The Man with a Support System

 I

Men live with endless talents, most of which are not explored or exposed.  Some curious men make attempts to bring it out but many obedient others won’t ever realise their normalities and abnormalities and lead a humble life.

My story is about a man, AmRaa who owned a special talent named, Support System (SS).  The Support System is a “service” which is available only to young ladies who don’t have a boyfriend, lover or even a husband!  . AmRaa found out that this hypothetical equipment or SS was beneficial in so many ways to those women who were not “normal”. (‘hypo’=some, thetical= spelling mistake).

AmRaa seriously assumed that because of this special talent, he owned the right to judge and to decide upon the lives of young unmarried women and took the sole proprietorship of saving them. He also wanted to prove that SS was the most appropriate tool that any single woman could be able to make use of. AmRaa tried to lend it to a few; tried to bring it to reality, to experience its function, but couldn’t be successful in any of his attempts.

The SS is a hypothetical state of mind. It is not like the Operating System that you have heard of. The SS is inbuilt in every man. If it is in the hibernated state, then it is harmless. When it becomes lively, men will show some pathological symptoms which in turn will become a threat to women around.

The Support System of AmRaa first started becoming active with the entry of Janu. AmRaa may be a stranger to you now but I am sure that a little background information about him will make him your real hero!! AmRaa was doing research on women in the department of “W” in the University of Pu at a time when the people just started to use mobile networks and students enjoyed unlimited call service from 10 p.m. till 5 a.m.

AmRaa appeared as a shy, non-confident and introverted individual. But his whole body was stuffed with a burning urge to reform the unjust society and he presumed himself as a Young Turk urging to voice out. His whole life was dedicated to the empowerment of women.

 Another rumour which was spreading about him was that he had surrendered his life on the feet of his Madame, Sasaustrus¹ who assured him that he would be appointed as her colleague in the same department if he had proved his loyalty. He had to walk over  fire, brick and mud for years together, I mean, during his tenure as a research scholar. Madame Sasaustrus was the head of the department of W where AmRaa had been doing his research from his youthful days.

Everything went on well except AmRaa’s research. He proved himself as a perfect clerk, attender, assistant and an organiser and was literally walking on fire for five to six years and unfortunately got burns in his heart but not a faculty position.

 II

In the next part of the story, I am introducing another character, RAee. AmRaa was RAee’s “phone a friend”. During the time when AmRaa met RAee, she was so troubled by writers like Orhan Pamuk and Sashi Tharoor and frightened even of losing her name to “RED²”. Her roommate Expo had been endlessly talking about the novel“RED”, Pamuk and Tharoor which were her primary sources. She had gone much ahead in her thesis preparation. RAee was still in search of any one source to start with. Comrade CK Janu appeared to her during one of her noon time wild dreams. Before letting those authors overtook her life further, RAee was thunderstruck with an idea of turning her dream into reality.

RAae was known to her friends as the epitome of cordiality and affection. That day suddenly after consuming one Broofen³ which helped her to come back to normal state fast, RAee decided that her M. Phil. thesis should revolve around the protest of Kerala Adivasis for their land, which was popularly known as ‘Muthanga Strike’. C K Janu was the leader of that strike who penned her experiences during the strike in her famous biography “Mother Forest”. RAee knew that the only person who she could approach to discover the source of her dream was proprietor AmRaa. Without much contemplation she dialled AmRaa for help.

The Man with a Support System or AmRaa was not a well-known figure to girls until Janu came to the scene. Janu had nothing to do with the process of transfiguration of AmRaa from a normal human into a self-styled SS guru. But I should say that she had the sole responsibility to breathe life into a sober AmRaa who was in a rather hibernated state concentrating his mind and body only for the works of Madame Sasaustrus and a few other women.

RAee and AmRaa had their formal meetings and usual conversations. But after deciding on Janu, their conversations became unusual, I mean focused. AmRaa wandered lonely as a cloud⁴ and got all the materials required for RAee. RAee started her thesis work in full spirit.

It was during one of those days that AmRaa got up from bed with the realization that he owned the magical ‘Support System’. Till then he was just fancying to create a utopia for women. Medha padkar and Arundhathi Roy were his demigods. He dreamed of them day and night, discussed their involvements endlessly and imagined himself as their successor.  He also dreamt of leading a protest similar to the one like Narmada Bachao Andholan.

If Janu had not written ‘Mother Forest’, this “love’s labour's lost⁵” story would not have happened, I should say.

RAee made it a habit to serve AmRaa with the salty banana chips with so much affection after her trip from her native place to the campus. With the heart throbbing flavour of those Palakadan chips’, a feeling of ‘oneness’ started to develop inside the hidden trajectories of AmRaa. His amygdala started to react. Days went by. RAee finished her thesis and submitted it. Winter left for summer and many more things happened in the lives of many on the campus.

 III

The third part of the story introduces Eliza or Eli who was a regular visitor in RAee’s room. Both were classmates and soul mates too.  One day Eli smelled that something was rotten in the room number two of Daveri hostel. A silent contract was getting signed between AmRaa and RAee. Eli warned RAee to change the route less-trodden.

After completing their various courses of study people bid farewell to the campus. RAee too packed her bags and left for her bus. While waiting in front of the University for a Bus to town, she purposely neglected AmRaa’s presence in the crowd. Memories started to pinch AmRaa after he received a “goodbye” message from RAee. The cruellest April month played its part once again in the life of one more man. AmRaa helplessly heard the screaming sound from the shattering of the castles which he had built beautifully in the air inside his heart. During that sleepless night he wrote the latest version of Dejection: An Ode⁵ in response to RAee’s ingratitude and her abandoning him without accepting his SS.

Eli was a witness to these events. She felt disappointed seeing the sorrow of AmRaa. She blamed RAee. It was not for making AmRaa to forget Medha patkar and Arundhathi but for becoming the reason to activate his SS.

The next few months were quite dry inside the campus. Days, weeks and months passed by. After completing her course Eliza decided to stay in the university campus for a few more months. The only familiar person available was AmRaa. Eli was feeling sorry for AmRaa for losing his heart to RAee. The sympathy wave brought the two more closer. AmRaa’s companionship was enriching, knowledgeable and also friendly to Eli. AmRaa and Eli spent time in the department, in the campus library, outside the hostel building and discussed about PUSA and a variety of socio-political developments in the country, during their evening meetings.

IV

Eli was travelling in and out of the campus for her job, daily. Her career started in a publishing company within a month and AmRaa was one of the reasons for that job. Eli opted that job for money and felt much more comfortable to stay inside the campus hostel rather than staying outside.

AmRaa discussed even about his family with Eli. Matters like huge amounts of money involved in the dowry given for his sister’s marriage, property his parents were about to sell or purchase etc etc…became his topics. Eli never realized that her conversation and her compliance were being misjudged. On a particular day after waking up, AmRaa understood that he was once again powerful with the mighty Support System and decided that Eli had to be favoured with his gift of gab⁶.

            AmRaa started to express his interest through messages much to the discomfort of Eli who strongly suggested him not to waste his time. Though Eli was modest enough to be polite in her reaction, years long research about women did not help AmRaa to drop his male ego. He called Eliza a “Doolittle” and thus belittled her like colonel Pickering⁷. “I thought you need a support system, that’s why I took this path”, he messaged her. Eliza understood that his idea of drawing her close to his company and offering her the warmth of a friendship was not to make her the real duchess of a woman but just to satisfy his superiority complex. He demeaned Eli by saying that it was his generosity to offer a “cockney speaking Covent Garden flower girl” (lonely unmarried girl) with this fortune called Support System.

Eliza was unaware of this gift of SS, a man could possess, till she got the first-hand experience of it. She was one of the unfortunate women who did not have the sensibility to realize the super-specialty of this mechanism called SS and hence rejected the offer. Even now she doesn’t know how many girls are aware about the fact that this is the theory with which a girl’s life is build-up of; the theory of Support System.

V

Eliza left the campus and started to stay in a separate place for the convenience of her job. Two years later, when she called AmRaa for a formal talk; he shared the fact that though he lost his hope of getting a job in the department of W, he still had hopes for Eli. Eli was also trying to find a “roommate” by registering on a “dot com” website. AmRaa understood that it was the right opportunity.

Yes, he did offer the SS for the second time. To his surprise Eliza cleared his doubts when she said that her decision to accept his offer was not because she was hit by a cupid’s arrow but realised the benefit for living with a familiar devil rather than with an unfamiliar angel. Whatever be the explanation Eli had given, her positive response excited AmRaa, who fixed a date for the date at a Café Coffee day in the city, next Sunday. 

AmRaa was very restless. In order to show his loyalty, he immediately called his mother with the pretension of seeking her blessings. He might have informed her of his discovery.  The mother of this mighty gentleman soon called up Eli’s mother to check whether her son’s selection was correct or wrong. All the details required were collected from the girl’s side to check of her validity.

Eli got a call from the SS guru within a day. He informed her that the plan of having a meeting with her had been dropped. The reasons were narrated without any background score. AmRaa made it clear that he could not build any dream castle for Eli as his mother found this alliance useless. She had discussed Eli’s age, wage, change, rage and realised that she was a misfit for her much sought after scholar son. In that enquiry the much calculative mother understood that Eli was not only a few years older to her son, but she was also not capable of adding assets to their assets.

A much relaxed AmRaa consoled Eli by explaining that there was nothing to worry about. He claimed that it was a harmless decision as they had not sung any duet songs before. He also reminded Eli that he would happily follow his parents’ wishes for a better future.  Eli looked back in anger and in sorrow. She thought that instead of offering what he had claimed as his SS to others, AmRaa had to strengthen or rebuild the SS for his own survival.

Like God who pulled out one poor man’s rib for creating a woman, a whole lot of men falsify that a rib or something else like it has to be pulled out from them for making or “remaking” a woman’s life. Actually what  God did was finding a support system for that man who was crying badly for being alone in paradise and it was out of sympathy He created someone intelligent enough to take care of him and his entire locality. That is the end of the story of the man with an SS who did not know the real function of SS and also of the ladies who happened to cross his path without falling prey to the harms of it.

Vinci Subramanian (2021) 

 

Endnotes

[1] Madame Sasaustrus: Madame Sosostris, is a character of T S Eliot’s The Waste Land Part 11 ... is known to be the wisest woman in Europe, with a wicked pack of cards.

[2] Red: My Name is Red (Turkish: Benim Adım Kırmızı) is a 1998 Turkish novel by writer Orhan Pamuk translated into English by Erdağ Göknar in 2001.

[3]  Broofen^: : Brufen 400 Tablet is a common painkiller used to treat aches and pains. It blocks chemical messengers in the brain that tell us we have pain.

[4] Love’s Labour's Lost: Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s

[5] Dejection: An Ode: "Dejection: An Ode" is a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1802.

[6] Gift of gab: If someone has the gift of the gab, they are able to speak easily and confidently, and to persuade people.

[7] Colonel Pickering: Colonel Pickering plays an important role in George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion".

How I became an Anti-Social element (ASE)?

 

 “You needn’t doubt Ms Poppy’s sincerity, Ms Eliza.” I have been repeatedly telling my colleague every time she passes Chinese whispers in my ears or imitates Ms Poppy’s mannerisms, which helped only to add fuel to the fire (in Ms Poppy’s heart). I always angered on Eliza’s tendency to give a chance for others to misjudge her. She should at least be a silent spectator to the innovative techniques used by Ms Poppy to test to identify [1]ASEs and non-ASEs in her work place. I believe it to be an error- free technique, tested and re- tested in the laboratories of [2]Mr. Palmer. (I recommend this method; others can try it in their work place too)

Before you start guessing what is what, let me tell you few details of the whole story. Ms Poppy who is my lead lady has some distinct qualifications which others don’t have and it would be nice if you don’t have any additional qualities like her. She is the sole proprietor of certain theories and policies and what others can do is to accept what she thinks as right. If she wants to project someone as her ally she will explain and give a detail description of what is happening between them, I mean their ‘chemistry’ in front of her opponents (ASEs) with enthusiasm. If you are a part of her ally and feel uncomfortable, with this behavior, don’t request her to withdraw. That is what I did and I got the result immediately. But when she feels that others need not be aware of anything related to her, she will abscond or you may look a total stranger to her. That’s how things have been happening since the day one I met her.  She has her own distinct way of doing things and that too with absolute ‘sincerity’.

The ASEs (I abbreviated ‘anti social element’ as ASE for your comfortable reading) follow “use and throw” policy she blames. Don’t ask me to explain this phrase as I am also confused of it. Its foul smell still lingers on me from the day Ms Poppy vomited it, the day I became invisible to her for the first time. This happened immediately after I signaled her during a casual chat not to discuss a private matter publicly.  Since then I have been using all possible anti bacterial face washes/ body washes, but nothing was found effective. She will experiment on her colleagues’ sincerity since the day they join for their job. Some results will turn positive in the beginning and will later turn the other way round due to the influence of some ‘outside agencies’, and that’s her biggest fear! She conducts a [3]litmus test nor a [4]permanganate test but a “whether the tail swings when the head is not” test to identify an ASE and a Non ASE. Whatever is the finding we should go with it for our pleasant future. If the result indicates you as an ASE, you will become ‘invisible’ the very next moment. She/we would not be disappearing anywhere or she won’t be wearing any mask to conceal her ‘white sweet’ face, but our face won’t be visible to her anymore even though we wear the most charming smile.

It was a great shock to me when I was “lost and found” on the shores of ASE land soon after I failed miserably in the ‘…tail swings’ test I  became an “invisible (wo)man” to her. “I will give my life if I like a person” I heard this dialogue of her once. Even though Ms Poppy has only one heart, she won’t bother to lose and will divide and donate it to you if you pass the test successfully. I made her to lose her faith in me not once but many times and that’s how I became an ASE. I should feel for my mistake at least now as the beneficiaries to her generosity are progressing with her guidance!!  You should never doubt her sincerity as she is dedicated to all her allies throughout her life. You must take a permanent membership in the Non ASE League by giving time and patience to discuss certain lively subjects with her daily which may seem to you as useless at the outset. Most of the time you need to just nod your head and say “wow, wonderful ma’m you are great” and “you are like our elder/younger sister” seeing her enthusiasm to advice you. Yes, few were tested positive in the experiment and taken citizenship and got permission to her visible world and still there are few ‘invisible’ waiting for an entry ticket.

You don’t pretend to be intelligent as it really hurts Ms Poppy, and she is just an unwritten white paper; I mean straight forward and error free. What will you lose if you keep away your knowledge for a few minutes and make her face glow? You won’t be losing a single penny for those words of wisdom but gain a lump sum treasure with which you can build an [5]empire state building whose sole owner is only you. You can be a successful wife, financier and an excellent cook overnight. Never try to be a professional to this colleague who loves you like a sibling and who guides you to be a perfect woman who manages to teach to keep your  family and keep ‘everything’ to yourself and leaves a comfortable distance between you-your family- [6]MIL, FIL, SIL,BIL etc, for the future progress.

Never go deep or try to read between the lines when she tells you  [7]“I don’t know how to say it  just like that it happened”. This will be the template answer of hers when you ask about what topics she handles when she whole heartedly engages your class in your absence. She often narrates incidents (as sign posts for a fault free career) where people faced trouble during the previous years and it is a good time pass to listen to. It is narrated as if it had happened to ‘one of the previous colleagues’ who worked with her in the college. There won’t be any clue to who was really the victim. Your responsibility is just to be a silent listener and not inquisitive as if you are in a fun filled moral science class. Why every embarrassing thing happens only to her colleagues alone and who remain [8]‘anonymous’ always? Be it the staff who was warned when the noisy activities of her students were noticed by the chairman in the communication lab or a staff who gave explanation after being complained of interacting humorously with her students inside the class.  Nice good old pathetic stories. All happened to ‘some’ previous staff. Poor ‘[9]anamikas’! Luckily all the spectators of this tragic-comic scene are joined late to the college and are just gasping with admiration.

It will be unfair if I won’t mention of the crash course she conducts. Thanks to Ms Poppy’s counseling sessions. Because of two months vigorous study class now Ms Girli has grown to be a matured wife and in another few months Ms Alphi will turn to be a stunning homemaker. The study class starts one day after the disclosure of the news of engagement or just after the alliance is fixed. More than the parents of the brides to be, Ms Poppy is overjoyed with the news as if one of her affectionate siblings is getting a good life. Ms Girlie was lucky to be with Ms Poppy who enlightened her and others should be ashamed of mocking at that talent. “You must get married by offering some extra bulk of dowry as you have everything else” except some extra ‘ages’. She advised one ASE taking her as her own, but the foul minded  lost and found ASE never listened to her and finally is invisible.

 When you see her lying on the table after her lunch, don’t think she is taking an afternoon nap. It is just a part of passive experimentation and you should not even pass comments through your eyes. She can even close her eyes and see your movements or just smell you and judge your character. So be vigilant. Even if she comments of your creative writing as pro-[10]PRO seeing one [11]‘Harlet’ in it, don’t underestimate her intuition. You should have the courage to disclose the real names of the characters rather than leaving her doubtful till she finishes her reading. Though you wrote about your own life or of somebody’s, make their identities clear to her even if it is personal. So simple. You better talk to her face to face about the incidents plainly before giving to read. Why do you want to show your talent by [12]‘circulating’ your written matter to the ASEs and non ASEs invariably? That is her grudge on you. She is totally irritated of this. You need to give her (alone) the chance to understand things before you make people to read/understand and criticize. If you want Ms Poppy to be a part of your circle, give her distinct time and space. The moment you make her be a part of the whole group you would become an invisible (wo)man for her and she won’t be blamed for your discomfort.

Few call her unaesthetic due to her disinterestedness in arts and literature. She may enquire about the menu provided and crazy being into festivals and get-togethers with her fellow people. Ms Poppy can never be called as a “[13]dog in the manger” if she blames you for forgetting to invite her if you party for a promotion or a birthday or a marriage. It is your fault if you mistook her as non-cooperative and you are to be blamed for not taking her as your friend and not issuing a welcome note that too when there is a dinner or lunch or tea party.  

Spend few hours in front of the television rather than being with books or being too religious and come with flying colors of life experience and come for an affectionate chit chat and be an eligible sister to Ms Poppy. Getting daily tips of a healthy living from her will do wonders (as we have Girlie as example), instead of burning your midnight oil on [14]Robin Sharma’s books or from some useless fiction (but Girlie managed to have both and now extra brilliant).

 When Ms Poppy decided to ignore one of her colleagues and was not sharing details of the work assigned to both while working as a team, she cannot be criticized for that too. Her intention was not to ignore her colleague or to boss over her but to give too much of herself (alone) to her duty and leave no room to blame. When she realized the untrustworthy nature of her team mate who lamented for the misappropriation happened, the dedicated Ms Poppy got hurt as she never wanted anyone know of the drawback of the system itself. See the dedication man! If you are given unnecessary work as a big burden just to put you down, don’t react and silently do it as it is a chance to express your sincerity. That is her policy.  The donkey is given bundles of clothes or people to carry on, despite the fact that it is not as strong as a camel or a horse or an elephant and it silently does it as it thinks it as its sole responsibility. That’s not just ‘animal’ nature but a ‘dutiful’ nature. If her team mate reports or react to the injustice happened to her/them, she is giving others the feel that Ms Poppy is ‘inefficient’ (she herself invented and declared this theory of efficiency during this period). We can’t blame her ignorance towards the idea of ‘smart work’ as Ms Poppy is strong enough to carry out any challenges and all criticisms spread about her are by ASEs, only to demean her. She won’t wait to learn to be a diplomat for easy carrying out of duties and she wants to take this as an indication of her dedication and smartness.

It was during a friendly/familial conversation with few of her fellow sisters that she was giving a heartfelt advise not to give vent to the influence from all kinds of anti social elements as they may change their true feeling for her. And I was not involved in their talk but watching it from near. She must have meant those who followed “use and throw” policy like me and I realized that despite my oblivious nature and excusing her for making me invisible and visible very often even after a year or so after  I first failed in the test..I still remain an ASE for her!!  Now not for Eliza or for anyone else who are invisible to Ms Poppy, It’s only for me that I should feel pity for taking her seriously and believing her ignorance as her innocence till then.

Vinci Subramanian (2012)

 

[1] ASE-Anti Social Element 

[2] Richard Palmer-Author of many grammar books

[3]  Acid base test by inserting litmus paper to the solution and noting its color

[4]  Another test used for chemical experiments

[5]  The Empire State Building is a 102-story skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, the tallest building in New York 

[6] Mother in law, father in law, sister in law and brother in law

[7] Don’t confuse with “I don’t know what to do” song from the Hindi movie Housefull

[8]  The name of the person remains secret

[9] Having ‘no name’

[10] prostitute

[11] Harlot" "rendered "whore" in the King James Version of the Bible

[12] The process of giving the written article to all the colleagues for their comments

[13] The story and metaphor of The Dog in the Manger derives from an old Greek fable which has been transmitted in several different versions. Interpreted variously over the centuries, the metaphor is now used to speak of those who spitefully prevent others from having something that they themselves have no use for.

[14]  Author of life/self management books like “the monk who sold his ferrarri”