The out-of-towners

ATITHI Devo Bhava (the guest is God and should be treated like one). Yeah, why not? Wonder who came up with that? I am sure the person who wrote that had never had to conquer annoying guests who not only make you feel out of place in your own house, but also become the seasonal owner of the house. These long-distant uncles, aunties and cousins, who you never thought existed, pop out of the blue, as per their own convenience, to shock you to death. On the face of it, they would be the planet’s friendliest creatures. Sweet-talks, however, last only till you pay their food bill, transportation, movies and other sundry expenses. One of qualities to be admired in them is their innocence. They would ignore all your stares, comments and grim remarks out of ignorance or innocence (it is difficult to make out) as long as they are sure that they can’t be thrown out of the house. I really wonder people solve a problem like that? Now, do not mistake it for rudeness. Like tourism ministry and Aamir Khan, even I believe in promoting the concept of treating our guests like deities, as it would be big business and India needs the money. But the problem is at the micro-level.

The ‘aam admi’ never maintains a ledger on unwanted guest arrivals in a year, and the number of gifts they got for him (though it is a rare possibility, still in case there is such). The pinch is felt only after a big hole has been burned in your pocket.

Unlike the country, which gets foreign exchange in return of welcoming guests from abroad, there is no incoming. Only outgoing. For such guests there should be a new slogan, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge (guests, when will you leave). Hats off to the movie director Ashwini Dhir, who seems to the only person having understood the plight of such victims. Though, in the movie, the guest character (Paresh Rawal) turns out to be too nice to be called unwanted and irritating, reel life is far from the real life.