Striking a chord, making hearts melt on the way
The ability to express is the biggest gift bestowed on mankind. Only human beings can express their feelings of love, grief, joy and anger by communicating, verbally. People can be classified broadly into two categories, extroverts and introverts. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a proud wearer of the badge of an extrovert, whereas my wife is a woman of few words who prefers to keep to herself.
Skilful conversation is an art that needs practice, patience and persistence. My morning walks involve exchanging gleeful greetings with acquaintances and strangers alike. From the man who repairs cycles at the corner, to the tea stall owner on the way, to the security guards at the gate of the university, I wave and exchange a word or two with them to kickstart my day on a positive note.
My habit of breaking into a lively conversation at the drop of a hat has helped me make friends in almost every corner of the country. From a driver in Srinagar to a hotel manager in Agra to a boat owner in Nainital, to a lecturer in Chennai, I boast of a motley list of friends.
Last year, my wife was hauled up at the Amritsar railway station for wrong parking. Her car documents were confiscated and she was asked to report at the police station to cough up a hefty fine. Obviously, my services were requisitioned and I didn’t fail her. I struck up a cordial conversation with the police inspector and he let us go scotfree with a warning. It took only a few minutes of conversation to become friends. Once back home, my wife quipped smilingly, “You can’t be relied upon even to pay the penalty.” A few months after the incident, he turned up at my clinic with a box of sweets and an invitation to attend the ‘mundan’ ceremony of his son at Sonepat.
My friends often ask me the secret of my communication skills. I tell them, “It’s simple. Listen, pause and respond exuberantly. Good conversation is like an acupressure. You need to gently touch the right pressure points to make a way to the heart of the person you are conferring with.”
Recently, while going to Delhi, my wife and I happened to meet Kanchan, a solo woman traveller, on her way to Hyderabad, where she worked as a senior manager in a professional accounting company. As is my forte, I broke the ice swiftly and we were engrossed in a deep discussion in no time. We exchanged our phone numbers and addresses before bidding farewell, to add to my already bursting- at-theseams list of friends.
A fortnight ago, a young man landed at our house with two boxes of baked goodies from Hyderabad! “Kanchan ma’am is my manager. When she came to know I was going to Amritsar, she asked me to deliver these goodies at your place,” he said. While we were savouring Baklava, a Turkish delicacy, sent by my friend from Hyderabad, my wife remarked teasingly, “Do you know that William Shakespeare opined that men of few words are the best men.” “And do you know what O Henry suggested?” I retorted. “Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.”
She seemed to agree for a change.
FROM A DRIVER IN SRINAGAR TO A HOTEL MANAGER IN AGRA TO A BOAT OWNER IN NAINITAL, TO A LECTURER IN CHENNAI, I BOAST OF A MOTLEY LIST OF FRIENDS