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...

I don't like pets,especially the hairy ones! I find them scary and repelling. I had a harrowing experience when I was forced to share my home with a feline ....for just a few hours! With the daily morning drill done,and sending the husband off to toil, I switched on the TV to watch a movie. Browsing Netflix, Amazon Prime and the kind for a while, selected the hindi flick "Trapped ", the trailer and review being acceptable. Rajkumar Rao trapped in an apartment on the top floor of an unoccupied building and his troubles. I was so engrossed in the movie, and had a start as I sensed a movement in the balcony. Not wanting to move my, well, you know what I am implying at (wink), I stayed glued onto the screen. But something was pulling my attention away from the TV... I heaved myself up from the comfort of my sofa and cushions,  irritably muttering, (this muttering is becoming a habit) to see a  big  brown  cat staring at me.  I sensed it was absolutely scare...

I am not the gardening type. This thought has taken root since childhood when I tried to grow a plant. We stayed in the Air force quarters, a small modest accommodation with a patch of land. We had a fence of shrubs and a rickety wicket gate in the front. Mom loved crotons, she didn't want the flowering plants as the neighbourhood kids would ransack the flowers, leave the gate open for the grazing cows and goats to finish the job. Yes we lived in perfect harmony with the cows and goats, hens and crows and wild plants surrounding the quarters. These crotons grow aplenty in Air force station compound and dad would get a branch of the various colourful plants. After work he would take the gardening equipment and dig holes in the land after mom decides and plans the pattern of our garden. I would be dad's assistant, feeling very important, although dad wouldn't let me touch the sharp instruments or carry load, yes totally pampered single child I was! We would lay out our gard...

I love trains ...tracks ...train journeys ..and the stations..Its in my DNA to love trains I think. My grandfather and my uncle were in Railways, the former a station master and the latter an engine driver. And of course I worked in Railways for 14 years before I decided to take early retirement & pursue other things (staying at home reading, watching TV!) I hardly remember having any conversation with my grandfather who had a gruff demeanor  and never entertained any conversation with his grandchildren. We were all happy to let him be and always would surround our beautiful pleasant grandmother, a happy soul filled with love especially towards us grandchildren. She would tell our mothers to let us all gorge on fruits, tasty juicy mangoes and jackfruits from our own garden and homemade sweets, rather than the rice and dhal which we eat in cities. She knew what each of us liked, the rava ladoos, jelabis, diamond cuts, mixture and other kerala delicacies and kept it read...

Another year gone by ....We stand looking at the new year with hopes and dreams. A feeling of apprehension about the future and thankfulness for the past. Every year as it ends we sit back and think how the year was... What it gave us, what it took from us, how happy we were, how we faced hardships, the new friendships we made and so on the list goes on. No year is filled with only happiness or only sorrowful happenings, it's always a roller coaster journey. Personally for me 2018, will be remembered as the year which  early on took my dad away from me, the rest of the year went in me trying to learn the way to carry on with my life without him, the person who breathed along with me since my birth. As every year, the initial few months were very slow and the last few months spiralled off at a rocket speed. Life teaches us many lessons ... The main lesson is to live with optimism. As long as we breathe - follow the dreams and get along life with passion and zest....

I have avoided getting emotionally attached to kids per se. I keep them at a distance and get annoyed if they behave ....well, as kids normally do. I expect them to be this disciplined,well behaved, polite sweethearts rather than the unruly tantrum throwing running about breaking things kind. My "best half" is more considerate than I. Blessed with a lot of good friends who are like family, I find myself spending time with their kids. A sweet gesture by a good friend moved me emotionally, once I had casually told my friend, wish I had someone to call me mummy and he remembered and made sure that his daughter addressed us as Sangu mummy and Suju papa, Sweet Sia is indeed a daughter to us. I proudly have her love note stuck on my refrigerator. Another friend's daughter Meghana drew her family picture, a stick figure drawing and added us to her family as well. Me with my hair sprung in all directions just like how I sported my hair then, after a haircut debacle. I was ov...