Papa Full Volume!

In the quiet little lane of Mango Tree Colony, lived a boy named Arush and his wonderfully weird father—Papa Vinod. Now Papa Vinod wasn't just loud. He was louder than a train whistle, louder than a thunderstorm, louder than the school bell during lunch break!

- Ritu Jain

Every morning, even before the alarm clock rang, the whole house—and sometimes the whole neighbourhood—knew Papa was awake.

“GAAAAA-GARGLE-GURG-GURRGHHH!”

That was Papa Vinod gargling in the bathroom. It didn’t sound like mouthwash—it sounded like a tornado doing somersaults in a cave!

“Papa! Can you gargle softly?” Arush would shout from the kitchen, covering his ears.

“This is my soft gargle!” Papa would reply, cheerfully—and of course, LOUDLY.

And that was just the beginning.

Next came his burp. Not a tiny brrp, not a shy urp. No, no, no. Papa's burps were full-blown foghorn festivals.

“BBBBBUUUUURRRRRPPPPP!”

The window panes shook, the clock ticked backwards, and even the neighbour’s dog whimpered and hid under the sofa.

And if Papa was feeling extra jolly, he would hum. But not like other people. Papa’s humming could shake the cupboards.

“Mmmm-mmmm-MMMMMM!” he’d sing while making tea, sounding like a tractor crossed with a giant bee.

By the time breakfast was served, Arush felt like he had survived a mini-earthquake, a concert, and a stampede—all rolled into one.

One day, as his cereal spoon jumped from his bowl due to a Papa burp-quake, Arush decided he had had enough.

“That’s it!” he said, his hair slightly standing up from the vibrations. “I’m going to stop Papa’s loudness once and for all.”

And so began...Operation Silent Papa!

Plan 1: Cotton Ball Caper

While Papa was napping on Sunday afternoon, Arush tiptoed into the room and stuffed two big cotton balls into his dad’s ears.

“If Papa can’t hear himself, maybe he’ll lower his volume,” Arush whispered.

When Papa woke up, he stretched, yawned, and shouted, “GOOD MORNING, ARUSH!”