C – Chitra, The Clueless Comforter: BlogchatterA2Z

Chitra has a very special talent—no matter what terrible thing happens to you, she will immediately tell you about someone who had it way worse.

You could be lying in a hospital bed, barely holding it together, and she’d still hit you with a “This reminds me of my uncle’s neighbor’s cousin…” story that leaves you feeling confused and weirdly guilty for even thinking your situation was bad.

A few years ago, I had a very bad case of dengue. Not the “Oh, I have a fever and need rest” type—no, mine was the “rushed to the hospital, platelet levels crashing, doctors giving serious looks” type. It was so bad that even the hospital staff looked worried, which, as we all know, is never a good sign.

Miraculously, I pulled through. I survived. And as I slowly regained the ability to sit up without feeling like a truck hit me, I thought, Phew, that was intense.

Enter Chitra.

The moment she heard about my near-death experience, she clutched her heart dramatically and said:

“Oh my god! I know someone who had it WAY WORSE.”

I sighed. Here we go.

Me: “Chitra, I almost DIED.”

Chitra: (nodding vigorously) “Yeah, but my cousin’s roommate’s brother? HE had dengue AND malaria. At the same time.”

I blinked. What?

Me: “I mean, that sounds horrible, but I was literally in the ICU.”

Chitra: (undeterred) “I know, I know! But this guy? His platelet count dropped SO low, the doctors almost gave up. Like, they literally called his family to say goodbye!”

I stared at her.

Me: “Chitra. I was ALSO almost dead.”

Chitra: (gasps dramatically) “Oh my god. But at least you didn’t need a platelet transfusion, right?”

Me: “…I did.”

She paused. Calculated. Then brightened up again.

Chitra: “Okay, okay, but at least you didn’t have organ failure, na?”

I rubbed my temples.

Me: “Chitra. My liver and lungs were shutting down.”

At this point, she should have stopped. But no.

Chitra: (in full storyteller mode now) “Yaar, my uncle’s friend had both kidneys fail. He was on dialysis. And THEN he got dengue. Can you imagine?”

You know that feeling when you’re too tired to be mad? That was me. I had just survived a near-fatal disease, and somehow, Chitra was making me feel like I had underachieved at suffering.

Another Classic Chitra Moment:

A friend of ours cleared one group of CA finals but couldn’t clear the other—a huge achievement to clear one group. He was a little disappointed and we met to support him. While we were all cheering him on, Chitra clapped and said:

“That’s amazing! I mean, my cousin failed three times before clearing both groups in one go—AND his grandfather was in the hospital breathing his last breath. So, see? At least your journey wasn’t that tough!”

The poor guy was left standing there, awkwardly holding his success while Chitra made him feel grateful for not having extra struggles.

The Clueless Comforter teaches us that yes, perspective is important—but sometimes, people just need to feel what they’re feeling. Not everything is a competition in suffering.

We all have a Chitra in our lives—the one who accidentally makes us feel both comforted and guilty at the same time. While their stories might put things into perspective, sometimes all we really need is a simple:

“That’s terrible. Want some ice cream?”

Have you met a Chitra? Or—be honest—are YOU the Chitra in your group?

I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z"

Comments

Post a Comment

Read other posts

The Surname of Light

The theme of this bloghop was an invitation I couldn't ignore. I had a draft ready in my mind, waiting for the house to go quiet so I could finally pen it down. As I tucked my son in, I used his full name. “Aadi Parekh, let’s close our eyes.” Off he started his chants. “Maman Parekh,” “Papa Parekh,” “Dada Parekh,” “Dadi Parekh.” I smiled in the dimness. He knows our names, but he chose to anchor our formal family title to our designated roles. I was about to tell him how cute he was, assuming the census of our home was complete. “Light Parekh,” he whispered. I paused. My instinct was to correct him—to say that light isn't family. I caught the words before they left my lips. I saw the warmth on his face, a look of genuine recognition. I repeated “Light Parekh” with a hint of a question, waiting for the punchline of a toddler’s joke. He didn’t laugh. He looked at the floor lamp and smiled warmly. I stayed awake that night, my original draft forgotten. A two-year-old had just dism...
Read more

L: Legolepsy

Image
The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken. Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.
Read more

G: Glabella

  The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken .   Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for “why,” I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you’re a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you. I remember the day my son spent a very long time pointing out different places on the body and asking me what they were, repeatedly. “What’s this, Mama?” he’d ask, pointing to his elbow, then his knee, then his chin. We were on a roll until his tiny finger landed right between his eyebrows. He paused, looking at me with total expectation. I realized in that second that I had lived my entire life with that specific spot on my face, yet I had never once questioned what it was called myself. That small, flat space between your eyebrows, where worry and wonder often meet, is called the Glabella. The Glabella is more than just an anatomical land...
Read more

O: Opia

The Vocabulary of Life is an A–Z journey through the unspoken . Inspired by my toddler’s wonder and his relentless curiosity for "why," I’m exploring 26 days of word-nerd gems and sensory wonders that name the feelings we often share but can’t always describe. Whether you're a parent, a dreamer, or a seeker, there’s a word here for you.
Read more

Theme Reveal: The Vocabulary of Life (An A–Z Journey)

One day, I caught my toddler staring at a single patch of sunlight on the floorboards with such intensity that the rest of the world seemed to vanish. He wasn't just playing; he was observing. In that moment, I realized that while I have the words to describe my day, I didn't always have the words to describe his wonder. Life with a toddler is a constant stream of "Why?" and "What’s that?" But as a writer and a lover of language, I’ve found that our everyday vocabulary often falls short. We feel things—a specific nostalgia, a sudden sense of safety, the music of a repeating sound—that we simply don't have labels for. My son’s relentless curiosity for complex facts pushed me to dig deeper. I wanted to find the names for the invisible magic in our world, not just for him, but for all of us. This April, for the Blogchatter A2Z Challenge, I am embarking on: "The Vocabulary of Life: An A–Z Journey through the Unspoken." Over the...
Read more