No Smoking

The following story might be a bit hard to follow for pure English readers as i have typed out dialogues that happened in Tamil. This is not completely a true story, although some of the events in it have been witnessed by me. By the way, i am using the first person here purely as an author's right and i am not the person involved in this story in any way at all.(Sathiyama pa...nambunga)


I came to a grinding stop in front of the tea shop and kicked out my bike's side stand with as much hatred and force as I could. I fumbled with my laptop bag and it took me a couple of minutes before I could untangle myself from the heap that my bike was and step into the shop.

I asked for a pack of Wills NavyCut and a tea and settled into the rickety benches that lined the inside of the small shop. I lit one and started puffing away and it wasnt before the end of the first smoke that I started to notice the shop and the busy clientele that was frequenting it.

I saw a boy of perhaps 14-15 years old entering the shop. He went up to the master sitting at the cash counter and held out change to him. " Oru Wills kudunga." he said nonchalantly and turned away.

"Cigarrette ellam illa.." , the master replied and proceeded to shout instructions to the guy at the tea stove.

"Illiya??? hmmm...seri" the boy walked away as quickly as he had come in.

I was amused at this spectacle because I know for sure that there was enough packets in the shop to export.
I couldn't even start thinking as to the reason why the master was behaving this way before another kid entered the shop.

This kid was almost similar to the earlier one. Same 14-15 years old. Same physique or lack of. He also walked right up to the cash counter holding a fifty rupee note in his hand.

"Oru packet Wills kudunga anna" he asked.

The master quietly picked up a pack of Wills and handed it over to the boy. He noisily searched and got the change back for the fifty rupee note and handed it over to the boy. The boy pocketed it silently and moved out of the shop.

"Enna master, packeta vaangina varumanam jaasthiyo??? Mothala vantha paiyan kaetta cigarette maayama eppadi intha paiyan ketkum pothu vandhuchu? Neengalum wholesale vyabari ayiteenga pola?"

The master turned to face me and with a smile said " Athu illa sir...mothala vanthavan chinna paiyan..intha vayasula dum adikkalama..athan avan kaettathum illantu solliten...namakku antha mathiri kaasu sambathikka vendam sir.."

This got interesting. "Appo rendavatha vantha paiyan dum adichu kettu pona paravaliya? oru dum adichavan evalavu kettu povano atha vida oru packet adichavan kettu porathu jaasthi la master."

"Sir, oru dum vaanga vantha antha paiyan avanukkaaga vaangran. avalavu than avan kaila irukra kaasu. Oru packet vanga vandha paiyan, avanukkaga packet vaanga maatan sir. Avanga appa vo, illa maama vo , illa chittapan periappan, evanaavathu kaasu kuduthu vaangittu vara solli iruppan. Athanala than avanukku vithen.."

"hmmm correct than...nalla than purinju vechurikeenga customers uh"

I got up and paid up for my tea and my smokes and was about to leave when something struck my mind.

" enna pathi enna purinju vechurukeenga master"

He smiled.

"Summa sollunga" , I prodded.

"Sir, neenga etho bayangra tension la irukeenga. Neenga styleukkaga dum adikkala...athu ungalukku oru amaithi tharuthu. athukaaga pidikreenga. "

"eppadi solreenga"

"vanthathum packeta kaila vaanginathum neenga mothal atha piricha avasaram. atha patha vechu atha izhuthu rasichu peru moochu vittathu.antha modhal cigarette mudiyum bothu ungalukkulla iruntha amaithi. ithu ellam than sir. appram oru vishayam."

"ennathu"

"Romba mukkiyamana clue enna na..neenga ulla vantha appovae 500 roova note kudutheenga cigarette kum tea kum...balance vaangara alavukku kooda porumai illa..mothala cigaretteum tea theva pattuchu.. athulernthey theriyala neenga nalla tension la irukeenga nu." he said smiling, handing back my five hundred rupee note.

I grinned and took the note back from him.