Rocky, the love fest and actual Punjabis....

So we (cousin & I) have been religiously going to the gym and working our biceps for the past month. There is nice little fellow at the gym who tells us what and how much to do. For the first couple of weeks I kept hearing people call him “Louki” which seemed rather unlikely since that’s a weird veggie (as you can see I don’t care for it). Then my cousin just asked him his name and then there was light and laughter! His name is Rocky. You have to see him to understand why his name evokes such amusement…in addition to the clichedness of that name.

This guy’s sense of humour pops up out of the blue. He wanted me to lift the dumbell from behind my neck upwards till my arm was straight. His explanation, “Like this” (with a demo) and then, “Inquilab zindabad!”

Went to Lodhi gardens with some folks from work. It was very pleasant. We sat under a tree sharing our sugary treats with the ants and making small talk. Then we noticed 4 guys, each sitting on his own and all staring in the same direction. Obviously we followed their lead and stared too….at this couple under a tree who were all over each other. After a while the couple went away and so the guys got up and disappeared….the show was over…time to move on! Bizarre.

Le boss was trying to get my goat by making these daft comments about south indians…the usual everything south of the Vindhyas is Madras. I kept telling him you arent being inventive, I’ve heard all this from the thick headed northies in my family! Then suddenly some circuit in my colleague’s brain worked and he said, “is this the Punjabis you stay with? So, they are actual Punjabis who are related to you?” Duh! Didn’t know you could have virtual Punjabis! So when I asked what he thought I’d been talking about when I said my Punjabi uncle etc and his reply, “I thought you meant transplanted tamilians!” Apparently transplanted tamilians in Delhi become Punjabis! I had to give my cousin’s name (an endless one it is!) for them to be totally convinced. Silly people….never heard of inter-whatever marriages (its not racial in this case so I don’t know what the sociological term would be.)

HELLO!

Have discovered a fascinating Punjabi habit....they love to say HELLO! This is not on the telephone or to greet someone. That everyone does. No big deal. No....when they want to interrupt someone or focus the attention on them during a conversation they loudly "HELLO" you. The other day had two Punjabis doing the hello routine at the same time! One was me uncle trying to distract us from some serious idiot box watching where the other Punjabi was Helloing some chick in a car. This was Sunny Deol driving alongside the chick and helloing her on a cell phone! Don't ask why I was watching this idiocy...it comes of living on the baarder.

So now the cousin and self have taken to helloing each other and the house in our chute like courtyard! The neighbours (who don't exist) must think we are very friendly bunch- forever greeting each other with such warmth!