<p>Like every one of us, I have had my share of blushes in life. My earliest memory of a rather large number of embarrassing moments is when I was caught with a tube of Ethymol, a brand of toothpaste. It was colourful and tasted delightfully sweet, and I enjoyed eating it more than brushing with it.</p>.<p>One day, I decided to consume one whole tube, and I found an empty room in the house. But I was soon caught by my sisters. I was promptly produced before my father marched to our father. I was shivering with fear and feeling ashamed. Thankfully, I was neither taken to task nor caned. Everybody had a hearty laugh, and I never ate toothpaste again.</p>.<p>When I was in primary school, I decided that, like my sisters, I must also dress up when I go to school. So, I covered my face and head with talcum powder and managed to get out of the school without my mother’s notice. Thankfully, my teacher caught me before I entered the class and dusted off the extra powder from my head.</p>.<p>The next instance occurred during my early schooling in the lower secondary class. We were given the homework assignment of paraphrasing a short poem: Abu Ben Adam, may his tribe increase, had a dream one night. I promptly paraphrased it as: One night Abu Ben Adam had a dream. He got up and started increasing his tribe. Need I mention the reaction of the class when the teacher read it out loud? And I took my teacher’s advice and completed my English homework with my parents’ help from then on.</p>.<p>My brush with blush didn’t end with my schooling.</p>.<p>When I was the Assistant Commissioner of Chitradurga, the amount of compensation to be paid to the owner in a land acquisition case was unduly delayed, and the court ordered the attachment of my chair. I was thrown out of my office! The government, thankfully, took immediate action and released the funds not only for my office but for the whole district. Undeservedly, I got their gratitude and became popular, though initially there was severe embarrassment.</p>.<p>Devaraj Urs had a liking for me and once, at Chitradurga, asked me for a pen. And I had lost my pen in the crowd. He admonished me, saying, “What kind of Deputy Commissioner are you, coming to the CM without even a pen?” Though he immediately calmed down when I told him I had just lost it and said, “Then I withdraw what I said,” I was clearly embarrassed.</p>.<p>We are bound to face many embarrassing situations in our lives. But we should learn how to face the blushes without losing balance.</p>
<p>Like every one of us, I have had my share of blushes in life. My earliest memory of a rather large number of embarrassing moments is when I was caught with a tube of Ethymol, a brand of toothpaste. It was colourful and tasted delightfully sweet, and I enjoyed eating it more than brushing with it.</p>.<p>One day, I decided to consume one whole tube, and I found an empty room in the house. But I was soon caught by my sisters. I was promptly produced before my father marched to our father. I was shivering with fear and feeling ashamed. Thankfully, I was neither taken to task nor caned. Everybody had a hearty laugh, and I never ate toothpaste again.</p>.<p>When I was in primary school, I decided that, like my sisters, I must also dress up when I go to school. So, I covered my face and head with talcum powder and managed to get out of the school without my mother’s notice. Thankfully, my teacher caught me before I entered the class and dusted off the extra powder from my head.</p>.<p>The next instance occurred during my early schooling in the lower secondary class. We were given the homework assignment of paraphrasing a short poem: Abu Ben Adam, may his tribe increase, had a dream one night. I promptly paraphrased it as: One night Abu Ben Adam had a dream. He got up and started increasing his tribe. Need I mention the reaction of the class when the teacher read it out loud? And I took my teacher’s advice and completed my English homework with my parents’ help from then on.</p>.<p>My brush with blush didn’t end with my schooling.</p>.<p>When I was the Assistant Commissioner of Chitradurga, the amount of compensation to be paid to the owner in a land acquisition case was unduly delayed, and the court ordered the attachment of my chair. I was thrown out of my office! The government, thankfully, took immediate action and released the funds not only for my office but for the whole district. Undeservedly, I got their gratitude and became popular, though initially there was severe embarrassment.</p>.<p>Devaraj Urs had a liking for me and once, at Chitradurga, asked me for a pen. And I had lost my pen in the crowd. He admonished me, saying, “What kind of Deputy Commissioner are you, coming to the CM without even a pen?” Though he immediately calmed down when I told him I had just lost it and said, “Then I withdraw what I said,” I was clearly embarrassed.</p>.<p>We are bound to face many embarrassing situations in our lives. But we should learn how to face the blushes without losing balance.</p>