P for positive, P for Pintoo :)


I wonder if there ever was a time in history when the mantra of optimism was so bandied about as it is these days. From books to talk shows to SMSes and of course movies, everywhere the ‘think positive’ drum is being beaten with such enthusiasm that even the staunchest pessimist would have felt inclined to say “all is well” at least once. It seems as if these three words are panacea for all the problems in the world. But it is easier said than done because my heart needed a great deal of  wheedling to believe that all was well when I saw a little finger sized, creepy, olive green lizard on my bedroom window. No amount of shooing from me or my mom could shoo it off. Even my mom’s tried and tested trick of hitting the area around it with a stick failed to budge it and it remained still as if dead. Mom gave up and returned to her chores. I tried to continue studying but found myself with book in hands and eyes on the motionless creepo. What did it think it was, Snoopy or what!! Now, snoopy, my cousin’s Dalmatian is a darling but no one can make Snoopy move when she doesn’t feel like it.  At this point the well-fed optimist within me suggested considering him like Snoopy.
“But wasn’t it sacrilege to compare Snoopa baby to this little creepo,” I asked.
 “Why? Don’t you always keep saying that young ones of all animals are cute”? Reasoned the optimist.
 “But it’s a yikes evoking lizard”, I retorted.
 “Its all a matter of perception. Look at this positively. you have been asking mom for a Snoopa-like pet for so long in vain and now that you have a chance you are finding it disgusting”, the optimist continued.
 “Oh yeah! My pet lizard! And what would I call it, Pintoo, eh? And was I expected to marvel at its beauty the way those animal freaks on discovery do on spotting a ‘beautiful’ alligator or python, huh”?
“Think this way. You can consider Pintoo a pet without actually having any hassles of a pet. You won’t have to feed it nor take it down for peeing and pooping. Plus no cuddling and pampering too,if you please. And still have a living company in your room.”
“Wow! Amazing! How about treating every stray mosquito and cockroach as pet too?”
“Look Pintoo can’t be compared to mosquitoes. It is too lazy to budge and bite you. Same stands for cockroaches. Lizards don’t eat everything like cockroaches. In fact it can't be compared to other shoo-able lizards too. It is unique”
“Hmmm…”
“So just let Pintoo be and you be positive”
“Right, I am positive”.
All began to seem well. I started treating Pintoo with a ‘positive’ attitude. He became ‘he’ from ‘it’. The look on my mom, cousins’ and friends’ faces on being introduced to my ‘low-maintenance pet’ was priceless! Pintoo stayed with us till he reached what I believe to be teenage in a lizard’s life. He would stay stuck on the window all day and move around near the window when the lights went off at night. By the time he vanished the once frail lizard of mine had grown both in size and mass and I guess had developed a taste for greener pastures outside my room. Pintoo left..sigh..but optimism stays that mom will some day get me a real Snoopa-like pet i would love to pamper and maintain 'highly'.

Comments

  1. hummm....it was nice to meet pintoo bahut aacha tha.so you r gettin satirical too..badhiya hai. make sure ashwini reads it:)

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  2. it would be very exciting for me(Pintoo) to meet it(Pintoo). after all, 'animals of the same name like each other.'

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  3. hamara comment moderate ho gaya..!!
    waah..to ye sahi hai...!!

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  4. waah waah....ab chipkali pe bhi tum likhne lagi re tukiya!! :P

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  5. @kirti..hehe..tha na accha pintoo :)
    @ashwini..ab to chala gya pintoo..ab kya miloge :P
    @prateep..it wasn't just ne other chhippu..it was pintoo :P
    @ashutosh..da second commnt was too child like to reject..hehe :)

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  6. chhipkali ki yaad me likhi??wo padhega to khush ho jayega :D :D waise massto writing :) :)

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  7. Chipkali ko bhi kya creatively use kiya hai.. great gal :)

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