Dadhiyodhana

It was an ordinary lunch hour and I was at my regular lunch table in the office cafeteria with my even regular lunch . Out came one big box from my lunch bag. Its contents were dutifully emptied into the plate. Next came a comparatively smaller box, whose contents were poured onto the plate. Finally came the smallest box which was just kept open to be used at any necessary point during the lunch. I then noticed a guy at a nearby table looking at my plate and giving a silly grin . These silly grins during my daily lunch were not at all uncommon. I assumed that it was due to the size of my lunch bag which appeared quite big owing to the number of containers and their respective contents which demanded to be packed separately. These grins which came from different corners and different sources were quite annoying. I decided that I had to put an end to these amused looks and learn the reason for it. I gave a questioning look to the chap and confronted him.He chuckled and asked , “Do you always eat curd rice ?” . I never expected this to be the reason for the amusement of my grinning friends.

As I ate indignantly, my mind rolled into a flashback. Be it ridiculously short school lunch breaks or hectic study breaks between grueling exams or repulsive office cafeteria food or even a dinner which had to be eaten to pacify a provoked mother at home, it was always Curd Rice which had come to the rescue. This simple preparation which tasted heavenly with mango pickles had a permanent predominant presence throughout my life. Lunch or Dinner did not come to a logical end without having a good quantity of curd rice.

I soon started inquiring about the popularity of curd rice or rather the lack of it to get some amusing details. My guardian angel curd rice was unheard of in many parts of the country. A girl confided that she thought that I suffered from an illness and hence was subjected to a curd rice rich diet. Another chap attributed my curd rice lunch to the caste that I belonged to. A few even found the very name of it repulsive.

My enlightened soul was finally at peace. I knew the reason for the amused grins. At least I need not dab my mouth every now and then or chew in a painfully slow pace fearing that I was displaying uncouth table manners. However it saddened me a bit that not everyone agreed with my opinion about my guardian angel, curd rice. With these trail of thoughts as I ate my lunch, a newcomer at my table remarked, “Eating a lot of curd rice makes you TamBrahms very smart ”. Though I did not agree with the illogical conclusion, I was at least glad to know that the other side of coin did exist for the non curd rice eaters.