ALL’S WELL WHEN UR BUMP SWELLS

(Dedicated to all my FRIENDS and to the magical bond called FRIENDSHIP )

When I somehow joined an engineering college with a very poor Mathematics score, I was very pleased with myself (to have achieved such a feat!). There, in college, I was introduced to a new tradition.

Whenever something good happened to you or on special occasions like birthdays, four friends would hoist you up in the air while others would take turns thwacking your butt with their slippers .(We avoided kicking as it could have injured our foot.) It’s referred to as GPL in a local dialect. I didn’t understand one thing back then when I was new to this consecrated practice. On my birthdays I was on the receiver’s end. When someone else had a birthday, I was on the receiver’s end (of course after the actual victim).Then, I learnt the efficacious art of fleeing away from the sanctum sanctorum after committing myself to this honored obligation completely.

The practice usually involved more than five exorcists with at least two Shamans being sturdier than the overwhelmed creature. Else the plan backfired. The objective - corner the elusive prey, hoist and deliver deadly blows to his hind cushion till his miserly soul departed confessing. If there was resistance, we tried soaking his lower torso in the holy water fetched in a bucket from the bathroom. That added an extra sting to the process that eventually yielded excellent results. Finally we savored a great feast arranged by the liberated individual.

This was the way friends displayed their affection towards you back in college and they still do. You can be sure of one thing: when your rear swells to the size of a soccer ball, there are well wishers to watch your "BACK!"