I can't help: 'हलो हलो' ला हलकट उत्तर

Telemarketers continue to bother me, after all that National Do Not Call Registry.

Therefore, I now have lost the patience and any pretense of civility.

Earlier, I used to reason with these pesky callers. Now, I am just rude. I bang the phone or plain lie or even abuse.

When I behave like this, are they reminded of:

"त्रुटित जीवनीं सुटी कल्पना,
ट्रिंग ट्रिंग जैसा खोटा नंबर
सलग जमेना एक भावना,
'हलो हलो' ला हलकट उत्तर."

Last two lines read:

“feelings are not aligned,
‘hello, hello’ is answered by an abuse.”

[B S Mardhekar (बा. सी. मर्ढेकर), poem number 28, “Mardhekaranchi Kavita” (“मर्ढेकरांची कविता”) , 1959]


Artist: Raymond Thayer, The New Yorker, 21 May 1932