Grin and Bear It
by Kamna Chhabra
Neuman, the
fictional mascot of Mad magazine, is famously
known for his gap-toothed grin, a feature that
instantly makes him recognizable. This grin,
which is more a hallmark than a mere quirk,
highlights how a distinctive smile can do more
than add to the facial beauty- shape perceptions
too.
And this I found out the hard way when a friend
called to say she was feeling low. I went to her
place, hoping to lend a shoulder. But when I
arrived and tried to appear serious, my smile
undermined my intentions. She abruptly stopped
sharing her feelings and gave me a quizzical look,
bordering on anger. I tried to apologise for my
misunderstood demeanour, but to no avail.
In my childhood, whenever I was caught doing
anything wrong and punished, my ever-rosy smile
made things worse, as I would stand with a grin
so goofy that it looked like I was proudly
auditioning for the role of ‘India’s
Most Shameless Idiot.’ Sometimes the
repercussions were dire, such as this incident in
the examination hall.
It was our history exam. My friend gestured and
asked me the difficulty of the question paper.
Feeling confident and happy as a lark, as always,
I smiled widely at her. Unfortunately, the
invigilator, with a brook no nonsense approach,
immediately reprimanded me for talking, asking me
to wipe that smile off my face. If only I could.
When I tried to explain things to her, my
cheerful appearance did not help one bit, and the
slaps I received added to the redness of my
cheeks.
Moreover, I often faced criticism from my
teachers and was, invariably, marked down by
those who never believed in the adage that a
smile is the shortest distance between two people,
and even if they did it was to bridge that
distance to give me a good dressing down, as in
the case of that invigilator. Should I blame such
people for misinterpreting my smile as smirk and
believing that I was making fun of them?
The only bright side, if it can be termed so, is
that during adversities, I appear strong and
unflappable, but, at the same time, it is a real
challenge for the likes of me to convey the depth
of our feelings when our cheery disposition runs
counter to the demands of circumstance, with
sympathy and sensitivity ruling.
I sometimes envy those who flash a smile at the
right time, instead of wearing it perpetually on
their face like me. I also wish I could have
exchanged it for a more sedate look, a la Cassius
about whom Caesar had remarked, ‘Seldom he
smiles.’
But alas! I am done for, ironically, because of
my smile. I am resigned to my fate, telling
myself, ‘Grin and bear it.’
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