THE
MAD HATTER’S TEA PARTY-A REMINSCIENCE.
I wish to be a Lewis Carroll ( of “Alice in
Wonderland's” fame ) so that writing becomes easier for me and I get a grand
premium on them . However ,a long time ago , I learned the use of an idiom ‘if
wishes were horses , the beggars would ride.” (I hope it is an idiom )
I live in a naval colony where the top brass
of the armed forces have built or are in the process of building, their houses
. Some of them are big conceited asses
that they look like buffoons . It so happened that the residents , included
yours truly , get a notice from the sole supplier of power (electric and not an
authority ) to shell an amount of Rs 50000/- for the installation of a new
meter and blah ,blah . I went to the site office to sort out the matter because
at the moment of building my new house , I paid Rs 13000/ for an electric
connection . I immediately arranged a meeting on Sunday , the 31st
March 2013 , at 10.30 AM to discuss the problem with my neighbours. Honestly I had no
intention to pull their collective legs today
because , according to Dr. Shahid Masood , the All Fools Day has been shifted
to May 11 this year(the date of the elections in Pakistan) .
My wife took leave of absence from her job
being a housewife and took off for Lahore
taking my daughter along to attend her nephew’s marriage leaving Saad , my son
, and I to hold the fort .
Yesterday , after finishing breakfast when we had a tidy meal , the father
and the son got to the job , arranging plates of dainty eatables and tea cups ,
pressed my clothes and making a bouquet of sweet peas . By 9.30 AM , everything
was ready .
The first guests to arrive came at 9.45
AM and asking me for the time the meeting was scheduled .I waited and waited
for the remaining invitees . My guests
also left . After they left , one
elderly guest , we have too become elder
citizens , came followed by two
brothers , all civilians. They were
closely followed by a retired Colonel . But there was no sign of the top brass
.
We five discussed the problem and had tea
. The most they could offer me was that I should write to the authorities concerned ( the four
guests were unaffected by the problem because the network is being installed in
phases) explaining it. Then they left thinking ‘ to write or not to “ .Thus the
problem remained for me . Meanwhile , I had been discussing it with my Cadet College
friend and senior colleague , who retired as the Chief Economist , WAPDA ( the
electric corporation , itself a white elephant multiplied by two ) . He told me
that the amount asked for by WAPDA is reasonable and genuine . So I was back to
square one ie Rs 13000/- . I thought should I pay the amount by the due date
and I also write a letter , there are bright chances of my letter thrown in the
waste paper basket .
Please forgive my digression .Once my boss in
the Ministry of Commerce and his friend went to Murree (a hill station) for
drive . En route , the boss went to see his farm . They commenced their journey
after 2 PM . They reached Murree after 4 and soon they began their drive home .
The next day some friends asked their mutual friend about the trip . He replied
in Urdu “ Uss ne angraizi mein suffer kia aur mein ne Urdu mein suffer kia” (
He traveled in English and I traveled in Urdu –my poor translation ).
My predicament was almost similar .
Mahfooz ur
Rahman
Islamabad
April 01 , 2013
