A Whole New World :)
KUDOS TO AN ANGEL
It’s well into the new year n li’l Naina’s seen a li’l more than 2 years of life on planet earth..even if for her the planet’s populated only by the few special beings she’s had the opportunity to interact with.
Come Christmas she’s goin to be an entire year older than she was in this picture. Wish Harry’s magical world really did exist allowing the subject to move around in her frame n make the most of a ‘say cheers’ moment!
Not to be outdone..for a two-year old, she’s miles ahead of the competition neural evolution wise..n on an aside..happens to have inherited from her beautiful parents, one of the most endearing smiles I’ve ever seen a such li’l one sport! Here’s a huge Cheers to li’l Naina Pillai.. :)
Don't Be Talkin To A Stranger-II..Contd
As I took stock of the situation, a frequent refrain of dad's came to mind.."When one can't find options, stop looking for them - turn around and study the problem instead, you'll realize you never needed options."
There, the answer was just a stretch away, round the bend! All I needed to do was..unclip Carlo from the leash, thereby ensuring that he was free to scoot n fetch help if required and the metal leash itself could serve as quite a useful tool, though I was aware that using it in any manner would occur, only if patience was stretched to the tether n the circumstance most trying! What intrigues me though, is that even in so pressing a scenario, I'm capable of this amazingly comic knack of shaking my head n going into denial mode.."Nah..can't be happenin..such unnecessary 007 stuff..most unreal..," so on n so forth! Anyways..at least the contemplation kept me occupied, while the strange soul beyond pondered his next move.
Headlights..brightened in intensity as he returned..no intuition needed, he was driving on the wrong side of the road - my side of the road. The bike glided to a silent halt right before me, I stood facing the figure in black (mindful to keep out of swipe range), leash in my right hand n the left gripping onto Carlo's collar. Carlo exercised his prudence n raised his gaze to the helmeted figure, knowing instinctively, that I wished him to stay still. The biker made a move - raised the visor of his helmet..blood shot eyes locked onto mine. Something changed, I felt anger, as one would practically expect to feel out of a meaningless confrontation like this..but that swifty changed. Suddenly I felt lucky..to have the chance to study a suspect at such close quarters! The look betrayed recognition. There wasn't a need to make an attempt at rememberin if I'd seen this person before, the knowledge that he did was adequate. It meant this was not a chance 'let's-make-some-trouble' encounter. The stranger seemed indisposed to do anything but hold the stare. I studied the look further - insolence, flitted past to reveal indignation. All of a sudden, even that changed, as though something suddenly dawned on him, he shook his head, turned his gaze away, lowered the visor n like he'd appeared, shot off toward the city. I turned n set foot toward home..but not before wondering if this was indeed someone drivin around in a daze..or was there some connect to the shadowy silhouette from the past?
Don't Be Talkin To A Stranger-II
One wonders if relating the entire story with the sequels intact is such a good idea. But thankfully, I've reconciled to the notion that anything left incomplete n unfinished most certainly is not.
So here goes..
The events relating to the 'shadowy' encounter were forgotten and life was sailing along as smooth as can be..We'd adopted a German Shephard Carlo and it'd begun to take its role as the youngest member of the family quite seriously! Autumn was setting in..spreading generous shades of golden brown on trees all around..Serene and picture perfect, the Cantonment looked resplendent with trees, shrubs and cocooned within it the residential bungalows of families of officers leading strategic anti-militancy operations in field areas. As twilight set in, the wind swayed branches rustling leaves, letting them loosen their hold and drift about to settle in sheets of gold and yellow on smooth tar roads leading out of the block. Armed sentries stationed on a grassy mound kept watch over the entry, exit points to the area.
One such evening found me blitz through supper as large brown eyes keenly followed my every move. An unexpected call had extended mealtime and Carlo was trying his best to draw my attention worried I’d dispense with his daily ‘walk in the winds’. Making a mental note to not wander afar, I proceeded with the pattern of fastening metal leash onto collarbelt as Carlo readied for the ritual he liked best (after ‘gobbling-down-meals’ ofcourse, don’t mention ‘shower-&-shampoo’..when he ensures that at least one human in the house (usually I) looks very like him at the end of it all!!). The clock struck ten as we stepped into the windy night, Carlo nodding quizzically at how ‘seemingly’ inanimate things like leaves can dare drift and glide on roads and respond with a crunch beneath one’s paws??!! What remained unresolved for me though..was the issue of who was leading whom..for it became clear that my pet seemed to have the route we’d take, well charted out in his mind, dutifully tugging at the leash when he wanted me to change direction!
It was a while before I noticed we'd wandered out of the cocoon using the forked path that trailed out toward the highway leading to the main city. As I slowed my pace and turned around to head back - Whoosh! – a biker flew past and disappeared in a rush of wind n fluttering leaves! Not before freeing one gloved hand to attempt a jabbing swipe at my free arm missing his target by inches as I leaned away instinctively even as I was caught completely offguard! What on Earth!!?? Who?? Why?? Something glinted in his hand? Something was wrong..! Again!! And the guards’ station was just a stone's throw away, but we were out of their line of vision, hence out of their radar..A classic ‘out of sight, out of mind’ case. The culprit would get away this time as well. But what was he up to?? An irregular pattern of heartbeats later, I turned on my heels to let my gaze scour the dark distance.. Mercury vapour lamps punctuated the highway lighting it in stretches..Far down the tail-lights dwindled and disappeared. Had he left? Intuition strongly persuaded otherwise. Then it dawned. The black out happened before the bend that would have removed it from view!
What was he waiting for at the bend? I was certainly not headed that way..then the answer struck.. waiting for his target to head back so he could launch another cowardly attack under the cover of night! Time stood in suspended animation..we weren’t given any to use, any to squander. But unsuspecting Carlo had no inkling of what lurked round the corner. There was no way I'd be able to take Carlo back down the road in time to remove us from whatever danger this stranger posed! Gathering my thoughts, I looked around. In those few seconds I became more aware of.. learnt more about surroundings I'd been gazing at admiringly just a short while ago. Carlo n I stood on a grassy stretch that sloped away from the gleaming street toward an ancient lime n cement lined drainage canal designed to take care of excess rain water..and lie conveniently out of sight..Between the road to the right n the sloping dead-end to the left we didn’t seem to have many options left to exercise.
To Sis With Love
SCENE -
A RIDING RANGEME: Hey you look considerably slimmer now!
SIS: Yea..Horse riding lessons
ME: I..was talkin to the horse..! (I've this 'dangerous' habit of talkin to subjects that'll have to make a supernatural effort to respond in the same tongue!!)
DISCLAIMER: Under no circumstances whatsoever, is anyone authorised to (mis)read between the lines of this post to construe that sis needs a slimming course. She is perfectly fine the way she is and if she ever happens to get here n not get to the disclaimer in time before blowin her top, trot along to the funeral (yea the horses too)..maybe somewhere close to 17 Race Course Road!
Plz Welcome The Amazin Li'l Naina Pillai
Naina Pillai is the latest member to join our fast expanding family. A fellow Capri (uhmm)..you'll find it amazing that she was only 4 HOURS old when these pics were taken and and and in spite of being born a whole week before her due delivery date to these 2 young docs (family frnz..soon to be family:) Congratulations Sanju bhaiya n Sitara didi!! Progress is the name of the game!! We already love you Naina!! :)
Nightmare: She'll call me aunt...Ouch
Don't Be Talkin To A Stranger!!
One fine day, back home from college, I found a familiar document lyin face-up on the divan..an army circular issued by the Area Headquarters..at a glance the contents were nothin like I'd ever seen before..so inspite of wantin to grab a soft drink n chill out..I took pains to go over the entire contents takin in the news bit by bit! The Area Commander was a worried man..there'd been reports of unidentified entities callin up officers’ wives pretending to be an old childhood friend of the officer, wanting to 'catch up' n ferret out strategic info on postings n bases. This clearly didn't augur well for us n everything pointed only one way..the possibility of militant elements bein on the prowl. Over lunch, dad confirmed this.."coz there's no knowing where militancy'll attempt to infiltrate..they can be relentless in their pursuit!" The import of his constant advice - "Try not to get drawn into conversation with strangers,” struck me then..n also why dad hadn't revealed this before - he hadn't wanted the fear to build up before courage did!
For ages, I’ve never slept at the ‘appointed hour’..stretching it as much as I can with my best frnz..books. Few months later..long after dad had returned to his base n as I lay in bed about to give in to the waves of sleep tired of bein made to wait so long..felt a strange sense of foreboding n for some strange reason my eyes were drawn to the beam of light thrown across the floor of the darkened room from a window about 9 feet behind me..The shadows betrayed that the curtains hadn't been drawn completely n through the parting between them, framed against the window pane was a face appearin to peer in with hands on either sides of his face. The face seemed to alternate between peerin n disappearin beneath the ledge..All of a sudden I fought the instinct to turn my face the other way n confirm what I’d seen..but the recurring pattern across the shadows confirmed it all the more. I drew a blank..! Who was this?? What brought him to our lawns at this unearthly hour?? How had he breached security, jumped the fence?? Where was the night patrol guard?? Everythin fell into place suddenly n all I seemed to want to do was check on what was goin on. I was scared, but there were really no two ways about it..yellin out for mom would jolt her awake scaring her into assuming I’d hurt myself somehow..the guy would surely get away without us knowing why he was here in the first place. Left with no choice whatsoever, I slowly turned to the window, lay still n tried to focus on the face..the mercury vapour lamp lit the pomegranate shrubs behind him..didn’t help. Needed to get away n near the window.. though that was the last vantage point I wanted to approach. Swallowing my fear, the next time I saw the face duck, I grabbed 2 pillows, heaved them under the quilts, let myself slip to the floor on the other side of the bed n rolled underneath..just in time for I could see the face resurface in the oblong shadow that fell across my room. Whoops..heaved a sigh of relief..but not for long..the face disappeared again..n I needed to get to the window side where the curtains would provide the cover..Checkin the shadows for the average duration for which he disappeared..a deep breath n a dash of a crawl later I stood next to the parting, the curtains a useful shield. Turnin around to check the shadow I found the face obstruct the beam of light..had to fight hard not to peer around the side as drawing the curtain away even slightly would mean another ray cutting across the shadows. When he dipped, I pulled the curtains away just enough to afford a clear view n the scene was quite so unexpected..I forgot the fear. Squatting on the grassy lawn, he seemed to be tryin to dig at the grass with some kind of a sharp implement..beside him on the grass in the shadows were some fist sized objects. All this on my garden beneath my window..Suddenly I knew what I had to do..had concrete info to give mom n we’d decide on how best to deal with this. With the phone n mom both in another bedroom..I needed to get past this window n out of the room unseen..or this chap would surely flee without a trace left behind.
Checkin the shadows, I fell on my stomach n reached midway to the bed when Golly the face emerges a bit too soon in the beam to my left!! This time there was no fear..I turned n faced him..n come to think of it..that was one of the most comic moments of my life!! The face just stared for longer than it had ever done that night..probably too shocked to move..I stared straight into what I thought were his eyes..An eternity later..he ducked..I got up n ran out, woke mom gently, to reduce the impact served the news like pudding at supper..an everyday affair. By the time she understood n went rushin into my room, the chap had obviously disappeared. .To cut the story short..a couple of calls fixed the matter n we found nothing on the site beneath the ledge! Okay TJ n the rest of ya..this iz the backdrop to my forthcomin post! Seen in the light of this 'history' it'z goin to be a lot more fun!! Happy Diwali guyz!!
Motoring Blues!
Customised - Traffic Rules
Mumbai's traffic sense is amazing..there's something to be said for the volumes one can imbibe for the sake of one's own enlightenment..from keeping an eye out for those signals - (not traffic) that riders are fond of catching one offguard with..Watch out for these signs folks...they're not even meant for you!!
A) Bike ahead - Restless kid riding pillion - Kid flaps right hand - you overtake from left, kid's bike turns left - Crash! Kidz are never indicating direction..They're only pointing at the overweight pedestrian who looks like their neighbourhood aunt! :[
B) Parked cars - Harmless. Don't be surprised if a friendly canine pokes its scary snout out the underside to attempt a quick snap at that flailing flap! Grr..
C) Divider to your right - Kid trying to cross ..Big deal..But WAIT - Turn your neck the other way to check if there's an equally restless lookin lady to your left..GOD FORBID if that's the kid's mom..one of the two are sure to make an insane bid to dash across to the other! Next..it'll be your mom dashin to the cops to get you out on bail!
D) We're not done yet - As you approach a fork - one of which extends into a flyover - go easy on the gas pedal - motorists often have their minds made up on the route they're gonna take..until ..faced with an option! N someone ahead (you never who) will take the ultimate godgiven microsecond to choose! Pheeeww!
E) If you've just skidded off the road built by the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai..your lean-mean vroom machine meanly divested of its unassumin carriage, an unsightly mess flung just a few feet away..you sittin on your hind side ...inspecting the grime on limbs..muck on clothes..don't worry there's hope - nopes....not referrin to a certain brand of detergent.. it'z not everyday that you encounter an oil spill dished out right in the middle of the road!..n the benevolent monsoons lyin in wait havin flavoured up the experience to make it unforgettable..uhmm...for you n the blessed vroom machine! Doesn't rain everyday does it??
Is it already time?
Microsoft Internet Explorer <- Double click www.rediffmail.com <- Go User Id <- Tab Password <- Enter 10% of 1GB full- (Phew!-Gotta delete some of that backlog) Inbox <- Click From Anupama Viswanathan: Wedding Invite <- Whhhhhat!
When did all this happen? When did I cease to be a kid n when did my friends grow up n get married? It seems just yesterday when we toiled away in our labs late into the evenings..at college. When we trudged up to the gracious but loud lady who kept the counter at the canteen, just when she'd have liked to call it a day. Cuttin the flashback short..what's happening now? Why're the nice folks I'm living with approaching me with 'suitable' matches from 'people they know'..? I'm not about to get hitched..I've seen this happen to others..others far older! Gosh...this can't be happening to me!!!
As dad often says..I'll need to gulp down gallons of 'grow-up' tonic! I'd rather not! What if I could return...to 33/3 Staveley Road...to walks along Salisbury Park...to my ole school 'around the bend'..where old Mr Young (yes, he was ancient..wrinkles permanently in place to masquerade as a perpetual smile) taught the piano after classes..(the piano's extinct n if I judge right at the risk of sounding rude, I'd say so is Mr Young).. where Mrs Mathew, the Principal, gave full-throated renditions of old English classics during prayertime (no, this isn't a memory malfunction)!.. Where I'd stay after classes to know if a certain Mrs Samuel would require a helping hand with restoring books lent to forgetful students, to the class cupboard..in return for a generous bar of chocolate of course...where the bunch of the 'tiniest of the tots' hung on to tunic-ends of those ahead to 'maintain' a 'painfully shepherded' queue for our daily cocoa...(could dive into one of those tumblers n die of embarassment, now that I think of it..n now that I've better(?) sense!)..Cocoa was taken for granted..the multi-coloured tumblers were quite another story..n kept us interested in the contents for quite some time! (...if I catch any of ya (TJ?) laughin again...I'm goin ta hav ta perform th Expeliarmus ..not for the wand..but for ya)!!
The majestic structure - Command Hospital - My first medical admission - the bed never could boast of its occupant..li'l Miss Muffet, in the favoured company of uniformed 'sisters' (as nurses in the armed forces are popularly called) was always to be found 'doin the rounds' of all wards n checkin that occupants of other beds were firmly in place! No..no am not proud of all that..not in the least! N how was I indulged in return??..With an exclusive dining experience at the nurses' mess (the food I managed to wriggle away from..the ambience n television being the object of interest) n steady prescriptions of the popular fizz..the straw had to be a nice colour! Come Wee Willie Winkie time...n mom on her frequent visits would try not to look too flabbergasted at why her li'l one had 'absolutely no appetite at all!'..N why the sisters surrounding my bed looked like they all had somethin up their (short) sleeves! Boy! Did I have a great time! Thankx..dear sisters...I love ya all..n I miss ya all..God bless ya'll wherever you are!! :) Me haven't changed one bit...would rather not! Hope ya'll haven't 'grown up' either! N Hey Anu..! I wish I could make it to the wedding..Here'z wishin...here'z wishin...here'z wishin u....u...u wud mail me ur b'lore address! Aruna n I've gotta send somethin across! :) ASAP
I realize many of us come from varying backgrounds..places which are no more what they used to be..different timezones even.. If you've a page to share from your 'good ole days'..plz go ahead n let us in on the 'magic'..the space'z all yours! :)
