ASIDE // IN LIGHTERVEIN

 Aside

In lightervein

I was in the 2nd BSc. Hindi was the second language. Ran away from Malayalam after SSLC because the practice was to award minimum marks for Malayalam at that time.

I had a very good Hindi teacher at the school because of whom I could understand and score good marks. It was topsy turvy in the college. Hindi was taught in the most unimaginative fashion. We were barred from using guides.

At the degree level when the University exam came I didn't know much. 

I repeated the questions several times along with the smattering of Hindi I knew on the answer sheets.

The University, because it wanted to see the back of me for good awarded the minimum pass marks to me for Hindi and got rid of my presence in the exam hall forever.

In the English Worship at Church , the topic for the day was 'Inter Faith Dialogue'. Probably from the Synod or the diocese.

The Senior pastor was on the pulpit.

He had a written script. 

He went on reading it as well as intervening with  his own monologues.

Like my Hindi exam he went on repeating 'Inter Faith Dialogue' again and again. To me he must have done it a minimum 25 times if not more.

I thought of my Hindi answers for the University Exam.

Because the committee had advised to finish the service at 9.00 am to avoid traffic jam or melee as the jampacked Malayalam Worship would begin at 9.45am and since the eminent Holy person had resisted the committee's view with the statement English Worship needed two hours from 7.15am, it had always been  ensured the worship closed only  at 9.15am. 

The Sunday School students were made to sit through the ordeal and they were let off only after the message in  the ALWYN TOFFLER  THIRD WAVE style.

Poor children.

The congregation sat through. Most of them elsewhere. Trance. Dreaming. Napping. Sleeping. Listless.

It mattered little to them what went on.

They left at the close, fully charged for the onslaught  of the week just begun, with a firm commitment to return for another episode Sunday next.

Attending the worship was all that mattered.