I Don't Know, Son! -87

The Finisher and the Finished!

Son: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is considered as the world’s best finisher by many, dad.

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: But his former teammate and India opener Gautam Gambhir begs to differ, dad.

Father: How come? Go on, son.

Son: According to him, it is Virat Kohli and not Dhoni who is the best finisher in the world, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: When asked about his own career in Indian team, Gambhir was said to be equally emphatic, dad.

Father: Emphatic on what? Go on, son.

Son: He was emphatic that it was as good as ‘finished’, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

Kalaburagi Case Solved!

Son: A Times of India report says that the Karnataka police have solved an old pending case in Kalaburagi, dad.

Father: You mean to say they have solved the murder case of the renowned Kannada writer Dr. MM Kalburgi?  Go on, son.

Son: No dad. They have caught a man accused of stealing lemons 40 years ago in a village near Kalaburagi (Gulbarga), dad!

Father: Interesting. Go on, son.

Son: The accused had stolen lemons from a farm on 16 Nov 1976 - then worth Rs300, dad!

Father: Go on, son.

Son: He was a labourer from a nomadic tribe, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: The police are patting their back for having solved the longest pending case after arresting the poor man from a village 30 km from Kalaburagi, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

The Dubious Distinction of Mallya’s Kingfisher Airline!

Son: Vijay Mallya’s infamous Kingfisher Airline (KFA) has created a record of sorts, dad.

Father: Like what?  Go on, son.

Son: It has set a record in the matter of payment defaults, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: Mallya has been declared as a willful defaulter as far as bank loans are concerned, dad.

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: The airline defaulted in payment of lease rentals to its aircrafts, fuel bills to petroleum companies, salaries to employees and airport landing charges to airports and other charges to DGCA, dad.

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: What was worse - it failed to remit the service tax collected from fliers and tax deducted at source from employees’ salaries to the Government, dad.

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: Observers say that public should be grateful to Mallya and KFA on one respect, dad.

Father: Like what? Go on, son.

Son: Quite luckily for them, the airline had not raised any public deposits, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

Not the Right Time!

Son: Vijay Mallya who ran away from the country expecting arrest warrants from banks has said that it is not the right time for him to return to India, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: He says he has only Rs9,000 rupees in his bank account against the bank dues of over Rs9,000 crore, dad!

Father: Poor man! Go on, Son.

Son: He hopes that banks must have by now made adequate provisions towards his bad loans (NPAs), dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: His plan is to return to India only after all the banks write off the loans of his Kingfisher Airlines, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!

The King of Good Times!

Son: Vijay Mallya, the King of Good Times, is facing some ‘Bad Times’ right now, dad!

Father: True. Go on, son.

Son: But Mallya, who was the Chairman of the largest spirits company in India, is said to be still in high spirits, dad!

Father: How come? Go on, son.

Son: It seems the reporters  asked him what he could do if he was extradited to India by the UK Government, dad.

Father: Go on, son.

Son: He is reported to have told them that it was not for nothing that he had bought the Sword of Tippu Sultan, dad!

Father: Interesting. Go on, son.

Son: He told them that he would fight the British Police with the legendary sword and die a hero’s death just like what the great Sultan did against the British Army  in the Srirangapatna war, dad!

Father: I don’t know, son!