He has rightly said who has said that rumours are like a grapevine. You just can't trace their origin. They spread from person to person, each time getting spiced up with additional things. The first person who comes to know the fact, whosoever it may be, perhaps knows it right. After this, each time another person shares it, he/she adds extra things into it, which, I think, is done to assert an impulsive tone into the very act. After a prolonged tampering with the original piece of information, the final thing changes drastically in terms of its content and intensity. There are two main attributes of this final thing (there is no finite ending to the rumour-ing though, unless otherwise the thing dies out):
1.It tends to increase in length.
2.This gradually-modified fact becomes more interesting.
Here is an interesting account on such a rumour.
************************************************************
James came running inside the class and headed towards the last
benches where his usual group of friends sat chatting and abusing. Panting and drawing mouthfuls of breath, he said "hey folks, I am just returning from the Headmaster's office. He was reprimanding Jeanne heavily for having committed a mistake which I sensed to be a case of returning home late. She got a nice thwack. Wonder, why didn't they settle things at home". Just then Jeanne, daughter of the headmaster and their classmate entered the class with a pale face and these guys stopped their chit-chatting. James gave a gesture of authoritativeness as his pals stared at the girl.
The next day one of James' classmates who had heard the discussion the earlier day was talking to his elder brother about the same. "What I am saying you is cent percent true. My classmate's a witness. Jeanne had been out till late night. Maybe she had been to a club or discotheque. Smart girl, that Jeanne. why?". His brother kept staring at him for a while. One of his friends had since long developed a crush for the girl. That very day the elder brother spitted out the thing in front of his mates. "Man, Jeanne was out till late midnight and that old fatso called her to his office to reprimand her. She had been to a pub or perhaps a discotheque. Hey dude, don't lose heart buddy. Who knows, she still might fall for you some day."
This boy, half grief-struck, half annoyed couldn't stop thinking of this thing. After that evening's street soccer, he said to one of his friends "I am really upset. I never thought this girl would be out till midnight with a guy, spending time over beer & music at a discotheque. I mean, such a small & cute girl". The other lad nodded in agreement. Not long before, he shared this piece of news with the boys of his apartment. One among those boys who couldn't resist the temptation of sharing it, ran to his mother. "Mum, she's my junior at school, two years younger mum. How could she go out with a guy & stay till late. She's the Headmaster's girl. Poor fellow, he must have had to see a lot for what she did. She's already twelve...". The last sentence kept ringing in his mother's ears. She knew exactly what to do.
The very next day, she visited her next door neighbour to talk about this. With an air of excitement and pride that her son had come up with the news, she remarked "now Mrs. Susan, would you have tolerated your daughter staying away from home till late in the night, with a guy and that too at a disco, gulping beer & watching scantily clad girls dancing? At this age? Huh! Who knows they might have kissed each other in the hangover? Holy Jesus, this is goddamn shit". Coincidentally, the other lady, Mrs. Susan, happened to be a friend of Jeanne's mother. So she rushed to her the following weekend and with a very grave disposition started to say "Minerva, there is something I would like to tell you. I pray you believe in whatever I shall say and decide your course of action". Upon getting a gesture of approval she continued "last Sunday, your daughter returned home late, didn't she? She must have lied to both of you for sure. Actually she had been out with her boyfriend to a disco. Maybe he drugged her to take her along. There they stayed for long and in the meantime Jeanne gulped down several goblets of beer and lost control and, I feel ashamed to say Minerva, in the hangover, both of them kissed."
Mrs. Minerva heard everything and for doing this, she surely must have imbibed lots of patience within her. Finally when it was her turn, she stood up and said "Susan, I shall not insult you for your lack of trepidation. But its high time you knew the exact truth. And I will not pray you to believe me. Last Sunday, Jeanne had been to a friend's birthday party and I myself had gone to pick her up. Though I wanted that we should leave by 10pm, she insisted that we stay longer and it was 11:30pm by the time we set off for home. Her dad had been out on official purpose and resumed office on Monday. It was then that he came to know of this. So, he summoned her from class to scold her for behaving insensibly. Now, if I have made my point clear, shall we talk something else?"
************************************************************
So, if I am not wrong, the final rumour satisfied both the above attributes before it eventually died out. Thus, rumours only serve the purpose of adding spice to a conversation by garnishing the actual fact with as-you-like-it craps. But there is no remedy to this. So better enjoy the crisp rumours before unveiling what is the base ingredient that has been so thoroughly dressed.
1.It tends to increase in length.
2.This gradually-modified fact becomes more interesting.
Here is an interesting account on such a rumour.
************************************************************
James came running inside the class and headed towards the last
benches where his usual group of friends sat chatting and abusing. Panting and drawing mouthfuls of breath, he said "hey folks, I am just returning from the Headmaster's office. He was reprimanding Jeanne heavily for having committed a mistake which I sensed to be a case of returning home late. She got a nice thwack. Wonder, why didn't they settle things at home". Just then Jeanne, daughter of the headmaster and their classmate entered the class with a pale face and these guys stopped their chit-chatting. James gave a gesture of authoritativeness as his pals stared at the girl.
The next day one of James' classmates who had heard the discussion the earlier day was talking to his elder brother about the same. "What I am saying you is cent percent true. My classmate's a witness. Jeanne had been out till late night. Maybe she had been to a club or discotheque. Smart girl, that Jeanne. why?". His brother kept staring at him for a while. One of his friends had since long developed a crush for the girl. That very day the elder brother spitted out the thing in front of his mates. "Man, Jeanne was out till late midnight and that old fatso called her to his office to reprimand her. She had been to a pub or perhaps a discotheque. Hey dude, don't lose heart buddy. Who knows, she still might fall for you some day."
This boy, half grief-struck, half annoyed couldn't stop thinking of this thing. After that evening's street soccer, he said to one of his friends "I am really upset. I never thought this girl would be out till midnight with a guy, spending time over beer & music at a discotheque. I mean, such a small & cute girl". The other lad nodded in agreement. Not long before, he shared this piece of news with the boys of his apartment. One among those boys who couldn't resist the temptation of sharing it, ran to his mother. "Mum, she's my junior at school, two years younger mum. How could she go out with a guy & stay till late. She's the Headmaster's girl. Poor fellow, he must have had to see a lot for what she did. She's already twelve...". The last sentence kept ringing in his mother's ears. She knew exactly what to do.
The very next day, she visited her next door neighbour to talk about this. With an air of excitement and pride that her son had come up with the news, she remarked "now Mrs. Susan, would you have tolerated your daughter staying away from home till late in the night, with a guy and that too at a disco, gulping beer & watching scantily clad girls dancing? At this age? Huh! Who knows they might have kissed each other in the hangover? Holy Jesus, this is goddamn shit". Coincidentally, the other lady, Mrs. Susan, happened to be a friend of Jeanne's mother. So she rushed to her the following weekend and with a very grave disposition started to say "Minerva, there is something I would like to tell you. I pray you believe in whatever I shall say and decide your course of action". Upon getting a gesture of approval she continued "last Sunday, your daughter returned home late, didn't she? She must have lied to both of you for sure. Actually she had been out with her boyfriend to a disco. Maybe he drugged her to take her along. There they stayed for long and in the meantime Jeanne gulped down several goblets of beer and lost control and, I feel ashamed to say Minerva, in the hangover, both of them kissed."
Mrs. Minerva heard everything and for doing this, she surely must have imbibed lots of patience within her. Finally when it was her turn, she stood up and said "Susan, I shall not insult you for your lack of trepidation. But its high time you knew the exact truth. And I will not pray you to believe me. Last Sunday, Jeanne had been to a friend's birthday party and I myself had gone to pick her up. Though I wanted that we should leave by 10pm, she insisted that we stay longer and it was 11:30pm by the time we set off for home. Her dad had been out on official purpose and resumed office on Monday. It was then that he came to know of this. So, he summoned her from class to scold her for behaving insensibly. Now, if I have made my point clear, shall we talk something else?"
************************************************************
So, if I am not wrong, the final rumour satisfied both the above attributes before it eventually died out. Thus, rumours only serve the purpose of adding spice to a conversation by garnishing the actual fact with as-you-like-it craps. But there is no remedy to this. So better enjoy the crisp rumours before unveiling what is the base ingredient that has been so thoroughly dressed.
Fine piece of writing Lalit. The real good piece is the one which binds you till the last sentence is read, your writing is just a masterpiece... Yeah rumors sometimes are quite funny to listen to but dangerous at the sametime. Waiting for your next post...
ReplyDelete