Serendipity

There are some incidents that make you want to pull your hair out in frustration, and then there are those that simply warm the cockles of your heart. If these incidents are related and happen to you on the same day then they often stay with you for a lifetime.

The other day we had a run-in with the police on a traffic violation of driving on an invalid license. We were hauled up to the police station and had a case registered against us (Yes yes! There are people out there in this world who think a license is much more than a plastic card with your photo on it).

Well, there was this policeman who was writing out a statement for us. He was filling out some details from my friend's Indian passport and he writes for 'Place of Birth' - Sujangarh, Sri Lanka.

"It's India", said my friend.

This fellow writes India in brackets beside Sri Lanka.

"Not Sri Lanka. India !! Cut Sri Lanka", hollers my friend.



Contrast this with what happened when we were returning by taxi. I was on the phone with a friend, yakking away in Hindi. As soon as I finished the call I was amazed to hear "Chalo dildaar chalo, chaand ke paar chalo..." wafting out of the taxi's speakers. Just by listening to me speak the taxi driver had made out that we were from India.

Looking at my amazed expression he explains, "Mother India...big hit...dubbed into greek."

Apparently 'Mother India' was a huge success in Greece. How that is connected to a song from 'Pakeezah' I couldnt make out but I have to admit, the song never sounded sweeter to me as it did then.