The Adventure Through The Jungle

It was pouring cats and dogs. The expedition was planned for sundown but the rains caused a delay. Nevertheless, dressed in the rainy day outfit - shorts, a tee and slippers, we stepped out. It took less than 2 mins for our feet to get wet. The sky wasn't clearly visible through the tall dense trees that skycrape-ed above us. The downpour had momentarily reduced. A light drizzle sprinkled on us as we moved through the puddles. 
Armed with a only a pink umbrella, we struggled to protect ourselves from the heavens' showers and from the splashes from the unruly creatures that drove on the roads. "This is why we should've come out at noon." she complained about my decision,"It never rains then!"
The road must've been beautiful, but now all remained was broken pavement stones and uneven concrete.We continued to waddle through the darkness and the dirt, minding the ditches and the blinding lights of the cars. 2 blocks down, a left, another 2 blocks and we had arrived at our destination - a small cave for all the food we needed to survive. It was referred to by the tribe as a super market. 
After picking up 2 loafs of bread from outside, we stepped into the air-conditioned interiors. It was buzzing with other predators all rushing around to fill their baskets. There was hardly any place to move. Each pack was allotted an attendant who would assist their search. Packet after packet fell into the baskets.
With 3 bags filled with nick-knacks, that should last a week, balanced neatly on our arms we pushed open the door to the place where we had found the bread only to be hit by a gush of wind and a new storm that must've begun when we were distracted by the goodies indoors. We decided to wait till it reduced before venturing out. 
The journey back wasn't as easy as the former. Sensing the difficulties ahead I offered we take one of the unusual 3 legged- 1 eyed vehicles that ferried the people along. "This is kinda fun" is was what I got in return. So, we set out. Avoiding the rushing cars and the running people, trying to figure out whether this was sewer water we were treading on. 
Managing 3 bags, a purse and an umbrella was a wee bit complicated, but taking turns to get wet is how we managed to solve the problem. Another stop for fruits and eggs was due, but the eggs were inaccessible so they were scratched off the list while the fruits were easily acquired quite close to the place we had begun calling home.
Adding a little more luggage onto the pile and trudging the last few metres up to our residential den, we had conquered the concrete jungle of Mumbai on a stormy day. 

(* the origin of the term 'concrete jungle' was picked up from a beautiful song called 'New York'  where the same was referred to as the said term. I have not researched to figure out whether there is an earlier origin. Just a disclaimer)

Through The Darkness Of The Tunnel, The Train Arrives.

The world was upside down. As she lay on her bed with her head dangling off the side, she quietly contemplated her life. In the darkness she could barely make out her table and book shelf but her eyes were on the mirror- fearfully expecting a ghastly figure to pop out. A childish scare. She felt older now. The tables had turned. No longer was she the one taken care of, she was now the caretaker. No longer did she need an escort everywhere she went, she had become the escort. When had this change happened?


It was a sunny afternoon, she was in the front seat for a change, in-charge of notifying any upcoming speed-breakers on the road, while the ladies dozed in the back seat. She gazed outside over the valley, the little canal lazily flowing through, the monkeys jumping from tree to tree, the little children who flashed a big grin and waved back at her, the random purple bungalow, the WB truck with eyes of a woman painted over his headlights, the shimmering pond, the dense trees, the women working in the fields, the mirages up ahead... She was just about to push the stop button of her walkman to tell her father about the mirage when she was sucked back into the darkness of her room. How long ago was that? Have so many years really passed away so quickly? 


 It was midnight. The city was asleep but she wasn't. Under the white spot light of her table lamp, she worked on her math for school when she heard someone mumble. She turned around to see her tiny sister sit up, glassy eyed sleep talking. She screamed out her name frightened and terrified. Her eyes snapped open. Her head had begun to hurt with all the blood gushing downwards towards her head. She is all grown up now, older, wiser, a tiny bit more responsible. I feel so proud. 


She sat up and lay down flat on her stomach.Straightening out her stuffed toys as she did. She was in her pretty skirt and painful shoes. The irritating stage lights were flashing again when she felt him take her hand and twirl her around the dance floor. How instantaneously he could get a smile on her face! She laughed like never before and noticed a mischievousness twinkle in his eyes. But before she could stop it, he had had her in an awkward dip. She playfully hit him. She looked up smiling and saw his droopy eyes wink at her as his face disappeared into the darkness of her room. Is he going to remain a mere bundle of photos and memories? 


She rolled over her back and looked at the fan. Was it already time to say goodbye? Didn't we just have a farewell the other day? Clad in a copper sulphate blue saree, she tried to strut around the school assembly hall, nervously and very self consciously catwalk-ing for the crowning of the schools' fashion title. The slam books, the photo sessions, the outings, the empty promises to meet again, the long distance phone calls, the inland letters that eventually stopped being delivered... 


She glanced nervously at the mirror again. Maybe I should cover it with a cloth...  and she looked elsewhere. Her eyes fell on the obese books that were stacked on one another on her table. Its time. she thought, It's time for the next chapter. The new tide is rising, slowly moving in, unstoppable. And I am at the beach. The tide, that will fall over it and change the entire landscape around it, is on its way. 


She was lying on a sandy beach, the sea licking her bare feet, the breeze toying with her lush open hair. She is in her room, the reflecting mirror troubling her again, she frowns. Her lids are heavy. What time is it?  She sees the sun peeking out of the horizon, causing the waters to shimmer and dance as she drifts into her sweet slumber...

Letting Go.

Wrote this almost a year ago, thought I'd post it anyway. :) 

She sat there under the chestnut tree, waiting. She knew he'd never show, because that's what they had decided on.
Yet she waited as she always did, while the wind relentlessly attempted to wipe away her free flowing tears... She promised to wait just that one day and never to do so ever again. She was weak, she knew she was. She needed his presence, his love, his touch... He soothed her... He controlled her... He understood her... She knew she'd come back again...
She looked up at the overcast sky and then the indifferent people walking by and thought,'how silly we people are...we want to be pampered and loved all the time... As if they were mere 4-year olds... Talked to... Given attention to..fussed about...'
She watched the happy couples strolling hand in hand, looking lovey-dovey and recalled how much it had disgusted her, how it had make her skin cringe, how she believed it was such a waste of time and how everything changed once he came along...
'Oh whats the point in pondering over this now' she moaned to herself, 'He's gone now and its all your own fault...'
She remembered how this common dislike to relationships was what had brought them closer... When they moved from being collegues to friends and when it became a crush...she could not recall... But they were happy... Every second together was pure joy...
Then she recalled the fights they had, the silly things she wished he'd do, the things he stopped doing, the places they stopped going... It got complicated and there seemed no way out.
Friends bitched and consoled. She hated hearing them say bad things about him. He wasn't such a bad person. She knew him. They didn't! What gave them the right to talk that way!
She always loved unconditionally... Her biggest weakness... No matter how much someone hurt her... She'd always love them... Care for them... Wait for them...
It was time to let go again... Time to move on... She couldn't make the same mistakes again... She had believed this would be different... Yes it was. It was more mature... Yet pathetically immature... More beautiful... More delightful... It just had the same sad ending... No one likes sad endings... But it's what the movies always fail to tell... Most of life is a sad ending... But did someone say the ending was what we were living for? We watched movies for the songs and dances, the laughs and the fights, the heros and the heroines! Not only for the ending!
She smiled as she recalles how many of her friends never understood this key fact about life and always skipped to the last page or scene in the book or movie! She let a sigh of relief out when she realized there was more to life than him. Her whole gang of friends, her family oh-so-far away.. they all still loved her, even if he didn't seem to.
She looked up at the tree as a small breeze rustled it's leaves and took one loose one into the air and far away. She closed her eyes and smiled for the leaf that was finally free.

When The Clouds Come Out To Play

So now that the rains are back, so is my creative writing skills! Believe you me, nothing is as soothing as monsoons hitting your city after you spent the entire hot humid summer in hostel without luxuries of the first world! I might catch a cold, get stuck with a horrible headache, never have dry clothes even after wash again, but hey! its not 45 degrees any more! The nights and days are cool again! There was a night this summer that was literally a warm summer night and no its not as romantic as it sounds.


So for about 4 years now, I have ritually gone about suffering the summer, having the same trivial conversations about the weather and sweating my skin out. Now one would be curious why would someone- who hates the season so much- willingly remain in a hostel with no lavish amenities. Well unfortunately every year I spend the summer waiting for the exams to begin. And every year I regret staying back because the tests never begin before July (and if they do, they are manually pushed forward in time). The classes all shut down a month or two before and all I have are my books for company. I suppose the geeks would think of this as if living in paradise- no distractions, just you and your big fat books, but not me! If I even spend a day without getting out the campus walls, I get claustrophobic and have minor anxiety attacks. 


Last year was a riot. We had 2 years worth portion to cover -read and revise- within a months time and of course the summer and the humidity! Last year was torture! 7 papers in a months time followed by practicals! This year around it seems quieter. 1 Year worth subject to cover, summer is over, have couple of more weeks to kill before the investigation into our knowledge begins again. (What scares me is next year - 4 years worth subjects! ) 


This year I made sure I didn't go crazy like last! Made a couple of random but regular trips to wards, no not only to avoid contact with my books right away but also to learn [No one, I mean no one should ever spend all day and night with their books, they metamorphose into stuff you never really want to see again and well in this field we can't really get rid of them, can we? Everything in moderation!! ] Spent evenings playing badminton or going on long strolls - both involving loss of a lot of water and electrolyte but this way.. I remained sane. 

There was one day that it got so hot in my room, that I gave in! I gave in and went to study in the reading room that our hostel has. Few months back, I would like to thank them, the students put up a strike and got the management to finally put the AC's the slots in the windows were made for! It was a life saver! Spent the last weeks of the scorching summer there. One night, to escape the humidity of the room, I remained there till 2 in the morning ( it could also be the fault of the strong coffee I had had that evening ). But now that the rains have cooled my room off - I actually spent the entire day today without having to shut my windows!- I haven't visited winter wonderland since. Don't be disheartened oh room! Once it gets horridly humid again, make sure to save me a seat ;)

I think it was just our first year and a year in between that we truly enjoyed the rains. Rains always remind me of the first day of school - in shiny new uniform, sparkling shoes, the tie and belt tied neatly to the pinafore and how all of it is completely muddy by the last bell! Just because we are older -legally adults- doesn't mean  we are all neat and tidy! We still make a wonderful trip through the rains and get all our clothes, shoes and hair wet and muddy! The joy of strolling around in the college building, watching the rain through the windows of our classroom, the burning desire to run out of the boring micro lecture about organisms we never see, is something I day-dream about sitting here in solitude surrounded by my monstrous books. We never get rainy day holidays any more (we live 100m away from coll, what do you expect!), but its alright! Its a whole different experience by itself. I actually wonder if we will have any more rainy days classes at all... only one more year to go, and we are done with classes. Life will change drastically soon -yet again-. 

So, right now, I wait, re-living last years wait, with the cool monsoon breeze in my room and a pile of books to tackle growling at me from my desk, I wait for the politics and confusion to end, I wait for the monotonous exam days to pass so that I can wear my lab coat again and strut down the halls of my college, study new subjects and dread the same summer routine that is bound to happen next year! 

Birthdays

The annually occurring celebration that everyone patiently waits for! The day God, The Supremacy or The Universe -however you see it- gave life to you! The day all your senses were exposed to the earthly atmosphere! The celebration of the only day when your mother was relieved to hear you wail our throat out! Yup, The Birthday.  


Initial few birthdays you doesn't really recall at all but I am sure it involved getting dressed in the prettiest outfit and having your cheeks have their life squeezed out of them! Then once you start going to school, two things start out - The school rituals and the birthday party rituals. I have to say, as a child, all these formalities was a win-win situation for both the b'day baby and his/her friends  but doubt it was ever a pleasant time for either parties parents!


The School Rituals: 


The b'day baby has one major duty and in return he/she receives a grand privilege. Duty requires them to distribute small toffees to every student in class and a special sweet or chocolate to each teacher. In return, the school loosens its strict uniform policy and the b'day baby is allowed to wear a causal outfit of their choice and as a tribute from the students and teachers alike the poor kid is made to stand in front of the whole school or class and have 'Happy Birthday' sung to them. Personally I remember being thrilled standing in front of the class but I know a lot of friends who were quite embarrassed by the whole ceremony! 


The Birthday Party Rituals: 

• The Date And Time: The Birthday and Time usually after school hours if it's a working day; I think Sundays also it was in the evening hours.

• The Venue: In our days (oh! that makes me feel so old...yet experienced, thus happy and proud ) our parties were right at home. Nowadays I hear parents book restaurants or party halls or a section of McDonald's to reduce their over all burden. I suppose for working parents it seems justified. Anyway! In our days it was in our own houses - the drawing room, or the roof or the sweet garden outside; I think we've celebrated everywhere! 

• The Decoration: For the parents who book hotels, well they miss out on this tedious but fun aspect. I distinctly remember Papa coming home early from work on these days just to hang up the streamers -which had to be specifically from the fan- and blow the balloons because Ma would be busy playing Chef.

• The Guest List: Now depending on whether you had colony or apartment or just your friends from school, your guest list differed. When the guest list included babies and young children, they were undoubtedly accompanied by their mothers or care-takers - who would be kind enough to lend the host mother a hand- but as the kids enter teenage-hood they come along by themselves.

• The Agenda: Most of the time, we'd have a round of games - Passing The Parcel, Musical Chairs, - followed by the cake cutting ceremony and then delicious food made by the Chef {Ma or the booked hotel's Chef - unquestionably you know whose was more devoured!}

• The Gifts (Received And Return): Now keep in mind, as a child and as a child at heart, this is the most important part of the day! Younger 'us' gets toys, initially gender based toys - girls get tons of Barbies and tea sets while boys got  cars and G.I. Joes. Then they become gender neutral for a while, books, gadgets, shoes etc. As a teenager its gender specific again, girls gifts have to involve earrings, hair accessories, nail polish and what not! (Personally do not enjoy this stereotype!) and guys get wallets, socks, ties, computer gadgets. As I mentioned before, it is a win-win situation for every kid invited to the party, so as a bribe or treat - take it as you wish- the little kiddos get a small goody bag filled with toffees, a mediocre geometry box, stickers and things of the sort. It was the duty of the b'day baby to hand out the return gift and thank each guest for their splendid company!  

• The Post Party Excitement: I distinctly remember being exempted from all the homework for the day and simply sitting amongst all my gifts, not wanting to go to bed, just so as to prolong the one day that I become a princess! 

These lengthy rituals go on for a while, longer for few than for the others, after which the whole pattern changes. As one moves through his/her teenage years, not only does he/she get picker about his/her friend circle but also realizes the amount of fuss the kiddish birthday party creates. I think maybe out of want for privacy one starts giving 'treats' as a replacement for the big b'day bash but still the same. Gifts are still received and an expensive outing is given as the return gift. Honestly speaking, either because it is true or because the money is spent right under our eyes, I find this whole thing a win-lose situation. Anyway, everyone loves a trip outside.


During school days it was quite wonderful because we were still under our parents restrictions and rules and had rarely gone on such outings. It was our first few adventures on our own. Mostly the treats were given at malls, fast food stores and others just like.
But once in hostel, life completely changed. The freedom was exploited and to tell you the truth after 4 years in hostel and 4 years of multiple treats and more-than-you-can-count number of outings, I am pretty exhausted with this adolescent-adulthood transition birthday ritual. Initially the first birthday at hostel would be hosted by your closest friend or your room-mate, who'd arrange for the cake and decoration and the entire wing would help decorate your room. An hour before 12 A.M. you would be ushered into another room (or bathroom in my case) and then surprised by all the girls. Of course once done, the surprise disappears. But it was still a delight to be princess for the day the following year too. Drawback of all this was that the mini-wardens never liked the commotion most girls make. I suppose with the shrill voices no one would be happy to hear it at midnight, it would scare you to the core! Another ritual I learnt about in hostel was the birthday bumps - painful kicks, lifts and falls given to the b'day baby which according to Wikipedia is meant to drive away evil and attract good luck!


Now, sadly the win-lose ritual the treat still persists. Now not only does your friend circle grow but they don't hesitate to demand a treat, assuming it is their birth right to eat out of our pocket money. As always, initially the excuse to be host to a large group of friends and have a tiny food-party was rather exciting. Figuring out what means of transport to use to reach the well chosen restaurant-that was neither too cheap nor too expensive-, being seated after giving the hotel manager and waiter a delight by entering as a large number, having to order for so many people, having trivial and pointless conversation with each other covering every possible topic! All of it becomes a part of the new improved ritual!


Oh! The gifts though remain the same. Gender oriented! I suppose most people like it. Forgive me, it is after all just an opinion. But I do like how, as we grow older, gifts from our parents become more meaningful and more personalized. Around the mid-teens, parents (poor things have to see through our tantrums of that phase) start giving the b'day teen an option to choose his/her own gift within a given budget. This is a rather nice system. 


Since these are all the birthday parties and treats I've attended I have no data on how birthdays are as adults and parents. But if I may, as a family, we buy small gifts for our parents, cut a home made cake and have an outing to a fancy restaurant for dinner and drive around the city. 


And as for being the gift giver. I find it quite challenging finding the right gift. It is very important to me that the gift be something that is required by the recipient and not something that would be eventually throw away or kept on a shelf to collect dust. Another thing that is going out of fashion -I think its already extinct- is the Card. Probably Archie's is at a loss with respect to this. I developed a wonderful habit of making cards for the ones closest to me. For some it might seem like a tedious job, but I quite enjoy it. I have a sort of thing for stationary items and craft! So usually a card and a useful gift is what I present to the b'day babies!


Before I close off, a thought had struck me few weeks back - Shouldn't a birthday be a celebration for the parents rather than the child? To avoid making the blog post rather vulgar and non-veg, I will ask you to simply give that a thought!
Overall birthdays are a wonderful day of the year with all the simple yet crazy rituals and I would suggest that this year on your birthday you go home and show your gratitude to the parents who created you. :)

My Love For Travels. [Italian Tour Part II & Gopalpur-On-Sea]

I love travelling. I love seeing new places. I love beaches, I love mountains, I love monuments and their history and I love them all even though they aren't every different in different places! 

I suppose my love for sight-seeing and travelling comes from my grandfather. Genetic or acquired as it got passed down to my mother who got our little nuclear family 'tourist-ing' every holiday we got! We've been to big famous places - recently places across Italy, The Great Monuments Of India herself - The Taj Mahal, Lal Kila, Fathepursikri, Mysore Palace, The Gateway Of India, The India Gate (list really goes on) and small places in outskirts of cities we lived - a funny place named Horsely Hills, a beautiful  man-made modern town called Lavasa, the caves of Khandagiri and Udaygiri, little museums all over the place... 

Gopalpur Lighthouse

So, couple of weeks back, I made a trip to a beach called Gopalpur with my grandparents. By road it takes about 4 hours tops and one of the sweetest things one passes through on the way is a very unique pair of hills which the locals have named as uncle and nephew in odiya! Once in Gopalpur, drive gradually towards the beach and you would find yourself driving down a road almost parallel to the sea coast with a breathe taking view of the clear sands and water. This area was like a mini-Carter Road (Mumbai). To one's surprize the beach is very clean and the usual mixture of people is found strolling and enjoying themselves. This is place is actually called 'Gopalpur-On-Sea' as there is a Gopalpur-on-land without any water body connection! Its main attractions are the lighthouse and the port. 

Piazza del campo

 While returning I realized, the fun of the travel doesn't end once you get there! Its still another adventure going back from the destination to the starting point! And I recalled the Italian Tour I had taken few months back with my family. After Rome, we took a car down to Florence. 

Towers Of San Gimignano

On the way our driver-cum-guide showed the wonderful vineyards from a distance and two very beautiful places called San Gimignano And Siena. Small places sure they were but they were astounding!! The former known for its awe-inspiring Towers and architecture and the latter for the Cathedral and Piazza!

Ponte Vecchio

After the two Tuscan cities, we were left at Florence whose tour - short and quick - we had the next day. Florence has a lot of history and the tour seems rather incomplete but we can't everything our way, can we?  Firenze, as they call it, is famous for having the world's 2nd largest basilica (1st obviously being St. Peter's at the Vatican), The Ponte Vecchio - the beautiful shop filled bridge over the river flowing through Florence, The tombs of great great scientists, politicians and artists of that time and The Uffizi Gallery which we chose to skip to catch a train that would take us to one of the 7 wonders of the world - The leaning tower of Pisa.


Now this trip to Pisa is what I remembered when I was at Gopalpur. That day, after our quick lesson on the places in Florence, we ran to catch a train we had not planned or placed in our itinerary, enjoyed the ride to a little town named Pisa, got off already tired at around 4, walked the whole length of that place to reach the famous sinking tower! Now one must know that every Cathedral Square has 3 main buildings - The Duomo, The Baptistery and The Bell Tower which in this case all of you know as The Leaning Tower of Pisa. The first thing that came to my mind when we entered the 'Square of Miracles' was, 'Oh my god! The Qutub Minar is taller than this!' Nevertheless, the Piazza was beautiful and so were the monuments around it. But you know what left a lasting impression were the Bangladesh immigrants who were selling little items on the road sides and looting the foreign tourists! Felt like we were back in our country with the same street side hawkers, just cleaner and more hygienic! 


Why I thought of this day was, after the rush to Pisa, we still had to return to the hotel in Florence! Walk all the way across the little town of Pisa, into the train back to Florence train station, hunt down some dinner before walking all the way through streets of Firenze to the hotel! boy, were we tired and irritable! and did we get a goodnight's sleep or what! But that was it! The whole journey up and down the mountain is what matters, not just up! And I knew that I would look back to that torturous pizza we had for dinner that tired night and laugh as I remembered how my little sister and I entertained ourselves by looking at the little dog sitting at the table next to us! And thus I have for myself simple memories of the tiresome but wonderful travels! 


So, back I went with my grandparents in the car that we came in, quiet though the journey was, we returned home happily as the exhausted sun set slowly at the horizon for his well deserved night's sleep...

Love

Love is such a simple emotion but has different names... Has a billion definitions... Thousands of theories - how to fall into it, fall out, survive in it and lots more I'm sure one would've seen the books based on every bizarre problem or memory forming event related to Love.

Just the other day I heard a celebrity couple, who've been together for about 7 years, claiming that their secret to their long lasting success - despite their busy schedules - is because they have a rule - "Not to be away from each other for more than 2 weeks" Somehow I don't find it very convincing because I'm sure there are a number of relationships that grew just because of the distance... Why.. Doesn't 'Absence make the heart grow fonder'?  People believe in 'Love at first sight'. But I find falling in love and growing to love a person more realistic! But I suppose that's just me. I believe that everyone is different, different views, thoughts and reactions and thus different ways and methods to deal with love.

One must remember that love isn't just the love that the Hollywood romantic comedies describe, it takes different forms depending on the person one deals with - parent-child, inter-sibling, friends-who-used-to-be-lovers, lovers-who-used-to-be-friends and of course best friends! 

What struck me was how most of our best relationships are the ones that come naturally, that have no rules, regulations or restrictions and are unconditional. Unconditional love. Sounds beautiful, right? I'm sure everyone of you just had a picture of a baby and its mother in your head. But you know, that's not the only unconditional love in the world. Every relation you are blood related to or grown up with is all unconditional. Your spouse you had an arranged marriage to, your older brother who practically rags you all day, your best friend who forgets to call you every once in while... But you love them with a pure heart and they love you back.

Its the modern human society with its rules that complicate things. The times that one would follow love advice, just because of  one person's failure and lose out on something that may have worked out. The age issues, same gender partners, live-in relations... All are 'problems' just because 'people' say so! Honestly... Love isn't something one controls. Why blame them?

I came to realize that it is in man's and maybe other social animals nature to love unconditionally. If one hates, it is because he has been told and taught to. If you ever meet a person who is easily forgiving and ready to spread cheer and love, encourage and learn from him. Don't degrade him just because he can't see how horrid the person he is with is - according to society. He is ready to care for people and things that may never have anything to give in return! He is the greater man.

I know this is a very debatable topic and I never took side, I am tolerant to both parties, just remember - Don't let rules bind you, Don't be afraid to fall in love and letting it show because its better living with a broken heart that can be fixed rather than a cyanosed heart lacking love that would slowly necrotize and be toxic to itself...