This was a pre-wedding ceebration. They are matching steps with each other with some beer glasses placed on the table.
Sumit and Niti were tuition mates. Suddenly they happen to meet in a bus after 14-15 years and it was very difficult for them to recognize each other. Their conversation follows something like this:
Niti: Are you Rashmi’s brother?
Sumit: Yes, I am but sorry I could not recognize you.
Niti: We went to Mr. Agarwal’s maths classes.
Sumit: oh yes, you look so different it was difficult to recognize you.
Niti: So do you..! what have you been doing?
Sumit: Nothing much, I am into my father’s business….where are you working?
Niti: I am working with a Bank.
Sumit: So Happily Married????
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What could be Niti’s possible reaction to this question? Do post your comments, would love to hear them.
‘Mimmi, bachao….bachao…please save me….’ screams Inu.
Inu a sweet little boy, screamed whenever he saw a house lizard on the wall or a ceiling.
He unlike most boys of his age was terrified of insects be it a spider, cockroach, rat or shrew and needless to say the house lizard the most.
If he catches a glance of any of these by mistake, he would immediately jump from his seat and come hiding behind me (his saviour) and start crying for help. He would try his tactics to scare them off by making some sound of clapping and calling out ‘Hatttttttttttt……….Hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…..Hussssshhhhhhhhhhh’ etc.
Failing to do so, he would say ‘Mimmi aren’t you scared, why don’t you do something to frighten them’. He slowly peeping while tightly holding me to check if the lizard is still there. His ordeal comes to an end when he can not find it on the wall.
It has been quite long since I have experienced this. While I was reading a book, suddenly a shadow above the tube light catches my attention. It was a lizard on the wall. Off late they stopped paying me a visit but today, I smiled at it and mumbled ‘come more often, it reminds of my Inu’.
Two years back I almost missed this moment. I nearly didn’t make the trip. I was travelling from Delhi to Banaras and had a narrow escape from missing my train by a couple of minutes.
In between I travelled to a lot of places but Banaras has always been very special and close to my heart. The cultural capital of India is famous not only for its food, lanes, Ghats, Temples, and Museums but also for its rich contribution in the fields of music, art, dance and education.
It is not unusual to wake up at an unearthly hour to the sounds of bells ringing on one side and the azaan on the other.
Ganga Aarati on Dashashwamedh Ghat
Banaras envelopes the tourists in a visually marvelous atmosphere. The Ganga Aarti is the most famous ritual, performed every evening here. Being crowded with more photographers than worshippers it becomes the most recorded sights of Banaras but every time I came here it transcended all my previous experiences. The whole city looks absolutely spectacular ignited with lamps, the fragrance of incense and candle-lit flower bowls floating in the Ganges.
I always loved spending time along the ghats and in the lanes to dive headlong into this city. People say that Banaras has more than 80 ghats and there is one famous ghat named “Assi”. Other major ghats are Dashashwamedh, Munshi, Kedar Ghat and Manikarnika, needless to say, is the most famous amongst all.
Dashashwamedh Ghat is very close to Kashi Vishwanath TempleMunshi Ghat named after the Famous Indian Author Munshi Premchand. This site is also popular for Satyajit Ray’s film “Joy Baba Felunath”.Kedar Ghat
Manikarnika the bigger of two cremation ground where corpses are cremated on the banks of Ganga is always a major attraction for tourists and photographers. I personally do not prefer clicking a crematorium.
Ratan: the Kewat (our rider). He doesn’t use a mobile phone. Ask for him on Kedar Ghat
Last time I missed the boat ride but this time, ‘Ratan-the Kewat’ became the story teller and he spoke about the history of these ghats and royals associated with them.
In winters, the flock of migratory Siberian birds make it more beautiful.
The extensive stretches of ghats enhance the river front with the number of shrines, temples and palaces built along.
One of the most famous and crowded eatery in Vishwanath Galli. Known for its south Indian food. My personal favourite is “mendu Vada”.
Banaras is a foodie’s delight, with chaat, snacks and a million flavours on offer in pushcarts, street-side eateries. Do not forget to savour your taste buds with these during your stay:
Banarasi Chat Corner near Sankatmochan Temple. A photo of Lt. Farukh Shaikh licking his finger can be seen here.The very Famous ‘Tamatar (Tomato) Chat’Pagal Sardar: Do not forget to taste the Rabri and heavenly lassi from him in Vishwanath Galli.This lassi is absolutely Heavenly.Malaiyo: A foam based dessert available at Pahalwan Singh’s in the market. Not Very tasty, though.
I personally feel that a stay in Banaras is a journey towards discovering the eternal bliss of mind and soul.
Salute thyself:see what thy soul doth wear!- George Herbert
It seems to me that most people are scared of solitude, for almost everything is carried out on a crowded scale. Clubs, wedding parties, sporting events, political meetings, victory parades, religious events, melas, even prayer meetings-the bigger the crowd, the more successful the event! Let a man be seen walking about the hills or countryside alone, and he will be labelled an eccentric.
For most people loneliness is wrongly linked to unhappiness. Their minds are not deep enough to appreciate the sweetness and balm of solitude; they are afraid of life itself, of coming face to face with themselves.
Most of the time we are taken up with family life or working for a living. To get away from it all, just once in a while, into the hills or fields or bylanes, where ‘I am I’, is to enjoy undisturbed serenity. It helps one to contemplate, to create a philosophy of life, to take the mind off the nagging cares of pressures of this age of technological mayhem.
But you do not have to turn your back on the world at large in order to find true solitude. A solitary spirit can move around with the crowd while still holding on to his innate reserve of solitude. Some people choose to sail around the world in small boats. Others remain in their own small patches, yet see the world in a grain of sand.
The green, fresh vegetables always drew me closer to them. I not only loved going to the bazaar to buy the vegetables but also enjoyed my interaction with the kaki, kaka and mashi(s) who were the lives of this bazaar as much as these vegetables were.
It became my habit which I was absolutely in love with. I feel we human beings are strange creatures of habit, and it is sometimes amazing the kind of things we can get used to…and fall in love with.
I was visiting a doctor almost after a year and this doctor as far as I remember I was seeing after 3-4 years.
She was not just a doctor for me but more than a doctor, I always addressed her ‘aunty’, my (doctor) aunty who has seen me from childhood days, who I can speak to about anything even if we met after many years.
She happens to be the daughter of a very famous Bengali Novelist. I remember going to her house whenever I fell sick during those days and this room would be full of books and a nice large portrait of her novelist father. I was always intrigued by this photo and asked her one day who he was and she replied smiling, he is my father.
I remember on her right-hand middle finger she would wear nice lapis lazuli ring which I always liked and also remember of appreciating it during my last visit.
I did not see that ring in her hand this time. I asked, Aunty what happened to that ring which you used to wear and I quite liked it.
কবে খুলে দিযেছি।এখন শুধু এই এক ডায়মন্ড রিং পরে আছি । তোর আঙ্কেল এটা একটা astrologer এর সঙ্গে consult করে এনেছিলেন যাতে আমার মনটা একটু ভালো হয় – কারণ বাবা মারা যাবার পর আমি খুবই ভেঙ্গে পড়েছিলাম।
জানিস তো কিছুই recover করতে পারলাম না…..মনটা মনের জায়গায় থেকে গেল।
(Stopped wearing it long back dear. Now I just wear this diamond ring which was brought by your uncle after discussing it with an astrologer who had advised that it would help me recover faster as after my father’s death I was shattered, I was extremely close to him.
You know what, there was no recovery, I remained the same, and my heart still longs for him).
This ‘song’ reminds me of the late monsoon that year. I wake up early after a night of thunder and heavy rain and set out for a walk straight to her doors. Surprise yet happy, she opens the door. I always longed to see her when she wakes up.
She had this beautiful verandah at her place which always remained a good reason to visit her more often. And imagining me and her together in that verandah makes me feel so glad.
I still remember the first time I had visited her here, she was little unwell that evening and wanted me to join her for a tea and some Poha (her specialty). 🙂
I always waited for this opportunity. Well, the opportunity of eating this delicious poha. It is this Verandah where I hugged her for the first time and it is the same verandah where we kissed each other on this October rain day. I softly close her eyes and whisper in her ears ‘kiss as if it is to be our last one’ while this song can be heard being played at a distance.
So soft and warm and all-encompassing….the moment stayed with me all night.
There are memories that we fear and run away from all our lives. But we also find solace in memory, often in unexpected ways, as unbidden images return from our past.
When I was living in Kolkata as a young man a few years back, I was given this guitar by my then friend, later a girlfriend and now no one…as a birthday gift.
I kept my promise of playing it for her on a special day when I have learned it.
A year later I left Kolkata to never return again with my memories and that guitar.
On last Christmas party at my home, I was visited by all my near and dear ones which included my friends, family and colleagues.
One my guests were intrigued by the same guitar kept in one corner of my drawing room. She asked if she can play.
I replied, No! You cannot.
My daughter has grown up and I am content in my life and the guitar still belongs to her.
This photo was clicked a year back. Is he also playing for someone? or His friends? on a Special Day!
I think I have learnt something of the value of stillness. I don’t fret so much; I laugh at myself more often; I don’t laugh at others. I live life at my own pace.
Like a Banyan Tree!
Is this wisdom, or is it just old age?- Ruskin Bond (Rusty)
The moment I came across this Banyan tree in the BHU campus, it reminded me of the lines by Ruskin Bond.
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