Aaj Ki Kahani

I was flying again. This time with mom and my aunt both recently widowed. My aunt on her maiden foreign trip and my mom on her second trip to Dubai, this time without dad. She was in a tensed mood 2 days before the flight and was weeping and delaying even when the cab came to pick us up. We reached the airport well before time, finished the formalities and waited at the gate. We were busy talking to ourselves that I didn't observe much of what was happening around me. At the boarding announcement, we got into our flight. The business class was empty and we were just 2 rows after the business class. I was sandwiched between my aunt in the window seat and my mom in the aisle. We switched off the mobiles and were ready for the air hostess to begin her routine. But absolutely no trace of her or the pilots announcement. Just then a young girl of 20 years sprung up from the seat behind and rushed to the front. Mom and I commented that she might be asking for changing her seat from ...

Signs of advancement of age is when you begin to reminisce about things of the past. So yesterday afternoon lounging on the sofa, looking at my house - a total disarray as I was in the throes of moving out of Dubai - selling, packing, throwing away things ...I looked fondly at the place where my music system was placed earlier, just sold it to a Pathan - Suleiman Bhai, my TV, music system and my microwave. India and Pakistan were in a dicey state now with wing commander Abhinandan awaiting his release, I was serving "Roohafsa" to Suleiman Bhai. And the "thing" I was particularly remembering fondly was the cassettes, tape recorders and the walkman! hah..what fond memories indeed.  My first tape recorder was a Philips make, (incidentally S Bhai took away another Phillips from me) initially I bought a BPL stereo but had to return it the next day as it was emitting fumes along with the music. The BPL one was sleek, the Phillips wasn't too great looking but...