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Thursday 8 October 2020

Chai Chai






Tea, coffee or... real cheesy line of yester years 😊! Tea it would be for most of us , in daily mornings , family evenings, work breaks, in between studies, for the masses as well as for the classes. Yes in airport lounges though we hold the boisterous coffee cup for a while succumbing to somewhat peer pressure may be, yet most of the times we Indians have that Dil Se connection with chai be it cutting, adrak wali , doodh patti ( I never knew it existed) , masala chai, lemon tea...just strikes a chord with heart and the cup of freshness plucks the strings just at the right places.

Reminiscence of childhood summer vacations often take me to the lush green tea gardens of one not so famous tea estate owned by the Tatas, Hathigor tea estate! My grandpa's quarter was my idea of a big house, three bedrooms , one living room and the huge space in front of the house and the larger backyard along with a big garden full of mango, jamun, jackfruit trees and yes a pair of toilets almost hundred metres away and just beyond the toilets there was this wire fencing and acres of green tea gardens almost covering the horizon! Tea garden labours were heard chatting, blabbering as they made their way to the gardens in the morning and while they returned in the evening after the siren . The tea leaf factory was nearby, we could hear the machines buzz, look at the exhaust fans roll and smell the warm whiff of tea leaves, specially at night . Naturally being from this land , tea was our go to drink once you reach adolescence or teens, for those evenings with chai samosa or chai pakoda or dipping those Marie biscuits or rusks in the morning, or those late night study sessions with a cup of laal sa ( Assamese for black tea)may be.

Being a hardcore foodie, I know tea lovers will vehemently oppose, for me tea was  always an accompaniment for muri bhaja, biscuits, dalmoth and without snacks I’d be lost with my cuppa like a rudderless ship! Though sometimes for the sake of long hours of study did manage a biscuit less cup of tea  but no not at all my cup of tea exactly. Getting hitched with someone who can gulp gallons of tea changed the equation a bit and I began to long for my morning and evening cuppas as my habit, needless to say with accompaniments galore. Rainy days ( rains are scarce in NCR region) calls for chai pakoda, as ideal as it gets for a combo and with it if you add the bong quintessential adda and some music ,heaven it is! Winters too just hanker for tea , the warm cuppa dealing with the chill specially if it is served in bed and you just need to get one arm out of the blanket to hold the cup! That's called bliss really.

Sipping tea with elders was considered first official entry to the adult world! College canteen, umpteen cups of runny tea  with occasional matthi, balusahi, literal storms over tea cups, from politics to art, tea has seen it all. Slipping through the backdoor, buying sweets and samosas to be served with tea for the unannounced guest! Well guests if at all, aren't  unannounced any more. Back in Assam we love our tea with strong flavour of tea leaf while here in north it's more milk and ginger and masalas. All said and done nothing like this concoction for our Indian minds to rejuvenate, refresh, give soul to our addas... and from the tea gardens of childhood, to the solitary chaiwala humming Chai Chai untiringly in the wee hours past midnight in a compartment with passengers peacefully tucked in their blankets!

' Bhai do baje koi chai lega'  Someone spoke with exasperation

' Kya pata sahab!'   He  went on , ' Chai Chai'

Still railway stations and train compartments reverberate with the sound... Chai Chai.... Chai anyone!

Time for my evening tea.

Axom deshor baagisa re suali...after all...as Bhupen Da had mentioned ☺️!( Girl from the tea gardens of Assam)






Monday 28 September 2020

Dear Daughter

 




Exaggeration you shudder at

'Cut the drama' is what I get!

The stage was set long back

When the pediatric waved a little bundle

Is it a girl, I nudged your dad!

The warm soft wrap who smelled of love

Bellowing, grunting for food moment she was up!


Of moments of growing up

Toothless smiles and colic galore

Of sleepless nights and lulabies sans notes

Of My Little Pony,unicorns ,Chota Bheem too!


Of a little lady caught surfing youtube in online classes!

( Already being killed for this!)

Of a supercool mom screaming discipline 

While editing her dp in insta!


The show is on girl!

Monday 3 August 2020

Drift

The drift was there, slow and steady 
Dark clouds gave way
To a listless bleak evening.

Could we freeze the perpetual flow of time
Hit pause button may be,
Lock those fervent moments, for time immemorial!

The roads we walked, the closest we stood
The cracks that crept in stealthily 
Love that slipped lucidly 
Were we ready to lose 
What we could never have!

The road ahead ,dead and deserted
Few twists and drifts later, 
Together would we tread ,
Deadly curves , unlimited speed
Yet closest would we meet!

Like floating clouds,would we merge
And prittle prattle as much!

Friday 26 June 2020

Dear Ninni


'Unlock the Lock Down'

These are the days of lock down! Corona virus has creeped in to our country, city, society, building and we stay huddled in our homes most of the times! You too play those strange games in tab and listen to those strange songs day and night! Your so called wanderlust mom too initially blown apart by lock down cringed and fretted  but then you learn loving what you have, once you find out ways to deal with it! We all dealt with it in ways we could find. 

This post isn't about lock down though. Lock down, corona would be etched in your memory. Online classes , sessions with friends and as I see you growing tall all within the four walls, as if you almost are going to miss a year of your life. But then we do not know what lies ahead, global warming, pollution , would there be air to breathe, would there be life as we call normal,we do not know really. At this stage being alive and healthy in our country seems an accomplishment.

People are doing wonderful things in the lock down, facebook flooded with posts of exotic food, jaw dropping paintings, dance, music what not and finishing all household chores deftly as well. First few days I was at loss, slept, slept and slept more, barring a few chores, slept through the day! Then gathering myself a bit, juggled between books, bit of cooking or chores, bit of exercise, unlimited time in mobile marveling at others' feats and life wasn't so bad after all. Holidays, vacations, socialising weren't  as important as it seemed in social media and the beauty of doing nothing was setting in. 

There wasn't any dearth of time, though we used to have long talks earlier as well, me and and your grandma had longer talks these days. All mundane regular talks, what to cook, what to eat, what my neighbours did, what my masis worked at and lots of reminiscing of bygone days! Of grandma and aunts, of childhood days when I used to throw huge tantrums, and gradually conversation would drift to those uncomfortable genres, ' You were so so spoiled, look at your daughter, she isn't like you!'
'Yeaah, ok, Let me hang up.'  I would shift uncomfortably, then she would add ' Ok I wasn't so lovey dovey, you were so scared of me!' Then as I would relax bit, would come the smash ' You were impossible though'. Conversations would linger, reflections, music, movies, relatives , Baba being withdrawn in his world of books, sports with an ailing ear, my handsome brother's photo been rejected here and there,we would talk and talk. 

With time immense, catching up with old friend, ignited some memories of the late eighties, when Baba was posted at Goalpara. The quaint little town, with the mighty river and hills was my grazing ground. Not at all aware of the realities lurking around, I used to roam around the town with friends, whose parents let them. Ma being busy with infant brother, I almost knew the little town , its lanes, road to the river, the club where my father played table tennis and quite well at that , the dreamy road to circuit house, the tower up the hill. 
'How I let u wander like that'  Ma would ponder, some guilt and some dread at the possibilities thirty two years back.
Then memories working overtime, I could recall all the names of the roads, shops, the directions, the people I knew, the names we called them, Baba would have some fictional names for all. Friends I had, things I tried to do, from being Famous Five to emulate Steffi Graf ( Not to be disclosed how). Then it was confession time and I disclosed, first to you and your father, then to your grandma , well I was a little younger than you when I watched the first movie with my classmate without telling anyone of course! Movie was Qayamat se Qayamat Tak, which after much persuading Baba had taken me to watch, then why I...just we wanted to watch again so me and my classmate, one fine day amidst all the long walks we had, I don't remember how we gathered the funds, might be I saved money from rickshaw fares and we barged in to Kalpana Cinema Hall with hearts beating fast. Rest of the movie passed by incident free, except for the man sitting by my side staring hard or pushing slightly with elbow, we were too dazed to be bothered with something so trivial! Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla painted our world for us, though I remember my classmate was not promoted to sixth class and might be her parents enrolled her in a different school. Me too guilt ridden and with the gory realities I was vis a vis with, hushed hushed our adventures and tried not to remember . Though picture postcard of Aamir Khan in white jogging suit, sun behind was tucked safely in the last page of  LIC diary I got from Baba, important to tell you here good boxing I got in my ears as Baba discovered the post card!!

Finally the cat was out of the closet, and my Ma howled ,' How could you!! You were just ten may be! How did I not know! Why did I let you!'

Year was 1988, and I still didn't know why I did or how I could. Certainly not proud of myself and the man next to me pushing elbows, but then it was done. Yes you may say or your grandma would say I did take advantage of all the freedom they let me have  unless I was scared stiff of the world around and would think of cringing in my home and not venture out.

Your wanderlust mom still has it in her, the seeds of freedom sown in childhood you cannot let go. My soul still takes flights, my mundane body as well, be it through  books or travel websites or those trips with friends. And as I reflect, your grandma and I shudder at those possibilities, both have our souls loaded with guilts but then since when I wanted to be perfect and there remains still a lot of things I have done, which technically I must not have. Accepting helps, guilt isn't necessary, sometimes we do things unaware ,sometimes we know fully yet tread into paths which do not make much sense. Yes I know it was only a movie I watched, you having access to almost all the movies of the world , this hardly makes any sense also this twelfth floor balcony does not give you much idea of roaming in woods, river bank , climbing the lovely green hill. Yet your world is beautiful, all entertainment at your finger tips, hardly any curiosity or prying in the adult world. 

Make your memories, make your mistakes. Life isn't about being perfect .Would love to listen thirty two years hence and wonder how I let you! Preserve your guilts, love yourself , unlock the lock down and rock on!

Yours Ma


Saturday 4 April 2020

Coffee...?

Coffee...?
I was thinking lunch...
We pondered...
Ok lunch then!
We shot those smileys at each other!
Whilst memories stirred...love,laughter
Togetherness..insane moments
There weren't lost promises...
 Promises there were none

Years between us
Love found and lost
Time won and we were apart
Yet we decided one lunch it would be.
Might be some laughter, some old times
We would hold hands, look into eyes!
Hum some tunes, speak of life
Of diabetes and kidney stones!

Awkward and shy, we met.
Years melted and there were us!
As we were, as we never had been.
We cracked stupid jokes
And laughed and loved
To be back to life by evening!
Like phoenix love rose
Raised her feeble voice...

We were busy, so busy
'Hey listen, listen to me, I'm here!!
I've always been here, listen to me once.'
Your rings of smoke, did pause once...
But we were smart, we called the shots
One lunch and we move on!
We did like always
She did wail..'Listen to me!'

A decade turned upside down
We couldn't answer the questions we posed
She laughed her way into us
'I told you, listen to me'
There was no coffee,only some badly assembled lunch
There were us, decade long us
There was love, gloating over her victory
There were us, whom she left, who left her
And found again!


Saturday 28 March 2020

Parichay

' Parichay on tv! I was what eight/nine,we were watching Parichay at the big coloured screen at our neighbour's when Baba dragged me midway. My hungry soul gobbled the story from u later, Ravi jumped from train for Rama!

' I was brilliant at  stories' Ma gloated, ' Once my sisters were spellbound when I narrated Basera, the story unfolding like movie '

' That explains! Girls common room, me spinning yarns from novels , "Is it a movie," Girls listened wide eyed!Carribeans to Pariries, my fables wandered!'

 Two decades later, two disagreeable, argumentative  souls smiled in agreement .

#100wordstory