Hello.. who.. Me.. Sorry.. I am not available!

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(A journey in the year 2021)

 

Hello.. who.. Me.. Sorry.. I am not available!

(Redefinitions)

 

The cell phone was ringing!

After a minute I picked up the phone.

‘Hello.. who is speaking..? What..? Sankaran..? From Tiruppur..? Sorry.. Wrong Number’

I disconnected.

Two minutes paused. Again the phone rang.

‘What? Whom do you want? Krishnan..? What..? You want Pudur Krishnan..? Sorry.. Wrong number!’ I know who it is. But still I have disconnected and kept back the phone.

‘What is this? You only are Pudur Krishnan! Why did you tell ‘wrong number’ and disconnected?’ my wife was asking.

‘There is a reason for that..’

Again after five minutes. the phone screamed.

This time I changed my voice and started speaking.

‘Yes.. this is his phone only.. but the person speaking is not himself.. No Sir.. he has forgotten the phone and gone’ without waiting I have disconnected.

‘Hey dear.. who is on the phone.. Keeping yourself here, you have told him you are not here.. though at times you will do some such gimmics, this time I don’t think so.. Is it someone from whom you have borrowed some money..!’ my wife surprisingly asked.

‘No.. no.. Nothing like that..’

‘Then what? Are you scared, if that person on phone may demand a loan from you?’

‘Can you please keep quiet?’

Some more minutes paused. The phone bell rang. I observed name and found that the same person calls. I did not lift the phone!

‘Dear honey.. what is happening here.. the phone is ringing and ringing.. you are simply staring at the phone..’

‘My dear wife.. I know everything! Can you please keep quite for some time..’ I shouted at my wife and continued my job on hand.

After some time, the ringing sound of the phone had its natural death.

Gone are the days, when, as soon as it rings, I will bounce up on the phone and shout ‘Hello.. Krishnan hear..’ and wait for the response from the other side.

Again after about five minutes, the phone rang.

‘Dear hubby.. What happened to you..? Again the phone rings you know..’

‘Yes.. I know.. Tiruppur Sankaran only is on the line.’

‘Hurray.. He is your friend.. isn’t he?

‘Yes I know.. two days before he called me and talked. He said that himself and his daughter are coming here for a work. He says that they may stay in our house for a day or two. Doesn’t he have any sense? How can he think of traveling and staying in a friend or relative’s house during this ‘Korana Virus’ period? Already the people are struggling a lot to escape from the korana virus infection. The people are just pushing the time in fear and anxiety. Coming out of the house itself is a challenge for all. If we have the humanity that all people must be safe, we must avoid such sudden visits and halts and keep themselves and ourselves safe.’

“My dear Husband Sir, it appears that what you are saying is justified. At the same time, it also looks that what you are saying is unjustified! If, what you are saying is OK, then it appears that a redefinition of ‘Humanity’ is needed. God.. 2021 has Gone.. 2022 has arrived..! It is not known, how many redefinition may be needed in our behaviour and culture!”

My wife was going on lamenting.