A grouch is a winner all the time!

Cheeniya · Aug 4, 2008

uncannybal said: ↑

Sir

Lovely post ! I wrote a post about how it is the idiots of the world who have spurred progress ! How many times have we read stories about how some idiot told someone he would never be able to sing, write or paint and then the person he criticised goes on to become a world famous singer, writer or artist. Or a businessman who was told by some idiot that he would never make it in life and then goes on to create employment for thousands !
It is definitely the idiots of the world we have to thank for progress in the world and not the 'nice guys' because without the idiots none of these great people would have found their motivation ! May the tribe of idiots increase for the greatness of our country !

Santosh
Click to expand...

Dear Santosh
George Bernard Shaw once said that all progress depended on unreasonable people. But I like your theory more. Of course there is not much of a difference between an unreasonable man and an idiot. So I join you in your wish, 'May the tribe of idiots increase for the greatness of our country'.
I am overwhelmed by your interest in my posts. What more can I ask for?
Sri

Amma15 · Jul 6, 2010

Dear Cheeniya Sir,

This post is very interesting.

Strangely, I have never taken notice of a grouch at weddings or elsewhere. Infact I find I am constantly telling our children to smile more often and to frown less! I tell them,"Use your smile and you are a winner".

When we were students we used to be told by our Anatomy Prof to smile more often and to frown less because you spend more energy and use more muscles to frown! But now we know 1 more muscle is used for smiling! But then smiling takes no effort so why would some one resort to frowning?

Regards,
Usha

Cheeniya · Jul 6, 2010

Dear Usha
How easily you say that smiling takes no effort! Ask a receptionist in a hotel or an air hostess and she'll give you a piece of her mind for making such a statement! Having been a Bank Executive for dog's years, I know how tough it is to keep smiling when you don't feel like smiling. It is even more difficult when we face a difficult customer! Forced smile causes a lot of strain to the facial muscles and you can start feeling the pain within minutes.

I'll tell you a story. A young dad was taking his naughty toddler to the beach. As they were strolling on the sand, the dad kept saying things like,
' Be a good boy. Have a lot of patience. Don't get peeved if the other chap is unreasonably peevish. You must always remember there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Don't keep cursing your fate for having to do what you hate most etc'

A passer by was quite intrigued by what he saw. He approached the young dad and told him that he liked the way he was advising the toddler. After a while he asked the dad whether a toddler would understand the meaning of all his high sounding advices and the dad replied 'Who told you that those advices were meant for the toddler? I am taking to myself so that I keep my cool and not lose my patience with this brat!'

I also follow this technique whenever I have to keep smiling while interacting with a rotten client!
Sri

Viswamitra · May 7, 2012

Dear Cheeniya Sir,

To keep a smiling face all the time takes a lot of effort. Many times, I used to get "no" as response from my better half when I invite her to attend a formal function and when I ask her to give one good reason not to, pat comes the response, "I can't keep smiling face with no reasons". She wants to be true to herself and her thoughts and she wants to smile only when there is a reason and I don't blame her.

Getting back to the grouch, there is an unwritten law in the restaurant business as well. When one of the guests behaves in a rude fashion, immediately all the supervisors rush to the spot and try to fix the issue quickly. Moreover, they try to please the rude guest through extra attention in order to avoid bad publicity to the restaurant in the presence of other guests. Many times, the supervisors offer, "dinner on the house" to the rude guest. Perhaps, the Indian restaurants have not put the fear in the mind of the rude guests that their food will be mixed with spit of the bearer, if they behave rudely.

If we have to take an approach similar to Cho Ramaswamy, perhaps, every person who conducts marriages from now on should have a few seats reserved in the dining hall with a note that "this place is reserved for grouches" or alternatively provide them a walkie-talkie to get in touch with a host, if they feel offended by anything. We could perhaps add a note in the bag that we give when they leave, "thank you for keeping us on our toes." They would perhaps see it on their way or at home.

Viswa

shyamala1234 · May 7, 2012

Dear Sri,

Hilarious!!! You can write on any topic.

Yes, grouches do get attention. The so called "Attention" they get is out of fear for them and not out of love. O.k , we envy them for getting so much of attention...but do you think those pay attention are happy? No, they are not. It is like naughty kid getting the toy that he wants by kicking and wailing in a toy shop. One wants to get rid of grouchies as soon as possible. Because they are getting attention they are behaving like spoiled kids. If one ignores them...heavens are not going to fall down.No need to pamper them.It is for their good only...they behave nicely in future. They would learn their lesson.So, better not to even look at them and just ignore. In spite of all the importance a grouchy person gets I would not want to become one. I would better be happy with plain rice and dhall.

So, you have learnt a lot from Dale Carneige. Be like that only. We love you like that only and not a grouchy Cheeniya. Let us have a smile whenever we read your ramblings.....as we are doing now.

Syamala

Cheeniya · May 9, 2012

Dear Viswa
The two most difficult things in life are to keep a smiling face without reason and to keep doing nothing for long periods of time. During my Bank days, I had a small placard saying, 'If you have nothing to do, please don't do it here!' Keeping a smile permanently plastered on the face is even more a difficult task. Within 15 minutes the facial muscles will start feeling uncomfortable. The air hostesses are trained in it and even paid for it. They start discharging this duty with gusto initially but over a period of time become very grumpy. I'll not blame your wife for taking such a stand and she probably knows that there are better ways of exercising the facial muscles than keep smiling artificially.

Strangely, frowning permanently is not such a great effort as smiling probably because more muscles share the work of frowning!
Sri

Cheeniya · May 9, 2012

Dear Syamala
We must understand that not all smiling people are good ones nor the grumpy ones are bad. Remember Sholay? Gabbar Singh does all the killings with a smiling face. You would never have seen a picture of Osama Bin Laden without a smiling face! There are many grumpy people who are jolly good people. I have the greatest admiration for the grumpy Walter Matthau and Groucho Marx.

But don't worry. I'll never let you go without a smile when you visit my Ramblings!
Sri

iyerviji · May 16, 2012

My dear Anna

Good post. I have also come across these people and what Mindi said is right they are from boy's side and the girl's side people give them respect for the marriage to go on well

Cheeniya · May 17, 2012

My dear Viji
Grouches are there both in the groom's and bride's sides but out of our own inherent fear or call it respect if you like, we pay extra attention to the groom side grouches. These grouches leave an all pervading effect while the bride side grouches operate at low key and yet cause the same devastating effect! Mindi probably implies that there are no grouches in her circle!
Sri

rgsrinivasan · Aug 27, 2012

Interesting one to read, Cheeniya Sir. Thanks for sharing.

Just because a grouch may wrinkle
His nose a bit, we are on our toes.
Aren't we but the ones to grumble?
All our interest in the occasion goes.

What a grouch may not know
Is that he is a lot ridiculed,
Thus stooping to a pont so low
Yet tend to remain so obscured.

If only they know the joy
Of giving in for the harmony
Instead of being such a killjoy
They will be sought by many.

We may but need to accept them,
Instead of separating them out.
For, just for that little flaw in them,
They may have use and clout.

-rgs