April Fool!

April Fool's day! I am not sure when and how this became a fad in our neighborhood but I could see that the preparations for this day was no less than the preparations for an India-Pakistan cricket match! As the D-day approached, I could see people, mostly youngsters, huddling up to devise intricate plans to befool the most number of unsuspecting and innocent victims. So much so that there were undeclared annual competitions in our neighborhood as to who could devise, strategise and execute the most innovative fool's day prank.

Raju dada, my elder brother was hell bent on coming up trumps in this year's competition amongst his motley group of friends. I had been watching his movements with renewed interest over the last week or so and could gauge that he was upto some mischief. I couldn't help but ask him, "Dada, what are you upto?" He looked at me and said in a stern voice, "Nandu, you are just ten and will not understand this. And since this is none of your business, you better keep your eyes, ears and mouth shut!"

One thing that Raju dada hated the most was studies. He despised having to take tuition in the evening. He had even pleaded with mom to ask his tuition teacher to change his timing so that it did not interfere with his play time. But Sandeep sir had straightaway refused to alter the timings, which led to him getting the honour of been on top of Raju dada's hit list. But for the last week or so I could see that his attitude towards Sandeep sir had changed. It seemed that he was softening up to him. However, my sixth sense said that things were not as they seemed to be. Sandeep sir also felt the same and mentioned it to mom but she informed him that it was all because of dad's warning to Raju dada to mend his ways and take studies seriously. It was but natural that he couldn't go against dad's orders!

Sandeep sir was fond of sweets and it was an unwritten practice for mom to serve him different varieties of sweets alongwith tea and biscuits when he came home to teach Raju dada. So, nothing seemed amiss when she served him his favourite 'Kaalajamun' which was a darker version of the more famous 'Gulabjamun', that delicious ball of khoa mixed with flour, fried in desi ghee and dipped in thick sugar syrup to give you a succulent, irresistible sweet. 'Kaalajamun' was a bit harder variety, filled with nuts but equally tasty. As was the norm, I too had to sit in the same room when Raju dada took his tuition classes and finish off my studies. As mom served Sandeep sir a plate of hot 'Kaalajamun', I could hear my stomach rumbling. All of a sudden, I felt hungry too!

I watched as Sandeep sir picked one 'Kaalajamun' with the spoon, dipped it in the extra syrup in the bowl and popped it into his mouth. I will never forget that look in his face as he bit deeper into the sweet. He spat out the sweet from his mouth, jumped up from his chair, quickly picked up his stuff and without saying a word ran out of the house!

All this while Raju dada was chuckling away to glory. He couldn't control himself and burst out laughing loudly. I sat there with an amazed look on my face. As he turned towards me, he knew that I was curious to know what had happened and why did Sandeep sir leave like that all of a sudden! "Come here Nandu" he called out. I ran and sat down beside him. "To understand why Sandeep sir left like that all of a sudden, you will have to promise me to keep my secret." he whispered in my ears. I nodded and promised to be his confidante. "You know Sandeep sir is afraid of ghosts, and what I had done was to have one of my friends drape a white sheet and stand outside the window flailing his arms in the air and when Sir saw that figure in the fading evening light, he took it to be a ghost and just ran away in fear!" he explained, laughing all the while. "So, how did you like my April Fool's prank?" he asked me with twinkling eyes. "Top class!" I replied in awe and admiration, now understanding the reason for Sir's sudden, hasty exit. I could never imagine that Raju dada could think of such a plot.

"Now, don't mention this to anyone and let this be our secret, right?" he warned me. Sensing that I felt intimidated, he softened up a bit and said, "Okay, just to help you keep my secret, I will let you finish the remaining 'Kaalajamuns' and not let mom know about it, right?" I was delighted on hearing this and picked up one piece with my hand and lobbed it into my mouth before he changed his mind. Even as I  was putting the sweet into my mouth, I could see him bursting into laughter once again and as I chewed on the sweet I knew the reason why!

I could feel my mouth fill up with a black, sticky substance and instantly I knew what I had chewed upon! Raju dada had very cleverly made round shaped balls out of the black coloured incense dhoops that mom used during the daily pujas. Not the sticks, but the dough like black dhoop. This he had dipped in thick sugar syrup and kept hidden overnight. Just before mom brought in the sweets for Sandeep sir, he had swapped the bowl of original 'Kaalajamuns' with his ingenuously made 'Dhoopjamuns', which looked exactly like the original! Now I knew why Sandeep sir had ran away all of a sudden. Raju dada then very cleverly narrated a cock and bull story to me about his friend disguising as a ghost to scare Sandeep sir away and when I was convinced with his story he played his ace! I was the second victim of his April Fool's prank! He had hit two birds with a single arrow.

Needless to say, he was the winner in his group that year, an achievement for which I was an unwilling contributor. What happened to him once dad came to know of his exploits is another story altogether, which I will save for later! Till then, it's your own Natkhat Nandu signing off for the day!

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