A news report said that rescue operations to pull out a grounded merchant ship had been suspended because the tug engaged in the rescue bid itself ran aground! I have had plenty of similar experiences and had begun to wonder if I was some kind of a Jonah. Not long ago, we were going to Jaipur by road when we came across a massive traffic jam. It turned out that a recovery vehicle attempting to remove two trucks in a collision had broken down and was blocking the highway. Now they needed another recovery vehicle to pull out the first one!

The other day we had a problem with our electricity supply. We called up an electrician who promised to come soon. When he had not turned up until the evening we called again. He told us quite agitatedly that he had come twice and had rung the bell repeatedly but nobody opened the door! If we had electricity supply, we wouldn’t’ have needed him in the first place!

Many years ago, I was posted in Vishakhapatnam, then a one-horse town. With great fanfare, the town’s first proper restaurant was inaugurated. After a Sunday morning at the beach, we headed to the restaurant for lunch and occupied the best table; the rest were vacant anyway. After a long wait and plenty of shouting, a sleepy waiter came and took our order. He then informed us that we would have to wait for at least an hour. Asked why, he replied, “The cook has gone for lunch.”

... contd.