023 MY MISPLACED CHUCKLE

With folded legs we were sitting on the floor of? class 6, our Teacher on the chair, and the best student of the class was standing and was reading tables from the book and everyone was repeating after him - “dho ekam dho” meaning 2 1 ja 2, 2 2 ja 4.? Suddenly a peon came and said something to the teacher. Teacher stopped everyone. He said that someone has died and we need to keep a silence for 2 minutes as condolences.

Everyone stood up at his own place. the eardrum breaking sound of 2 2 ja 4 converted into a sudden silence.

I looked at the teacher and his eyes were closed. I looked left and then right, their eyes were closed.

I got scared. I too closed my eyes and stood in silence.

I heard the sound of air passing through my nostrils. Sound gave me comfort but tingling.? I smiled. Tingling increased.

I chuckled.

I tried to stop myself from a loud laugh but the silence didn’t allow me.?

Tingling increased as was the fear of the teacher.

Armies of two innate instincts- fear and laugh were fighting against each other inside me.?

I started trembling.??

A small laugh came out of me.?

Few of them proved the proverb right “a friend in need is a friend indeed” as some of them joined me in chuckling.

The teacher also had a chuckle but he quickly maintained his composure. Almost everyone was involved but I was the only one to be punished. “Hey! you stupid fellow!, move out of my class and go become a ‘mugra’ at the door”- said the teacher.?

All my true friends laughed at me when I took the ‘murga’ position.

Ladies and gentleman, it didn’t stop in class 6.

The second prominent time it happened was when I got married. Right after my wedding my mother was busy seeing off guests and giving them return gifts. She was trying her best to ensure that no one gets the return gift of more value than that of the gift they have given. Many guest families wanted to leave together. Mother ran upstairs to get gifts for another family who wanted to leave right after one. She was so happy, excited and confused at the same time that she got an attack of asphyxia. She fell on the floor and was breathing with great discomfort. I had seen this happening to her before. I didn’t chuckle, I laughed out loud at my mom. My wife gave me a strange look and said - “They got me married to a man out of his mind”. Yes, she cried - “O ija …”

Friend, it did not stop at my mother, a few years later, my wife fell down in front of the bathroom. I laughed at her. She gave the look and said - “They got me married to a man out of his mind”. She wanted to hit my head with the rolling pin, as she usually does. But it was my good luck that she got a big white plaster in her right hand. After a few days, I was terrified when I saw her drawing a smiley and a rolling pin with her left hand on the paster.?

Cure for misplaced chuckles was not an option but a survival priority for me. After listening to my interesting story and realising the threat on my life, my bartender friend got me enrolled in a meditation workshop.

My wife opposed, cried and said - “They got me married to a man out of his mind”. But I went.

For the first two days, I again listened to the tingling sound of my breadth, chuckled, and disturbed others.

The third day, I stopped hearing everything. It was the silence again and I did not chuckle but cried, cried and cried.

The fourth day, I neither chuckled nor cried. Silence allowed me to hear some other voice from within.?

What was that voice??

Go! find out!