The Narayanan family took two things very seriously:
- free food,
- and attending functions they barely understood.
So when Ravi announced,
“We have to attend a distant relative’s funeral,”
the entire house suddenly behaved like they were going for a school picnic.
Grandmother Lakshmi packed snacks.
Meera packed extra snacks.
Anu packed crayons “in case the funeral becomes boring.”
Only grandfather looked emotional.
“Life is temporary,” he sighed deeply.
Then he whispered to Ravi:
“Will there be bajji there?”
The family reached the village after a sweaty three-hour journey in Ravi’s ancient car which made sounds like an old goat coughing.
The atmosphere was sad.
People sat quietly.
Soft prayers echoed.
Everyone wore white.
For exactly four minutes, the Narayanan family behaved normally.
Then Bruno escaped from the car.
Nobody understood how.
One second he was tied.
Next second he entered the mourning hall carrying someone’s slipper proudly in his mouth.
An old uncle screamed,
“DOG!”
Another uncle screamed louder,
“MY HAWAII CHAPPAL!”
Bruno thought this was a game.
He ran.
Twenty people chased him.
One aunt forgot she was crying and shouted,
“Catch him near the banana tree!”
Meanwhile Ravi tried acting dignified.
“Please control yourselves,” he whispered.
At that exact moment, he sat on a plastic chair.
The chair broke like dry papad.
THUD.
Complete silence.
Even the priest looked shocked.
Ravi lay on the floor staring at the ceiling fan questioning every life decision.
Karthik tried helping him up but accidentally pulled Ravi’s veshti loose.
“DON’T STAND UP!” shouted Meera immediately.
Grandfather quietly turned away pretending not to know the family.
Inside the kitchen area, Lakshmi was already making friends.
“This tea is weak,” she told strangers confidently.
“Needs more ginger.”
Within ten minutes she somehow became temporary supervisor of funeral snacks.
People listened to her seriously.
Nobody knew why.
Anu meanwhile had found three other children and started playing “ghost catching” near the prayer area.
One tiny boy shouted dramatically,
“I am the spirit!”
The priest removed his glasses slowly.
“This family…” he muttered softly.
Then came the real disaster.
Bruno returned.
Covered completely in yellow turmeric powder from the backyard cooking area.
He looked like a glowing lion.
Children screamed happily.
Adults screamed differently.
And Bruno, filled with confidence, jumped directly onto grandfather’s white clothes.
Now grandfather looked like a seasoned biryani chef.
He stared at the yellow stains.
Everyone waited for his anger.
Instead he sighed deeply and said:
“At least now mosquitoes won’t touch me.”
For one second, nobody reacted.
Then the entire crowd burst into laughter.
Even the grieving family laughed through tears.
Even the priest smiled.
Somehow, in the middle of sadness…
the Narayanan family had accidentally reminded everyone that life still moves, still breathes, and sometimes still slips on broken plastic chairs.