FACE

Come morning and there is a knock on your door. You get up to see your doodhwallah’s face first up at daybreak. If you are lucky you see your partner’s face and ask him or her to fetch the milk. In my case it is either my room-mate's face that I get to see or the face of that actresses on the poster on the wall.

Then on there are so many faces I have to face

as I race

with pace

in the city before I retrace

my path back to my place.

We see people grim-faced driving to work, probably thinking about the work for the day, or the boss’ comments or the bad breakfast or cursing the landlord for not attending to the complaints of water supply. One look at fellow commuters gives you sad faces, smiling faces, thoughtful faces, worried faces, aspirant faces, sleeping faces, tired faces, hopeful faces, blank faces, I-know-everything faces, tu-kis-kheth-ki-mooli faces, why-am-I-here faces. There are people with creepy look on their face, forcing you to utter a quick prayer under your breath for safety and peace in the world. Hawkers and salesman with hopes on their faces to make some sales. Grumpy faces, focused faces, tensed faces, angry faces, fuming faces at work.

By the time I return home my face would have gone through a plethora of emotions. Mostly the face would be droopy and heavy. But when I reach home and see that angelic, smiling face of my little baby, all the emotions of the day are washed away, and I am rejuvenated with renewed hope and energy, ready to face the world again the next day.

CAUSTIC BEVERAGE

Having done what I had done, I wondered whether what I had done was proper. My action would have drawn ridicule from all quarters of the ready-to-point-a-finger society. Luckily, what wrong (oops, am I beginning to accept the act as criminal myself??!!) I had done was still in the bag, you know the bag in which that ‘cat’ resides. Once that dreaded cat is secreted out of the bag, I am doomed. How on earth will I move around with my clean-shaven face held chin up.

           But hey, wait a minute! My blood says B +ve!! How could I let this guilt smart me? Guilt?! Eh, what? Whatever am I rambling about! Let’s be clear about this, okay? What guilt should exist in my system when I feel what I have done is not bad. No! no guilt – Go guilt go. Positive thoughts! Deep breath! Iiiiin. Oooout. Phoooo. In. Out.

           What I have done has probably not been done before. I believe I have done something new, something unique. So, I shall not feel guilty about it. Rather, I’d say I am setting a new trend. Boy, don’t people get away with weird and gaudy dresses in the name of fashion? Don’t people get away with those chaotic, meaningless strokes in the name of modern art? They are called trendsetters. Then I should also be called a trendsetter. So, hark ye the world starved of new trends or may be the world bombarded with new trends, here arrives another setter of trend.

            My invention (accidental I must admit) will bring smiles on faces. My creation will send grey cells jumping around, make hairs on the noggins stand upright and sharpen senses. The possible side effect is fumes through ears and nose. But, positive thought, remember? These fumes will help clear the auditory canals and nasal cavity. Clinical and clean. Cleanical!

            Before I reveal the invention, let me tell you about the accident that lead to the invention. One day, when I was a kid, my mom had prepared a cup of tea for me. Before she could add sugar to it, someone was at our front door and she went to attend to the visitor. Eager to help mom in the kitchen I decided to add sugar myself. And added two spoonful of white crystals from a jar. Turned out that what I added to the tea was not sugar, but salt! When mom found out what I did she was not amused at all. As a reward I had to drink my concoction.

I call my invention ‘salT’. I could call it SALTEA. Tea that is salty.