Mmm.. Let me see, Idris Elba?
No, not Idris.
Idir, then? You have Ay Al Xir Inu on a loop.
I love the song, but no, not Idir.
Don’t tell me it’s Innova?
The car, you mean? Nope.
On being independent?
Hmm..I could write on that, but no.
Gawd. I give up.
How about ‘irreverent?’
Oh sh*t. How did I miss that?

Apart from having the fact prominently displayed on my bio, I harp on it quite a lot at other places too. I am irreverent, take it or leave it. I confess, most people just leave it. Jokes apart, like I already said on the post I wrote on my sixtieth, with age, I am getting better at being irreverent, much to the discomfiture of others, I must say. And what’s more I have found out I can do an irreverent retelling or two too.

Oh, who am I kidding?

I still keep my mouth shut 99.99% of the time. I am not answerable for the other 0.01% of the time I dash off my mouth or rather, its virtual equivalent, let my fingers tap dance do the thandav, on the keyboard. But if you ask some of them out there, they will tell you that it is only 0.01% of the time that I don’t say anything, and I am raining fire and brimstone 99.99% of the time.

Of course they are wrong.

When do you think I find time to play word games, farm at Farmville, play goofy games with Luci, read favorite books, watch favorite shows, listen to music, go for walks, commune with nature…? Then I have cooking to do, putting clothes to wash, drying and folding, tidying up rooms…. Yup, I lead a pretty busy life, you know.

I will let you in on a secret though. I know why *they* think what *they* think. The 0.01% of time I have let my ‘irreverent’ side show has had such an impact that in their minds, it feels like 99.99%. There, what did I tell ya, I am really a baa lamb. All you have to do is not whip out and flaunt your sexism, racism, bigotry, insensitivity, Islamophobia, elitism, casteism…… and of course your stupidity, in my presence. If not, you’ll start thinking 0.01% equals 99.99% too!

© Shail Mohan 2020