Pingu

Gary was an advocate in the sessions court. He was returning home from work one evening. The bus conductor approached him, and he pulled out his wallet. There were two one-rupee coins and a two thousand rupee note. He gave the note to the conductor, who said he'll return the change later. The traffic was horrendous, the rain only exacerbated it. He couldn't find any place to be seated. The only vacant seat was in the women's section of the bus. Gary was so frustrated that he occupied that seat, regardless. The woman next to him enquired about whether he was female. He replied in the affirmative. He couldn't care less. For some strange reason, that reply impressed the lady and she was smitten by his overall persona. All of a sudden at the next stop, she latched on to his wrist and made him alight from the bus with her.

She asked him what he would like to eat, and even before Gary could come to terms with what was happening, they were seated inside a pan-asian restaurant. Penelope introduced herself, and said that she was a theoretical physicist. She said she was writing a research paper, and that the process was driving her nuts. She didn't indulge in any kind of small talk, as her life revolved only around matters of gravitas. She was a borderline sociopath. It was the first time, in life, that she was taking interest in an acquaintance.

Penelope's next question was whether they should have kids. He assumed that she was asking in the generic sense, and said that it was a fantastic idea. His justification was that the predicament of overpopulation will be compounded, and the world will end a bit sooner. That impressed Penelope even more, and she asked what their child should be called. Gary was flummoxed.

At that point, Gary started developing strong feelings for her, and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He picked up a tissue paper from the table, tore out a small piece, folded it in the shape of a ring, and went down on one knee. Penelope's ecstasy, intertwined with eccentricity meant she was running against the flow of vehicles on a busy street. Gary chased her. Ten minutes later, both of them were out of breath. Penelope was keen to know what they would name their child. And she demanded an answer, immediately. Gary was forced to conjure something up. A spur-of-the-moment decision made him say, "Pingu".

She gave him a smirk, but looking at his straight face realized that he wasn't joking. Penelope was intrigued about the derivation, and probed that aspect. Gary, matter-of-factly said that he combined both their names, and this was the nicest of the resultant outcomes. Penelope was over the moon, with that answer. The following day, they were pronounced Mrs. & Mr. Flood. They both got busy with their own professional lives, thereafter. About a year later, little Pingu Flood was introduced to the world. The boy seemed to know everything from the moment he was born. He wore a look of scepticism more often than not.

The first thing his mother taught him was the periodic table. Pingu was a sharp kid, a quick learner; tended to ace whatever he did. Unlike his parents, Pingu was affable, and thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie with his peers and everyone else he encountered. People were always jovial and in good spirits around him. As time passed, their mannerisms and disposition grew a bit odd. Upon introspection he arrived at a consensus: they weren't laughing 'with' him, instead, they were laughing 'at' him.

The first day it affected him and he ruminated over the problem, burning the midnight oil. He could strike back and assert his intolerance towards their callous behavior. On the downside, his weakness would be exposed. At any given occasion, when folks with ulterior motives wanted to get under Pingu's skin, all they needed to do was pull out the trump card, and they'd have him on a string. This didn't seem like a viable proposition.

He could put on a poker face and react in a stoic manner. This might have worked in the near future, but eventually his peers would call the bluff, and sense that he's faking anger and irritation. The pot of simmering, pent up rage might flare-up at any given point with potentially devastating consequences. This too wasn't a sustainable route.

He was just about to go down the stairs and ask mamma Flood, and get her two cents on the matter. At the end of the first flight of stairs he had an epiphany. A door opened and revealed itself in the form of the third option. He could play along. He had to think of it objectively, put himself in their shoes, and laugh at a funny name. In doing this, he would be led down a path of becoming thick-skinned. He would revel in the moment and join in on the action, instead of being singled out and becoming an easy target. Voila!

As time passed Pingu grew smarter and wiser through experience. He figured that the game of success is based mostly on standing out. He was an outlier anyways, so that transition was as smooth as a knife through butter. He leveraged the uniqueness of his name and started on a journey of brand building.

The school had a ‘Tuck Shop Day’ in November of every year. On that day, anyone who was interested could make and sell homemade treats. The proceeds would go towards a charity of their choice. A lot of them made lemonade, doughnuts, sweets and candies. Pingu thought long-term. He designed a logo. It had a penguin tossing a pancake on one hand. Around the image was written “Pingu's Pancakes” in big bold letters. He brought a standee and set-up shop. The whole school flocked to his stall and his stock sold out in minutes. So much so, that people posted pictures of themselves eating his pancakes with the logo in the background, on socials.

He went on to do a Master's in Business Administration, and launched “Pingu's Group of Industries”. “Pingu's Travels”, “Pingu's Records” and “Pingu Consulting” were a few of the dominant segments. Life was good. One peaceful evening, he sat down on his bespoke couch made of Italian leather; black and white, with a yellow hand rest. Pingu colors. He reflected on the ride thus far, and objectively assessed the tremendous rise en route to going from rags-to-riches.

He flipped a crippling weakness and a debilitating threat, into an opportunity and a strength with a radical stroke of genius. He embraced his situation, and made the most of it by looking at the bright side. While the rest of the world was busy fitting in, he made a conscious decision and elected to stand out. If there ever is a reunion and he catches up with his school buddies, the equation will remain the same. But while the others grin sheepishly, Pingu will hold his head high and laugh his lungs out. This time, the joke's on them.