When storytellers put together some normal daily event into something big. You feel the magic of storytelling. Their skill lies in making the simple task of going to the market and getting your weekly grocery into something fantastical.

Once such an incident happened to me. The storyteller in me is blowing it out of proportion. One fine day, I set out to get myself a cup of coffee and to find my missing muse. There is nothing untoward about getting a Coffee you would say, but then, it became an adventure when imagination helped in!

I was all set with my laptop in my backpack, phone, my brain, and my limbs all in decorum; so, onward to the café, shall we! I got dropped off at Café Coffee Day outlet in Dr. Nair road.

Well cafés are all about ambience and style. Well, this one had a subdued feel to it. The colors were warm brown to match the coffee powder, I think so. I was a bit out of sort after struggling between push-pull exercise with the stiff glass door. 

I was also feeling a little foolish to be struggling with the simple task of opening the door. After a shellshocked moment of conscious silence. A few minutes later, I ordered myself a Caffe Latte with no sugar and a snack to go with it.

Hoping my order came out right for the person taking my order. I just told myself whatever comes I am just going to eat it even if it kills me. No screaming drama whatsoever.

I found myself a cozy corner where I can observe the people without being noticed. There were many different characters who walked into the café and ordered and sat together in groups. I was the only odd one without anyone accompanying me.

I got myself busy with opening the laptop and made a huge show of plugging the charge to the socket. When I knew that I am no old hand at it. I panic and look around silently for help.

One of the attendants who was bringing me some water saw my difficulty and helped me with setting up the charge. It took a proper ten minutes for my flustered feathers emotion to calm down.

By then, the caffe latte and my snack arrived and I thanked the attendant. My nerves were settling down and I began my people watching. Some were hanging out to get to know each other. While some were buddies from college, school, or institutes nearby. They were the noisiest.

Yet the hub of humanity gave me such happiness to just be and nothing else. This café idea of visiting and enjoying coffee in an ambience would be an alien concept in the traditional circle.

But then, I am kind of reminded of an Octogenarian who used to make visits to coffee houses. It seems like a trend from the British era, where men of intellect used to get together in the smoky dinky coffee house to discuss profession, prophesy, and politics.

I stayed there for a while and pondered on the writing project that I was currently working on. Nothing can be further from the big show of writing that I put on for all and sundry. I knew I was faking since when I am serious about writing I don’t care where I am.

The café was not a place where I would do serious writing business. It is where I wish to just blend in and never be found. Sadly, that does not happen in a café. You are food for roving eyes that are looking out for the latest fashion and the latest trends. I am minded in comparison.

My Rangachari salwar kameez may not make the cut in the cutting-edge fashion. But then, I sport it like it is a brand called Moi! Beyond an hour, I can no longer stand the humanity around me, I want my solitude and silence. It is time to go back to my hideout at home – my library-cum-bedroom-cum-working space.

It is hardly an hour and I miss my refuge. The one go to place for all kinds of problem. For me the presence of books in an organized shelves makes for bring balance in life. I love and intellectualize silence and crave crowd less in my adage.

Sometimes life is about deeper understanding of humans and their motives in life. Some can be really focused on specific outcomes and drive to achieve it. While there are some who live on in the hope that in the coming days with slow perseverance their dreams would come true for them.

Unusual Comedy Stories

I am someone who would watch comedy shows without laughing! No laugh in me for comedy and gaffs are totally lost in me. Sometimes, I think if there were a one-person audience comedy show and a standup comedian is to perform then, I can feel the dejection of the person whose jokes fall flat.

Live comedy shows thrive on the audience’s response of laughter. The laughs bring support for the routine created by the comedian paired with the lively audience. I am watching a series on “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” hosted by Jerry Seinfeld in Netflix. It features comedians from past, present, and all in between contemporary.

I watch this show in utter silence and sadly not a single gaff. To watch a show without any laughs makes me feel as if I am weird. I keep watching comedy shows just to train myself to laugh. I don’t know maybe one day I will be called upon to be a guest in a comedy show and the horror of it! Miss No laughs!

“Adhu Idhu Yedhu | அது இது எது” is a comedy reality show where celebrities participate. There is a round in the show where the guests are asked to watch a comic skit prepared for them and the first person who laughs (siracha poachu!) gets disqualified and the unsmiling guest remaining of three participant becomes the winner.

I watch a lot of standup comedy shows on YouTube channels. My recent interest is Ramkumar’s shows. His gripe with IT field flushes out as comic relief. There is some up North Amit Tandon and his Tandonism. Then, there was Zakir Khan from the TV Comedy talent show that had celebrities judging them.

For the sake of gaffs some comedians become much to critical and harmful for their fellow participants. Especially, The Kapil Sharma show was initially good; but later on, it became a verbal sparring match between comedians. That leaves a bad after taste of bitterness.

The house of laughs where people who laugh heartily are the ones who know what it is to live and have a much more balanced view of the world around them. Since they know how to laugh at their own follies, maybe not immediately, but in calm reflection!

Laughter is the best medicine per the doctors and sometimes you might find a doctor in the standup comedy party too! That would be Dr. Pal Manickam and his covid time exploits in humor. When at the time where people would get infuriated at the mention of sanitizers and washing hand, our Dr Pal paved a huge wave of difference and lighter view of the problems in life, innumerable as they may be!

Comedy is a right touch of compassion and willingness to look beyond the silliness of humanity and gain a laugh out of it.

Nonsense Poem

Living In Phone Loop!

I sincerely called out to the universe.
I kept hearing the ringtone and nothing else.
So, to kill time, I got myself lottery tickets.
Now I am stuck with numbers in my head!

I walked up to my doctor and I asked him.
Could these numbers be removed.
He said, “Oh! Just Shift-Alt-Del,
It should be cleared soon enough.

I went in search of my keyboard,
But couldn’t find my PC for days,
They said it can be found soon enough,
If I kept twirling my thumbs in one direction.

By then, the call to the universe,
Came through and leading me to,
Multiple option automated call organizer!
Now I wait for an executive to pick my call!