Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Pranaam Chacha [Greetings Uncle]



This story is from the days of yonder.


Nandu, one of my closest friends was moving house. As usual I was called to do the ghada majdoori for her. Her uncle was in charge of a warehouse so he offered to keep her furniture till she returned and moved into the new place. Now she has not met this uncle too many times. Maybe just three or four times. So he isn’t that close to him as one should be with an uncle.


So she comes back a month later and we have located a house and its time to move in there. We are waiting at the house and her uncle calls to say that he has arrived and is coming up with the furniture. So our lady here waits near the door and as soon as the man enters in she falls at his feet and says, “Pranaam chacha.” I was a little surprised because this guy looked different from the guy I saw last as her uncle. Anyways he had this surprised look on his face, was taken aback almost and he walks in with some of the stuff and after him comes in the uncle who I knew as her uncle and she falls at his feet too with the whole ‘Pranaam chacha’ bit.


Three more people come in and help dump all of the furniture in the house and we offer them some tea and biscuits. After the whole thing got done we walked her uncle down and thanked him. As soon as he left I burst out laughing and Nandu was red as a cherry. The first guy who walked in was one of the helpers who works for her uncle and there she was falling at his feet calling him ‘Chacha’. And he uncle also must have laughed on his way home.


Nandu you always stick those pretty feet of yours into your mouth. Life around you is so interesting.

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