A funny day!

You may be wondering what this funny day was all about. Yeah, I lost my voice(temporarily) this morning. And I had to go through the entire day without it.

I had my exams last week. I'm used to reading things aloud. I read aloud for one full week and that was enough to damage my voice. I wrote my last exam on last Saturday. Sunday morning I developed irritation in my throat and it soon developed into a cold. (and I remembered that on Saturday I was very happy listening to my recorded voice and realizing how sweet my voice was!)

Tuesday morning I had severe throat pain, by evening it was quite okay so I sang some songs and practiced with my friends for a prayer meeting only to realize that my throat pain had become worse than it was in the morning. I woke up this morning and realized my throat wasn't paining. God must have been impressed with me, I thought, thats why he took the pain away. Overjoyed, I called out to my mom and only my lips moved, no sound was heard. Under normal circumstances I would have wondered why God allowed this to happen. But today, the funny part of it struck me and I couldn't help laughing at my predicament. Smiling to myself, I went to college.

I was excited (instead of getting worried) thinking about how I'll manage the day.

I met my classmate (Dhaneesh) in the train. He and I love to argue with each other, and we always seem to have contrasting opinions. So our morning walks to college would usually be an entertaining argument. Of late Dhaneesh wasn't using the train much, but today (when I've lost my voice) Dhaneesh was there! I was trying to tell him in sign language "My voice.......is gone!". Dhaneesh asked me many questions, looked at me for a response and then answered them himself, and literally only he spoke throughout our 15 minute walk to the college with me smiling at every response of his.

We reached college and met some more friends. I was trying to tell them all "My voice is gone!". They thought it was very funny(so did I). Some of them were very curious and urged me to say something, "Hey Janet, speak something. Lets see what your voice sounds like. Will it be like a frog croaking?"

I had lost my ID card last week, and after sending a couple of mails to my class mailing group, I got it back only yesterday. So today, many people asked me about how I got the card back and I had only one response "My voice is gone!"

With our seniors' convocation coming up this Saturday, we needed to practice the songs for it. With my voice in such a condition, I was wondering how I can manage the practice. However Ruby told me they needed only my hands, they could do without my voice!

In both the classes I had today, I had to ask my friends to answer attendance for me even though I was there in the class.

So there I was, talking to everyone with my hands, writing on tables, walls, using everything I could to compensate for my voice. Some of my friends went a step further and showed me their hands and pens to write what I had to say. Some advised me to carry a notepad with me all through the day.

And then I went to the canteen to have breakfast. I gave the man the token and said 'bread omlette' which he obviously couldn't hear. I had to walk to the menu board and point out 'bread omlette' to him. He started making fun of me, and asked if I had taken a vow to not talk. And then he taught me how I should act out 'bread omlette' in case I lost my voice next time. It seems there was another guy like me who had wanted onion dosa in the morning and drew an onion on the wall to tell him. I was much better!

And some of my friends were very clever too! In spite of me telling them I couldn't speak they simply called my number and waited for me to attend their calls. I had to cut every single call I received today.

Finally we assembled in the evening to practice for convocation. I was speaking in hushed whispers tired of writing on walls. My friends didn't realize what had happened to my voice and for about five minutes kept imitating me, whispering their questions to me. I couldn't suggest songs by speech, I had to play every one of them. It was like some sort of a guessing game where I played the tune and they guessed what song it was.

My dad was one of those clever persons who called up to ask me where I was. Thankfully Irene was there and answered the call for me. The day wouldn't have been so much fun without her. She got me my lunch and coffee after hearing my experience with 'bread omlette'.

I walked back to the railway station and met my choir mate (Sagai) with whom I had practiced the previous day. I had dismissed all her instructions (on how to take care of my voice) the previous day. To our great joy, there I was without my voice, and she gave me the I-told-you-so look!

We laughed all through the train journey.

I usually call my dad after I reach my station so he can come and pick me up. Meeting Sagai was God's providence. She called up my dad and told him I had reached the station.

We waited at the doctor's clinic. During my UG days I developed cold quite often (I traveled a long distance to my college and the pollution gave me a cold so I could become a regular contributor to this doctor's monthly income) and so I was a familiar face to him. He asked me the symptoms and my dad spoke for me.

'Did she have something cold?'

'No'.

'Does she have fever?'

'No'.

'Did she travel much?'

'No'.

In all my visits to this doctor, I've never seen him so clueless. He wiped his forehead, rested his elbows on the table with his head in his hands staring at the prescription paper that was blank. Of course, it was because I had read aloud for my exams, but it was a very long explanation, so I didn't tell him(whisper to him). It took all my effort to not laugh seeing the doctor. Then he scribbled something on the paper (hopefully the medicines work!).

I finally came home and my mom asked me how I'd managed without my voice, and I gave her a 'thumbs up' sign...

Yeah...It was a great day, in fact a very successful one! Like I was telling one of my friends, today I somehow met about thrice as much people as I meet on any normal day. And yet I was able to communicate with all of them without my voice. Better still, I cheered up some and entertained a great many! Everybody left me with a smile today.

At the end of it all, I have no regrets at having lost my voice today!

It was a funny day after all :)

P.S.: And the moral of that story is.... Life is not to be taken seriously all the time. It feels good to be happy and to make others happy!