10 am Gossip…….could cost u a vessel of milk……

Dated : 22-06-08
It is late morning and as usual the sun has come out shining out in its full bloom and then suddenly a huge trumpet like sound comes from outside of the house. Everyone is accustomed to that blaring horn that is blown by the Enfield of the milkman who usually comes around at that time to deliver fresh milk. Fresh milk means a lot to all folks at home, especially for a TAMBRAHM family for whom filter coffee prepared in fresh milk is the kick start for a new immaculate day. That horn had probably become a habitual clock for all the people living in our society. It was apparent that it is 10 AM.
…..and then comes a lady running down from upstairs of my sweet home, on hearing the horn. My mom is so active and I and my dad fondly look at her as ever, as she rushes with that milk vessel outside. We sometimes wonder if with 2 legs, if she could really be so active, what she would have been capable of, if she had wheels on her legs!

The horn may not mean anything to me, dad and uncles but to mom and aunties out there it is like a call awaited anxiously. A mini group discussion with exchange of worldly information and sometimes local information as to what is going on around will always commence after the milk is delivered. After collecting the milk, the discussion is kept alive and kicking and they all talk as if they have met long long ago (which actually is just a couple of hours back while they were in their morning walk that indicates the start of the major ‘group discussion’ uncharitably coined by my father as ‘Gossip’). The chat show continues for some more time more. After the milkman has left and still as the great Indian Group discussion is on, an impatient but a gentle reminder calls innocently from inside of most of the houses in the form of coughing or high volume of TV or a music system which suddenly starts screaming out of nowhere J



But these days, in the world of fast moving events, a lot can actually happen in couple of hours sometimes pretty comic….. :D
My neighbor’s house has high flooring and low compound wall. So my neighbor (whom we all affectionately call Pinky Aunty), prefers to keep the milk vessel on the wall reclining on that which is close to our house. The milk man comes close to that point for delivering the milk at one place to all the women. After all, he also wants to enrich his general knowledge and occasionally contributes information (relevant or irrelevant, females do enjoy taking in information) of other societies.

And so on one such fine sunny day, it so happened that Pinky aunty had as usual been gossiping and had been asking the milkman as to why the milk rates had shot up rocket high. He had been explaining to her, putting in his indisputable efforts to convince her with his justification. The discussion was just going on. And there were witnesses to that serious discussion, like my mom and four more aunties. While talking, he was actually doing some multi-tasking by pouring the milk into the empty vessels that only caught his eye. And then somewhere, the milk man felt that the discussion was invariably turning into an argument and so anticipating the consequences he made a quick escape by excusing himself with the reason of time constraint and he honked off. Then the argument dint end there as aunty protracted it by discussing the issue with other ladies who were nodding their heads in agreement. And as my mom was already too entertained by the scene and also because my father’s impatience was brimming in the form of loud coughs, she started to advance fast towards home. But then all of a sudden, an empty vessel caught her attention. Then after a minute or so with an confined giggle she innocently asked aunty to look at it…..
Lo Behold! That idiot discussed so seriously with her about the milk prices and all and had all the way forgotten to fill that empty milk vessel of hers. All others burst out laughing as they saw her vessel empty. But Pinky aunty - she is a real fighter man! She always has her way and she is not the one who takes things indifferently. After all she is a Sikhni. So as she decided to teach him a lesson, the lioness of Amritsar took out her Kinetic Honda with the vessel and zoomed after that fellow………..
My mom took some time to control her uncontrolled laughter and narrated the incident with utmost interest. And I was pretty amused and at the same time curious to know about the lesson taught to that poor fellow, and a day after (not being able to restrain my inquisitive nature) in a lighter mood asked her. She replied – “No Beta it was not his fault alone. He said – Behenji! Aap bhi to bhool gayi thi aur aapne hi to baton me itna uljha diya Hume ki hum bhi bhool gayen”. I just winked at her and got the same wink back.J

The last I heard that after that day - everything remained the same. The milk vessel was as usual lying at its normal place. But there was a slight change in the responsibility of taking milk. Now everyday dada ji comes to take the milk vessel. :D