The Forgotten Postcard

As usual, my Blackberry becomes slow and I am forced to save the message chat history of my Whatsapp chat with an old friend. Doing the said exercise, I remember the times when there was no chat history but a letter in hardcopy few pages long that used to be received every few weeks, and sometimes months. As we happened to change towns (due to my fathers transfer), the connectivity with old friends used to be only limited to these handwritten letters. Needless to mention, these letters were written only to a few special persons with which we needed to keep in touch. I also recall that whenever there was a long pause (about one month)  in these letters...there was lots of anxiety. There are many a memories attached with these letters, and most of them are still with me which transports me back to those days and bring back the emotion and nostalgia attached with them. I can't say the same about the recently saved chat history. 

          A popular song by James Blunt goes ....' ....I'm sending postcards from my heart with love for a postmark and then.....you know that you make me feel like we've been caught like kids in the school yard again....And I can't keep it to myself.....  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz0NV-HOT0M )

           I don't know if postcards are even sent now as the telephone and mobile wave has totally changed the way we communicate. But as I see it, phones never could imagine to be in that league as that of the mundane letter where every word was carefully chosen to be there. Then came the instant e-mail and SMS and by the time we got used to it, social media was born. Thanks to it we have now degraded ourselves to such an extent that we are ending up poking each other on FaceBook. I sometimes just want to avoid technology and I see that I am not alone. The other day someone shared (regrettably via social media) this video http://blog.petflow.com/a-video-everyone-needs-to-see/.  Some of the words of the said video goes - ' So look up from your phone, shut down the displays; we have a finite existence and a set number of days; Don't waste your life getting caught up in the net, because when the end comes, there is nothing worst than regret.'   Its so true that everythings changed way too fast  which is beyond the comfort of the postcard generation. While the rapid transition is increasing the size of virtual friends and keeping us hooked, its actually alienating us humans more and more. 

          As I mull over the subject, my hand involuntarily reaches out to the phone when I see a red blinking light on the phone which indicates yet another message received on the Whatsapp group. Or is it What..syappa ?

Instant Connection

It was a typical hot summer day when throats run dry and liquids usually needed to quench the never ending thirst are in big demand. The day was drawing to a close and all the living creatures, big and small, including the ones of my own species were making a beeline to their respective nests. I along with a few friends had decided for a get together with beer and were meeting up at my place. As per the responsibilities entrusted, I was allocated the critical work of collecting the beer. As luck would have it, although there are a few retail shops around our place, the nearest one turned out to be closed. The work responsibilities expanded to include travelling a small distance to look for the oasis at a location some distance away. The walk was a good 30-40 minutes which included a walk crossing the railway station sky walk and a footpath with local vendors (read - mini obstruction course) along the way. As in the case of a normal evening in the local railway stations in Mumbai, a sea of humanity greeted me who were oblivious of the task in hand for me.
                With the initial drops of sweat forming on my forehead, I finally reached the place when it started getting dark.As I looked around for the shop, I realised that the location looked somewhat different and I was not able to locate the place of interest. All the hard work for no avail was my first reaction and concern started to build in.
                  In desperation, I started to look around for a soul in flesh and blood to help me in these trying times and then I saw him....a person standing next to an autorickshaw which looked like a man in the know of such things. As it turned out, he was the best person to ask as he was the autorickwala. He would surely know, I said to myself.
                  So I walked up to him and asked ' Bhai, yahan par daru ki dukaan thi...ab kahan hai ?' (Sir, where is the liquor shop which was present here ?).  He looked at me for a few moments of about 10 secs.....just long enough to make one feel uncomfortable. And suddenly he broke into a laugh...a hearty kind of laugh like no other. I was taken aback with his response and started regretting myself approaching this guy. However, during the bout of laughter.....he barely managed to tell me pointing  at the liquor shop..' woh wahin par hai, jahan tumne akhiri baar chodi thi....' ( its right there where you you'd left it the last time around' ) . And as I turned around I could see that it was really there which I had missed.
                   At that very moment, as the infectious laugh also got to me, I realised that laughing could also be an involuntary action with total strangers.  I stood there laughing with him and finally shook hands on the side of the road thanking him for guiding my poor soul in times of distress. As I slipped once again into a sea of humanity, I thoughtfully admired his sense of humour and realised that  in the present age of instant noodles, instant downloads, instant messaging, an instant human connection is a rare event. I could drink to that. Cheers !

An angel called Bufi

 With 'Bufi' circa 1992

As I now contemplate getting a canine member for the family, I vaguely recall the day, long time ago, when I was introduced to one.
       It was a cold winter starting up in Gangtok, Sikkim way back in 1988. The clouds had started to gather near the helipad area of the Army cantonment where we used to live. Although it never snowed there, the winter breeze was icy and it was best to be indoors. As I rushed into our home one day, I saw an unfamiliar figure in the house below the bed. Buff...it went, and after a pause there was this muffled Buff again. It  was a feeble noise which suggested that it was a weak malnourished dog. She surely appeared weak but felt quite at home trying to Buff me away..

         We already had a Pomeranian ( a very eccentric one at that) and we didn't need another dog, was my first opinion. The 'Lhasa Apso' which later was named Bufi (obviously) turned out to be the most loving thing I had ever met. She was rare and special as she was brought from high altitude and as far as I can remember, during her entire lifespan, there was no instance of anybody in our house or any visitor feeling any hostility from her. In other words, she was an angel.

         It is said that time flies @ 10x for the canine kind and I recall the time when she was big enough and due for a puppy. Unfortunately, the pup died at the time of birth and she desperately tried to wake it up by continuously licking it for many hours whining with tears running from her eyes. Although at that time I realised the loss she may have felt, I didn't fully understand and comprehend the feeling until , years later, I became a father myself. It must have been torrid time for her but she was back to her usual playful self in a few days time which surprised all of us at home. This probably was her way of dealing with it.

       In a house full of boys (that's me, my brother, an army cook and my Dad's orderly) she was always treated as a female member of the house. She was a sharp contrast to our male dog - A Pomeranian named Tipsy- who probably was the cleanest dog you'd ever meet. So much so that he skillfully used to avoid the puddles of water when he walked. In contrast, Bufi would go where no dog dog ever dared to tread. She would roll around in puddles, dirt, dust and wet mud thoroughly enjoying the experience. Tipsy, the male dog, initially would have a jealous demeanour if more attention was anytime given to Bufi. In time, he realised that competition was stronger and appeared to ignore us  but in reality would continue to observe with the corner of his eyes. Bufi also had a special weapon- A call to Bufi in the house would just end up Bufi just sitting in your lap in about 10 secs flat. This could never be replicated by Tipsy who was 'conservative' by nature and avoided getting comfy on laps.

      As she aged, Bufi had an attack of a disease called 'distemper' for some time which resulted in paralysis of the lower body. We observed incredible resolve in Bufi during that period of time till medication brought about minimum movement. The firm resolve for conquering locomotion that was witnessed by us made her a hero in our family. She was a fighter and she was back on her feet in a short span of time which even amazed the vet.
     As I went away to college, I rarely met her and I remember her to be at her playful best whenever we met even after all the years. It was as though she never grew old. Even though now she's long gone, the memory of the energetic, loving, playful Bufi remains etched in my mind.
      In search of a dog now, I realised that I may have impulsively tried to search for my old pal. Maybe that's the reason why it has been more than a year now and am still looking. Even though a part of me wants her back running around the house with her feeble 'Buff' sounds, I hope that she's somewhere in a better place living a life what she truly deserves- A life of an angel.        

The Election Tamasha - Why I Detest it

Honestly, I tried. I tried hard to keep abreast with the party names, their candidates and what their past was and where they are currently connected. However, even after all these years, I just can't stand the sight of these guys on media in general and TV in particular. So much mudslinging, accusations with religion, caste and region based politics makes me feel nauseous to say the least. 

           Having said that, I understand that politics needs extreme strategizing. One such interesting instance I came across was to hear Gul Panag - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAqM4umVwnY. I also get to hear stories from my mom who is politically active in my native state (that's for my disclosure part). However, the elections, as usual, appear tumultuous here in Mumbai, to say the least. And with only 15 days to go, I am yet to make up my mind for deciding the party which deserves my vote (they say - its precious).

            There has been lot of social media at play now with many pushing you to vote and using the NOTA option if no candidate is considered appropriate. A interesting banner indicated- One should vote - otherwise someone else will vote for you.  To have a well informed decision for people in Mumbai there are websites available on what an elected member has promised and what has been executed by them in the last five years. One such website   http://mumbaivotes.com/  has the tag line- Don't vote. Select. It tracks and compare profiles of candidates from Mumbai and also gives complete details of work done as against the promises made.

              Hope similar sites are launched pan India which would give people like me take an informed decision without referring to the TV. The battlegrounds are set and it would be interesting to see who wins. Through my blog would like to send across a message to the candidates- Will vote for 'Honesty'. Any takers ?

Lest I forget

Holy Child School, Guwahati, Assam (circa 1980)

This is not about the war heroes or martyrs but is as important in each and everyone's lives. This is about people who have been around for most for the time in life which were passed  on to be your classmate, roommate, colleague, friend, acquaintance tailor, barber, doctor, waiter....just about everyone else other than  family. 

Everyone and every forward on whasapp/facebook tells me that family comes first and the rest is gravy. In good time, I realised that the gravy's just as important. As someone said 'there are no ordinary moments', there surely are no ordinary people. It because of those people in your lives which has contributed to make you what you are. How you react and don't react to many things and altered behaviour, inherent or acquired, comes partly out of that. 
Ok. So whats the point? You see, in school, the classmate that you're next to in the B&W school photograph was probably the most important reason that you would be in that particular place/section. You would do anything to be with the same person in the same class for the next year. A similarity can be drawn to the tailor you go to, the resturant you go to, the barber, the doctor. So, the sum total of all the said interactions have evolved you into what you are today. That's non reversible. And that, my friend, is the prime reason that you can't make NEW lifelong friends.
Heres a list of a few people that come to my mind. [You can add yours in the comments]. Mr. Surendra for slogging till 3 AM during grade ten school exams. Mr. Rajesh Sharma for teaching me to play hockey in school. Ms. Charu for attempting to get the photo and Mr Tomar, history teacher for letting me go. The lady in the parrot green dress during admissions in eleventh grade at school. Mr Sudipto Modak for all the help.The warden in Hostel no 3. Mr. Vijay Thakur, roommate in college. Mr Singh, the doctor at PGI, Chandigarh one night during college. Mr. Jignesh Jethwa for introducing me to computer games and Shri Nilesh Fuke to the internet. Shri Kishan (my dads army driver) for teaching me to drive. Beautiful women who made my heart flutter (and hence stronger). The person at Dadar railway station who guided me to my train. Mr. Satish Kamath for teaching me finance. 
Many of the people I mentioned above ( and others whom I've met during the journey called life) made an lasting impression and turned me into what I am today. They are and always will remain, part of my lifelong memories. I mention them here....lest I forget.

Attachments of a different kind

            Although attachment is the prime reason for suffering, it's sometimes hard to let go of certain things. As time takes a toll on our 10 year old refrigerator, I cannot help but remember the continuous service it has extended all these years, continuously toiling without a break.
             I vaguely remember the day it was bought...The start of summer and the old refrigerator going kaput ( which incidentally was a bigger one than this one). The selection was not very difficult one as there were a few models available in the Army canteen ( Yes...My father helped me get it). The search narrowed down to this Godrej model due to the Malaysian compressor it had which came with a good reputation. It was decided to go for it after a careful but quick decision. As my son was young ( 3-4 yrs old) , the refrigerator was an essential tool which had to do nearly everything, right from keeping the boiled bottles sterilised to keeping the medicines intact. 
              Many years later, the refrigerators objective being achieved, its relentless continuous streak (very much like a spent cricketer after a triple ton) ended and it started to break apart part by part. First the freezer compartment came apart and it needed some carpentry skills (thanks to practical training in engineering) of mine to fix that. Since it was not a frost free refrigerator, it needed to be defrosted time and again and again and again. I understand that this was something which prolonged its life much like going on a vacation and release the stress. Although the refrigerator was smaller than what most of the people I know had, there was no pressure to change it for a new bigger one from my family (although larger LED TVs were non-negotiable). It also helped disposing any food stuff which was more than a day old as there was no space. My wife also wanted to postpone any purchases till 2012 was over and I complied till the uneventful doomsday prophecy. The last two years after that have been tough and cleaning the fridge becomes more difficult for the maid and then the unthinkable happened. The bulb went down. How could it just switch off ? After a quick check it was diagonised that the bulb needed to be replaced. But I felt it was a signal for me to let it go. 

        The Maharashtrian new year - 'Gudi Padva' is a good time to buy stuff where stores give great discounts ( especially when its fallen on March 31 i.e end of the financial year). So with a heavy heart I went about shortlisting the ones that would just be right for us. The compressors have become 'invertor tech ' and the refrigerants 'eco friendly' and most importantly 'frost free'. There was a buy back offer too which I took which now needs me to part with the refrigerator which has spent 10 years with me. AND it was still alive. 
      The delivery boy came in today and set the new LG refrigerator up for me. He enquired whether the old one could be taken now to which I promptly replied ' I still have stuff in it, take it on Saturday'. As if on cue, the compressor in my old trusted 'Godrej'  kick starts.....and gives out the humming sound which makes me feel at home.