We sat opposite each other as I faced Ananya’s dad for the first time in my life.
I strained my brain hard for a suitable topic. ‘Nice place,’ I said.
‘What is nice? No water in this area,’ uncle said as he picked up a newspaper.
I hung my head, as if to apologise for the water problem in Mylapore.
Ucle opened the newspaper, which blocked his face from mine. I didn’t know if
it was intentional. I kept quiet and turned to the man with the tambura. I smiled,
but he didn’t react. The house had an eerie silence. A Punjabi house is never this
silent even when people sleep at night.
I bent forward to see if uncle was reading the paper or avoiding me. He had
opened the editorial page of The Hindu. He read an opinion piece about AIADMK
asking the government to do an enquiry on the defense minister who had sacked
the naval chief. It was heavy-duty stuff. No one in my family, correction, no one in
my extended clan ever read editorial pages of newspapers, let alone articles
about AIADMK.
Uncle caught me peeking over him and grunted, ‘What?’
‘Nothing,’ I said. I didn’t know why I felt so guilty.
Uncle continued to read for five minutes. I had an opportunity to speak again
when he turned the page. ‘No one is at home, sir?’
‘Where will they go?’
‘I can’t see anyone.’
‘Cooking. Can’t you hear the grinder?’ he said.
I didn’t know if Ananya’s father was naturally like this or extra grumpy today.
Maybe he is pissed about me being here, I thought.
‘You want water?’ he said.
‘No sir,’ I said.
‘Why? Why you don’t want water?’
I didn’t have an answer except that I felt scared and weird in this house. ‘OK,
give me water,’ I said.
‘Radha,’ uncle screamed. ‘Tanni!’
‘Is that Ananya’s grandfather,’ I said, pointing to the old man.
nora
(Nora)
#1