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A fishy tale

9/9/2011

26 Comments

 
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Chust had Durust and Ikki had Duggi but Sust didn’t have anybody, which is probably why he was the way he was: sad and sluggish and forever hanging around the bottom of the tank. If you haven’t guessed it already (which - I’m sorry to say - means you haven’t been paying attention) all five of them were fish that Manu mama had so thoughtfully gifted Isha with on her 11th birthday. But then, just like everything else, that was a matter of perspective. Mom, who was a busy doctor, felt it was quite thoughtless of him since it meant extra work cleaning up the tank, changing the water and ensuring they got their tonic in time when she already had so many other things to do. But the birthday girl, who had been yearning for a puppy for a long time, had been thrilled and Manu mama had shrugged Mom’s complaints off with a grin and a slice of rich chocolate cake lowered gracefully into his mouth. His popularity ratings with the little niece had soared.

Since she was 11 now (almost a teenager), he reasoned with Mom that she was old enough to own a pet. Or five. Dad saw the logic immediately, but added, rather seriously, that with new powers came new responsibilities. So Isha would have to clean the tank everyday to ensure that the glass was sparkling at all times. She would also have to feed her new pets the specified number of tiny balls of coloured food that came out of a tall cylindrical box. She had tasted a few one day when Mom was not around and they felt like chalk dust on her tongue. No wonder, she thought, Sust never wanted to eat any. His lack of appetite had started worrying her. She asked Mom if she could give him some chocoflakes or maybe even an earthworm that she could easily catch from the puddle near the park where she had seen a few slithering around, after the rain. But Mom told her not to. Since Sust was born and brought up in an artificial environment (which meant a tank in a pet shop instead of a river or a lake) he would not be able to eat anything else. It made Isha a bit sad but then she told herself that maybe Sust was just a small eater, like Dad. Chust and Durust, the frisky goldfish couple, loved the fish food. The moment the little pink and white globules were dropped into the tank, they would dart across like bullets, outswimming the one-finned Ikki and arriving neck and neck with the double-finned Duggi who would have to resort to pushing and shoving by breathlessly flapping her two fins and nudging the pair to get at the food. They would then splash around in the water and chase tails for a while in celebration of a good meal. The slower Ikki would dart around swallowing leftover granules that were gently making their way to the bottom of the tank.

Sust would just hang around the bottom rubbing his mouth mournfully along the glass or gaze silently at Jack Sparrow the plastic crab that would twitch a lip every few minutes and emit a stream of tiny bubbles into the tank. Sust reminded Isha of the two love birds her dad had got for her one day when mom had sent him to the pet shop to check about a dog. Nani, who had been visiting at that time, had named the birds Pheuli and Hariyali (one of them was bright yellow like pheuli the pretty flower that bloomed in the hills of Garhwal, while the other was bright green like the hariyali (greenness) that filled forests after the monsoons). Both Pheuli and Hariyali were not very social. They rudely turned their backs to people in the room and would abruptly stop their loud chirpy conversation as soon as Isha approached their cage, making her feel they were discussing her. One day when Mom tried to put a hand in to coax them to come out of the cage, Hariyali lowered its neck and gave her a sharp peck that hurt for two days and had to be covered with a bandaid. When Isha pushed in an empty toilet paper roll for them to play with, Pheuli promptly put her head inside it and refused to take it out for one whole day, preferring to be a recluse than to mix around with humans in the household. Then for a few more hours she just hopped around, wearing it on her head like a big crown that fell right over her eyes. Finally, the pair were given away to an uncle in Jaipur who had a big aviary of his own and Isha hoped they were happier with other birds for company.

Now Sust was displaying similar anti-social behaviour and it made Isha unhappy too. She would think about his sadness in school and even when she went for a swim in the pool in the basement. Then one day she got a parcel. It had been sent by Nanaji all the way from Lansdowne. She tore open the cardboard binding and out popped a colourful hardback titled A Fishy Tale. Isha flipped through the pictures and the beautiful illustrations that showed her how fish breathe (from small slits called gills) and how they swim. Suddenly, she came across a picture that made her stop turning pages. Staring back at her from the page, looking characteristically sad and depressed, was Sust, or someone who looked just like him. Suckermouth catfish (said the caption at the bottom of the picture): Slow and sluggish fish that stay near the bottom of the aquarium and feed on algae. They are shy and help keep tanks clean by eating algae deposited on the tank floor. Great additions for freshwater aquariums.

A wide smile spread across Isha’s face. She ran down to the sitting room where a light was on in the aquarium. Chust and Durust were taking their usual laps around the tank. The single-finned Ikki was nibbling Duggi’s second fin enviously. And Sust was sprawled at the bottom on the tank, as usual, soulfully nibbling away, completely disinterested in the world around. She peered in at him and he peered back at her. Was it her imagination or did she see him wink? Tonight, he didn’t look sad to Isha, just seriously busy at work.   

Moral of the story: Someone you think is a fish out of water might just be chasing different goals

Or: Believe it or not, some people prefer eating greens to processed food

Chust: Agile; Durust: Correct; Ikki: Single; Duggi: Double; Sust: Lazy; Pheuli: A yellow flower that blooms in Garhwal; Hariyali: Greenery; Nani: Grandmother; Nanaji: Grandfather 

26 Comments
Saransh
9/9/2011 01:00:41 am

The fishy tale was very funny and cute.

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isha pareek
9/9/2011 01:07:57 am

Hi Mousi.Nice story. I specially liked that you wrote the story about my fish.But I never ate any fish food!:-)

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Y S Rawat
9/9/2011 02:31:19 am

Beautifully written Rachna. By the way were these names given by Isha or her Mom or are out come of your furtile imagination? Names do fit in well, seeing their behavior. One more person happy with the well thought of birth day present is Mrs Pareek Sr. She was very happy to see the aquarium. However her favourit birth day gift, a Pup, has been booked and is expected to be delivered to her to welcome her as she enters her teens- two years hence. Till then enjoy and remain contended with Chust, Durust, Ikki, Dukki and poor Sust, left alone.

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anju
9/9/2011 11:40:18 am

The sweet names jus' stole my heart n made the article so lovely .
I actually saw myself giggling,smiling eyes wide open like a child .
Moral of the story ..slow n steady in his own world wins the race .

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noopur
9/9/2011 02:32:22 pm

loved the fishy tale...time for a blog on the bunny too :)

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BIG B
9/9/2011 04:08:56 pm

Sometimes looks and actions can be very deceptive....yes its very true... this is a real story of a silent worker... A dedicated worker because of whom others are having Fun... So what Sust was not agile,but sust was very dedicated... it happens in real life too.. often chust and durust takes the cake away,but they survive because of Sust.... very well written article and it has deep lesson ...its our real life... too good and very meaningful article once again.. keep it up... enjoyed thoroughly.... all the best once again..

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sameer
9/9/2011 07:01:52 pm

Hey Rachna great peice of writing after a long dry spell. Simple, creative and engrossing. Ciao

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deepakgera
9/9/2011 07:06:54 pm

..this equals the caliber of vishnu sharma.... wo dekh lega to he will make it part of panchtantra...

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Santosh Rawat
9/9/2011 09:03:45 pm

Beautiful beautiful one Rachna ... loved it .. didn't know pheuli before ... like Big B's comments too about layered meaning in the cute story ... can imagine Isha's bright smile .. thank you

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Amita
9/9/2011 09:09:25 pm

Rachna,it was very refreshing to read your writing today,very well witten and it took me back to my days when we had tank and Niki would behave like Isha.....

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Navin Gulia link
9/9/2011 10:44:58 pm

wow! what a wonderful story. thanks so much rachna. this is among your best. it touched me.

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Prithvi
9/9/2011 10:58:16 pm

Super philosophical tale :). It IS all about prespectives after all isn't it ? Kudos for presenting it so well !!

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Rosalind Broomhall
10/9/2011 01:08:07 am

Hope Liz reads this tale. She had a Sust in her tank, who just grew bigger...and bigger...and bigger, happily thriving on the algae and keeping the tank sparkling! Hope to see you back soon, love to read your blogs.

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richa
10/9/2011 12:48:17 pm

Enjoyed reading it !!!! I am glad Isha got her pet(s)

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RITEN
10/9/2011 02:38:42 pm

Wonderful,Rachna,Sust,Durust looks to be an Army brain's fallout,Reminds me our neighbours had twins,parents have named them Aaju Baaju.

Reminded me of Aquarium Management//I cudn't bear to feed just two little tablets,so quietly fed ,one for Bed Tea,one for Breakfast,one for lunch and so on,no wonder the fish did not survive.A beautifully written article.

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cecilia link
10/9/2011 03:05:43 pm

Were you moralistic in your last article? I don't think so. It is fun thinking of ex's.

Your fish story was cute, I just wish it were a childrens book were lots of colorful fishes, because my son has his favourite book called "Tommy and Toffy - The Goldfish".

I think a writer should write what they feel, let not your readers write your script. Tell your story, we'll read it anyway.If we don't appreciate it, it's our problem sweetie!!!

Don't take too long a break from writing, like fitness, you take a long break - you begin to detrain.

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Pushpa Bhandari Bisht
10/9/2011 04:25:22 pm

A great way to kick off a barmy Sunday is by reading your animated writing. Isha’s pet or five actually came alive before the eyes. For someone who vacillates between a fish out of water and a paperbag head (with a ten year old thrown in), the moral of the story so struck a chord ! There is a Sust in many of us, only the world has yet to recognise us as ‘great additions’:) We don’t go for parties, weddings, formal dinners, housing society get togethers...just stay near the bottom of the aquarium feeding on algae or simply wander off. But then not all who wander are lost and there is truth beyond tradition. Oh the genius of whosoever kept those names and the skill of the beautiful blogger who makes music out of words. Rachna, I’m still smiling as I head to the kitchen sink.

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tanu
10/9/2011 08:06:08 pm

what can i say............! Thanks for immortalising the now "famous five". And a special thanks from Sust who has been much appreciated. Incidently and strangely enough he has become much more active now.fame ke side effects........!!!!!

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Anima
11/9/2011 01:39:23 pm

Loved the story so much that I had to share it with my annoying kids... :)...

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Jhoomar
14/9/2011 02:47:43 pm

this is a golden-fishy tale!! Very well written, loved it!!

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Ritha Hegde link
15/9/2011 04:15:53 am

Aww...this was soo soo sweet. I cant wait for my son to grow up so that I can tell him this, or rather he can read it on his own. Ever thought of writing books for kids? This was such a lovely addition to your blog....Dont judge ppl with just their looks or their acts :)

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Anisha
16/9/2011 12:33:19 am

Toooo sweet :-)
Loved it, seemed familiar, don't know why.
So well written, muti-leveled open for interpretation for readers
Break from blog? coming out with a book then?

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Liz Wotherspoon
16/9/2011 11:54:15 pm

Never assume the quiet ones aren't tking part on some level and for some purpose!

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jwala link
22/9/2011 03:11:01 am

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sunil rawat
3/12/2011 11:45:47 pm

so simply put.
so well written.

so much clarity.
so much truth and relevance (in the moral of the story)!!

:)

Reply
Nandita
23/12/2017 07:23:28 am

Wow ..so beautifully written ,just enjoyed reading it ...You are a great writer

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    Rachna Bisht Rawat is a full time mom and part time writer. She is married to an Army officer whose work takes the family to some of the most interesting corners of India.

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