SILLY AND SENSELESS

A female swan.

A small enclosure especially for animals; a dam or weir.

A large feather; a flight feather; a quill; a cuttle-bone and at last but not the least, an instrument used for writing with ink or otherwise.

Yes, I meant the PEN.

I never knew that the three letter word had so many meanings till I searched the Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary and also I did not have the habit of solving any crossword puzzle to know all the meanings. Though I would not venture into the outside world without a pen, I saw many people virtually begging for the instrument in railway reservation counters, bank premises, post offices and government offices. Some people had chosen a casual attire of wearing T-shirt and jeans to purposely avoid carrying a pen with them as the fashion world did not permit to stitch a pocket to house the 'big' item.

In case of ladies, it would be difficult to open their hand bag and search various apartments staked inside the bag amongst the debris of hair pins, safety pins, a hankie, a pile of bit papers with a list of groceries, bills and dried flower petals since there would be only a small refill used as a pen.

I have omitted to mention the evolution of pens in modern days. The present generation had forgotten the instrument used for writing with ink. The word, writing with 'otherwise' was carefully used by the author. Faced with a great problem of disposing the used ball point pens and refills strewn all over the streets and fill the dustbins in the offices, everywhere we would find possession of dried refills refusing to do its ordained duty of writing when necessary in the schools and offices. Some of them even leave half signed names in vital documents and instruments in writing, getting emptied like monsoon prediction.

After my retirement from a government job, I was feeling bored to stay in my home alone. My wife and daughter used to leave the house early to their offices. Standing at the entrance, I watched the adjacent goverment office of civil supplies department. Illiterate poor mass from the different far flung areas of the town used to throng the office which issue ration cards or for addition and deletion of names or change of residential address who have shifted to earn their livelihood. Some neatly dressed people were also found for surrender of their cards on getting their transfer order to other places. But they were only a few, like flowers on a poorly nurtured rose plant.

An idea suddenly flashed into my mind. I thought of helping the people who are in need of writing an application for various purposes. In the evening, I went to the office after the working hours and collected the information required to be submitted in case of different categories and purpose. I spent a few sum to get the applications typed and copied in the nearby xerox center. Of course, a peon in the office was also helpful in my eandeavour for a paltry sum which may not fall into the category of bribe, rampant in all government offices. All the above job took about a week and now I was well prepared to meet the public demand from the next week and also decided to charge a reasonable cost for the forms and my work. Anything supplied free will loose its value as in the case of municipal tap water in the streets.

That was a Monday. I was ready even before my family members, for my new self employment venture. My daughter was looking at me as a stranger and asked me, "Dad, what happened to you today?"

My wife said,"Your father had become old and lost his mental balance. He is sitting idle and that is why he behaves like this."

I kept mum since I did not want to disclose my profitable venture of helping the public and also earn some money. I thought of maintaining the secret since my service will be over before they return home in the evening. A portable table and chair was also ready for my makeshift office. After my family members left, I sat on the street near my house in front of the table equipped with a writing cardboard, blank forms and ball point pens. The business picked up more than I expected and there was a rush to purchase various applications not only from the poor mass but also from the other sections of the society which constitute unemployed youths and employed servants.

To my surprise the ball point pens were not sufficient for the reason that many of the clients were coming to me without a pen. They were also forgetting to return them, especially the educated populations, since all of them were in a hurry to finish their work as soon as possible unlike the lethargic employees of the office, talking to their neighbour collegues without bothering about the irritated citizens in long que under scorching sunlight.

But that was not the case of poor mass who get my pen for signing their names only and took their own time to draw their caricature called signature learned like drawing a crow or cat in school. They obediently return the pens or keep it safe on my table even without making a little sound of placing it on the surface and depart from me with folded hands and bent body like a bow.

I had decided to procure the cheapest variety of ball pens to meet the shortage as well as increase in business. That was a small investment as like other forms and stationery. I used to get annoyed sometimes on the learned propulation who forget to return the pens borrowed to meet their urgent need. Some were wise to lend their pens retaining the top cover, giving the pen alone. What would they do if the ball pens have no cover on top?

The business went on very well, with a good earnings from my self employment, except for the small loss of pens and increasing annoyance, which is inherent quality of any old age person.

One day, I noticed that the pens purchased were all intact and few were also lying on my table. But that were not of mine and they included some costly jotter pens. None demanded a pen from me and my clients were using the pens lying on my table forgotten by some of them. Day by day the numbers of such pens increased and I had stopped purchase of pens.

Demand and supply in any business could not be predicted accurately. Same was the case of income and expenditure whether the business, small or big.

I did not get annoy afterwards.


..........concluded