DIL’S DILEMMA

“To trek or not to trek” was not my DIL’S dilemma but whether to take her little – Big hubby with her , was a question troubling her mind.

“Mil what to do you think about my idea of motivating my husband to undertake the trek on coming Saturday ?” DIL asked for my opinion without expecting an answer from me.

“DIL , see if you can convince him but if he is unwilling , don’t be irritated” I mumbled in the vaccum because DIL had disappeared from the sight, not willing or waiting to take my advice or suggestion.

My DIL is quite a self motivated and self reliant person. She hates to take any advice or suggestions though she doesn’t mind dealing them away, like a seasoned card player who deftly deals cards while playing Rummy or Teen Patti.

It is fun to notice how DIL hangs , ones suggestions on a peg in the hall and gets pleasure in acting according to her own plan. If I tell her to make khichadi for dinner, thinking that DIL must be tired after the day’s work, she would prepare a four course meal with Rassam, Sambar, Rice, Potato vegetable and to top it all , she would serve salad, Papadam and curds. If there happens to be some festival and if I try and tell her how important it is to serve proper meal, then she would leave the whole menu care of our cook or would prepare simple lunch of Rice , Kolumbu and may be a dash of age old pickle. If she feels very generous then she would offer to fry an egg as an accompaniment. And mind well , it’s not because she doesn’t know to cook exotic dishes , but DIL simply feels it is not a big deal that the family has to have its 2655^th meal in the form of a festive menu! That’s all ! that’s the way DIL operates. If DIL wants to do something come rain or storm she does it as per her plan.

Sorry , the topic was not about the daily bread that Almighty DIL serves on the dot! But it was about Trekking! Please not the capital T because it is my DIL’s first Love. So to be at it , DIL had started dreaming about treks for long i.e. from the time the Rain God started showering his blessings on Mumbai. On many a weekends she would declare her intention of taking a family for trekking adventure in early morning at 5a.m , On such Friday nights I would get a nightmare and I would see myself dragged to a hill fort. In my dreams I would see that my carefully collected layers of fat ( by eating oodles of desi gee ) melting away in the hot sun!But next morning  I would sigh with relief to find myself to be in bed at 9 a.m. And why did I say hill fort you may ask – the reason given by DIL is they look beautiful and inviting to the seasoned trekkers – especially forts in the regions of Lonavala, Khandala and Pune . e.g Tikona, Panhala, Vishalgad, Lohagad, Karnala and many more…….

DIL can reel out names of any number of forts in Maharashtra that even Shivaji Maharaj would not have remembered.

Well , as per DIL’s every season’s dream , this time DIL wanted to utilize her second week end for trekking and asked her one time trekking companion – who happens to be my DIL ka Tukda – my son , to join her. Dil told him that she has given up her hope to prepare her dumb, lazy, overweight and stubborn MIL to experience the fun , atleast once and has now decided to stop trying anymore. So why not trekking fun only for the  lovey dovey twosome.

But alas! The DIL Ka Tukda refused to budge from his royal seat in front of the TV as there was a final cricket match between England and Australian team and both teams would have surely missed Him – their fan’s presence.

Dil blew her top and shouted – “You Lazy Lump of Lipids- sit at home and incubate the sofa set. I am going ‘Solo’ alone… did you hear ? s-o-l-o , but I will not miss the train for the trek this time at any cost”.

DIL swang her back pack on her shoulder and left home for Lohagad…. To enjoy her much awaited rainy season’s adventure. Without saying bye bye to her poor MIL or poor Lazy Lump Of Lipids !