phil Collins quote can put a downer on your day ;)

A nice tale, the middle paragraph feels a little too sledgehammer like. Maybe it's a personal thing though, but I kind of feel that the mediocre, day-to-day frustrations of the first page were enough of a set up.

Anonymous said...

my first time on your blog. You blog is one of the best blogs I have come around recently.

Anonymous said...

A comment on "A quick tale 84"...
This might be a late comment on that story..
Yes Ammani,I agree with you that certain rules and certain customs that we follow are baseless and meaning less..But in the real sense,we need some rules to have a control on oneself...Control of mind and body...Human mind likes to roam freely without any bondages...Only that the rules that we are made to follow against our wish make them to be thought as bonds that bind us forever into the mesh...But its not so...sometimes naama murandu pidikkum kuzhanthaiyidam poochaandi kaati nam vazhikku kondu varugirom allava athu pol thaan...koncham kooda kattupadu illatha vaazhkkaiyil onrum illai...The control on one's self is very important and a few rule/regulations---considered as part of our culture may seem stupid and reasonless..But they have a greater meaning..as to keep ourselves in a better state and high above others....


Saranya