Spice of Life: Would you sleep to live or live to sleep?
My friend sleeps with his eyes open. In any class, Rajeev is always a front bencher, since he feels the line of sight of the speaker looks over the first row.
Acknowledging my greetings, a childhood friend who’s a doctor offered a tip, “Buddy, sleep determines good health and a long life.” The advice took me back in time.
I, for one, belong to the species who live to sleep and so did my father, grandfather and two paternal uncles. All of us could doze off at any moment, any place and on any occasion.
Falling off to sleep during a conversation can spell trouble, especially when it’s an important monologue by the better half. Such matrimonial faux pas is taken as a fait accompli by most wives. The case, however, turned out different with my paternal uncle, who married an American. Matters came frighteningly close to a divorce when the harried lady noticed her incorrigible husband merrily dozing off during an intense discussion at a family reunion of her side. What followed was a forced prescription of anti-sleeping pills. Well, they continue living happily with the old man devising new techniques to have his way.
I’m a follower of this healthy paternal lineage. The adventurous part is that I can sleep even while driving, which I realised during my military service when we were on an operational reconnaissance mission. While driving, I took my commanding officer through tough terrain where a good old Willy’s jeep may have refused to venture had I been awake. My state of physical absence came to light when the boss addressed me with a query and had no answer forthcoming till he nudged me hard enough to wake me up from the slumber. That was a close shave to calling it a day to my career as a captain!
{{/usCountry}}I’m a follower of this healthy paternal lineage. The adventurous part is that I can sleep even while driving, which I realised during my military service when we were on an operational reconnaissance mission. While driving, I took my commanding officer through tough terrain where a good old Willy’s jeep may have refused to venture had I been awake. My state of physical absence came to light when the boss addressed me with a query and had no answer forthcoming till he nudged me hard enough to wake me up from the slumber. That was a close shave to calling it a day to my career as a captain!
{{/usCountry}}Well, the master of the game is Rajeev, my friend for decades. Sleep comes to him like bees to nectar. There is not a lecture, a sermon or a conversation that he could recall since he was 18. The reason is that he dozes off the minute such a soothing event commences. The best part is that he never gets caught. You guessed it right he sleeps with his eyes open, the state I experienced during the jeep episode. In any class or a lecture, Rajeev is always a front bencher, since he feels the line of sight of the speaker looks over the front row.
{{/usCountry}}Well, the master of the game is Rajeev, my friend for decades. Sleep comes to him like bees to nectar. There is not a lecture, a sermon or a conversation that he could recall since he was 18. The reason is that he dozes off the minute such a soothing event commences. The best part is that he never gets caught. You guessed it right he sleeps with his eyes open, the state I experienced during the jeep episode. In any class or a lecture, Rajeev is always a front bencher, since he feels the line of sight of the speaker looks over the front row.
{{/usCountry}}It was a success for the guy till this day during a guest lecture by a senior General during our course at Wellington. Rajeev was the liaison officer (LO) to the visiting dignitary and both belonged to the same regiment. My friend dutifully occupied the front row seat and proceeded with his ‘intense look’ sleep routine. As the talk progressed, almost every student in the hall dozed off and the VIP was looking around to lock his sights with a ‘keen one’. He was relieved to see Rajeev being the only one with eyes open. To break the monotony of a monologue, the General asked a pointed question to Rajeev, thinking that this conscientious regimental young officer would make him proud.
With a transfixed look, our guy was oblivious to the environment. It was during the tea after the lecture that Rajeev was accosted by the General who remarked sternly, “Et tu, Brute?” Brutus gave him a helpless but disarming smile. My friend, however, continues with his healthy ways and seems all set to clock a century.
The writer is a Chandigarh-based freelance contributor and can be reached at avnishrms59@gmail.com
