Inside the mind and heart of Venkatesh Sridhar

Making people laugh is a serious business.

Yet I will try and see if I can make you people laugh or atleast smile. These are all true incidents that have been either narrated to me or witnessed by me or where I have been involved.

The New Driver

I will start by telling you guys about a driver of mine who had recently joined. His name was Chelladhurai and he was also Tamil. He was a thin, wiry man. It was his 2nd day. My grandpa wanted to go some place and he asked Chelladhurai to get the car. Chelladhurai obediently ran and got the car to the gate. Grandpa got in.

Chelladhurai started the car and off he went. He was driving quite steadily. Then he had to stop at the traffic light. He was on a slight slope and he had put the car in gear so it will stay. My grandpa asked him to switch off the engine as it was an eight way junction and they would get the green signal only then. He obediently put the gear into neutral and switched off the engine and he forgot to keep his foot on the break and the car started going down the slope. Alarmed my grandpa yelled at Chelladhurai to hit the brakes. Chelladhurai had realised his folly and hit the brakes. My grandpa asked him in Tamil “Ye Hand Brake podalay?” (”Why didnt you use the hand brake?”). Chelladhurai looked around and calmly turns around and tells my grandpa “Aiyya, aadhu madhiri inga onume iliyeya.” (Sir, I do not find anything like that here.”)