My brother has been married for seven months now and he felt that he had to have a place of his own and they shifted to an apartment. Mom had sentiments and feelings attached to the place that she is staying (which I might add is our own house), so she decided against moving with my brother. I have been asking her to come and stay with me in Bangalore for eons, but she refuses to do so! Why?? Well probably coz of the following:
--I am single.
--I am a workaholic and spend more than necessary hours at the office.
--She doesn't know many people here and whomever she knows stays pretty far from where I stay (and most of you know how hard it is to commute in Bangalore)
--She has a job (as a primary teacher) and she doesn't want to leave it and come here.
--She has spent enough time travelling from one place to another very frequently (Dad was a central Govt. Employee and we used to be transferred almost once in two years)
--All her brothers and people she has known all her life stay pretty closeby, so close that there is only a door separating my uncles and their families (who are still a joint family) and her.
--My brother needs someone to take care of him (that is what she always told me), coz he doesn't even know to make a tea (not that I blame him, he was always provided for!).
These are some of reasons that I fathom. I have never liked anyone forcing their opinions on me, so I have never forced anyone with my opinions. So I never really asked Mom why she did not want to come and stay with me. I thought, maybe when the time was right, she'll just come.
So coming back, I was in Chennai in our spatial house with nobody (Mom goes to school you see) and practically nothing to do. So what do I do???
Chennai is so hot at any given time of the year, that you don't feel like getting out, so I cooked whenever I could, which happened to be 3 days in the week. Without being modest, I must say that I am a pretty decent cook. One of the days my uncle was celebrating his birthday and I cooked Chicken Dum Biriyani for 50 people.
After all this I still had lots of time in my hand, it is then that I started going through the junk that had been collected over the years. Some of the things that I saw in them:
-- A trophy that I won in LKG/UKG for being the best student.
-- An oxford english dictionary I got in 1st standard for topping the class.
-- A Wren and Martin that I got when i was in 2nd standard as professiancy prize.
-- Aesop's fables and Dean's book of fairy tales that my Dad gave me after I stood in the top 3 in 3rd.
-- A Tale of Two Cities that my neighbour gifted to me when I was in fourth.
-- My first pen that I used to write in fifth, till then we used pencils.
-- The first letter that my granny wrote to me when i was in Chennai.
-- A piece of a wooden scale that broke when my Mom hit me with it.
-- My first Autograph book from sixth, wherein John madam, Chella madam, Krishna sir and Pattammal madam had signed.
-- My very first love letter that I got from Nirupama, I was in sixth at that time.
-- The pen that my close and probably the first best friend Rajnikanth made for me. Yes he made it from and old razor.
-- My second autograph book, this was from Port Blair, I was in seventh at that time.
-- A sea-shell that I took from the ocean when I went scuba-diving in Chidiyatapu, Andaman.
-- A little soil from the Cellular Jail, safe in a packet.
-- A feather of a pigeon, which died. I fought with 4 people in my class, in seventh, for saving the life of that bird, coz they were throwing stones at it.
-- The first ten rupee note that Dad gave me to enjoy, coz I stood 5th in a class of 45 people.
-- The very first diary that I wrote in the year 1994.
-- The first speech that I gave in a new school KV,Dharwad just 5 days after joining there.
-- Some of the poems that I wrote in ninth.
-- An essay that my teacher Mr. Bondekar sir made me read in the class as an example of how not to get carried away during an exam. He did mention that it was a very good piece of work, but just not for an exam.
-- The second love letter that I got in my life.
-- A momento for being a compere for the Annual day function.
-- A Lord Krishna wall hanging for winning some competions held during the farewell party, in tenth.
-- My tenth standard hall ticket.
-- Lots of Hearbeat chocolate wrappers that someone special ate during 11th.
-- A handkerchief that I gave to her and she returned, it is still untouched and safe. :)
-- A note where she called me a flirt.
-- The first cycle chain that I used, not for the cycle though.
-- A 4"x4" sorry note, where she wrote SORRY, a thousand times.
-- A small piece of pencil.
-- Letters that she wrote to me in 12th and thereafter, coz she was away from me.
-- Letters that her sister (my Rakhi sister) wrote to me.
-- My 12th standard hall ticket.
-- A packet of lead balls, that I used to try to kill myself.
-- A hand written note from a Spastic guy, who taught me the meaning of life in a single encounter of 5 hours.
-- My CET hall ticket.
-- Some booklets that I made during college days for my classes.
-- A CD of my very old documents, that I treasured at that time. The CD is not readable anymore.
-- My first paycheque (I got it when I was in first year of my college, never cashed it though!).
-- A certificate and a pen for organizing the VLSI conference during 3rd year.
-- Yet another love letter.
-- A trophy for being the best outgoing student of my department.
-- Printout of a heart to heart conversation with my ex-gf during college.
-- Dad's last purse with a ten rupee note.
-- A certificate for organizing the CAPS workshop after the college.
-- A certificate for successfully completing and executing SRiSHTI-ATE.
-- Dozens of certificates over the 2+16 years of formal education for extra-curricular, sports and academic achievements.
-- Small tokens of love given by my recent ex-girl friend.
Well all these made my entire life, till now flash before my eyes in slow motion, is it what we call nostalgia?? Or is it re-living your life again!!
I dunno, just was happy with the bitter-sweet memories! I would say, I have lived my life till now without any regrets. All I did was the best I could do at that time, maybe today, I might not do it the same way. But no regrets whatsoever.
I LOVE my life!!!
:)
