Untruth is stating the correct answer to the wrong question

Well, the dictionary definition of “untruth” may not be very easy to understand and hence, I am coming up with this one page document, which with the example quoted inside, should help one understand what the meaning of “untruth” is all about. 

Two days ago, I was headed to the Upanayanam of the son of a close friend of mine. I could have easily missed the function and he wouldn't have complained. But, there was no way I was going to miss a function arranged by him, because his aasthaana caterer is one phenomenal cook. 

I was also informed in advance that the first pandhi would be served at 9 AM, to help the office goers take an early brunch so that they can sleep easily in the office; assuming of course that they didn't sleep while driving to work and cause even bigger traffic snarls than usual. 

So my friend Raghu and I had decided to target that first batch, despite the lack of requirement of physically having to go to office. We could sleep at home right? Anyway, on the ordained day of eating, I was slightly delayed while starting. It looked like our aim of being part of the first pandhi may not really materialize. Also, the later it started getting, the traffic build-up would be higher and I was afraid that the caterer maama would run low on payasam. 

And like I guessed, the traffic on Adyar bridge was quite heavy, so much so that it was a standstill towards the north end; the very direction I was headed to. All along, I had been updating Raghu about my position, so that he we wouldn't waste time in waiting for him to reach the predefined pickup spot. The updates were being sent via Whatsapp messages. 

But I wasn't typing while driving, since I know that it is dangerous. So, I had started using the Google feature of giving it instructions, including the dictation of message to be sent via Whatsapp. I followed the same modus operandi on Friday and in hindsight, maybe sharing my Google location would have been a more effective input. 

Anyways, to give instructions to Google, one has to hold the phone on hand and as bad luck would have it, an “Uncle” spotted this. He pulled me over after I crossed the signal. If you know Andhra Mahila Sabha signal, you will also recollect what a busy junction it is and that most of State Govt ministers ply along that route. Now, I somehow understood that my phone usage was the issue and quickly let it off my hand and let it reside in one of the cubby holes of the car. 

The uncle didn't come to talk and I found that a senior uncle was asking him what was going on. And all these uncles were on walkie talkie, so presumably, some Minister was on the move and these folks were a little jittery. The junior one told his senior that I was talking on the phone. So my suspicion was correct and I was cursing myself for being so naive in using the phone such that someone could spot it! The senior uncle had by then come near my car and told the junior that it was someone else. The junior reiterated that it was me. The senior guy looked at me and asked if I was talking on the phone. 

Now we get to the place in the climax of the story line, where one reveals the title. I basically said an untruth by nodding my head in the negative to the senior cop and said “No”. The senior simply waved me away and I went off. 

So why was my statement not a lie but an untruth? It is because one has to understand what was asked. The question to me was if I was talking on the phone. The implication was that he was checking if I was on a phone call with someone. My answer was “No” and it was the right one because, I wasn't on a phone call. I was not “talking to someone on the phone” and was in fact, talking "to the phone”. 

If the cop had asked if I was using the phone, I would have confirmed it and would have been booked for “rash driving” as was the case sometime in 2015. But here, my answer was a perfectly correct statement for the question that was asked, though in wholistic terms it was not true. This, my dear audience, is what an Untruth is.

P.S.: The food was as amazing as ever.