Haryanavi humour is legendary. And it comes as much with subtle twirls of semantics as from the manner of speech. Rajbir Deswal uses both in his writings—the twirls and the punch—often with a hidden message a la jataka tales. This book is a collection of ‘middle’ pieces, written by Deswal over the years for many a newspaper. The author, an illustrious IPS officer from Haryana, in one of cartoons in the book is shown in full regalia slinging a pen, instead of his gun, from his shoulder. That somehow sums up the book. Deswal shoots from the mightier instrument. His middles, short and quirky, deal with the situation at hand; present his earthly view on the subject; and leaves the reader with a smile on face and a question in mind. The last chapter, a dating advice to champion boxer Vijender Singh, is worth mentioning here. After listing out various options for the pugilist, Deswal offers caution when it comes to dating Mallika Sherawat. For, he says, there could be a Gotra controversy and it may invite the wrath of self-styled village Panchayats in the state. Such is the punch that most middles are meant to deliver.
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