The Times They Are A-Changin'

Every week I bought one and a half dozen country eggs from a vegetable shop close by. The shop was run by a family. At most times, the husband sat behind the billing counter. Over the course of the past two years, I have developed a cordial and yet distant relationship with him. On most days, we only exchanged a smile with each other. My smile was usually hidden underneath my mask. At times, we talked a little about eggs. 

"When did the eggs come in?"

"Yesterday."

"Are they fresh?"

"Of course! I only buy two crates of egg as not many people buy country eggs."

The cost of the eggs has remained the same for the past year or so and so I don't even ask "How much?" before I pay. The payment takes place through Google Pay and so we don't even have the "do you 5 rupees with you?" - "No. I don't have 5 rupees with me" exchange with each other. Overall we maintained a professional relationship.

This morning too, everything went in the usual manner. I picked the eggs placed it in the boxes. He helped filling one of the boxes. I placed the boxes in the bag and took out the mobile phone from my pocket when he asked a question. "Have you heard of the RSS?" The question took me by surprise. Of course, I have heard of the RSS but I did not expect him to ask that question to me. So I blurted "The RSS?" He confirmed "Yes. The RSS." At that point I noticed his attire - a shiny saffron shirt and a saffron mundu. A 'U' shaped vaishnava namam adorned his forehead. I understood which RSS he was referring to. I responded "Yes. I know RSS". He asked immediately "Would you like to join the RSS?" The question shocked me. I did not expect anyone to ask me that question. A few years back, I realized a cousin has been a member of RSS for many years. Even he has never talked to me about RSS. But this person whom I barely knew was asking me to join RSS. I was reminded of a Malayalam movie dialogue "Aye, njan anganathavanalla". I responded "I am not that kind of person". He did not let me proceed beyond the sentence and started on a long monologue on RSS. It contained the following points.

• RSS is a very good organization.
• RSS helps in a person achieve self control and other attributes that are described using words starting with 'self' through Yoga, exercise and other such activities.
• RSS conducts pooja's and other religious activities for a person to achieve something (I don't remember what now).
• RSS discovers common people who quietly serve the downtrodden/needy in our society. These are people who serve food for the needy or teach them for free. They do it quietly without fanfare. Members of RSS discover them and send information about them to city/town/village office. From there the information is sent to the centre via the district and state offices. He gave example of many people in our neighbourhood who are involved in such services.

The last point got me worried because I wondered if he had discovered some selfless service that I had rendered to the society. I frantically searched through my head to discover an activity that will fit the description he had provided but found none. I felt relieved. I will not receive an award from the RSS. That would be the end of my social life. Though I don't give a damn to left or right, I have friends who think right is not right. But that's not me. I am so non-left and non-right that I freeze with one of my legs stuck halfway in the air when I hear a dance instructor say "now twirl your left leg around your right leg and jump half a feet in the air". Before anyone says "Dance! You!", let me tell you that there a few poor souls who have tried to make me dance and who still believe that they I will dance one day. As far as I know none of them like the right. They refuse to do dance steps that involve putting thei right leg out first. 

Damn! I digressed.

Anyway, at the end of the monologue, he gave me a card that had the picture of goddess clad in saffron saree, holding a saffron flag leaning against a smiling lion. He said "please attend the guru pooja tomorrow morning". I smiled beneath my mask and said "I will try". As I walked out of the shop I had two questions in my head.

1. "Should I find a new shop that sells country eggs?"
2. "Why did he think that I am a good candidate to be a part of a guru pooja conducted by RSS?

Kosiru (Roughly translate to unimportant extra bit)

As I was driving to my parents place, I noticed the number of the car ahead of me was TN74AY... The 4 was written such that it looked like a stylised 'G'. I commented the '4AY' in the car ahead looks like 'GAY'.  A little later I overtook the car and my son observed that the car had a BJP flag at the front. Almost immediately he commented "it's a BJP car. So it's definitely not GAY. It has to be 4AY".