It is strange how the suffix ‘rekha’ repeatedly affects our lives. Our frontline health workers – let’s salute them – are our lifeline today as they relentlessly fight the COVID-19 pandemic against overwhelming odds. In our concern to ward off the deadly virus, we have “mask lines” on our faces thanks to the tight-fitting “muzzles” everyone sports. Then we worry about a raised waist or a receding hairline.
Businessmen are deeply concerned about the bottom line in their balance sheets, while our politicians have miserably failed to rein in the rising price line. It is the common man’s curse that will inevitably end up at the breadline or below the poverty line!
In cricket, we see the bodyline of fast bowlers bowing down to the bowling bully. The revealing creations of fashion designers — plunging necklines, rising hemlines, and plummeting backlines — send them over the bank with raised eyebrows (and hackles), underscoring the need for modesty in attire.
Of course, the clothesline at home is the epitome of homely, pure and simple, while a fisherman’s fishing line is the crucial link between him and a naive fish, who “tight line!” World leaders use hotlines to deal with emergencies or to mitigate a crisis, while ordinary mortals like us bank on smartphones who are rapidly outpacing landlines. We also have snowlines, timberlines and of course, airlines and railway lines – not to mention ship waterlines.
Power lines are the lifeline of a nation and industrial strikes cause production lines to crumble. Laughter lines or worry lines tend to wrinkle our faces, sometimes strangely. And don’t we streamline a work schedule to meet a deadline?
Then there are the political hypocrites who refuse to obey the party line and the spies who operate behind enemy lines. News reports have a date and a weak story can ruin a novel. We scan daily newspaper headlines and ask for directions when in doubt about an assignment. And no one ever likes to be on edge!
Sometimes we find ourselves in the firing line, with the boss or our elders letting off steam. Or we are disappointed by the harsh stance adopted by the boss or superior. The battle lines are drawn when we prepare for a showdown with our opponents, and don’t we just scan the horizon during kite flying season? Horse-breeders are particular about their stallions’ bloodlines, and the medical fraternity is familiar with borderline cases of hairline fractures and diseases.
Finally, in this age of advanced computer technology, some of us haven’t been online. Taking the line of least resistance, perhaps it could be called a punch-line!