What should be your Mobile Wallpaper?

There comes a phase in everyone’s life when a picture of their favourite actor or actress is set as their wallpaper on their computer; recently on mobiles too. Sadly in my case, that phase seems to be in a never-ending infinite loop.

My mobile wallpaper currently has an awesome picture of Tamannah Bhatia. This has often made me the subject of some very direct ridicule with some of my friends, while many others have had to keep silent to my face because of their professional equation with me.

This evening, I visited the local grocery shop to buy some stuff; this is the typical மளிகை கடை (Department store) and not the self-service kind of store. My father had asked me to get some soap and I asked the kid (in his higher teens) who fetches the goods, to get me that soap. He couldn’t locate it and by virtue of being a client of this store right from my birth, I went directly to the shelf to pick the soap.

I too couldn’t locate it and told the kid to just give me the one with the nearest fragrance. He said that I better check with my father before buying anything and so, I opened my mobile to call him. Even as I unlocked the keypad, opened the phone module and started dialling, he quickly asked me “உங்களுக்கு ரொம்ப புடிக்குமா சார்?” (You like her much?)

I looked up from the phone and asked him to repeat the question. He clarified, “உங்களுக்கு  Tammanah-வ ரொம்ப புடிக்குமா சார்? Photo எல்லாம் வெச்சிருக்கீங்க…” (Do you like Tamannah so much? You have her photo...) And he grinned. The grin was not just a grin. It was a GRIN; the one where you see all the teeth in one’s mouth, including the ones that were lost as a kid. The kind of grin, when flaunted by a close friend, is invariably accompanied by a bit of physical needling.

I had no recourse other than offering a sheepish look and say “ஆமாம் பா” (Yes man) and before the situation got any more embarrassing, my father picked up my call.

Now, the problem I have is not with just the exchange that took place. The real problem is that, this kid is going to bring this up the next time he comes home for some home delivery and my parents are going to follow it up with me, in a very nice manner. Not that I am afraid of facing the music, just that at 36 years of age, the embarrassment is not about having an actresses’ picture on mobile, it is more about having to hear about it from your parents!