Sleep Doctor

Dilip Babani

It’s raining jokes in the China Hut this monsoon. The moment the exercises are over, we would pull up a chair each and get into a huddle, eager to share the wackiest, silliest and craziest jokes we’d have received on our mobiles the previous day. Against the backdrop of pelting rain and howling winds, roar after roar of laughter would emanate from the China Hut.
But not all jokes are funny. Some take the form of dreary sermons. Quite often the humour is lost in translation (from English to Hindi). And then, there’s Dilip Babani who can turn

Daily 'jokes session' in progress

a drab, sonorous tale into an uproarious comedy by the style of his narration.
More than that, Dilip is turning out to be a much-in-demand sleep therapist. After prescribing a ‘boring’ book to Kiran Prakash as the 'best sedative' available to humankind (see last post), he has decided to turn pro. Obviously he has some more tricks up his sleeve for other insomniacs and he is prepared to divulge them, only for a price. Shekhawat had all along believed that the secret to sound sleep lies in three pegs of whiskey; but now he too has conceded that Dilip knows something that he does not.
So here’s the deal. Whenever you find yourself tossing and turning at night, just give Dilip a call and he’ll turn up inside your bedroom (yes, bedroom) within minutes. What he does thereafter and how long he takes to put you to sleep would all depend on how much you pay him. The critical part though is that you’ll have to pay up in advance. Otherwise, Dilip will give you a rude whack and wake you up to claim his fees and you’ll have to submit yourself to the 'process' all over again.
Good night and sleep tight!