I don’t know Murthy but I have been introduced to his follies by somebody who does not know him either but has come to know about his plight from someone else who is his pen/mail/tele/Orkut or some such pal and enjoys a distant, naah, electronic acquaintance with him. In short, none of us knows Murthy in person but every one of us is aware of his trials and tribulations and feels sorry for him.
The story goes like this…………
Once upon a time there lived one Mr. Murthy, an almost confirmed bachelor, with two adorable sons (hainee?) & they lived happily in their abode oblivious of the rest of the world (blissful, is it?).
Mr. Murthy’s life revolved around his sons. Sorry, let me do a little bit of explaining here. Murthy’s solitary existence was redeemed by the company of two male pets, Pugs to be precise, whom he doted on almost like his own offspring (Genetic engineers can exhale deep sighs of relief here!).
Pug Sr. was an adult of two and a half years. Pug Jr. was still a teenager of one and a half years. Pug Sr. was obviously more mature, calmer, quieter and wiser; in short, a thoroughbred. Pug Jr., on the contrary, nurtured a more Bohemian spirit and was a constant menace to the neighborhood.
Then one fine day .................
Murthy went to attend a wedding and fell head over heels in love not with the bride, stupid, but with somebody who had also come to attend the wedding, of course! Bowled over by her lovely eyes/smile/face/skin/cheeks/hair/whatever, Murthy decided, no not decided, he actually got married to her and brought his bride home.
Until then Murthy was the unquestioned monarch of his kingdom with two free-spirited princes stomping around the territory unfettered. The entry of the queen was an intrusion in privacy, not for Murthy, who had willingly allowed that to happen (Just imagine!) but for his two princes who were at first awestruck then dumbstruck and then gradually as the import of the inclusion was brought home, went wild with jealousy and rage, finally declaring war against the invader, the unfortunate Mrs. Murthy.
From thereon Murthy’s life became a mess coz Pug Jr. point blank refused to accept mother Murthy. (Pug Sr. being of more profound disposition has shown exemplary composure and an enviable capacity to endure grief in silence.)
And now…………
PJ has decided to share Murthy’s bed, night after night, and has suddenly discovered that Ma Murthy’s pillows are extremely comfy. In fact, Murthy’s suhaag raat was spent in threesome. Murthy, Mrs. Murthy and PJ sprawled in between.
PJ has developed a sudden fondness for samvars, especially, the ones lovingly cooked by Mrs. M for her new found husband. Time and again, the dining table has been found soiled with up-turned bowls of samvar and resultant mess of PJ’s distressed stomach.
PJ loves to relieve his bladder on Mrs. M’s expensive Kanjeevarams, the swish of the silk a sensual additive to PJ’s sensory pleasures.
PJ has chewed away the beautiful cloth bag spun by Mrs. M, a wedding gift for her loving husband.
It is not known who eggs on PJ but in his royal rage he has extended his enmity further and gone ahead to incur the wrath of the uncle living next door. Poor man found his walking shoes left outside generously sprinkled with PJ’s” Leaky Cauldron”. Uncle naturally had a lot to say about it which upset Murthy, who, in turn, gave his piece of mind to PJ, who, in response, went without food a whole day. Result - an untimely summon back home from office and a tear jerking reunion between PJ and Paa Murthy.
When the night guard had the audacity to point out PJ’s annoying partiality towards neighbours’ cars for marking his territory, PJ post haste made it a point to prove that he was the monarch of all he surveyed and left his indelible mark on the night guard’s sitting stool.
In this entire drama, the silent sufferer, Maa M, has also broken her silence of late. Considering the havoc wreaked by PJ, she does not miss a maa-in-law anymore.
Murthy, sandwiched in between, still lives on…………………….
Poor Murthy……………
is now looking for a foster home for PJ - a loving, caring, doting, understanding family who would smilingly overlook PJ’s vagaries. He found one too in his boss’s family who were dog lovers too and had two Labradors to keep PJ company, in case, PJ conceded to have them around.
A day was spent in an exercise to familiarize PJ with his new family. PJ cheerfully exchanged notes with Labs Sr. and a few other things which are least elaborated the better. By evening Murthy was both convinced and relieved that PJ was in safe hands. However, when Murthy got up to leave PJ also bade a curt adieu to all and trotted out with an imperious wag of his tail.
Moved by Murthy’s travails and turmoil and being a dog lover myself I threw a casual suggestion to my family to adopt PJ which met with an uncharacteristic but emphatic NO.
Any takers? Not for Murthy, idiot! Oh no! Not for his wife, either. But for the protagonist of the One Act Play ………….PJ!
I personally feel Murthy should give some more time to PJ and Maa Murthy to build a rapport between themselves. Every relationship needs time to evolve, right?
Also, PJ will not be happy parted from Murthy and vice versa. Murthy, please don’t think on those lines. You’ll be miserable and repent later.
Until then…….
Murthy continues to be a martyr…………………