Sayan Datta's recent confession in a comment on my other blog that he now understands much better how much of a difference single words (and even inflexions on words) can make reminded me of a joke that I read in a book of humour:
The ship had docked at port, and on the first night spent on land after a long time, the first officer became so disgracefully drunk that he could not report for duty for the whole of the next day. The stern captain entered the following comment in the ship's log - 'Unfortunately the first mate was drunk all day'. On hearing about it, the said officer was aghast, and he pleaded strenuously with the captain to strike that comment off the record, since otherwise it could permanently mar his career. But the captain was unbending, insisting that it was a serious infringement of service rules, and besides, he had written nothing but the literal truth. Realising that it was a lost cause, the first officer went away to take revenge by writing his own entry in the log - 'Fortunately, the captain was sober all day.'
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2 comments:
Haha. This gives one a good laugh/toothy smile. Clever first officer. Can't think of a joke just yet along the same lines but am reminded of one I heard from you about the nut....but that wouldn't quite work here.
That’s hilarious, Sir; and what a witty way of exacting revenge. The word ‘Fortunately’ makes all the difference in that sentence. And by all that is holy the first mate wasn’t lying either! It’s sure to make the Captain go red in the face when confronted by his superior,and God knows what will be going through their minds.
As for my typo in that liner: Can anyone imagine a poet accusing and admonishing ‘Banga Janani’ for sheltering seven crore Satans on its soil? I can’t.
Sayan Datta
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