‘I was about to call you!’ Try to recall how many times you have given a caller this reply when the phone rang, although you had no plans to call him at all. You were, perhaps, even trying to avoid him. And to hide your embarrassment you uttered that lie. The caller might have accepted your lie as truth too, unless, of course, he was also of the same category. But don’t worry, we all lie, at least occasionally if not always; even the Mahatma did.  

Truth maybe unpleasant but sometimes lying comes naturally. During electioneering tonnes of lies are uttered by our netas in the name of secularism, security, fascism, development, progress etc. They themselves must be taking those lies with several spoons of ‘desh ka namak’. Yet, they will all be ready the next morning to unleash another dose of lies, old or fresh ones. 

What is a lie? It is to say something that is not true in a conscious effort to deceive somebody. It is not as simple because there are several types of lies. There are barefaced lies, big lies, butter lies, contextual lies, emergency lies etc. In fact, there is a also variety called honest lie! I am not sure how anybody who is honest can utter a lie or it may be that he is honest enough to lie.

The barefaced lie can be classified further as a bold-faced lie. The bold-faced lie is one that is uttered with confidence as if it is truth, only truth and nothing but the truth. Through a big lie, we try to fool someone but soon the truth comes out. Such a lie lasts only when the gullible victim believes that such an untruth cannot be concocted. But sooner or later, common sense prevails and the lie gets exposed. Bluffing is another form of lie. Some people manage to bluff their way out of  a tricky situation. When there is a lack concern for truth, what emerges is bullshit. When someone engages you in a boring lengthy conversation on a phone which you want to terminate politely, you will utter a butter lie and terminate the talk. Butter lies also come handy to ward off the visit by an unwelcome guest. If you practice economy with truth, you will deliberately hold back facts and voluntarily give false information. 

We may have to resort to emergency lies to save a certain situation from going out of hands if the truth is revealed. Exaggeration is also lying, but it actually is stretching the truth to create a false impression. Misrepresentation of truth is another form lying. An insignificant or harmless lie is called a fib. A half truth can be a half lie too because in this case, both are mixed up. Then there are polite lies and noble lies as well.

What about an honest lie? Sounds like an oxymoron? No sir, here there is no intention to cheat, mislead or bluff, but just that one was not aware that the information provided is false. (Not this write-up, anyhow!) But the truth is plain and simple. There are no white truths or harmless truths That’s why, perhaps, they are scarce.