Somewhere in the western sector

Parvati looked at her husband as he trundled in weary from work. We have been taken over. We have a new President. Suresh jerked out of his semi-conscious state. Parvati seemed to be staring at the Television.

“What? “He said all of his now well oxygenated blood rushing to his frontal lobe. This was more than he could handle in one day.

“Look that Indian lady anchor with all those Americans. She just said we have a new president and was smiling from ear to ear “

“Oh that she is not talking about our president. That is that western country’s new president”

“No there is some mistake, why would she have 10 of those panel members from outside on our TV channel. Besides she just played a clip of the new man saying he loved ‘Hindooos’”

“So? “

“She even used the word Gob smacked “Parvati told him with a twinkle in her eye.

“How does her using gob smacked make her different from us? Why cannot she interview foreigners? Why can she not have her channel offices abroad even if it is on a day of bleaching in India?”

“Bleaching?” Parvati’s turn now to be shocked

“Yeah you know that black turning into white stuff “Suresh said flopping into the sofa

“It’s good we don’t have anything in this sofa else we could have had to tear it apart and rush with it to the banks. You know that is how god repays us honest people”

Parvati turned silent. Suresh looked up at the unexpected silence from his mate.

“What now? “

“You know that Bleaching thing? “

“Bleach? “

“You just said it yourself. Well I have a bit of that problem myself “

Suresh jerked back again his frontal lobes readying itself for the rush

“What do you mean? You don’t even earn”

“Well you know I earn of you right? Sometimes in small little ways “
Suresh stared “You mean a few thousands right. Like when you inflate the grocery bills“

“Maybe something like 400 thousands types”

Suresh held on to the honestly purchased in white money table lamp and steadied himself.

“How? How? Did you manage that from my meagre salary? How dare you save so much? Do you know we should not save so much that it runs into so much cash? You cannot create so much of black money”

Parvati stood perplexed “But why black. This is your hard earned money which became mine due to my hide work. And besides bhaisaab has said no problem for naari”

Suresh eyes popped “Now who Bhaisaab?”

Parvati “The PM. You so conveniently forgot the man who has put the fear of god in all men with unbleached money. He said housewives do not fear. Your money is your money”

Suresh sighed. He did some quick calculations. “You know that we will have some difficulty explaining that to the banks right?”

Parvati “No I spoke to bhaisaab and he said should not be a problem for salaried people “

“Bhaisaab – You spoke to the PM? “

“Arre baba no our banker bhaisaab. They have a holiday today and they will be working extra for next 

few days. So we can put in our money the day after”

“And listen one more good news …The builder called up and said he wants us to visit him tomorrow. He is reducing the cost of the flat”

Suresh jerked up for the third time in the day “Really?”

“Yes he said something like take all the cash back and give me only 50% of that in cheque but he needs us to pick it up tomorrow.

He murmured something like rent of the warehouse is going to be more than the value of the money.”

Suresh smacked his head and as he sat down he noticed two new bean bags.

“Where in the heavens did you get this?”

“Oh that you know Sahajik our neighbor bhaisaab from the government office. He came and said he was distributing all the furniture in his house because he wanted to be a hermit now. So he gifted us these two bean bags and also this 50000 in cash because he had not gifted me anything on Rakhi as his sister”

Suresh wanted to comment on the new found Brotherliness but attention panned to the bean bag.

Suresh rushed to the bean bag turned them upside down and tore open the knotted stitch. Portions of shiny currency paper peeked at him through the holes.

On the TV the finance minister was now speaking and indicating that law will take its own course for people without a trace of income.

( pic courtesy - ET)