Engirunthalum Vaazhga! (Long live, wherever you are)

Dear Friends,
This story is based on a real life experience - backed by circumstantial evidence. Hope you like it.
Cheers,
Rrg


Engirunthalum Vaazhga!
(Long live, wherever you are)
"Oh! My God! What a terrible life" Sundar, my colleague, commented to no one in particular, but to everyone in the hear shot, in general.
Till 2 years back, Sundar was a happy go lucky guy, ever willing to bend backwards to help any colleague, especially of female species. Whenever any of them looked a bit dull, you could find Sundar around, cheering them up with jokes etc. 'Never a dull moment when Sundar is around' was their unanimous pronouncement. Needless to mention, this made the Adam juniors to give him a cold stare. When he got married to Sunita a couple of years back, many of the female colleagues felt that Sunita was the luckiest in the world to get a hubby like him, with a very flexible back bone. But, within 2 years, and a child, after marriage, here he is complaining to God about the terrible nature of life. Infact, this side of Sundar’s started getting revealed only after his marriage, at first once in a while, getting more frequent as the months progressed. It has become a regular, ever since the child was born.
Initially, many were willing to hear him out and come up with suggestions to pep up his life. Many of his complaints were about the behaviour of his wife and her penchant to boss over him. The same colleagues, who might have tried / be trying similar tricks at home were around to give Sundar suggestions to tackle his predicament. However, it did not take them much time to realise that Sunita was made of sterner stuff and deserved all appreciation. Slowly, one by one they started moving away from Sundar under some excuse or the other.
Sundar never had many male friends , even otherwise. I was his closest - the closeness having got developed over the last few months by virtue of his wetting my shoulders (only with his tears – don’t get me wrong ) on a daily basis. As expected, he came and sat in front of me.
“ Boss, I am surprised that you are married for 10 years now and still remain sane. You had managed to beget two lovely kids also in between. Please teach me the trick and save me from disaster”, he was literarily in tears. As usual, I advised him on the success of any marriage being on the adjustment each partner was willing to make and that it was mainly a game of ‘give and take’. I counseled that it was critical that the issues affecting them were discussed threadbare mainly between themselves and an acceptable solution found , rather than involving outsiders. I added that it was surprising to note that Sundar, who before marriage could please so many female colleagues in a jiffy, found one wife so difficult to handle.
“ Boss, you don’t realise. In the case of colleagues, I had no responsibility. Only, a feeling for their predicament and humoring them a bit. They were happy & got adequately charged to go after their unsuspecting hubbies or MIL as the case may be. But with an adamant wife like Sunita, who always behaves like your master, it is a different story. She keeps criticizing me endlessly, for every one of my actions & inactions, till I cringe. She is hell bent on turning me into a doormat”.
“So be it. Why don’t you adjust to realities & become one such at least temporarily? Always please do remember, ladies are more possessive, especially when it comes to their household affairs. Make her feel she is the boss, instead of trying to assert. Give her the happiness that she has an understanding partner. You are well used to bending backwards to so many of your colleagues, can’t you do it for your one & only wife? Even if you have to give more, it would be better than what you are taking now. This is a great investment for life. Once a balance in your relationship is reached, it would be there forever. See the difference once she gets the confidence that she has things under control and you are there to support her. Sooner you realise that your wife is the boss of the household for all practical purposes, better your life would be.”
“Is it how you pull on with bhabhi?”he asked.
“More or less. Not only me, but every successful husband. We have our roles clearly demarked. As the saying goes, ‘we go by her decision for smaller things affecting only our household like - buying sarees / clothes, whom to visit, whom to invite for any function at home, where to go for holidays etc . and strictly go by mine in respect of major issues affecting the entire world at large – like ‘who should be the President of US?’, ‘ozone layer depletion’ and the like. There is absolute peace at home”.
“How do I suddenly start behaving differently? She will get suspicious”, Sundar was confused.
“No way. First explain to her how pained you are seeing her over-worked at home and suggest taking her on a holiday. Proceed on your annual leave but don’t end up in your parent’s house as usual . You may enjoy the change but would tense Sunita up enormously. Instead go to Simla, Mussorie wherever she suggests, on a second honey moon. Humour her no ends and make her realise you are changing. Continue the changed behavior even after returning from vacation. This could be one way”, I advised.
Sundar left on vacation the very next day and returned a month later. Now he was looking cheerful. People were surprised at his transformation.
“How did it go?”, I asked him.
“You are a genius mate” he was grinning from ear to ear, “ Wish I could kiss you. You have not grown grey hair for nothing. Each one of them is like a tree of knowledge. Your suggestion worked wonders. I would never forget your advise – decision making on smaller issues like household affairs for Sunita and me concentrating on affairs affecting the globe at large. It was so good that for once even Sunita agreed with me without any protest. When she pushed me for more info, as to how I became so brilliant over night, I had to confess that you were the brain behind the whole thing”.
I was also very happy. “All is well that ends well” I said, smiling.
Within a couple of weeks I realised that Sundar was a more changed man than what I expected him to be. At times, I felt that he was avoiding me as well. Initially I attributed this to the changed circumstances at his home front. Later on, when I learnt that he had not invited me for his son’s first birthday, while a few other colleagues had been invited, I was perplexed.
“Did I hurt him unknowingly?” I wondered and wanted to sort things out before they grew in magnitude. I got an opportunity when I met him in the vegetable market a few days later.
“Hi, Sundar. Understand your son is already one year old. Time flies, isn’t it?”
“Yes boss. In fact, we had a party last week at home celebrating my son’s aandu niraivu (first year completion) . But, the list of invitees was finalised by my wife, you see. Being well aware of her feelings towards you, I went by your sane advise and didn’t make an issue of it, you know,” Sundar replied.
“Why? What is that Sunita has against me? What have I done to earn her displeasure?” I wondered.
“Oh, that! She has nothing against you, don’t you worry . She has only good feelings for you . All the same, ever since I confided in her that it was your counseling that changed me, she started feeling that you have a better hold on me than her. While you could change me in a jiffy which she couldn’t in her two years of endeavor, you see. She is very apprehensive that if I am allowed to mix freely with you, there is a possibility of me changing once again. Or perhaps may start getting newer ideas. To be on the safer side, she has ‘desired’ that I maintain a safe distance from you. Basically, I go by your prescription for domestic happiness, you see. Oh, it’s getting late and Sunita would be wondering what is taking me so long. See you later ” he left in a hurry.
I stood transfixed, looking at his receeding figure for sometime.
This is for the first time I am coming across anything as weird as this.
Not all fingers are alike. Same goes to an individual's way of looking at a thing. But, I could understand Sunita's anxiety as well. It made sense in a way. No hard feelings.
I was at a loss - whether to feel sad for self or feel happy for Sundar.
“Do I mind losing a friend, if it is going to lead to his domestic happiness? No. Never.”
(Had Sivaji been in my place perhaps he would have sung, "Naan Siriththuk kondey azhugindrane" (I am crying amidst my laughter)).
Convinced, I started moving away, humming “ Engirumthaalum Vazhga! (Long live, wherever you are).”
anbudan,
Rrg

 

Dear Ambika,
Thanks for your FB.
Glad that you liked the narration as well as the story.:bowdown
Yes, I am back after quite some time - was tied up in many committments.
Incidentally, I had posted a short story last week under fiction - 'Made for Each Other'. Perhaps you had missed it.
Cheers,
Rrg

 

Thanks Srama, for your FB.
That both yourself and Ambika, winners of finest narration awards, liking my narration sounds like "Vasishter vaayaal Brahmarishi ( to be accepted & pronounced as Brahma Rishi by Vasishter, who was the original BR)".
Am honoured.
Cheers,
Rrg

 

Dear SM & VC,
Pleased to know you liked it. Thanks for your FBs.
Dear Ambika,
Thanks for your followup mail as well.
Cheers,
Rrg