Going the distance with ‘slight papam’ at lunch
by
Neville Parker |
Strange sentences and odd words tickle a fertile imagination, Neville Parker writes
Could there be something more than meets the inquisitive eye when one is scrolling down the content window of, say, classified matrimonial advertisements on the Internet during a lazy weekend?
Sometimes, yes!
Strange sentences with odd words are sure to pop up now and then and tickle a fertile imagination. It was the discovery of ‘slight papam’ that Friday which sparked an animated discussion and conduct of random research before, during and even after a scrumptious lunch.
On the dining table that day, fish and chips were competing with the rather curious task of deciphering the words in question. It was my daughter who with an inquiring look had popped the question: “What is ‘slight papam?”
“I think it’s Surmai (King Fish),” I said, assuming she was querying some aspect of the meal on the table.
“No, no, I mean this matrimonial advert placed by relatives of a boy in India, which contains the words ‘slight papam.’”
Generally, when we have fish and chips from the popular neighbourhood take-away I am prone to give it my undivided attention on the dining table, but what she said distracted my targeted spearing of the juicy portions with the fork.
“Well, ‘slight papam,’ I suppose could refer to colour, a personal trait or even a habit,” I remarked. “Although it’s a bit intriguing, I admit.”
Knives and forks were momentarily laid aside and thinking caps put on. After some silent passage of time we both realised that assumptions while attempting to unravel such mysterious words will not do. This called for some research if we were to solve what had by now begun to loom as a great riddle from the matrimonial columns of the classifieds. Who knows, the words could be a secret code meant for someone plotting a diabolical scheme.
The search engines were not of much help in the inquiries nor were the many matrimonial websites, including ‘monster matrimonial.’ The best bet seemed to be to ask around. Seek and you shall discover!
I phoned businessman Jivraj Shyambhai who immediately launched into a detailed account of how ‘papads’ are rolled in Gujarat. “Sir, its ‘papam’ not ‘papad,’ I cut him short.
Dr Jayendra Singh, leading medical practitioner, was next. He informed me that it could be diagnosed as a mild case of sunburn, and suggested that the patient could be sent round to his clinic in the morning.
Another ring and the haughty Prof Binod Upadhyaya came on the line. “Life, like the stars, is an illusion,” he began pompously, “what you have so keenly observed is thus an illusion, nothing else.” I stared at my plate, thank heavens the fish and chips were real.
Ah, I thought, there was the exceedingly clever solicitor Vikas Chatterjee, perhaps he may have the answer. “Did you say Flight Rasam? He yelled from long distance into the phone, amidst the static, “God help us in the sky if they start serving that on the trip from Delhi to Kolkata. I will travel by train!”
Well, many calls later we were still on Square One, stuck with the mysterious business at hand.
The next day while striding into office and still brooding over the matter, like Newton might have done as he waited for the apple to ripen on the tree of knowledge, I was greeted by my young colleagues Reji and Anupama “Hi Sir! What’s up?” These confidence-oozing young journos on Features these days give old hacks like me a start now and then.
Well, well! Here’s a chance to test their wits. “Okay both of you, relating to matrimonial advertisements what does ‘slight papam’ mean?”
Without batting an eyelid, their answer was quick: “It means that according to the person’s horoscope, who has ‘papam’, the person should seek a partner with a matching horoscope, which has a similar ‘papam’ for a successful marriage.”
Elementary indeed, eh Watson?
Oman Tribune
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