Grandma was awake. It is very unusual
for her not to be in bed at 11.30 PM on a Saturday night. No paper, no
knitting, just sitting on the patio and staring into oblivion. The night
temperatures of around 18o Celsius
helped. I became worried though and rushed to inquire after her health.
Everything about her was fine, she assured me. However, it seems she just could
not sleep.
G: (With a stunned, blank look) Have
you been drinking?
I: (A bit taken aback) come on
grandma, you know I have not touched that stuff, yet.
G: Then start
drinking.....
I: (Well you don’t expect such stuff
from Grandma...I reached for the phone...) Grandma are you alright, shall I
call the doctor?
G: Putr, put down the phone. The
trouble is you youngsters do not read newspapers.
I: I do...
G: Yes only page 3. Well the
point is that there is a honorable SC judgment which has commuted the sentence
of a rape cum murder convict from death to life sentence.
I: So, what is the big deal
grandma?
G: He has done it because
the criminal, the convict, committed the crime under influence of alcohol.
I: Ah!
G: This implies that the degree of
heinousness of any crime is inversely proportional to the state of
inebriation while committing the crime.
I: So, drunken driving is safer
than sober steering, for the driver you mean....
G: Exactly, that is the derivative
interpretation would you say?
I: (Grandma has never asked my
opinion earlier...)er...er..er... yes true (I blurted out) . Who is to blame
the judiciary or the law? (my escape route).
G: Son, it is the law which
should be blamed...the archaic law says that in any culpability, the offence
and the offender is to be considered while sentencing. The argument is that in
this case the offender was NOT in his complete enses while committing the
crime...
I: What a load of bullshit.....
G: You see, now you are swearing in
front of your grandma...
I: Sorry grandma, I did have a glass
of beer..pardon me.
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