- Unencumbered joy-inexhaustible antani

A house like a Kamadhenu cow - If you want to see a Kamadhenu brother, you have to look into Pathukaka's house. Aunty would do the husband's home-work, and she would sit comfortably on the couch and sing with her throat cleared -

Nandlal Nahi Ray

He has work at home

Work, work, work

yes dear

Nandalal will not come

There is work at home.

Even when Pathukaka went home in the morning on a holiday on Sunday, Pathukaka was busy in the kitchen doing housework or wedding work. (Ho)Bala aunty used to sit and order and uncle used to do 'buy-order' work with his head down. Uncle used to fill the goods that came from the grocery store in the same glass jar and stick a label on it saying that there is something inside.

I went to the kitchen and asked, 'Uncle, what are you doing so early in the morning?' There aunt said to me from Hinchka, 'Your uncle is busy with work right now, don't bother him now.'

I ignored my aunt's statutory warning and asked my uncle, 'Do you have to do housework even on Sundays?' Pathukaka said, 'You have lived in an objectionable state all your life, so you don't understand, but someone like me who surrenders to that problem, understand? Komvadi country nade and this your aunt home-vadi i.e. me kande. That's why I'm saying - ya 'home' and fall, patka hai agae...'

Pathukaka used to take out the paper bag and fill the same jar with dal, rice, pulses and stick a label with the name of what is inside. A jar filled with sugar and a label affixed to the outside - bitter. Another jar was filled with jaggery and a label stuck on it - Methi.

I asked my uncle, 'Have you lost your mind or what? Why is the label of bitter gourd on the jar of sugar and methi on the jar of jaggery?'

Pathukaka laughed and replied, 'False labels have been applied to avoid ants. Daad to my intelligence?'

I said, 'Uncle, have some brains? Want to read some labels? It is bound to be attracted to the jar filled with sugar and jaggery.'

Giving a twist to the talk of true goods and false labels, Pathukaka said, 'Is your word true? In politics, there are many true leaders who are mislabeled by opponents as dictatorial, hypocritical, publicity-seeking, show-off, etc. But people and voters are attracted towards it?'

I said, 'Uncle, come to your senses now? Keep one thing in mind that even if the label is applied wrongly, but the wrong label will tell its true work on the table...'

Uncle said, 'You said, right is labeled wrong, but on the other hand what is wrong is right labeled?'

I shook my head and said, 'Uncle, one who is a dharma dhutar is labeled as a dharma doorandhar, one who is anti-social is labeled as a social-worker, one who smokes chimneys and burns brahyacharya is labeled as a child-celibate... People are fools. Leaders who create 'flowers' are labeled as 'power-full' leaders?'

Uncle said, 'Nirbal or Bal Ram should turn the line around and say: Nirbal or Le-Bal Kaam... Only the label works.'

I reminded my uncle, 'Do you remember the deeds of Sadachar Baba, whose uncles came out making a fuss years ago?'

Shaking his head in the nod, uncle said, 'There is a saying that if you are in a well, you will come to the grave.

I said, 'Sadachar Baba's original name was Namroo Baba, do you know why he got the label of Panasada-Char Baba? As this Baba always lived with four Chelkis, the label got the name, Sada-char Baba.'

Uncle says, 'When Sada-char Baba's nephews came out and there was a commotion, the journalist who went to meet Baba asked why you don't leave anyone after leaving the world? Baba defended me and said, I have no sexuality at all. The journalist said jokingly, "If you don't have sex, then you (Chelikians) are not free?"

I said, 'You know how a living person gets all kinds of labels, and some unfortunate ones get wrongly labeled after death?'

Uncle asked, 'How about that?'

I said, 'The ST bus met with an accident some time ago. If I don't forget, ten people died. Even the dead bodies of the victims of the heavy clash could not be identified. After the post-mortem, Dudhasingh's name label was put on Budha Singh's head and Budha Singh's label was applied on Dudha Singh's head. When did this mess come to light, do you know? When he was taken for cremation to one of the cremations in the village, while putting a tulsi leaf in Dudhasingh's mouth, the shocked son shouted that this is not my Bapuji. My father had three gold teeth in his mouth. It was so good that the actual Dudhasih's body was placed on the adjacent pyre. So the family members of Dudha Singh and Budha Singh shifted from place to place and then cremated the dead of their respective families.'

Pathukaka said, 'Don't you forget that when Gandhiji's son Harilal died in a hospital in Mumbai, he was also treated as disinherited?'

I asked Tapshi, 'Has it come time to bear the fact that Bapu put the wrong in front and kept the right behind?' To lighten the atmosphere, Pathukaka said, 'Some time ago, three thieves entered the ready-made garment store of Nanubhai Gada (N. Gada) living in our society at night. It was fun to watch the game as CCTV cameras were installed in all four corners of the store. The chief of thieves would take out one dress after another and read the price tag - jeans pants two thousand rupees, jeans jacket three thousand rupees, mini-skirt five thousand rupees, wedding dress seven thousand rupees... Hearing these prices, the deputy of the chief of thieves started shouting. That these traders are just sitting to rob?'

end-speech

Label true false

Just feed thap,

Then it is BJP or Congress

Whether or not you

** ** **

Don't be fooled by false labels

Don't shy away from the right label

Stay fresh without labels,

Don't do it.