The four parted ways and with a book in my hand ,I slipped away quietly into one of the balconies ,overlooking a well maintained lawn within the Income Tax/Central Excise/Customs Residential quarters campus on Nungambakkam high Road.
The Aaykar Bhavan complex on Nungambakkam high road houses the offices of Income Tax,Customs and the Central Excise.Uncle was serving in Chennai at that time and he was residing in a Type V government accomodation within the same campus.
Availing the time in hand and seizing the opportunity to meet his colleagues and friends at Aaykar Bhavan which was just a stone 's throw away,my father reached out to the hanger in the wardrobe, and pulled out the same shirt that he had worn the previous day.In order to avoid any further confrontation with my uncle,hurriedly buttoned up his shirt and as he stepped out of the house,called out to my mother just to inform her that he would be back home by lunch time.
In the meantime the aroma of the shallot sambhar and the Mysore rasam had managed to cool down an irate Chandru.As he was getting ready for work , the telephone bell rang ,he picked it up and spoke in his own inimitable style....
HYELLLLLO !!!!!! G O O DD !!!!!! M O R NN I N G!!!!!! ! THISSS ISSSSS CHANDRAMOUUUUULEEEEE !!!!!
Please note that I have stressed on his accent and the punctuation for the pause , he takes ,between words while speaking .Like our own Vajpayee Jee ,he blinks,shuts his eyes,opens them ,perhaps thinks,rehearses in the mind and then speaks slow,loud and clear.
The voice at the other end must have replied in Thamizh.He was quick to respond...
NAMASSSSSKAAAAARAMS ! !!!!!!!!!!
SOLLLLLLLUNGGGGO !!!!!!!!!!YEPPO VARRRREL ?
A worried mother ,was uttering the name of the Lord in whispers in the adjacent puja room.Even as she recited the hymns, her ears were glued to the telephone conversation and she was well aware that it was the mother of the boy at the other end...
VANGO VANGO ! NANGO UNGALLAI AAVALUDDAN ETHIRPAARTHINDIRUUKKOM....(Please come .We are expecting you eagerly.)
Hearing this,my mother almost fainted,even as a determined aunt came to her rescue...saying..."Let the lady come.If she is coming alone as my dear husband says,I am certain that there is more to this than meets the eye and your innocent brother- in- law, I am sad to say dear Manni, has not able to read her mind.".............
