Mother was all over the media last Sunday, May 12. She still lingers on social; print has moved on.
Why give just one day to someone who gave you a whole life? Or should she be grateful to get at least one despite all the polls and politics? The first thing I read that day was the piece by Dr Mazda Turel, the inimitable surgeon-scribe. Let me spare you the spoilers save one: you are sure to appreciate the O Henry twist at the end. Find “The surgical love” on his website named after him. That article reminded me of an old man I knew, a security guard at a place of worship. I have often seen him having a simple lunch. There, under a shade, slowly munching his roti and subzi. Around him would be some squirrels and birds patiently waiting for him to share a morsel. Yes, he brought a little extra for them always. He was no woman. But he was mother to them. Is love a divine energy that transcends gender and species? You must be very fortunate if you are able to love and be loved. Doubly so if that energy originates from and returns to mother.
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What if there was an agency that could kill whoever you wanted at a bargain rate? The more you want dead, the less you have to pay. How long would your list be so that you can make the most of the bargain?
It was not easy for Peter, the central character in Neil Gaiman’s short story, “We can get them for you wholesale” to find an assassination agency. Finally, he found one and went on to have a meeting with one of the sales guys from the firm. Peter wanted to start with one guy in the office who he suspected was having an affair with the woman he was engaged to. Then the sales guy offered a two-for-one deal, just 250 pounds each. After some thought, Peter added the woman’s name. At their next meeting, the sales guy offered an even better deal—an irresistible bulk rate of 450 for 10. Peter took some time to think of the 10, “hunting for wrongs done to him and the people the world would be better off without”. It included his boss, the Physics teacher from school, an annoying TV newsreader and a neighbour with a yappy dog. After the list of 10 was ready, Peter was very satisfied with “an evening’s work well done”. He enjoyed the feeling of power he felt as he tightly clutched the list deep in his pocket right through work the next day. At the next meeting, the sales guy mentioned more enticing offers. Finally, irresistibly drawn down the path of better bargains, Peter asked how much it would cost to kill everybody in the world. “Nothing,” came the answer. “We’ve been ready for a long time. We just had to be asked.” Peter was mulling over what that meant when he heard cries all around and a soft knock on the door. Usually, I drop off to sleep after I complete a few pages of the book I am reading. After this story, I was wide awake, thinking of the people who might employ such an assassination firm.
They have been ready for a long time. And so many of us have already asked them. How long do we ignore the knock at our door? |
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