This is my friend, the female mosquito who bites. She staged a comeback, buzzing into my room the other night after a long time. She asked me what I was up to.
"We are going to have our Convocation soon," I said.
"What's a Convocation?" she wanted to know more.
" It's neither a con, nor a vocation, but a special event where our graduating students are given their diplomas and medals, and there are a few speeches."
"Who gives these speeches?" Anopheles asked.
"Well, the invited Chief Guest, and our Chairman", and sheepishly added, " I do too."
"Why is humankind into speeches so much?" she asked.
"Why, don't you have speeches?" I was curious.
"I haven't heard many, except from this fellow FULL MARX that I told you about. The revolutionary whose ideas died a quick death. But that was a long time ago."
" Speeches can transform people," I argued. "Look at what Martin Luther King did with his ' I have a dream' speech. And Lincoln before him, I guess."
" How many have you had since that one with the same impact?" she wanted to know.
"Not many," I grudgingly admitted.
" People must first want to listen, and absorb what the speaker is trying to tell them." she continued. "Or else, it is a lot of hot air."
"Hell, that sounds like a lot of classes of mine going to waste," I thought to myself. Outwardly, I put up a brave front. "Yes, but that's what the audience is doing-listening."
She gave me one of her trademark 'looks'. "Is that what you think? Why don't you ask anyone at the end of your speech as to what they heard?"
I promised to do that, and hastily changed the topic to something more comforting- or that's what I thought.
"We are again turning champs in cricket, you know. We beat Australia," I informed her proudly.
"This game of cricket. How many countries play it?"
"Six, no...seven, I think.
"Why don't you guys win some football games?"
"Umm," ..I muttered something incomprehensible, realizing I had blundered into the wrong territory again.
I resolved to be better prepared for a debate next time, and said my goodbyes to her.
"We are going to have our Convocation soon," I said.
"What's a Convocation?" she wanted to know more.
" It's neither a con, nor a vocation, but a special event where our graduating students are given their diplomas and medals, and there are a few speeches."
"Who gives these speeches?" Anopheles asked.
"Well, the invited Chief Guest, and our Chairman", and sheepishly added, " I do too."
"Why is humankind into speeches so much?" she asked.
"Why, don't you have speeches?" I was curious.
"I haven't heard many, except from this fellow FULL MARX that I told you about. The revolutionary whose ideas died a quick death. But that was a long time ago."
" Speeches can transform people," I argued. "Look at what Martin Luther King did with his ' I have a dream' speech. And Lincoln before him, I guess."
" How many have you had since that one with the same impact?" she wanted to know.
"Not many," I grudgingly admitted.
" People must first want to listen, and absorb what the speaker is trying to tell them." she continued. "Or else, it is a lot of hot air."
"Hell, that sounds like a lot of classes of mine going to waste," I thought to myself. Outwardly, I put up a brave front. "Yes, but that's what the audience is doing-listening."
She gave me one of her trademark 'looks'. "Is that what you think? Why don't you ask anyone at the end of your speech as to what they heard?"
I promised to do that, and hastily changed the topic to something more comforting- or that's what I thought.
"We are again turning champs in cricket, you know. We beat Australia," I informed her proudly.
"This game of cricket. How many countries play it?"
"Six, no...seven, I think.
"Why don't you guys win some football games?"
"Umm," ..I muttered something incomprehensible, realizing I had blundered into the wrong territory again.
I resolved to be better prepared for a debate next time, and said my goodbyes to her.
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