One Funda(e) sundae ..uncle... Part 1

Shopkeepers are a unique breed.The kirana store guy back home was one of the community's most colorful characters.He was at the center of most action,be it gossip or advice. He was the oldest version of Yelp,always sharing his pearls of gyan with his best customers. "All these dirt blasters and wash boosters wont work,Madam" he'd tell your mom simplifying the Rin vs Ariel battle. Some of them were brutally supportive of your mom's parenting decisions.... like telling you to listen to your amma when she tells you to stop reaching into the jar for the third Fruit& Nut bar,having already pocketed two!! You hated them.Some others were true heroes in your eyes,like those that tell you exactly that one particular brand of cricket balls(those made of rubber with all those fake seams etc!!) was way better and would last longer.You'd swear to buy everything from them from that moment on, if that was indeed the case. Customer loyalty 101 aced with an A+ and even J.D Power would be proud.:)

But their biggest connection with the customer was always... fundas or philosophy. "Beyond a point we are like kids to our children.We have to listen to them...." he'd tell the lady,who'd pay more attention to him that a SunTV daytime soap,while weighing the moong dal.The more lady nodded in agreement, the more the funda flowed and so did the moong dal into the plastic bag(tch tch!!).Over time, the globalization wave hit you hard on the face and made you stand in front of a unifom or an automated lady asking you to "Please place the items in the bag" even before you could wonder what the hell you dorm rommate bought (while he sheepishly answers that it was on a "deal" in the bakery section).... :))

The shopkeeper had ceased to be important until he came along as the "Soup Nazi" on Seinfeld... and you laughed ur a$$ off at this audacious man with a heart(awwwww!! Did you see how he connected with Kramer??) and wondered if Sunny Deol(with an obvious flashback) would play him in a movie role!! :)) The funda-vending shopkeeper is alive and well... kicking, as the deli guy or in a subdued role in Mom-n-Pop stores.But recently I came across one that was way more entertaining than any I'd seen in the recent past, in an experience that was throwback to my childhood days.