The Real Boss

 Last 25th Oct, we lost one of my favourite actors of Indian Cinema, Satish Shah, who over the last about four decades has kept us in splits through his sheer genius  of comic timing and wit. Most of us, who were introduced to the new medium of entertainment in the eighties, the television, were amused and amazed at his vast repertoire of acts that he put on for the  52 episodes of the sitcom, “Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi” (YJHZ). He appeared in a new avatar in each one, one better than the other and carried them through with aplomb. That was just for the starters, by the way, in later years, there were many movies, including the cult classic, “Jane Bhi Do Yaron” the satirical masterpiece, where he excelled. The serial spitter of “Main Hoon Na”, who slobbered Shahrukh in scene after scene,  but it was in “Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai”, as Indravardhan, he was simply unmatched.

Well, much as I would have loved to write his eulogy, but I don’t think I can probably do justice, while recovering in the hospital, I was again reminded of that one episode of  YJHZ,  where, he walks into any home and rushes straight to the rest room and returns exclaiming, “What a relief!”, I had alluded to this in one of my earlier blogs also, https://thesuyashsharma.com/what-a-relief/. After the surgery, the most important part is the resumption of the normal body functions, especially the excretory system. So here I was, having been operated upon, after a very different kind of operation than what we in the Army are used to, where we hold something akin to the scalpel, but more deadly. I was under the spell cast by the anaesthesiologist, still recovering, when the bladder started to declare that it was time for a relief. Try as I did, went and sat down on the throne, expecting it to provide some relief, but to no avail. I was in discomfort and the hospital staff helpfully asked me to keep water running, which may help. But the efforts were not fruitful or should I say juiceful (pun intended), the suggestion to use an icepack on the bladder, with my niece playfully  making those sssssshhhhh… sounds which we normally hear the mothers do to help their kids . But finally it was the threat of the catheter being inserted you know where, which finally got  it going.

The battle was far from over, as the stomach had started to bloat now, and with the upward movement of gases restricted due to the surgery, the only escape was in the downward direction. Flatulence is normally something which is shunned in public out of courtesy, but here, one doesn’t have a choice and one is forced to move around hoping that some trickles would finally find an exit route out to provide the much needed relief. Once again, the threat of an enema finally gets the body to respond. The threat in being, almost always works stands proven. I am reminded of this T poster which we all have seen in our younger days