This-or-that meets Pepo

Pepo wore a long white dress, looks more like a drape than a dress. But he is very influential and claims to be a representative of some species. He is known for his innovative dialogue-initiations. Just to illustrate his approaches and its effects:

Once This-or-that met Pepo along with two warring groups - let us say Group-1 and Group-2. Pepo told Group-1 that they were humans. Group-1 was insulted. Group-2 was very happy. Group-1 leader questioned the wisdom of Pepo. Pepo maintained that he was initiating the dialogue by insulting. He maintained further that negotiation-after-insulting is an accepted norm of dialogue in the present millennium. The two groups fought relentlessly and killed each other merrily. Pepo escaped and claimed he had solved the problem. This-or-that later told me the first group was actually a group of dogs.

I asked, "What about the second group?"

He said, "Another set of powerful dogs."

When I asked about the nature of Pepo, This-or-that smiled meaningfully as if he could unearth a cup of red river.

Other This-or-That features:

1. This or that? - 1

2. Colors speak -- This or that? - 2

Colors speak -- This or that? - 2

Colors attract. Colors speak. No, it is not figurative. This-or-that can hear the language of colors too.

Once he was sitting alone in a park bench. He saw two colors speaking to each other. Speaking is a mild word. They are shouting at each other. One color was White - khadi white, and the other was Red. White was accompanied by a person named Economist. Excerpts:

White: "Ha..Ha..I am the ruler."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

Red: "You think like that? I will pull you down."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

Red jumped ferociously after this. This-or-that heard someone crying with pain. But it was not White's cry. This-or-that was puzzled.

White (meekly): "I am not the ruler."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

Red: "We will decide the fate."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

White: "No. I am not the ruler. We are the rulers."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

Red: "That's better."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

White: " Ha..Ha.. We are the winners. Winners take them all. Ha..Ha..Winners take them all from the London banks."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

They jumped with joy. This-or-that still heard the cry - the cry from the heart but he was puzzled as he could not see the source of that wail.

Red: "What is two plus two?"

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

White immediately warned Economist that he was not supposed to tell "Yes" when a question was asked. Economist nodded his head at 50 cycles per second.

White: "Four according to Russian and Chinese mathematics books."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

Red: "Well done. Well done."

Economist: "Yes..Yes.."

They danced together. This-or-that still heard that cry. He decided to go a bit forward to see what was happening. He was shocked. White and Red were jumping on a poor old man - 59 years old man. The cry was from that man. This-or-that now knew the source of those cries. This-or-that had a hearty laugh when he came to know that White had told an American TV that two plus two was four according to American books. Economist, as usual, nodded when he was asked if it was right.

---------------------------

Previous This-or-that feature is available here.

This or that? - 1

Once a person, whose name is This-or-that, went to a Quiz programme.

This-or-that now remembers only this question: Who is the prime minister of India?

Everyone answered this question correctly except one who put up a brave face saying his answer was right. The answer he told was Sonia and maintained that the principle of division-of-labor was at work. His name, This-or-that forgot, was some Man-moiety Singh or Mater-mohan Singh or something like that.

PS: This-or-that now reads a book written by an economist on how to do an obedient somersault before natives and native-foreigners.