We walked in the rain ,without a coat ,without an umbrella. We walked in the rain,on the roads,laughing,talking about everything else but the weather.
We walked as if it were bright sunshine.
The soggy clothes didn't matter.The slippery ground didn't matter.
When the buses ,the cars passed us by,spraying us many times over with dirty gray puddle,it did not matter.
The idea of catching a cold never occurred.We loved rains,at all times.
That was long ago.
Years later,we could afford a car.Once B drove us into an unusually rainy evening,when the windshield ,the windows,the rear view were all cut off by a thick screen of silver white.It was raining outside,but we were dry.
The car was parked on the side of the road.Visibility was poor.We felt stranded,worried.We wished the rain would stop.The car was quiet,except for the sound of raindrops on the metal roof.
Subtle impressions are lost in this city,either when you grow older or when you step outside your house into the daily struggles.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The frog and the raven (Series :Already I'm so lonesome I could cry)
I am fond of surprises - of giving and of receiving them.Gifts on special occasions are a norm - what's so surprising about those?
I had picked an ordinary day in April.
A Hot Evening In April
------------------------
At the time,we were both (Me and B) university students.The faculty of Engineering ran six hostels then.Four dreary ones for girls and two equally pathetic ones, for boys.
But our girls hostel had one respite,a nice garden in front of the house.Summer evenings were spent walking and chatting here.
On such a day ,me and two of my other class mates sat on a ledge in the garden when suddenly I felt a blob fall on my feet...
Instantly I gave a cry and the other two, a start...Goodness,it was a frog!
The Idea
-----------
'A frog's too tiny to fit all three of us into its tummy,now relax' ,I instructed all three,sternly.
Whatever is said about 'a moment's great inspiration' was true,I had had one right then.If only a box could be found!
The Gift
-----------
A box?Easily done.
Quickly,a friend hurried in and emerged from the hostel,proudly waving a nice ,strong medium sized one.
Surprise
------------
B was handed over a lovely bright wrapped box ,and a bag of sweets.I waved him goodnight and walked back into my hostel.
When he entered his hostel room with a colourful big thing in hand,he aroused some curiosity,plus the bag of sweets was enough to gather friends around the gifts.
One of them offered his Swiss-blade.They opened the box,the flap and out leapt the frog!
Though B never admits till date,I'm sure they all had a scare.
When he called me next morning,he didn't mention the box or its contents.He was willfully avoiding the topic - so I wouldn't feel victorious.
When I met him - we both kept a straight face- but I was bursting inside with laughter,picturing the frog jump straight onto them,and the boys struggling to get it out of their house.
A year and a half later
-------------------------
After the whole effort of planning and execution,the effect did seem like a bummer.The result was rather lukewarm.
A week later,when I asked him,how he had liked the gift ,he sounded bored and totally untouched by the event.He said -'o yes,it was a frog,nice plan'.
A year and much more had passed,with time,that incident had been tucked away in some remote corner of my memory.
One Sunday afternoon,B unexpectedly, came to see me at the girls hostel with a friend.Boys were not allowed inside,so they stood at the gate.
He held something behind him.When I walked up to the gate - they both smiled ,wished me a happy new year and handed me a large packet.
The Return Gift
----------------
I happily skipped back to my room.My friends too,couldn't wait to find out what that packet held,they gathered around me while I began to open it,and, as I unwrapped every layer of the colourful paper ,friends moved inches away,the packet was strangely smelly.
The Revenge
----------------
Not suspecting B of any foul play,especially on a new year day,I worked harder at opening the wrapping.Finally I ripped it open and we all peeped inside.
But,what is that?Is that a ......disgusting!!!
There lay a dead raven,rotting and covered with talcum powder..
Some of my friends had begun throwing up,some were making their way to the washroom...I quickly held the packet together,ran down the stairs and tossed it all over the wall into the bushes behind the campus.
It took five days before my room was rid of the nauseating smell..
I had picked an ordinary day in April.
A Hot Evening In April
------------------------
At the time,we were both (Me and B) university students.The faculty of Engineering ran six hostels then.Four dreary ones for girls and two equally pathetic ones, for boys.
But our girls hostel had one respite,a nice garden in front of the house.Summer evenings were spent walking and chatting here.
On such a day ,me and two of my other class mates sat on a ledge in the garden when suddenly I felt a blob fall on my feet...
Instantly I gave a cry and the other two, a start...Goodness,it was a frog!
The Idea
-----------
'A frog's too tiny to fit all three of us into its tummy,now relax' ,I instructed all three,sternly.
Whatever is said about 'a moment's great inspiration' was true,I had had one right then.If only a box could be found!
The Gift
-----------
A box?Easily done.
Quickly,a friend hurried in and emerged from the hostel,proudly waving a nice ,strong medium sized one.
Surprise
------------
B was handed over a lovely bright wrapped box ,and a bag of sweets.I waved him goodnight and walked back into my hostel.
When he entered his hostel room with a colourful big thing in hand,he aroused some curiosity,plus the bag of sweets was enough to gather friends around the gifts.
One of them offered his Swiss-blade.They opened the box,the flap and out leapt the frog!
Though B never admits till date,I'm sure they all had a scare.
When he called me next morning,he didn't mention the box or its contents.He was willfully avoiding the topic - so I wouldn't feel victorious.
When I met him - we both kept a straight face- but I was bursting inside with laughter,picturing the frog jump straight onto them,and the boys struggling to get it out of their house.
A year and a half later
-------------------------
After the whole effort of planning and execution,the effect did seem like a bummer.The result was rather lukewarm.
A week later,when I asked him,how he had liked the gift ,he sounded bored and totally untouched by the event.He said -'o yes,it was a frog,nice plan'.
A year and much more had passed,with time,that incident had been tucked away in some remote corner of my memory.
One Sunday afternoon,B unexpectedly, came to see me at the girls hostel with a friend.Boys were not allowed inside,so they stood at the gate.
He held something behind him.When I walked up to the gate - they both smiled ,wished me a happy new year and handed me a large packet.
The Return Gift
----------------
I happily skipped back to my room.My friends too,couldn't wait to find out what that packet held,they gathered around me while I began to open it,and, as I unwrapped every layer of the colourful paper ,friends moved inches away,the packet was strangely smelly.
The Revenge
----------------
Not suspecting B of any foul play,especially on a new year day,I worked harder at opening the wrapping.Finally I ripped it open and we all peeped inside.
But,what is that?Is that a ......disgusting!!!
There lay a dead raven,rotting and covered with talcum powder..
Some of my friends had begun throwing up,some were making their way to the washroom...I quickly held the packet together,ran down the stairs and tossed it all over the wall into the bushes behind the campus.
It took five days before my room was rid of the nauseating smell..
Thursday, November 3, 2011
(series name - Already I'm so lonesome I could cry) - Long ago me and B
We were once mistaken for twins.Yeah,that was original.
Our co-passengers on the train noticed how bitterly we were arguing over an article in the magazine,and must have decided - no dating couple is foolish enough to let precious stolen private eight hours of a train journey ,just pass away over some magazine news.
One of the boys sitting opposite,haltingly asked B - are u ....two...? B retorted - Are you..what? - an unusual spill-over of his classic annoyance from our fight.Generally he is very polite to strangers.
But he regained his cool,quickly and it turned out our co-passengers had a bet ,on whether we were a couple or just siblings.
Our co-passengers on the train noticed how bitterly we were arguing over an article in the magazine,and must have decided - no dating couple is foolish enough to let precious stolen private eight hours of a train journey ,just pass away over some magazine news.
One of the boys sitting opposite,haltingly asked B - are u ....two...? B retorted - Are you..what? - an unusual spill-over of his classic annoyance from our fight.Generally he is very polite to strangers.
But he regained his cool,quickly and it turned out our co-passengers had a bet ,on whether we were a couple or just siblings.
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