My Ugadi Day Poem by AtreyaSarma Uppaluri

[Ugadi is the new-year day in several parts of India and is a major festival]

It was the dawn of the Ugadi festival
I squeezed the paste onto my toothbrush…
Trng… trng… trng…
The phone rang to greet us on the day
Families at both the ends
exchanged greetings copious.

We sat before the idiot box
and devoutly watched the Ugadi fare
through the dainty voices
of the exotically dressed
stars and starlets.

My wife didn’t want to miss the tube
on the Ugadi special recipes
for her idea of what new dish
to delight us with…

Trng… trng… trng…
My wife heading for her bath
thrust the phone in my hands, saying
“You better speak …”
Children and I spoke
one after the other
in full decibels.

My son was just leaving
to fetch a few pooja items…
Trng… trng… trng…
It was for him; so I called him back
He started speaking
to his friend Virender
about cricket, slumdog, this and that…

Trng… trng… trng…
“It’s for you dear!
from your friend Vimala…”
I passed on the device
to my daughter who was busy
decorating the doorways
with mango leaves
and marigold…

Trng… trng… trng…
“It’s for you, father
from uncle Vaman…”
announced my daughter
just as I was sitting down
for my elaborate festive pooja.
The talk ambled on for half an hour
on a rambling discourse on sundry things –
Ugadi, office work, elections,
children, prices, Nano… everything on the earth

Trng… trng… trng…
Now all the three phones
Rang in perfect chorus.
We picked them
And began to talk and eat
And eat and talk.

The late festive feast over
after a hectic time -
we craved for a relaxing nap…

Trng… trng… trng…
One after the other
the three phones were honking on
and kept everyone of us busy.

How did the well planned festival go on?
Like a TV soap interspersed
with a rash of commercial ads.

It was a grand Ugadi
With its 111 calls in all
Comparable to any
Hit TV programme
With its TRPs!

[Apr 04,2009: : Hyderabad - 500 056]