A curious case of curiosity

They say curiosity killed the cat. They also say a cat has nine lives. So what they're basically suggesting is curiosity stopped the cat from having its tenth life. Truth be told, these thoughts highlight human curiosity more than feline. We are, by nature, dying to know more. But we don't die—and that's where the real problem lies—as nobody has died of thinking yet. People have died of eating and drinking (choking, someone?) but none because of using their brain cells a bit more than usual. As a consequence, we want to know what's going on even if it doesn't bother us in any way. Especially in a country like India where people are bound to stop on their way to check out who's fighting on the street. If not, then to check out why are people crowded, thus inadvertently adding to the crowd. The story of almost every street here. But things are slightly different in the 'handicap' compartment of a local train. [Yes, i've illegally traveled in them. But then, is it legal to be inhumanely stuffed into an overcrowded compartment when there's ample space in the adjoining one? Besides, as a matter of principle, i never took a seat even if it was empty.] I've noticed how none of those who commute in these reserved space ever care to check out whether the other person is disabled or not. Simply put, it doesn't matter to them whether somebody is misusing their privilege as long as they have enough for themselves. Compare that attitude with those who travel in the first class compartment where they privileged lot protect the hallowed dabba by remarking "Yeh special dabba hai" on mere discretion of somebody's appearance. If curiosity was indeed effective, there would have no cats around. Nor rude snobs.

Laughing stock and a smiling dog

As a kid, i was fond of animals. Except lizards. I still am. For one, dogs always enthralled me. Especially those stray ones. There was this abandon they represented without uttering a word. It's a miracle how they are still found on our streets. Excuse culling please! They teach us our species so much. And by lessons, i don't just mean the very facts of life. Porn happened to me a decade later as mating in public turned out to be their way of letting us know that they are cooler than hippies. You laugh at them because they can be so stupid as well. Chasing cars long before Snow Patrol made it a song? What are bicycles for? Whatever. There are exceptions too. I remember this female-dog—an adorable bitch, actually—who smiled as soon as you utter the word 'siri'. Now i'm talking about an era where Apple hadn't discovered the alphabet i. At the risk of turning nostalgic (more nostalgic than usual), i can clearly picturise her broad bright smile. Absolute beaut. She was the closest any member of the canine family ever got to us. My assumption is that she learned Tamil in our chawl and then put it to good use.

When jokes kill

Once upon a time, there was this one monkey left in a jungle. Raised by nature, he fell under the impression that he was too smart. Because of this misconception, he started playing pranks on whoever he could lay his eyes and words on. Sometimes, he was funny and sometimes, nasty. To his good luck, nobody seemed to mind his antics. Everybody waived the impact of his outrageous behavior. So the monkey ended up spending his time either feeding himself or fending for new victims for his practical jokes. One day, he came across a lazy elephant who was already struggling with weight issues. Out of attitudinal compulsion, the monkey blurted out some mean sentences. The frustrated pachyderm didn't take any of the nonsense kindly and pulled down the branch on which Mr. Tail was perched. The violent shock was too much to bear while getting crushed under a wooden being was bit of an unpleasant surprise.     

Moral of the story: Luck sucks especially when you're idiotic as well as endangered.